Perfume - introduction |
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Perfume - The word 'perfume' derives from Latin per fume, meaning 'through smoke', indicative of the importance of incense in the early use of fragrant materials. In its modern meaning, perfume is a concentrated essence of fragrant materials diluted in the minimum possible amount of a high-grade alcohol. The fragrancy content of a perfume sold over the counter (also known in this sense as an 'extrait') is about 15-30%, with the alcohol it is diluted in being 90-95% pure. Any mixture containing a lower proportion of fragrancy is an eau (water). The different types of eau (eau de parfum, eau de toilette, eau de cologne) contain progressively smaller amounts of the fragrancy essence and weaker solutions of alcohol. The word 'perfume' is also more loosely used in a sense synonymous with fragrance or aroma. Until a few years ago the British used the word 'scent' to describe the bottled liquid which in France and the USA has always been known as 'perfume', but this distinction is no longer made. The liquid perfumes (including Waters) used in modern quality perfumery may be of three types. First, there are preparations based on what is generally termed [he classical structure, introduced at the end of the 19th century, of top, middle and lower notes ; these are usually highly elaborate concoctions, containing anything from a few dozen ingredients to several hundred (e.g. 692 in 'Red'), both natural and synthetic, and are classified under a number of broad categories. Secondly, there are 'Single Note' (or 'Single Fragrawce') perfumes, which are made to provide the scent of a specific plant (or flower or a simple posy of flowers or other fragrances, with few low notes; in some cases these will be composed of the essential oil of the flower in question, fortified with other ingredients to intensify the fragrance and to promote stability, smoothness and lasting power; in other cases (e.g. freesia) they may be made entirely of synthetic components, because the natural fragrance of the flower cannot be extracted, or can be reproduced more effectively and economically by such synthesis; in either case a .'single note' perfume will use a surprisingly large number of ingredients. Many 'single note' perfumes now marketed are fragrances first devised in the 19th century, or even earlier (e.g. 'Reese Geranium' and 'Lily of the Valley' by Floris) which are still sold by the perfume houses who originated them. Thirdly, there is a type of perfume which entered the market in the 1980s and to which the names linear fragrance, or sometimes horizontal fragrance, are applied; such perfumes are very strong and are designed to provide a powerful instant impression which does not change with time as do the classical three-note perfumes; in effect they may be seen as two-note perfumes, lacking top notes but with an unusually strong heart.
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