Scent of the Past

At Fragrances of Ireland, we recently celebrated two special anniversaries: 25 years since our company's founding and the 10th birthday of our best selling cologne, Inis. We've many, many years to go, though, before nearing the venerable age of the world's oldest perfumery.

In 2007, archaeologists discovered a vast, ancient perfume ‘factory' in Cyprus. Thought to be some 4,000 years old, equipment found at the site at Pyrgos was buried by an earthquake around 1850 BCE. Italian archaeologists working on the 43,000-square-foot site discovered perfectly preserved distilling stills, mixing bowls, funnels, and alabaster perfume amphorae. The finds, now on display in Rome, contained residues of perfumes concocted from rosemary, lavender, pine, coriander and bay, all materials still in use in perfumery today.

It's no surprise that Cyprus is the location of this ancient perfumery. Famous as the birthplace of Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love, it has long been associated with fragrance. So much so, in fact, that the island has given its name to a whole fragrance family: the warm, woody fragrance style ‘chypre' means, literally, ‘from Cyprus'.

Signature Scent or Fragrance Wardrobe?

These days, people often choose to have a ‘fragrance wardrobe', matching the scents they use to their mood, the season, or the image they want to create. Yet the romantic idea of a signature scent – a fragrance that is uniquely ‘you' – is still with us.

In France, it has long been the tradition for a girl approaching womanhood to be taken by her grandmother, godmother or aunt to specialist perfumeries on a quest to find her lifelong signature scent. She may, in her lifetime, use many fragrances, but the signature perfume is the one that her friends, family and lovers will always associate with her.

Finding the perfect fragrance is a fun but far from speedy task. It asks for curiousity, a sense of adventure and infinite patience. The first step is to discover which fragrance family – floral, woody, citrus, oriental – most suits your personality. Then it is a case of trying a variety of perfumes, discovering how each scent develops over time. Fragrance reacts differently with each person's chemistry so no one scent will smell the same on two individuals. Even so, if you are after something distinctive, seek out the smaller, boutique fragrance houses to discover a signature perfume unique to you.

Sixth Sense

For couturier and perfumer Coco Chanel, "the most mysterious, the most human thing, is smell". In his book, "Jacobson's Organ", Lyall Watson seeks to unearth the source of this mystery.

Jacobson's Organ, an area of the nose that feeds the oldest, limbic area of the brain, receives chemical signals through pheromones and other imperceptible smells. This undercover communication affects memory, sexual attraction, awareness and emotions.

Subliminal information received through Jacobson's Organ, Watson claims, could be the mechanism of a "sixth sense", explaining the mystery of how we can instinctively know things undetectable through the other five senses. Detecting signals relating to danger, emotions, and attraction, this humble organ might even explain our strong response to certain perfumes. Or, as Watson says, "the nose knows."

Cool Cologne

Inis is described as cologne, a light, refreshing fragrance, but what is ‘cologne' and what are its origins?

The original Eau de Cologne was launched in 1709 by Giovanni Farina, an Italian perfumer who had settled in Germany. Combining the floral, herbal and citrus notes of his native Italy, Farina was the first person to succeed in producing a perfume that always smelled the same. Describing his creation as "Aqua Admirabilis" (‘admirable water'), Farina wrote, "I have found a fragrance that reminds me of an Italian spring morning, of mountain daffodils and orange blossoms after the rain". He named his creation after his adopted hometown, Eau de Cologne.

These days, cologne recipes vary from one perfume house to another, but always include the classic ingredients of lavender, rosemary, bergamot, lemon and neroli.

"It refreshes me, strengthens my senses, and stimulates my imagination," wrote Farina. No wonder the original Eau de Cologne flew off the shelves to become what today we'd call an instant hit. Very soon Farina was supplying nearly all the royal houses in Europe, establishing his adopted home as a world famous perfume city.

Hand in Glove

It's a surprise to discover that the origins of modern perfumery are to be found hidden deep in the history of another luxury market: gloves and leather goods.

Glovemakers first began to use fragrances to mask the foul-smelling chemicals used in the leather tanning process. Soon, for the well-to-do, scented gloves became the height of fashion, especially in the royal courts of Europe. Catherine de Medici popularised the practice of perfumery in Europe in the 16th century when she left her native Italy to marry the French crown prince. By the 18th century, the court of Louis XV became known as "the perfumed court".

The power of the glovemaker-perfumiers was cemented in the 17th century when in France the Guild of Glovers was established as one of the six most powerful business societies of the day. The best glove perfumers came from Grasse in Provence, which became the largest producer of scented materials (lavender, rose, jasmine) and is still known today as the perfume capital of the world.