The History of Perfumes and Fragrance

By Pauline Weston Thomas for Fashion-Era.com

• Early Use of Perfumes
• Chemical Advances in Perfumery
• What is Perfume made from?
• Tips for Wearing Perfume
• Famous Early Perfumes - Chanel No.5
• Scents for Everyone
• Duty Free Sales Help Introduce Perfume to the Masses
• Perfumes_for_the_1970s
• 1980_Power_Perfumes_Match_Power_Dressers
• Fresher Marine Green 1990s and New Millennium Perfumes 
• Myths
• Lost Perfumes
• When to Buy Perfumes

Early Use of Perfumes

There has always been a trade in scents and by the year 2008 perfume had become a $10 billion industry. Today women have fragrance wardrobes of at least six different perfumes, rather than a single signature perfume, keeping one special perfume for occasion moments.

People have used perfume, oils and unguents on their bodies for thousands of years in lesser or greater amounts dependant on fashion whims.  The early Egyptians used perfumed balms as part of religious ceremonies and later as part of pre love making preparations.  Myrrh and Frankincense were exuded gums from trees used to scent the atmosphere in rituals. 

Other plants such as rose and peppermint were steeped in oils until a perfumed unguent formed. The unguent was then rubbed into the skin.  It's interesting to note that perfume has come full circle today as more and more of us seek out high quality aromatherapy perfumed oils to use in exactly the same way as our ancestors did.

Products that enhance the feel of skin and the smell of the body have been highly valued in every culture.  Trade routes introduced spices to other parts of the world and a wider range of scents could be made.  In the past people often mixed their own potions using home methods creating their own aromatherapy products.  Many homes had a still room where essences were steeped out of flowers and herbs. 

Perfume fell out of use during early Christianity, but was revived in the medieval period. By the 1600s scents were applied to objects such as furniture, gloves and fans.  In the Georgian Era non greasy eau de cologne was developed and it had many uses from bath essence to mouthwash.

Chemical Advances in Perfumery

The late 19^th century was the first real era of perfume as we know it when new scents were created because of advances in organic chemistry knowledge. 

Synthetic perfume products were used in place of certain hard to find or expensive ingredients.  At the same time a similar chemical knowledge development happened in textile printing dyes.

Grasse in Provence, France became a centre for flower and herb growing for the perfume industry.  The men who treated leathers in the same area found the smells so bad they perfumed themselves and the leathers. 

They were knowledgeable about making the botanical essences and were the early perfume noses.  But it was only in the C20^th that scents and designer perfumes were really mass produced.  Before that, the few trade names that existed were Coty and Yardley who made fairly light scents with familiar smells.

What Is Perfume Made From?

Perfume is made from about 78% to 95% of specially denatured ethyl alcohol and a remainder of essential oils.

Many new perfumes are promoted as EDPs and an EDT is not always produced as there has been a vogue for Eau de Parfum as individuals want a more lasting signature.

There are major fragrance categories - Floral, Oriental, Floriental, Chypre, Green Marine and Fruit.  Typical plant products include anise, bay leaf, bergamot, cardamom, cedar wood, eucalyptus, frankincense, gardenia, geranium, iris, jasmine, lavender, lemon, lilac, lily, lily of the valley, magnolia, moss, neroli, orange, orris, patchouli, pine, raspberry, rose, sage, sandalwood, tuberose, vanilla, violet and ylang-ylang.

Typical animal products used in perfume include musk from the male musk deer, ambergris from sperm whales, castoreum a secretion of the beaver and civet from the civet cat.  All are used as fixatives and add an indefinable mystery to the smell at the same time.

Tips for Wearing Perfume

When you apply perfumes apply them to pulse points such as the folds in the crook of your elbow and back of knees, wrist, neck and cleavage.  Make sure you do not rub wrists together as this crushes the smell.  Spraying a little into the air is also good if you walk straight into the perfume. 

This helps to diffuse it over your body.  Do not simply apply to the neck always work up the body as the scent rises.  Also consider wearing in your bra a small ball of perfume impregnated cotton wool.

Consider layering perfumes. Use all the same perfume in various products.  Begin with shower or bath gel and then rub in body lotion or spray with a matching after bath spray. 

