Perfume, Fragrance & Skincare Products

Tapputi, mentioned in the Cuneiform tablet, is widely regarded as the world's first recorded chemist, he operated in Mesopotamia - which is pretty much corresponding to modern day Iraq - in 2nd Millenium BC (2000-1000BC). No other information is known about Tapputi, but he's an important figure in the history of Chemistry.

The oldest known perfumery was discovered in Cyprus. An excavation in 2005 unearthed evidence of a factory that has been dated to be early Bronze Age. The factory - which is believed to be around 43,000 sq ft, indicates that the manufacture of perfume was undertaken on a fairly large, industrial scale, almost unheard of in the bronze ages.

Modern day perfumes have a lot to thank Islamic cultures for their existance. Islamic Alchemy & Chemistry focussed around the extraction of fragrances through steam distillation and also offered new ingredients for the fragrances. This distillation methods are still being used today in the production of perfume and even in chemistry.

The introduction of new fragrances was thanks largely due to Arabic and Persian traders, who through their extensive network of traders, had access to different spices, herbs and other material. Muslims also were the first civilization to perfect cultivating plants outside of their native environment. Jasmine and citrus fruits in particular. These two smells are still being used in perfumes today.

In the early 800's, an Iraqi scholar by the name of Al-Kindi carried out a large number of experiments. These experiments combined a variety of plants and oils to form scent products. These weren't sold in bottles but as recipes to produce perfumes & skincare products - and is considered to be the father of the industry.

Avicenna - a Persian Muslim doctor - was the first to extract oils from flowers. His first experiment was with his favourite flower, the rose. He managed to successfully extract oils from the rose petal, and christened it Rose water - which is still used today.

Traders from the Arab world arrived in Europe in the 1300's, and with them brought the first perfumes. 1370 was the year that the first modern alcohol based perfume was produced, which was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth of Hungary. Hungary Water, the name of the perfume, remained popular until the 16th Century, when the Italian Renaissance produced Eau du Cologne.

In 18th Century France, the extravagance of perfume came to the forefont, as sanitation was so poor. King Louis XV demanded a different fragrance for his apartment everyday, and Napoleon was well known for his expenditures on fragrances. Even though that the death of Louis XVI brought the end to institutionalised extravagance in France, the country is still a centre of perfume trading, particularly in Europe.

There are five different types of perfume, which relate to the level of perfume oil within it. These are, with their level of perfume oil in it:-

• Perfume Extract (15%-30%)
• Eau de Parfum (10%-15%)
• Eau de Toilette (5%-20%)
• Eau de Cologne (2%-5%)
• Splash & Aftershaves (0.5%-2%)

The perfume oils are combined with ethanol or water, this is because in their natural sense the undiluted oils can cause severe allergic reations when applied directly to skin.

The percentage of aromatic compound also means that the intensity and longevity of the scent is different, with stronger perfume oils producing a stronger scent than lesser perfume oils. However, it must be known that the names do interchange, so some forms of Eau de Toilette (particularly the male varieties) are colloquially known as aftershave.

To describe a perfume, "notes" are used. Similar to music, where three notes are hit to make a chord, three fragrance notes are used to make up each perfume, which appear over time. These are:-

Top Notes These appear when the perfume is first sprayed and are the most striking. This one sells the perfume.

Middle Notes These appear when the top notes dissipate. These notes are often the main scent, and is used to mask the base notes, which initially are quite unpleasant, but improve over time.

Base Notes The final smell of the perfume, usually appearing 30 minutes after being applied. Base Notes are rich and deep and last the longest. However, recent development in perfumes mean that any lingering base notes are instantly dispersed when the perfume is reapplied.

The makers of perfumes go to extraordinary lengths to conjure up the smell, using these notes, usually describing it as a story or journey in which to sell the perfume.

Grouping the perfumes is an arduous, subjective process, and not entirely accurate. For example, if a perfume is classed as "Single Floral", it can have other fragrances associated with it. In 1900, the following categories were established.

• Single Floral - Perfumes that have a strong scent of one flower. Examples: Serge Lutens "Sa Majeste La Rose"
• Floral Bouquet - Perfumes that have a scent of several flowers. Examples: Paul Smith Floral
• Ambery - Animalic sweet smells, such as ambergris, resins or labdanum. Examples: Grand Amour by Annick Goutal, Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens.
• Woody - Perfumes based on woods and woody scents. Examples: Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille
• Leather - Smells alikened to leather, but not. Usually a mixture of tobacco, honey and wood. Examples: Serge Lutens Arabie.
• Chypre - French for Cyprus, Chypre fragrances (named after a perfume by Francois Coty) have notes of bergamot, oakmoss, patchouli and labdanium. Examples: Annick Goutal Eau du Sud
• Fougere - French for Fern, perfumes that are classed as Fougere are built on a base of lavender, coumarin and oakmoss. Examples: Serge Lutens Gris Clair

In later years, since 1945, the technology of perfume changed to form synthetic fragrances, and new categories have been established.

• Bright Floral - This is halfway between the Single Floral & Floral Bouquet, offering a number of different floral scents. Example: Annick Goutal Le Chevrefeuille.
• Green - A lighter version of Chypre perfumes. Examples: Annick Goutal Passion.
• Oceanic/Ozone - A clean smelling, modern smell. It's popular with a lot of the unisex perfumes. Example: Asprey London's Purple Water
• Citrus/Fruity - Fruity smells based on Lemon and Orange. Recently become popular again. Examples: Malin & Goetz, Annick Goutal Les Nuits de Hadrien.
• Gourmand - Scents that smell like food, usually vanilla, cocoa or mint. Examples: Annick Goutal Vanille Exquise.

Skincare products is the name concerned with the broad range of creams, exfoliants, gels, lipsticks, balms, soaps, eyeliners & even haircare products on the market. It is a vast subject, far too big to be covered here. There are a number of different skincare products on the market, here's some of the buzzwords used, and explaining what they actually mean.

Exfoliant/Exfoliate - Exfoliation is a process often used with creams or sometimes even abrasives are used to remove dead skin cells from the surface of the skin, as skin gets older, it appears rougher and more acidic, therefore exfoliants remove this dead skin, leaving the newer, youthful skin, underneath.

Women have been wearing Oriflame Cosmetics for 30 years. The beauty company which was originally founded in Sweden by brothers Jonas and Robert af Jochnick 1967 has achieved great success since then. With 600 products sold in 59 countries and 5,610 employees reported in 2006. Oriflame Cosmetics had its first UK consultant in 1970 and firstly published its catalogues in the UK in 1988. Oriflame cosmetics sell their products through a direct selling force and you can buy directly from the internet, catalogues, Oriflame consultants, or at an Oriflame demonstration party.

Oriflame Cosmetics have a large range of skincare which is suitable for all the face and body. They have specially designed their skincare products to target different types of skin. They have skincare products for oily skin, dry skin, sensitive skin, extra sensitive skin, mature skin, and also products to protect the skin from UV rays. Oriflame Cosmetics has a large collection of make up for the face eyes and lips with many different shades to choose from to create your desired look.

Oriflame Cosmetics not only have products for women but they also have products for men including skincare and fragrances. They have also designed products for the younger ages including skincare, meaning that you can buy all your beauty products for the family from Oriflame. Other Oriflame Products include hair care, beauty accessories, candles and gifts.