For thousands of years, people have used perfumes and oils to add a fragrant scent to their bodies. The early Egyptians used perfumes as part of religious ceremonies and as a ritual in preparation to love making. Back during ancient times, frankincense and myrrh were extracted from trees to create these scents. Later botantical oils from rose, peppermint and other plants began to be used.

During the early period of Christianity, perfumes stopped being used for the most part because they were considered sacrilegious extravagances. However, the use of perfumes re-emerged later during the Medieval period. At this time, most fragrances were reserved for the royalty and the elite.

Later, during the Georgian Era, a non-oily eau de cologne was first developed. It was applied directly to the body, as well as used in the bath, soap products and even mouthwash!

Modern perfume didn’t really become developed until the late 19th century when chemistry knowledge advanced and synthetic perfumes were created. Because synthetic materials were being used and the perfume making process became less expensive, the cost of fragrances began to drop and the average person could now afford to purchase perfume.

Fragrances are made from a combination of ethyl alcohol and essential oils. As the percentage of essential oils decreases, the strength and cost of the fragrance declines.

Perfume is the most expensive and strongest form of fragrance with 22% essential oils.

Eau de Parfum is next with between 15 and 22% essential oils.

Eau de Toilette has 8 to 15% essential oils.

Eau de Cologne is popular among the younger set as it is cheaper, but it has just 4% essential oils.

Eau Fraiche is the most diluted of the fragrances with just a subtle scent and only 1 to 3% essential oils.

One of the first mainstream perfumes was Chanel No. 5, created by Ernest Beaux for Coco Chanel in 1921. This floral scent has a woody base. It has remained popular through decades. Today, it is said that a bottle of Chanel No. 5 is sold every 30 seconds.