Finally apply the scent preferably as perfume or EDP.  I find that the use of body lotion makes you feel really scented and it is probably to do with starting at the feet and applying the scent all over allowing the scent to rise.  It also makes you feel extra special and very pampered.

Keep bottles tightly stopped, away from direct heat and out of sunlight.  You will certainly know when they have gone off as you'll notice that you do not get that lovely boost of heavenly scent when you spray or dab and the fragrance will look darker in the bottle.  Some perfumes come in blue or opaque bottles and these store perfume well.

Try to choose perfumes that suit you, not your friends or family.  Test a perfume in a store and then walk around for a minimum of ten minutes.  Some perfumes take more like half an hour or an hour to truly develop.  For example, Boudoir by Vivienne Westwood, Jicky by Guerlain and Must de Cartier are all ones I love after an hour, but am not convinced on first sniff.

Put a few drops of perfume onto an oil burner to scent your bedroom.  At Christmas use musky oriental room fragrances in the form of perfumed incense sticks, candle or sprays to enhance the familiar associated yuletide seasonal smells of cinnamon, orange oil, pine, frankincense and myrrh.

Famous Early Perfumes - N°5 CHANEL

Ernest Beaux created Chanel No. 5 for Coco Chanel in 1921.  It has a floral top note of ylang-ylang and neroli, with a heart of blends of jasmine and rose all above a woody base of sandalwood and vetiver.  Chanel believed women should wear perfume wherever they hoped to be kissed.  Today Chanel No.5 sells a bottle every 30 seconds.

They are all particularly wonderful and each seems to develop with the individual. Maybe it really is because the secret ingredient called Guerlinade the X factor that is added to every new perfume bearing the Guerlain name, makes it smell like a truly sense hitting perfume unlike later unisex creations.

In 1932 Dana made the exotic Tabu, Worth made the memorable Je Reviens which remained popular in the 50s and 60s and in 1934 Elizabeth Arden developed Blue Grass.

All are still sold today.  Later Molyneux and Schiaparelli and other designers produced exotic perfumes in direct competition with Chanel. Jean Patou launched Joy in 1935 and it was voted Scent of the 20^th Century at the Fragrance Foundation FiFi awards 2000.

1944 saw the introduction of Femme by Rochas.  After the war lighter fresher perfumes by Dior and Balmain which could be worn easily by day became more and more popular with the middle classes. In 1947 Dior launched the ever popular Miss Dior.  I still love these older perfumes such as Miss Dior and the wonderful lily Diorissimo.

Scents for Everyone

At this time the working classes still rarely used anything more exotic than the very early scents or the new perfumes produced by cosmetic houses rather than fashion design house couturiers.

Some of the less costly perfumes had quite pleasing scents, but they had none of the cachet of Couture house names.  Everyday prices meant that the ordinary person could afford to buy a perfume gift from ranges by Coty, Yardley, Max Factor and Revlon and not break the bank.

Max Factor's Hypnotique and Primitif were very popular in the 1950s as was Tweed by Lentheric, and Coty's L'Aimant.  Revlon scored great success with Intimate and Aquamarine. Intimate is still available on some Internet sites.  Yardley's Lily of the Valley or French Fern bath salts and talc were always to be found in the Christmas stockings of the masses of working folk.

Goya also produced scents in a price conscious range.  Goya's Black Rose and Here's My Heart featured regularly in full page adverts.  Many people still used 4711 Eau de Cologne, with its clean fresh smell.

A 4711 roll on stick was especially popular for summer heat perspiration before air conditioning.

From Woolworth's young teenagers bought Soir de Paris by Bourjois in its small blue bottle.  They delighted in translating the French into Evening in Paris. -

 Perfume to the Masses

Throughout the 1960s ordinary people began to buy perfume in quantity.  People who had never been abroad before began to spend time browsing in perfume stores and buy perfume in duty free shops.  They came home with bottles of Madame Rochas, Worth's Je Reviens, Carven's Ma Griffe, Arpège by Lanvin, Houbigant's Chantilly, Guerlain's Mitsouko and L'Heure Bleu, Calèche by Hermes, Sortilege, Ecusson and Estee Lauder's Youth Dew.

