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Writer's pictureDanae

History of perfume Overview Part 2: 1600s - now

Note: If you haven’t read Part 1 yet, Go read it now!


Throughout the nineteenth century, there was profound change in the perfume world due to the development of modern chemistry. Before, perfumes were made from the oils extracted from a single plant, almost always flowers, but ever since the 1800s, perfume creations have become increasingly more complicated. Many different essences are mixed and are organized by note types so that the fragrance changes throughout the day. (See past blog post on notes in fragrances!)


The development of synthetic chemicals has allowed for a greater variety of fragrances available and today, both synthetic and natural compounds are used together in perfume-making. Chemists have become very agile in creating synthetic compounds, which has greatly facilitated the manufacturing process of perfume. Interestingly, Chanel No. 5 is the first perfume to have ever been made with synthetic compounds.



Modern science in perfumery is both good and bad. It offers so many new variations and possibilities for perfumes, however the dark side of having so many ingredients and different essences in perfume is that sometimes, they are over exaggerated and scents become so overpowering that they are unbearable. Sensitive people can even develop allergic reactions to these types of perfumes and can develop a skin condition called dermatitis, so although modern chemistry was a blessing for the perfume industry, it has brought certain faults to it as well.


Today, the fine-fragrance industry is worth $400 million to $500 million annually in Canada only and approximately $6 billion worth of perfume is sold per year in the United States only. I guess it's safe to say that although the perfume industry had modest beginnings, modern chemistry has allowed this industry to grow astronomically over the past decades.


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