Category Archives: Perfume

The Nature Of Botanical Perfume

When it comes to botanical perfume, it has a completely different nature compared to synthetic perfumes that are mass produced and created in labs.

The colour
Botanical perfumes take on the hue of the botanical ingredients. Perfumes with a high percentage of darker materials such as Oakmoss, Oud or Labdanum will give a darker colour. Perfumes with a larger percentage of light coloured botanicals will have a lighter hue.

Sediment
My perfume making methods are motivated by ancient civilisations. The Egyptians, Greeks and Arabs used botanicals and oils to produce their scents. The ingredients come from plant, seeds, spices, flowers, bark and resins and are obtained through tinctures, infusions, essential oils and absolutes of these plant materials. As a result, my perfumes may have some sediment from the raw natural ingredients. This does not effect the scent in any way, just shake the bottle before application.

Slight variation in scent
As with anything in nature, botanicals vary from season to season, depending on their environment. I think this is the beauty of a botanical perfume as you capture the true essence of the plant in a bottle, as opposed to chemically formulated identical perfumes.

Longevity
With botanical perfume, the durability depends on the alchemy between the botanical ingredients and your body temperature. Therefore it can vary from person to person. Typically a scent can last anything between 3 – 6 hours. Main stream synthetic perfumes have a chemical fixatives that keep the scent at an intrusive level and makes it lasts longer. As there are no chemicals in my perfume, I use plants that are natural fixatives to help lengthen the sillage of the perfume. These can include Sandalwood, Vetiver, Cedarwood, Ambrette seed, Violet leaf, Vanilla and many more wonderful botanicals.

New Botanical Perfume ‘The Bookist’

Cosy evenings, darken days, dusty books, serendipity old bookshops, orange peel, steaming hot ground coffee and decadent chocolate. This is a description of my new perfume ‘the Bookist’ a multifarious fragrance with a character that is gourmand, earthy and woody.

I wanted to create a scent to wear for autumn and the winter season. When nights draw in and there’s a feeling of nostalgia as summer has ended and the leaves have fallen. The feeling of comfort when sitting in an old armchair, reading an old book, drinking bitter coffee and the comfort of eating sweet chocolate treats.

The notes include Bitter Orange, Bergamot, Magnolia, Damascus Rose, Pepper, Black Cumin, freshly brewed Coffee, pure Cocoa essence, Vanilla, Amber, Vetiver, Benzoin, Amyris, Cedar and Ho wood. An enveloping elixir, that is reassuring and calmative, perfect for this time of year.

The Scent Of Mountains And A New Solid Perfume

Recently, I took an impromptu trip to Turkey, to the small town of Gazipasa, a district of Antalya Province on the Mediterranean coast. A quiet agricultural town, renowned for its banana plantations and surrounded by cliffs, mountains and pine trees. Not on the tourist map, Gazipasa has many undiscovered coves, an underground cave, ruins, and also home to the Caretta Caretta sea turtles.

I arrived late at the hotel due to flight delays and the first thing I could hear was the sound of crickets. The scent that hit me immediately was of a mixture of sea and herbaceous plants. Having only a couple of days in Gazipasa, I didn’t get a chance to go to many of the places I wanted to, however I did go the rugged area of Zeytinada with its fir, cedar, juniper and black pine clad mountains.

Walking through the forested mountains, the scent was not something I had sensed before. The air was heavy with a green mossy, herby piny, peppery scent, but also something resembling a touch of burnt wood and dead vegetation. The heaviness was possibly from the humidity and being so close to the sea? Being surrounded by years of ancient wooded trees and dirt and also the stillness of the sea and the rock cliffs added to the atmosphere and fragrance. A unique aroma, one that was overwhelming and at the same time calming. A bit like trying a new perfume for the first time and not being sure of it and then later on, actually loving it.

Inspired by the scent of the mountainous region of Zeytinada, I created my ‘Wild Mountain’ solid perfume, on my return. The perfume includes essential oils and extracts of Galbanum, Lavender, Juniper, Palo Santo, Vanilla, Amber, Cederwood, Oakmoss, Vetiver and Birch tar. A strong characterful scent, not for the faint hearted.

