The Ancient History Of Perfume And Cologne

The use of perfume dates back to ancient civilisations, with the first form of perfume being incense, which was first made by the Mesopotamians about 4,000 years ago. However, the question of when cologne was invented has a more specific answer: 1709. That year, an Italian perfumer named Giovanni Maria Farina (or Johann Maria Farina) created a new fragrance in the German city of Cologne (or Köln). Farina's perfume was inspired by his Italian homeland, and he described it as smelling like an Italian spring morning, of mountain daffodils and orange blossoms after the rain.

The first perfume maker was a woman called Tapputi

The history of perfume is a long and fascinating one. The word 'perfume' comes from the Latin phrase 'per fumum', meaning 'through smoke'. The first form of perfume was incense, which was burned by the Mesopotamians about 4000 years ago. However, the first perfume maker we know of was a woman named Tapputi, also referred to as Tapputi-Belatekallim, which means 'female overseer of a palace'. Tapputi was likely a royal perfumer, as indicated on a cuneiform tablet from around 1200 BC in Babylonian Mesopotamia. She is considered the first registered chemist in the world and the first female chemist in history.

Tapputi led a group of female expert perfume makers called muraqqītu, who created fragrances for the king and his royal family. She was an overseer at the Royal Palace and worked with a researcher whose name has been partially lost to history, ending with '-ninu'. Tapputi's perfume-making process was recorded on clay tablets in Akkadian cuneiform, detailing the use of flowers, oils, calamus, cyperus, myrrh, and balsam. She mixed these ingredients with water or other solvents and distilled and filtered the mixture multiple times.

Tapputi's recipes included advanced techniques such as decoction, infusion, maceration, and distillation. She developed a technique using solvents to create lighter and longer-lasting scents. Her methods were foundational to various chemistry applications, including the production of cosmetics, medicines, and supplements. Tapputi's expertise and innovations in perfumery laid the groundwork for future advancements in the art and science of fragrance creation.

The study of Tapputi's ancient perfume-making process provides valuable insights into the history of chemistry and perfumery. It showcases the ingenuity and skill of one of the world's first recorded chemists, who happened to be a woman. Tapputi's contributions to the field of perfumery continue to be recognised and celebrated even thousands of years later.

The first cologne was created in 1709

The original eau de cologne was a light, fresh fragrance containing a blend of 2–5% perfume oils in alcohol and water. Farina created the scent by using essences of flowers diluted with alcohol. In a letter to his brother Jean Baptiste in 1708, Farina described his creation as smelling like "an Italian spring morning, of mountain daffodils and orange blossoms after the rain". He named his fragrance Eau de Cologne in honour of his new hometown.

The original eau de cologne was sold as a "miracle medicine" and was highly praised by royalty and the wealthy, including King Louis XIV and Napoleon. A single vial of this "aqua mirabilis" (Latin for "miracle water") cost half the annual salary of a civil servant. Farina's cologne was soon delivered to nearly all royal houses in Europe, and the strength and purity of the scent were unknown to patrons at the time.

The Original Eau de Cologne 4711, named after its location at Glockengasse No. 4711, was developed in the 18th century by Wilhelm Mülhens and has been produced in Cologne since at least 1799. It is one of the oldest fragrances still produced in the world.

The term "cologne" has since become a generic term for scented formulations with a typical concentration of 2–5% essential oils or a blend of extracts, alcohol, and water. In contemporary usage, "cologne" often refers specifically to perfumes marketed toward men, although this is changing as society moves towards genderless fragrance.

Perfume was used for hygiene and cleanliness

The use of perfume for hygiene and cleanliness has a long history. The word 'perfume' comes from the Latin phrase 'per fumum', meaning 'through smoke'. The first form of perfume was incense, which was first made by the Mesopotamians about 4,000 years ago. Ancient cultures burned a variety of resins and wood during their religious ceremonies.

In the 19th century, the hygienist movement in England popularised cleanliness as a defence against disease. This movement influenced the creation of simple, fresh, and understated fragrances. Delicate scents such as lavender, jasmine, bergamot, lemon, and violet became popular, as did herbaceous notes of thyme, clove, and rosemary.

The original Eau de Cologne, created by Giovanni Maria Farina in 1709, was also used for hygiene and cleanliness. It was believed that consuming the citrus oil scent would emit through the pores and repel fleas, helping to ward off the bubonic plague.

The word 'perfume' is derived from the Latin 'per fumus'

The word "perfume" is derived from the Latin "per fumus", meaning "through smoke". The French later gave the name "parfum" to the smells produced by burning incense, which was the first form of perfume, created by the Mesopotamians about 4000 years ago. Ancient cultures burned a variety of resins and wood at their religious ceremonies.

Incense made its way to Egypt around 3000 B.C. but was initially used only in religious rituals. Egyptian priests were the first perfumers and they used aromatic resins to sweeten the smell of sacrificial offerings. Ancient Egyptians believed that burning incense connected them to the gods. They burned ingredients such as myrrh, jasmine, frankincense resin, Nile lotus, sweet rush, wine, juniper and lilies. They also had a god of perfume, Nefertum, who wore a head dress made of water lilies.

The use of perfume in Egypt was not limited to religious contexts. The rich elites in Egypt adorned themselves with aromas made of scented oils to denote their status. Pharaohs and priests were buried with their perfumes. When archaeologists opened tombs in 1897, they discovered perfumes which had retained their original, sweet smells.

The ancient Greeks created the first liquid perfume. They grounded aromatic plants, resins and herbs and blended them with oils, creating everyday fragrances. They were also the first to use animal-based scent ingredients like musk and ambergris.

The Romans did not invent perfumery but they gave it its name. The Latin term "per fumum" means "through smoke". The Romans burned perfumes in public baths and used them to scent the soles of their feet. They also used perfumes in beauty products. By 100 AD, they were using about 2,800 tons of frankincense and 550 tons of myrrh a year.

The world's first recorded chemist is considered to be a woman named Tapputi, a perfume maker mentioned in a cuneiform tablet from the second millennium BC in Mesopotamia. She held a powerful role in the Mesopotamian government and religion, as the overseer of the Mesopotamian Royal Palace. She developed methods for scent extraction that would lay the basis for perfume making.

In 2004-2005, an Italian archaeological team discovered evidence of an enormous perfume factory in Cyprus that existed 4,000 years ago during the Bronze Age. Covering an estimated surface area of over 0.4 hectares (0.99 acres), the factory indicated that perfume manufacturing was taking place on an industrial scale.

The French later named incense smells 'parfum'

The word 'perfume' comes from the Latin phrase, "per" meaning "through" and "fumus" or fumum meaning "smoke". The first form of perfume was incense, which was first made by the Mesopotamians about 4,000 years ago. Incense was also used in religious ceremonies in ancient Egypt. The French later named these incense smells "parfum".

The ancient Greeks created the first liquid perfume. However, it was the development of distillation by the Arabs that made perfume manufacture viable.

In the 18th century, Italian perfumer Giovanni Maria Farina created a lighter fragrance blend of 2-5% perfume oils in alcohol and water. This was the original Eau de Cologne, which directly translates to "Water from Cologne", referencing its German birthplace. The word 'cologne' comes from the German city of Cologne, where Farina was living at the time.

Cologne was originally unisex and was meant to be a refreshing alternative to the stronger scents produced in France. However, over time, it became associated with men's fragrances.

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