Perfume History

Traditional perfumery began as the art of blending natural oil extractions for the purpose of anointing the body to appeal to the gods. Ancient civilized peoples sought to be uplifted and transported by heavenly aromas. Smelling of divine nature they truly felt at one with their deities.

Perfume’s Traditions

Ancient perfumers were often educated practitioners and seen as conduits to the gods who had intimate understanding of the natural world. They respected and understood the properties of the rare and valuable substances they blended. Even today these oils rival the price of precious metals and gems per ounce.

The oils yielded by delicate blooms, the resinous tears of woods, macerated barks and steamed leaves were revered and interpreted into combinations worthy of the most precious beings. These perfumers understood their craft from beginning to end and created their scented offerings from their heart and soul as well as their mind.

Throughout history, up to the second world war, perfumery continued to be an art form whose materials were almost exclusively beautiful, rare, natural oils – produced to add beauty and allure to personal presentation and social interaction.

Settings to try perfumes were intimate, decorative and exclusive salons for meeting with others socially. The perfumer was regularly on hand to introduce and “fit” the scents to clientele.

The presentation and packaging were worthy of the rare substances contained within the glass and the understanding of the skill required and the value of the ingredients made the purchase of such a luxury an occasion and the client felt truly regarded as a treasured patron.

The boom time of the 20’s and 30’s saw a golden era of fragrance and packaging design. The Art Deco period was in full swing and a spirt of progress and modernity introduced new fashions and lifestyle options across continents. Fashion houses started to diversify into fragrance. When the stock market failed many dedicated perfume houses closed while more diversified brands survived.

World War Two

The advent of the second world war saw perfumers without a reliable supply of ingredients as food became a more important crop and the turmoil prevented trade between countries.

Chemists and scientists intensified the production of synthetic imitations to satisfy a population accustomed to smelling beautiful.

As times got worse any perfume was precious. This demand cheapened the product as people accepted poor imitations with less and less of the real thing to compare it to. This is much the same as most precious luxuries that have an imitator market – nothing compares to the real item though.

The difference with perfumery is that perfume houses opted to do the imitating themselves – to save their business and craft.

Contemporary Practice

The small companies have now been absorbed by the large companies that specialize in the synthetic ingredients they turned to to stay 
in the business.

Today, over ninety percent of all commercial perfumes are manufactured by only 5 chemical companies. These are the same companies who scent everyday fragranced products like detergents, powders and sprays.

Over eighty percent of the commercial perfumes produced by these companies – from the most prestigious to the least expensive – are composed entirely of synthetic fragrance. How these synthetic odors are formed is still shrouded in secrecy apart from those that are well known to be petrochemically derived.

This is not how perfumery began. This is not how Fleurage Pty Ltd creates its many perfumes or scented products.

Fleurage Methods

Fleurage Pty Ltd is privately owned and operated by the directors and perfumer. We still purchase the rare and precious natural oils from around the world to create our fragrances.

Natural perfumes blend with your body creating a unique fragrance that is at one with your being.

The most seductive scents come from nature – flowers, plants of all sorts, seeds, fruits, leaves, roots. Study has shown that a plant’s scent is used to attract not other plants but animals. The scent of plants can cause a kind of euphoria and sense of well being. Perfumes with plant essences can do the same, but imitation scent does not produce the same whole body response. Fleurage perfumery is all about personal allure.

When you find a scent that really brings you joy, you experience a euphoric physical response to it as you breathe it in.

Fleurage perfumes have been noted to do this to those who find their favorite. Perhaps its time for a perfume to expresss your individuality and sensuality.