Mitti Attar

Mitti Attar is the Indian equivalent to ‘petrichor’ – the scent of the first rain. The term ‘Mitti’ means earth and ‘attar’ is the staple perfume of the Middle East and South East Asia which is usually a herbal or floral blend of concentrated oils in a base of sandalwood (Santalum album) oil. Mitti attar is the essential oil extracted from dry clay earth.

I first came across the term Mitti Attar a few years ago and asked my parents to bring some back from their annual trip to India, which they did. I received two different types, one in a lighter sandalwood oil and one in a darker sandalwood oil. Both smelt amazing, however I preferred the light oil version as the earthy rain smell was more distinct. Mitti attar is mainly made in Uttar Pradesh, in the city of Kannauj, known as the ‘perfume and essential oil capital of India.’

The process of attar making is centuries old. Archaeologists have excavated clay distillation pots dating back to the ancient Harappan civilization of the Indus Valley. These same process’s now capture the scent of rain. The method includes removing clay from topsoil and then baking it in a kiln. The baked clay is then immersed in water and goes through the traditional extraction method of hydro distillation, a process which extracts natural oils into water. The finished essence is usually blended with Sandalwood oil. The result is a captivatingly soothing and grounding aroma that is deeply connected to the earth. It really does smell like the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather. It is said to have the therapeutic properties of healing and calming.

With the Mitti attar I received from my parents, and also finding a good supplier of the essence, I’ve been busy creating perfumes for the last few months, and these will be available in my shop very soon!

 

mitti attar



 

‘Old Nubia’ 2018 Perfume

My new perfume ‘Old Nubia’ is a culmination of an ancient scent I have wanted to create for a long time. My initial interest in the past stems from a young age when I received a book on ancient civilisations. I would spend countless hours observing the imagery with pure fascination. The continued interest in all things archaeology has been one of the reasons I became interested in creating fragrances.

Drawing on plants, flowers and resins that were used by the ancients, ‘Old Nubia’ aims to capture the essence of the culturally renowned city of Kerma. At its peak, (between 2500 B.C to 1500 B.C) the ancient Nubian Kingdom of Kerma, on the east bank of the Nile, was once a cultural gateway of trade. This contributed immensely to the city’s great wealth. Because of its location, Nubia controlled commerce at this time, being at a crossroad that linked Egypt and the Red Sea with Central Africa. You can just imagine the wonderful and exotic commodities that passed through these lands.

For my perfume I used many oils that were available at this time, including Frankincense and Myrrh, Elemi , which was used for embalming by the Egyptians, Orris root, Saffron, Black cumin, Labdanum, Cedar, Spikenard and Jasmine amongst others. I have also added two types of Oud from Assam and Cambodia – these play heavily in this scent.

A Memory And A Garden

It’s remarkable how a scent can evoke a certain memory from the past. This can happen instinctively when a certain smell triggers an event or an experience that took place in your childhood. A perfume you may have worn as a teenager may also trigger a memory of that youthful time! My earliest memory of a scent that I can remember, is my mother baking cardamom and vanilla cookies for the Eid celebrations. I would wake up to the scent of warm vanilla and cardamom and eat as much of these heavenly bakes as I was able to for breakfast. To this day, whenever I smell cardamom, it transports me wistfully back to this time. If you want to read the science behind memory and scent you can read it here.

My perfume ‘far pavilion’ was inspired by a very distant childhood memory of my grandfather’s house in India. I recall a walled garden with date trees and a central well. My father mentioned that there were also beehives, neem and custard apple trees. My mother also talks affectionately about her garden of mangoes trees and intoxicating white flowers such as champaca.

Scent can be a highly emotive experience and it really can transport you back in time. I tried to capture an evocative emotion with ‘Far pavilion’ with its top notes of lavender and pepper, and a heady floral heart of Ylang Ylang. The Neroli is calming and the base is smooth and grounding with Amber and frankincense. It reminds me of a long forgotten memory of a garden. Of heady days and humid night, of laughter, and of an age of innocence.

jasmine flower


garden


botanical vegan perfume

New Botanical Natural Perfumes

My new botanical perfumes are now available in my shop. Botanical perfumes are an alternative to the perfumes we have all grown up with and have encountered in the department stores.

