Perfume is a combination of essential oils and aroma compounds, fixatives and solvents, in liquid form, used to give the human body, food, living-spaces and other objects a pleasant scent. It’s a form of perfumery, which is an art form, as well as a science, and perfumers spend years honing their craft and developing a deep understanding of smell.
Creating a fragrance starts with the perfumer having an original concept. This could be inspired by a person, place or mood. It might also be influenced by another artistic medium like music, literature or visual art. Once the perfumer has the idea, they start to assemble the raw materials to create the scent. This involves a process called blending, which is essentially matching up ingredients to find the right proportions.
The perfume is then batched, matured/macerated and filtered before it’s ready to bottle. At this stage, the perfumer may choose a name for their creation or leave it as is. It’s common for the perfume to be put in a freezer immediately before filtering, as this helps to remove any particulates that might have accumulated.
A lot of people use perfume as a way to enhance their sense of smell, make themselves feel confident and/or elicit positive memories. Some even claim that certain scents can have a positive impact on their health. However, as with anything, perfume can also have some adverse effects, and it’s important to be aware of these when using it.