Perfume history

The Egyptians were probably the first to produce perfume. At 4000 BC the Egyptians were able to make glass. Around 1500 BC they made skillfully decorated perfume bottles made of glass.

 The advantage of glass bottles was that oils inside could be preserved better than in any other type of containers. This still holds today

Greeks also made perfume bottles, today sometimes found by archeologist in tombs.

For a long time perfume was only known and used by rich people. The so called middleclass couldn't afford such luxury until the 19th century.

 

The new perfumes

The start of the 20th century began with some important discoveries for the whole industry. In 1903 two Frenchmen found a compound reminiscent of the odor of violet leaves. This was a major step for synthetic chemistry. One year later the glycidic method was discovered. This method made it possible to synthesize aldehydes from ketones.

 

The success of aldehyde was not immediate. Only when Mademoiselle Coco Chanel hired Ernest Beaux to create Chanel No. 5 aldehydes came in use. 

Madame Chanel sold perfume for the very first time at her newly opened "boutique" in 1914. She quickly established herself and her perfume as trendsetting for the whole industry. In 1921, she employed Ernest Beaux, who helped her create

 

Chanel No. 5.  

 

Chanel no 5

This was a breakthrough of great importance. Before Chanel No. 5 no one had ever dared to use aldehydes in perfume, but Chanel No. 5 was a resounding success. 

 

Aldehydes are still widely used in today's perfume industry.

Marilyn Monroe, once stated that Chanel No.5 was the only thing she wore when sleeping.  Chanel No. 5 is still one of the most sold perfumes worldwide - having a share of the total market at approx. 4,6 percent. Chanel is the fourth biggest company in France. 

Chanel No. 5 consists of altogether more than 132 ingredients. The ever lasting Chanel No. 5 bottle, designed by Sem, will last forever with its elegant simplicity. Chanel No. 5 is composed of jasmine and rose and  has a floral heart.  The base note of perfume No. 5 is dominated by vetiver and sandalwood which makes Chanel No. 5 an all-round success.

 

 

Perfumes in the United States of America

 

The size of the American market was expanding, probably due to the increasing number of department stores.

In the first years of the last century, the Californian perfume company Avon, expanded exponentially. Already at that time, USA was showing the rest of the world that it was a superpower.

End of World War I - modern perfumes

From end of World War I to the outbreak of World War II was perhaps the Golden Age of Perfume. In this period perfume producers like Jacques Guerlain and Coco Chanel made perfumes still well known today; only to mention

Shalimar

Shalimar and Chanel No. 5. These perfumes became very important for both companies, that also made their way into the world of fashion.

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Youth dew

The cold war - Youth Dew from Estee Lauder

in 1952 which was a huge success. This achievement was followed by Estee Super in 1968, Azuree in 1969 and White Linen Alliage, Private Collection and Cinnabar in the seventies. In the eighties names like Beautiful and Knowing was introduced. In 1991 the great success Spellbound made it way to become one of the best selling perfumes from Estee Lauder of all times. Estee Lauder has later on bought both Aramis and Clinique, each contributing to a wide range of perfume and cosmetic products.

The perfume, Youth dew, from Estee Lauder, with its oriental, floral fragrance, marks the entrance of the perfume industry to a new era. The sale of this perfume skyrocketed in both USA and Europe; even in France it sold quite a lot.

 

 

Estee Lauder was the first company to take men's perfume real serious. Estee Lauder bought the Italian company Aramis, founded in Firenze 1965. Aramis has

specialized in men's toiletries and mainly set its mark as trend setting on perfumes based on chypre.

Perfumes from 1980-2000

The introduction of the world wide web diminished the number of perfume producers.

 

In order to stay clear of the closest competitors, everyone had to spend more money on campaigns on the global market. Those that failed to stand the test of times went bankrupt.

The nineties saw the introduction of a new perfume, the innocent angel perfume. In 1992 Thierry Mugler launched Angel perfume.

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Thierry Angel perfume

The perfume, shaped like a star, is still, 12 years after, one of the best selling perfumes. The fragrance consists of honey, vanilla and a bit of chocolate and is made up of sugar and spice. Like other companies this perfume will probably stand the test of time, since its not connected to the ever changing world of fashion.

 

The perfume industry

 

French perfumes accounts for a large part of the worlds perfume exports, and is one of the major industries in France. Perfume is more popular in France than any other place; 84 percent of French woman uses perfume on a regular basis. The industry is controlled by top professional economists who has managed to keep the industry free from recession and negative figures for decades. Its therefore most probable, that French woman will keep their consumption high for many years to come.

 

Largest perfume companies

Estee Lauder is the largest company measured in turnover (approx. 1500000000 US-dollars) -

 

 

the French company Loreal takes second place

 

 

followed by Louis-Vuitton.

 

 

 

The competition between the companies is indeed tough. Launches are usually followed by massive worldwide campaigns reaching from every corner in Los Angeles to the red square in Beijing. Very expensive, but necessary if you want to keep an edge.

An example of how much is at stake was the release of

Poison

Poison by Dior in 1987. This launch set new standards for the perfume industry. Since then, every major company has tried to achieve the same goal in one single campaign as Christian Dior did - worldwide recognition of one single perfume.Estee Lauder

Some brands are mistaken for US brands, but in reality they are often French. This is not the case for the biggest perfume company in the world - Estee Lauder. Estee Lauder manufactures a wide range of cosmetic products. The company started in New York, and introduced Youth Dew

 

 

Loreal

Many people would call Loreal the undisputed champion of European or French perfume industry. Loreal manufactures brands like Guy Laroche, Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani and Cacharel,

 Louis-Vuitton

 is the proud owner of brands like Guerlain, Christian Dior, Kenzo and Givenchy.