Mainstream perfumes brought from department stores are mainly mass produced in a laboratory and made from synthetic chemicals that imitate natural scents. The main ingredients are derived from petrochemicals, which can cause migraines, nausea, irritation and all sorts of health problems. Some of the well-known brands may have a very small amount of natural perfume scent, but this too is usually modified by artificial means. It would be too cost productive to manufacture these perfumes with larger amounts of natural components, therefore chemicals and synthetics will continue to be widely used in the famous high street branded perfumes, indefinitely.

A natural Perfume is made up of pure ingredients that are free from petrochemicals, solvents, dyes, phthalates and pesticides. Ink and Ocean botanicals perfumes go further, in that they are no natural animal products or testing and no alcohol either. My perfume making methods are motivated by ancient civilisations. The Egyptians, Greeks and Arabs used botanicals and oils to produce their scents. The ingredients include therapeutic grade essential oils, absolutes, resins, tinctures, and infusions of plant material in a base of organic Jojoba oil. There are 6 new perfumes in this range which have been developed over a period of time based on my love of the past. Inspiration comes from books that I have read, poignant quotes, people, places and times in history.

 

botanical vegan perfume

A Brief History Of Perfume

The word perfume is used today to describe scented mixtures and is derived from the Latin word, “per fumus,” meaning through smoke. The word Perfumery refers to the art of making perfumes. Perfume was further refined by the Romans, the Persians and the Arabs. Although perfume and perfumery also existed in East Asia, much of its fragrances are incense based. The basic ingredients and methods of making perfumes are described by Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia.

Mesopotamia and Cyprus

The Mesopotamian civilization might be the earliest users of perfume. A woman named Tapputi was the first recorded chemist and perfume maker, as mentioned in a Cuneiform tablet dating back from the second millennium BC.

The oldest perfumes ever found were discovered in Cyprus. Archaeologists uncovered a seemingly perfume factory that operated in 2,000 BC during the Bronze Age.

4000 Year Old Perfume Factory Is Discovered In Pyrgos Cyprus

It covered an estimated surface area of more than 4,000 square meters. The Bible describes a sacred perfume in Exodus 30:22-23, which consisted of liquid myrrh, sweet-smelling cinnamon, fragrant cane and cassia.

Ancient Egypt

Perfumes were used by Egyptians for religious and beautification purposes. Egyptian priests were the first perfumers and they used aromatic resins to sweeten the smell of sacrificial offerings. Ancient Egyptians believed that burning incense connected them to the gods. They grinded up ingredients such as myrrh, jasmine, Frankincense resin, Nile lotus, sweet rush, wine, juniper and lilies to ensure the safe return of the sun God, Ra, from the underworld. Egyptians even had a god of perfume named Nefertum, who wore a head dress made of water lilies.

The rich elites in Egypt would adorn themselves of aromas made of scented oil to denote their status. By the way, ancient people used oils as bases for perfume, instead of alcohol that is widely used today. Pharaohs and priests were buried with their perfumes. When archaeologists opened tombs in 1897, they discovered perfumes which have even retained their original, sweet smells while their owners have rotten.

Egyptian scene depicting the preparation of Lily perfume.

The Egyptians were also the earliest users of perfume bottles, and it dates to around 1,000 BC. They were the inventors of glass, and perfume bottles were one of the first common uses for glass.

During the Old and Middle Kingdoms, perfumes were used exclusively for religious rituals. But during the New Kingdom at around 1580-1085 BC, they were accessible even to the commoners. Perfumes were used in creams and cosmetics to soothe skin and cure inflamed skin or burns. It was also used to soothe anxiety and maintain balance between the body and soul – probably the early form of aromatherapy. And it did not take long when perfume’s romantic potential for seduction was discovered, as Egyptian women began using it as preparation for love-making.

