A combination of fragrant oils or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give people and living things a pleasant or attractive scent, applied to the skin with a spray.
Perfume is often thought of as a luxury product but its purpose is actually more practical. Its primary function is to mask unpleasant body odors and thereby allow people to go about their activities without being subjected to the embarrassment of bad body odor. Perfume also has the ability to evoke certain emotions and memories in people when associated with specific odours. It is also believed that certain odours have “aromatherapeutic” effects such as elevating mood and heart rate. The actual pharmacological effects of perfume are unknown, however, and appear to be the result of associative learning and the immediate neural and behavioral responses that are triggered in a person’s brain.
The earliest perfumes were made from naturally occurring essential oils or absolutes, extracted from the petals, leaves, or bark of plants by maceration, distillation, or pressing. The first written description of a process for producing perfume was in the 9th century by the Arab chemist Al-Kindi (Alkindus). Modern production of perfume involves a combination of both natural and synthetic ingredients.
The most common source of fragrance components for perfume are the flowers and blossoms of a variety of species including rose, jasmine, tuberose, orchid, carnation, lily of the valley, and iris. Single floral fragrances are called soliflores and blends of flower fragrances are called florials. Woody perfumes are based on the scent of oak moss, sandalwood, and cedarwood, with patchouli being a common addition. Fruity fragrances use a wide variety of fruits such as grapefruit, orange, bergamot, blackcurrant, peach, cassis, mango, and passion fruit.