 

 

Though Louis-Vuitton only comes in third measured in company turnover, brands like

Christian Dior has achieved worldwide recognition as one of leading French perfumes all over the world. Actually Guerlain is perhaps one of the most successful creators of new fragrances, and continues to expand with new and exciting inputs to the world of French perfume.

Elf Aquitaine Group

The Elf Aquitaine Group is in fourth place and has the brands like Yves Saint-Laurent, Van Cleef and Nina Ricci.

 

This company is huge even though its only No. 4. The turnover of The Elf Aquitaine Group is approximately at US$ 1000000000. Of course this is not only French perfume.

 

 

Cartier, Annick Goutal and Boucheron

Cartier is well known French manufacturer of , but also produces the well known perfume from Cartier. Boucheron also produces jewelry, but they too, make perfume. Annick Goutal 

  

Annick goutal passion

 is an up and coming player on the perfume market. Not very known, but seemingly on their way with sophisticated fragrances.  Cartiers   Delices de Cartier

 

A blend of distinctive fruits like iced cherry and zesty bergamot blended with the spice of pink pepper and feminine floral notes like violet, jasmine, and freesia, finished with warm amber, musk, and sandalwood.

Notes:
Iced Cherry, Bergamot, Pink Pepper, Violet, Jasmine, Freesia, Amber, Tonka Bean, Musk, Sandalwood.
Style: Luminous. Playful. Delightful.

 

Procter & Gamble

One of the most well known perfume from Procter & Gamble is joy perfume.

Created in 1930 with the use of aldehydes , this perfume is still one of the most popular around.

The making of French perfume

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The making of French perfume 

 

 

 

In France, it has been a tradition to manufacture perfume and cosmetics since the 17th century. The city Grasse on the Riviera has been the main city for French perfume for ages. Its in this place that the odor of tomorrow is created. Perfumes are developed by inspired chemists, who know all about blending different compounds to give the fragrance of tomorrow. The materials used in the industry are both exclusive and rare. In order to create perfume you need to blend several compounds, and analyze the character of the blend and its basic fragrance. Its a tedious task blending the essences correctly, but if successful a huge amount of turnover can be made.

 

The basic ingredients of most French perfumes is flowers like jasmine and irises. This is why the French Riviera is such a nice capital for the perfume industry. In the sunny environment its easier to extract the aroma from the different flowers and plants in the area. In order to minimize costs, some flowers and spices are imported from other places in the European union.

 

Image of perfumes

Success is only achieved, when the perfume corresponds and comply with the image, sensuality and originality of the particular brand in question. Its the same with clothing. Perfume companies often sell clothes, bags and other accessories. The image of the perfume has to match other products from the company in order to attract new customers.

 

 

It is certain that competition between leading companies will increase in years to come and the use of French perfume will increase with the general increase in wealth in the western world.

 

Thierry Mugler introduced Angel innocent

perfume in 1999.

Angel perfume has definitely been setting the trend the last couple of years. Perhaps its the most popular perfume for the time being - both in USA and France.

The Innocence fragrance and it's composition

The Angel perfume belong to a family of scents called gourmand. The top note is of vanilla and caramel with a touch of honey.

It is well sustained by a classic base note made of sandalwood from India. People describe Angel perfume as oriental, romantic and sweet.

Back to Joy: 

 Joy perfume

 

Joy perfume

Jean Patou launched Joy perfume in thirty-one (1931). This was only a few years from the introduction of Chanel No. 5. Like No. 5, joy perfume has been popular ever since. The use of aldehyde in perfume started with Ernest Beaux 1921. Ten years after Patou did the same with joy perfume.

Joy and its composition

The top note consists of a blend between peach and calyx and some aldehydes. The middle note is blend of ylang, some other flowers and jasmine. Joy perfume resembles Chanel No. 5 in many ways, not only looking at the composition but looking at the technology and the time for introduction. An overall description would sound of a refined and flowery scent. 

Eternity perfume from Calvin Klein

 

 

 

Ck one

Ck One, the famous unisex perfume

This unisex perfume was introduced by the Calvin Klein Corporation in August 94. Ck One has a refreshing and fruity fragrance. It's base note is a blend of both rose and patchouli. Ck one will probably never go out of fashion. Men and woman in Europe as well as US loves this distinctive perfume

 

Obsession by Calvin Klein 

Obsession

The perfume from Calvin Klein named obsession is both oriental and spicy. It has been on the market for almost twenty years now and continues to be a success. Obsession has a base note of mandarin and peach blended with notes of jasmine and lemon.

Eternity

Eternity Moment

ETERNITY, created in 1988 and was inspired by the ideal of lasting love and intimacy, is a romantic floral fragrance. This harmonious blend of both classic and contemporary scents is a perfect combination, created to reflect timeless quality and modern style.

Notes:
Freesia, Mandarin, Sage, Muguet, White Lily, Patchouli, Sandalwood.
Style:
A scent of romance and endless luxury.

 

Sources:

Fragrance Net,Perfume Net, and Perfume Guide