Ancient Greece

Legend has it that Cleopatra had the sails of her boat coated with fragrant oils before setting out to the sea so that Mark Anthony could catch a scent of her arrival before laying his eyes on her. Cleopatra used fragrance to seduce Mark Anthony. The floor of her boudoir was strewn with roses that lead to her bed.

The Greeks were the first to create perfumes that can be worn on the skin. They grounded aromatic plants, resins and herbs and blended them with oils, creating everyday fragrances. Greeks were also the first to use animal-based scent ingredients like musk and ambergris.

They were also body-conscious. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, was a fan of personal hygiene. He prescribed fumigation and the use of perfumes as a way to prevent disease.

Ancient Rome

The Romans did not invent perfumery, but they gave it its name. Perfume came from the Latin word “per fumum,” which means “through smoke.”

Though it is used enduringly in religious rituals, perfume was also used to anoint the body generously. They also use it in beauty products, public baths and even the soles of feet. By estimation, the Romans in 100 AD were using about 2,800 tons of frankincense and 550 tons of myrrh a year. During the reign of Emperor Nero, he wanted the fountains to trickle with rosewater.

Ancient Persia and Middle East

The ancient Persian and Arab chemists had a significant contribution to the production of perfume, which became a stepping stone for Western perfumery industry. Islamic cultures have learned to extract fragrances through steam distillation and introduction of new raw materials. A Persian chemist and philosopher named Avicenna extensively experimented with distillation to make better scents, and he was the first to discover the chemistry behind perfumes that are not oil-based.

The rise of Christianity, however, ended the use of perfume around the Middle East in daily life and religious rituals. Meanwhile, the Arabs kept the tradition alive and dominated the perfume trade for hundreds of years. As traders, Muslims had access to a wider variety of spices, herbs, resins, woods and animal fragrance materials. Many of the herbs and flowers used in perfumery until today were first cultivated by Muslims.

Perfume usage in the Islamic cultures was initially a religious duty, and it has been documented as far back as the 6th century. As recorded in the Sahih Bukhari, Muhammad has commanded male Muslims to take baths every Friday and use perfume.

Eventually, perfume was brought to the European courts through Al-Andalus in the West, and by the crusaders in the East.

Medieval Europe

Records of the Pepperers Guild of London showed that they traded with Muslims in spices, dyes and perfume ingredients back in 1179.

Medieval Europeans from the 1200s to around 1600s carried a pomander – a ball of scented materials – to protect themselves from infection and to keep the air clean. They literally thought that bad air can cause sicknesses, and these fragrant balls were their life-savers. This idea was most probably brought by the Arabs who brought them fragrant ingredients.

However, it was the Hungarians who introduced the first modern perfume. Created for Queen Elizabeth of Hungary in 1370, the modern perfume was made of scented oils based on an alcohol solution. It was known throughout Europe as Hungary Water, and contained a fusion of aromatics such as lavender and rosemary.

The art of perfumery prospered in Renaissance Italy. Italians discovered how to create aqua mirabilis, a clear substance made of 95% alcohol and infused with a strong scent. Because of this invention, Venice, Italy, became the center of world perfume trade for hundreds of years.

Extract from a perfume recipe book, 17th century.

Italian refinements were brought to France by Catherine de Medici, an Italian noblewoman who came to the country to marry the French king. Along with her she brought her personal perfumer, Rene le Florentin, who had a laboratory connected with her apartments by a secret passageway. Her leather gloves were perfumed with musk and civet, and it became a sensation.

The use of perfume in France became widespread when Louis XIV wanted scents to be sprayed everywhere in the palace. He commissioned his perfumer to create a new scent for every day of the week. Visitors would easily be doused with perfume upon entry on the palace, which is why it was called “the Perfumed Court.” Even the fountain’s water was scented with perfume.

Perfumers competed with each other to supply the “Perfumed Court” with scented goods. Later on, they began to sell their products widely on the streets.

Queen Marie Antoinette was also a leading figure in perfumery. Two of perfumed fragrances have withstood the test of time: the Sillage de la Reine (In the Wake of the Queen) and Jardin Secret (Secret Garden).