Yves St. Laurent launched Y in 1964, Rive Gauche in 1968. Guy Laroche presented Fidji in 1966.  Those old favourites Chanel No.5 and Miss Dior were still best sellers with considerable competition from products like Avon's perfume's such as Topaze, Coty's Imprevu and in total contrast, Faberge's earthy daytime Woodhue.

Perfumes for the 1970s

By 1977 Yves St. Laurent had put 'Opium' perfume into production and it was a huge huge success with women everywhere.  It was definitely a perfume for sultry evenings. By contrast women enjoyed wearing perfumes like Nina Ricci's L'Air du Temps and Nina Ricci's orange based Bigarade was popular for a while. Ô de Lancôme, Lauder's Cinnabar, and Anais Anais by Cacharel in 1978 (the latter beloved by schoolgirls) were all well received.

Revlon's Charlie was a top seller and the trouser wearing woman who wore it was portrayed as a woman at ease with herself at work and play.  Avon perfumes were also popular as they were affordable, but interesting coming in huge sprays to dainty containers for perfumed wrist creams. Max Factor's Maxi was in a similar affordable everyday price range.

Various musk based oils and scents at quite low prices flooded chemists shops.  Aviance Night Musk by Prince Matchabelli was popular and affordable.

1980 Power Perfumes Match Power Dressers

New designer scents were marketed fiercely in the 80s and for the first time ever, blatant erotic advertising which generated enormous attention from the media led to the success of the 1985 Obsession campaign from Calvin Klein.  Obsession with its heavy smell of vanilla was dominant in the market.

Lou Lou launched in 1987 was a refreshing subtle change from the more oppressive oriental scents.

Some scents of the era like Yves St Laurent's wonderful rose with violets in Paris have become true classics.  Sultry sirens found Givenchy's Ysatis and Guerlain's 1989 Samsara hard to beat. 

Champagne the perfume caused a court case in the champagne making industry and was eventually taken off the market under that name.  It is now sold in similar packaging, but as Yvresse.

Fresher Marine Green 1990s and New Millennium Perfumes

The 1990s saw a whole new range of cleaner sharper scents which probably began with Estee Lauder's White Linen from the 1980s.  Perfumes such as L'Eau d'Issey by Issey Miyake in 1992, Eternity and Dazzling all have a crisper scent. 

One refreshing oriental fragrance was Sun Moon Stars by Lagerfeld in 1994 and the earlier 1990 Safari by Ralph Lauren was set in one of the prettiest bottles to grace a dressing table.  Organza by Givenchy in a great bottle, launched in 1996 has the smell of a long lost much loved scent and was in competition with the now very popular Allure from Chanel launched the same year.

The century ended with softer scents such as Cristobal by Balenciaga or unisex perfumes such as CK One popular with urban fashion followers. 

In 1999 Cacharel launched Noa Noa.  Now renamed simply Noa it is a rounded floral oriental that smells divine.  New perfumes of the millennium include the lovely Kenzo Flower, Guerlain's Mahora, Calvin Klein's Truth, Rossellini's Manifesto, Lancôme's Miracle, Boucheron's Initial, YSL's Nu, Michaels Kor's Michael, Nina Ricci's Premier Jour and Vivienne Westwood's exotic tempting Boudoir.

Myths about Perfumes

A great deal of snobbery surrounds perfumes and they are often only considered worthwhile initially if expensive and very exclusive.  But the consumer is not stupid however much the hype.  If a scent smells unattractive on the individual the consumer will not buy it. 

The selection of perfumes that do smell wonderful is so great that no one has to wear the latest designer perfume if they hate the smell. Whilst many perfumes do succeed, just as many do not. 

The perfume has to be good and marketed properly to recoup initial development costs.  Launching a new perfume costs between a half and a million pounds, so the scent has to match the mood of the era.

The $10 billion market place is so overcrowded that to keep up with the consumer's desire for new scents and still keep mystique and a measure of exclusivity, design houses such as Dior, Guerlain and Lancôme are now producing limited edition perfumes for a few months only with bottles destined to become designer items.  In 2001 Dior's limited edition perfume was called Remember Me, a lily fragrance.

There is already a bottle collectors Internet trade for scent bottles with or without perfume.

A great many individuals are now seeking out classic perfumes or specially blended oils. A classic is a perfume that has lasted a minimum of ten years and grown to be much loved.

Some people also find that they sneeze quite violently when they wear modern perfumes.  I include myself in this category and I've found that wearing the older perfumes designed more than 50 years ago seems to reduce the sneezing. 

It's also wonderful to rediscover some of the older perfumes and sense their depth, special individual quality and difference from the scents of today.  If only manufacturers would stop tinkering with old favourites.

This may be why many have gone back to purchasing 100% alcohol free perfume oils and mixing their own scents.  You can get high quality oils easily online.

Lost Perfumes

There is quite a bit of Internet activity of web surfers seeking perfumes either no longer in production or not sold in some countries.  It is hard for the consumer to understand why manufacturers remove perfumes without warning, but their reason for being is profit.  If the profit margin does not meet their ideal they ditch a perfume regardless of diehard fans.

Lancôme's wonderful original version of Magie was called Magie Mist.  How I wish they would bring the original Magie Mist back, so much more feminine, pretty, softer, rounder and more memorable than the revamped version called Magie Noir that makes me sneeze.

But manufacturers are in the game of making profits and if sales are slowing they either withdraw the item or relaunch it as a new formula thought to be more in keeping with the mood of an era.  Two recent examples of this are Ô de Lancôme and Yves St Laurent's Opium, both of which have been updated in 2000-1.  If you want the old versions get a stock in now.  Venezia and Cacharel's Lou Lou have also been withdrawn not so long ago, so if you see it and like it, get it in.

Always buy perfumes from reputable dealers when using the Internet for your purchases. One site with a 20 year sales background in the UK is directcosmetics.com which sells skincare, hair and perfume products.  You can get many famous perfume brands from there at heavily reduced prices.

When to Buy Perfumes

Perfume is often sold in the run up to Christmas as a coffret set at a good price.  So it's often possible to buy at an eau de parfum price and get a body lotion and a shower gel in pared down size thrown in for good measure all in one box.  This is the ideal way to try a new fragrance without breaking the bank as you get to try the main products.   Aware of the popularity of cocooning, some manufacturers are also adding matching candles.

If you can bear to wait until January you will often find similar great offers at even lower prices.  Always check the sell by date.  Always ask the assistant if they have fragrance samples in the run up to Christmas or whenever you buy fragrance as that's when they are most likely to give them to you.

A word of caution - some of us now think that some of these specially produced coffret products are not as good as they used to be and that the perfume smell is often less desirable a smell to our nostrils than the regular stock.  Why do we think this - well we have had samples given, bought the coffret and then found that the smell was nothing like as wonderful as the sample. 

One perfume marketing man wrote to tell me that the samples we are offered at perfume counters are always of eau de parfum quality. This means we may get confused and not fully realise at the point of sale that the coffret contains eau de toilette plus gel and lotion, but at the price of eau de parfum. Hmmm...

Let us know if you have experienced this too, we are curious to know if perfumes as opposed to butter mountains are being moved at Christmas!

2000s Perfume

The $10 billion perfume market place needs to keep up with the consumer's desire for new fragrances.  To put a new perfume on the market costs from £500,000 to a £1,000,000.  So the scent has to reflect modern tastes in smell perception, to sell well enough to recoup initial development costs.

In 2003 alone, over 70 new perfumes were launched in the UK.  Most annual perfume sales are made in the run up to Christmas.  Yet at anytime of the year, many of you are wondering what to choose for gifts as well as at Christmas.

Perfume, aromatherapy and luxury beauty products are often the first choice because they are special and extravagant.  They are also often novel with the 'latest' item in a trend setting designer brand product range.   Designers are warming to this novel limited selcetion idea and now in 2007 have started to make niche private collection perfume ranges.

Couple these facts with the knowledge that most perfume coffrets are sold beautifully packaged and you have a gift that says 'you are special and deserve to be pampered' to the recipient.  With the average mass consumer in mind, many such gift packages are pitched around either the £25, £35 or £49 mark and can offer excellent value for money.

Often they contain either an EDT or EDP with some body lotion and perhaps a matching shower or bath gel, providing the perfect products for layering your scent.  Old fashioned bath cubes are no longer the item that a woman looks for in her Christmas stocking.  Layered designer fragrance has far more appeal for the modern miss.