With the invention of eau de cologne in 1709, perfumery has advanced and revolutionized. It was dearly loved by French Revolution leader, Napoleon Bonaparte.

The revolution had not, in any way, lessened the French’s taste for perfume. Perfumers have lost most of their affluent customers due to guillotine, but Bonaparte became a number one consumer. He had a standing order with Chardin, his perfumer, to deliver him 60 bottles of perfume every month. He loved its cooling qualities and particularly favoured the scent of rosemary.

Victorian era

When Queen Victoria of England came to power, she associated too much perfume and cosmetic used to the fallen women, prostitutes and those with questionable morals. Because of that, fragrances became milder, delicate and floral. These were feminine and often made up the scent of a particular flower like roses, violets, lavender, jasmine and honeysuckle. Aromatic herbs were used too.

The modern perfumery we know has its roots in the Victorian era. Chemists came up with breakthrough scents that took perfumery to a whole new level. They began to work on the first fragrances that blended naturals and synthetics.

In 1889, Aime Guerlain conjured up the legendary Jicky, the pioneering scent behind sublime and sensual fragrances. When it was launched, it gained unexpected attention. His nephew, Jacques Guerlain, came up with the sensational blockbuster, Shalimar. It was infused with vanilla and it worked as an aphrodisiac.

Guerlain gained a number of competitors because of it. But his biggest competitor was a young man named Francois Coty, who started creating many synthetic essences.

20th century until today

Coty experienced a lot of rejection at first. The first order for his of La Rose Jacqueminot fragrance was only a dozen bottles. In 1904, he tried selling it to perfumeries and department stores, but he was always sent away. Legend has it that Coty smashed a bottle of the perfume after being turned down again, but he didn’t expect that the clients would be spellbound. Customers swarmed the area and bought all of his stock of La Rose perfumes.

Coty perfumes.

After the experience, Coty realized that an attractive bottle is an important selling factor. He teamed up with both Baccarat and the great Art Nouveau jeweller Rene Lalique to design bottles and labels for his fragrances. Besides pioneering bottle designs, Coty also had other pioneering acts in the world of perfumery: he was the first to provide testers to allow customers to sample perfumes before buying it, and the first to come up with fragrance sets – perfume bottle with matching same-scented soap, cream, powder etc. – in a gift box. He was also responsible for making perfumes available in the mass market and affordable for the middle class, as perfumes before were only available to the rich and royalty.

In 1921, Coco Chanel revolutionized the way women smell. Her Chanel No. 5 is still one of the world’s most popular fragrances used until today.

Chanel loved the scent of soap and freshly-scrubbed skin, serving as an inspiration for her signature fragrance. She hired perfumer Ernest Beaux to create scents to pick from. Beaux lined up his samples from one to five and 20 to 24. She picked No. 5 and the rest is history. According to stories, the scent No. 5 was actually a result of a mistake by Beaux’s assistant who used 10 times aldehydes as he should. But because No. 5 smelled clean and soapy like the scent of a hot iron on linen, it especially appealed to Chanel.

The 1930s saw the arrival of more floral and leather fragrances like Worth’s Je Reviens, Caron’s Fleurs de Rocaille and Jean Patou’s Joy perfume. Successful masculine scents also came into existence like Caron’s Pour Un Homme and the first Oriental fragrance for men, Old Spice. French perfumery was at its peak during the 1950s, with designers like Nina Ricci, Christian Dior and Pierre Balmain launching their own fragrances.

Perfume was made more affordable for the ordinary people throughout the 1960s to the succeeding decades. Brands like Yves St. Laurent, Revlon, Max Factor, Coty, Yardley, Estee Lauder, Avon, Faberge have launched their own perfumes. In the 1980s to 1990s, refreshing scents were brought about by Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Issey Miyake, as well as the other formerly mentioned perfume makers.

Nowadays, it is popular for celebrities to launch their own fragrance line. Overall, the perfume industry has undergone several changes in style, material, technique and pricing. All these have brought forth the modern fragrances, but the industry still incorporates creativity, romance and mystique along with clever marketing to appeal to the masses.

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