Television and glossy magazine advertisements for perfumes are intended to convey the message that an individual can fantasise that they are part of the glamour that is inherent in the advertisement, if they wear that particular perfume. 

No wonder so many of these advertisements give an impression of being steeped in luxury with liquid gold, iridescent and silken draped materials that say exotic, erotic and expensive.  The message in a bottle is clear - wear the perfume and you have a share in the fantasy dream world of luxury. 

But beware, be guided by your nose and what suits you and your personality rather than the fantasy image of the advert and the luxury of the packaging however cool it seems at a moment in time.

Every woman has a wardrobe of about 6 or 7 scents, some will have even more.  Of the average ownership about 2 bottles are gifts, 2 are image/trend driven and a couple are self selected by the individual because they are old favourites related to their true personality.

I have just counted 9 bottles on my dressing table and know there are 2 more in a kitchen drawer for a quick spray without running upstairs, whilst a small spray sits in my handbag.  Once Christmas and the January sales come there will be several more.  When you own half a dozen bottles, you have to use those fragrances daily as they will go off if left languishing in a drawer for too long.

Some people like myself, make a point of using perfume every day.  For me it is part of getting bathed, dressed and made up.  Applying a perfume is the final act of making a signature statement for the day.  However own more than 10 and you soon find that one is likely to go off from lack of more than occasional use.

A simple way of using a fragrance daily is in bath products so you use scent almost without thinking about it.  The best way is incorporated in bath or shower gel or as routine after bath spray.  Today only a few perfume brands sell these easy and quick to use spray body oils.  It seems to me a marketing point is being missed here as I know I am representative of many women who do not have the luxury of time to rub in body lotions other than occasionally when rushing to get out of the house.  Yet I do use after bath oil sprays regularly. These few brands include Chanel No.5, Chance, Eau de Cartier, Angel, Gloria and Romance.

A Selection of the Newer Perfumes

Let's look at a brief description of some of the new perfumes of the past few years.  I have more knowledge of some than others, so do write and tell me at the email address below if you are very familiar with a particular new perfume and why it appeals so much. 

Write also if there is a special luxury perfume less well known that you want to share with others.  A few from the previous decade are included because of their dominance in world sales now, but it is impossible to list every perfume and which might just happen to your favourite.

Prices where given, are approximate to give you an idea of possible cost in December 2003 and will more than likely vary with supplier.  Also I have tried to give an idea of the starting prices of these perfumes where practical.  Please note we do not sell perfume.

Popular Perfumes of the 2000s

Ardenbeauty by Elizabeth Arden (floral green) - A rich elegant floral with green notes, Rubrum lily, golden sweet orchid, a twist of lemon, on a base of Indian sandalwood, amber and musk.  £32.50 for 50ml EDP.  Launched 2002.

Emporio Armani Night for Her by Armani - A seriously seductive, mysterious voluptuous and sensual perfume with a woody, floral and amber base hinting at peonies, lily of the valley, blackcurrant, cranberry amid sandalwood, patchouli and myrrh.  Ideal for winter. £30 for 50ml EDP.

Sensi by Georgio Armani (floriental) -  A refined, stylish perfume that encapsulates Armani fashion with woody, floral and oriental notes of Kaffir lime leaves, barley, Palisander woods, vanilla and delicate flowers mimosa, jasmine.   £39 for 50ml EDP.  Launched 2002.

Boss Intense by Boss (oriental) - A sensual mesmerising fragrance of amber base notes, spice mixed with vanilla, all mingled with vanilla orchid and warm wood notes.  £29 for 50ml EDP.  Launched 2003.

Initial for Women by Boucheron (floral) - A  sweet and romantic refreshing floral with notes of lily of the valley, Turkish rose, cinnamon, patchouli, blackcurrant leaf and vanilla. Launched 2000.

Burberry Brit by Burberry (oriental) - Very reminiscent of all things British, with soft wood, sugared almonds, lime, pear and amber tones.   £23 for 30ml EDP. £36 for 50ml EDT.

Gloria by Cacharel (oriental)  - A fresh oriental, with notes of Hibiscus, roses, amaretto and vanilla ideal for rock chicks. £18.50 for 50ml EDT.

Chance by Chanel (oriental) - A watery floral with a warm background. £31.50 for 50ml EDT.

Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel (oriental) -  A fresh oriental perfume.  £40 for 50ml EDT.

Clinique Happy by Clinique (floral) - Launched 1997, but one of the world's most popular perfumes of now.  Full of fruits and flowers with a white floral base including magnolia and red grapefruit and blonde woods making this an upbeat warm scent in a rather dull bottle.

Clinique Simply by Clinique (floral) - A watery floral blend of white flowers with a touch of aniseed and a creamy warmth.   £32 for 50ml EDT.

Celine Dion by Coty ( floral) - Ripe fruits with soft florals.  £20 for 50ml EDT.

Ghost by Coty - A sweet, flowery, but modern classic perfume.  £27 for 50ml EDT.

ISA  Bella by Coty (oriental) - Vanilla and balsam with florals create a deep mysterious smell.  £27 for 50ml EDT.

Cool Water Woman by Davidoff - An aquatic blend.  £21 for 30ml EDT.

Escada Ibiza Hippie by Escada - A blend of amber, pear, freesia and cranberry.  Launched 2003.

Dior Addict by Dior (floriental) - Sexy sandalwood based scent with vanilla rose and jasmine and the rare Jamaican flower The Queen of the Night.  £39 for 50ml EDP, £23 for 20ml EDP.

Sicily by Dolce and Gabbana (chypre) - A twist on citrus, herbs and blossoms, including honeysuckle, Italian bergamot, jasmine, hibiscus and sandalwood.  £30 for 25ml EDP.

Magot by Etro (chypre) - Fruits mixed with blossoms and patchouli combine to give a sensuous perfume once settled.  £48 for 100ml EDT.

Celine Pour Femme  - A spicy woody fragrance with rich florals.  £21.50 for 30ml EDT.

Fendi by Fendi (oriental) - A modern scent of amber, musk and vanilla on soft woods.  £40 for 100ml EDT.

Serenity by Ghost -  A feminine scent that contains, bergamot, lily of the valley, Peony and Tonka beans.  £28 for 50ml.  Launched 2003.

Very Irresistible by Givenchy (floral) - This is the world's first floral aromatic scent.  Fresh with a heart of rose, combining 5 different roses and star anise with verbena.  £27.50 for 30ml EDT.

Hot Couture by Givenchy ( floral) -  Sexy and sensual flowery scent with a heart of lily, magnolia and fruity raspberry, amid black pepper overlaid with vetiver, sandalwood and ambergris notes.  Launched 2000.

Quel Amour By Annick Goutal -  A fabulous new fragrance with the discrete scent of peonies mixed with wild roses and geranium rosa, is enhanced by fruits such as pomegranates, redcurrants, cherries and peaches. £35 for 50ml. Launched 2002.

Gucci eau de Parfum by Gucci -  A rich, musky, heady, exotic and erotic, luxurious perfume with orange blossom, thyme, cumin and heliotrope that mellows into an elusive scent.  Not for the shy and retiring.  £26 for 30ml EDP

Gucci Rush 2 by Gucci - A gentle luxurious perfume for those who prefer the fresh and flowery.  Launched 2001.

L'instant by Guerlain (oriental) - The latest offering from  the wonderful Guerlain range. A delicious classy oriental scent roundly finished with a powdery feel.  £30.50 for 50 ml EDT. £52 for 100ml EDT.

Mahora by Guerlain (floriental)-  A heart of frangipani, jasmine, tuberose, ylang ylang and neroli overlaid with vanilla, sandalwood and vetiver.  This is a serious, sultry memorable exotic fragrance for those who like to make a statement.  You will either love it or loathe it.  If you like Dior's Poison you will like this.  I love Guerlain perfumes, but this is the one I find too obvious and too cloying.  Launched in 2000.

Chic by Carolina Herrera  - A seamless, fresh, elegant scent blend with Bulgarian roses, orange flower, mandarin, freesia, ambrette, and vanilla.  Launched 2002.

Marc Jacobs by Marc Jacobs (floral) - A modern, crisp, clean, feminine perfume based around the mystery of gardenia, musk, cedar and ginger.  Launched 2001.  Very popular.

Glow by J.Lo (floral aldehyde)  - A warm sexy and fresh floral fragrance of jasmine, orris, grapefruit and orange flower, with sandalwood, soft musk and amber.   Some may find it too sweet, but my husband always says "you smell lovely" whenever I wear this.  £21 for 30 ml EDT.  Launched 2002.

Cashmere Mist by Donna Karan - A beautiful floral scent that is refreshing, subtle and feminine.  £27 for 30ml EDT. £37 for 50ml EDT.

Flower by Kenzo (floral) - A simple straightforward powdery floral fragrance. It combines poppy, rose, vanilla, violet and hawthorn. £27.50 for 30ml EDP.  £38 for 50ml EDP.

Truth by Calvin Klein (green) - A refreshing woody oriental fragrance ideal for casual wear.  £34 for 50ml EDP.  £21 for 30ml EDP.  Launched 2000.

Michael by Michael Kors - A sophisticated much loved scent with woody undertones, freesia and tuberose on the surface.

Attraction by Lancôme (floriental ) - An attractive stylish perfume which is fresh, floral and green to start with, then hints at an amber and vanilla note on iris, syringa and patchouli.  £28.50 for 30ml EDP.  Very now.

Connexion by Lancôme - An attractive, friendly, happy scent with a warm musky feel.  It is like a bouquet of white flowers and includes magnolia, wild roses and hibiscus together with the fruitiness of blackcurrant and blackberries and the lushness of whipped cream, vanilla and patchouli.  The lingering smell of this perfume hauntingly reminds me of a long lost favourite perfume of many years ago. £25 for 50ml EDT.  Launched 2003.

Miracle by Lancôme - A contemporary feminine white flowers perfume with zesty sharp green notes in a haze of jasmine and magnolia, all underscored by spices and amber.  Perfect for casual and daywear.  Launched 2001 and hugely popular.

Tresor by Lancôme (floriental) -  Re-launched as long ago as 1990 this feminine scent is high on the USA top ten list of best selling scents in this decade. Containing lilac, apricot, amber and musk it is a sharp floriental fragrance.  £28 for 30 ml EDP.

Pour Elle by Ted Lapidus (oriental) - Rich blossoms on a cushion of exotic wood and oriental notes.  £37 for 50ml EDP.

Beautiful by Estee Lauder (floral) - Launched in the 1990s, but one of the most popular perfumes in the USA top ten.  A lovely scent like a bouquet of flowers with citrus woods and spices.  £30 for 30ml EDP.

Intuition by Estee Lauder (oriental) - A beautiful soft sensual scent with vanilla, fruits and floral notes that is modern and wearable.   £36.50 for 50ml EDP. Launched in 2000, hugely popular and still in the USA top ten perfumes.

Beyond Paradise by Estee Lauder (oriental) - A light, radiant, tropically fresh, simple, but warm and full exotic perfume, using lingering scents of flowers like Natal plum blossoms and crêpe jasmine and moss.  Very now.  £27.50 for 30ml EDP.  £37.50 for 50 ml EDP.

Pleasures Intense by Estee Lauder (floral) - Intensely feminine this is a fresh take on the original Pleasure, but with more intense concentrated Eau de Parfum violet tones and ideal for summer. £48 for 100ml EDP.  Launched 2002.

Glamourous by Ralph Lauren - A dress up or down special floral fragrance made from the Casablanca lily, Siam wood and musk.  £41 for 50 ml EDP.  Launched 2002.

Romance by Ralph Lauren (chypre) - This contains chamomile, freesia, tangerine, ginger, violet and oakmoss and makes a light perfume.  £25 for 30 ml EDP.   Launched 1999.

Stella by Stella McCartney (floral) - Fresh simple delicate flowers such as roses offset with amber and woods.  £37.50 for 50ml EDP.

Kingdom by Alexander McQueen (chypre) - A spicy, bright, sensual and exotic fragrance full of character that turns heads.  Contains ginger, vanilla, woods and myrrh.  £31 for 30ml EDP.

Enjoy by Patou (floral) - A lively, sensual fruity floral for grown ups.  £31 for 30ml EDP.

Malabah by Penhaligon (oriental) - Smells of exotic spices mixed with oranges in a far eastern harbour.  £57 for 100ml EDP.

Premier Jour by Nina Ricci (floriental) - A subtle, slightly exotic musky scent with notes hinting at sugared almonds, gardenia, mandarin, and sweet peas and all that is lovely of a long summer's day.  Launched 2001.

Absolu by Rochas - A gentle spicy fragrance with sandalwood, cinnamon and a sharp twist of pepper. Soft enough for office wear.  Launched 2002.

Aquawoman by Rochas - This is a sharp aquatic scent, a blend of nacre, amber, musk on criste marine.  Launched 2002.

Manifesto by Isabella Rossellini - A fresh floral scent launched in 2000.  Made from an exotic mix of fruits, soft flowers, spice with under tones of sandalwood, white musk and chestnut.

Extreme by Paul Smith - A sophisticated  fragrance of mandarin, blackcurrant, freesia and amber.  £20 for 30ml EDT.  £27 for 50ml EDT.  £37 for 100ml EDT.

Kate Spade Parfum - (At present exclusively available at Harrods in UK) - a beautiful new simple sensual fragrance of white flowers, neroli, jasmine with a heart of gardenia.

Anna Sui dolly Girl by Anna Sui (floral)  - A flowery, sweet, girly fresh scent, reminiscent of melons and apples, roses, jasmine, and magnolia.    £20 for 30ml EDT.

Vera Wang The Fragrance by Vera Wang  -  The perfect scent for brides. Roses calla lily, gardenia and stephanotis with lotus iris, woods and musk combine to make a classic floral bouquet for the dream day.  £48 for 50ml EDP.  2003.

Boudoir by Vivienne Westwood - Exotic tempting and sultry combining sandalwood, patchouli, Turkish rose vanilla, lilac, cilantro and orange blossom with musky floral overtones. You may not like this at first but put it on an hour before you go out and let it develop fully into a warm sexy winter scent. £35 for 50 ml EDP.  Launched 1998.

Very Valentino by Valentino (oriental) - A classic scent with green notes on a base of musk, exotic flowers and vanilla.

Nu Eau de Toilette by YSL (oriental) - A blend of woods, vanilla and spices that make a sensual sophisticated, spicy, sexy scent.  From £39. £52 for 100ml EDT.

Baby Doll by YSL (fruits) - A feminine fruity citrus scent with freesia, spices, peach grapefruit, rose, ginger, pomegranate and cedarwood.  Launched 1999.

Perfumes August 2005

Newest Perfumes

The new elegant grown up hourglass silhouette of this autumn will demand more sophisticated old fashioned heady fragrances.  The newest perfumes to attract attention have the traditional fragrance notes of violet, rose or lily.  1990s ozonic notes are not the flavour of the month this autumn.

Limited editions are also popular in perfumes. The latest reissue is of an old favourite of mine and is available exclusively from Harrods. The Harrods perfume department stock unusual and hard to find perfumes and if like me you have longed for years to have some Lancôme Magie eau de Parfum you can now buy it from Harrods this season.

Magie was launched in 1950.  It has a great 50s feel to it, heavily loaded with rose and jasmine and is a memorable scent.  You won't sneeze when you use this perfume.  As soon as I heard of it being for sale again I rang Harrods to order some and it arrived just a few days later.  DO NOT confuse this scent with Magie Noire.

Violet scents will also be on sale this autumn especially from Alexander McQueen and Anick Goutal.  Both will have scents based primarily on violets.  Miss Dior Cherie is the latest 2005 perfume from Dior launching anyday now.

A Brief Reminder of the Constituents of Perfume

78% to 95% of specially denatured ethyl alcohol with a remainder of essential oils makes the product we call perfume and is also loosely called scent or fragrance.

Products with 22% of essential oils are the costliest form of fragrance and are called Perfumes.

EDP or Eau de Parfum comes next, having between 15 and 22% essential oils. It can last  about 4 hours on the wearer.

That's followed by Eau de Toilette (EDT) with 8 to 15% oils, whilst the weaker Eau de Cologne has just 4% essential oils.

The lightest dilution of fragrance of all is Eau Fraiche with 1 to 3% essential oils and is for those who crave super subtlety.

Choose from the major categories of Floral, Oriental, Floriental, Chypre, Green Marine, Animalic  and Fruit (Hesperidia).

Perfumes are easy to buy over the internet and often at a discount, just use a reputable supplier.