Only a few people realise that eau de parfum is not really technically identical to perfume, however the terms are usually used interchangeably. Perfume can be a pure substance, whereas eau de parfum can be a lighter, more diluted version. The word perfume is derived from the mysterious and romantic latin term per fumus, meaning ‘through smoke,’ and whatever we imagine as perfume was invented way back to the original Egyptian and Mesopotamian societies.

Ancient perfumes were different for the perfumes, eau de billig parfym and eau de toilettes now we have today, however. Prior to the way of extracting the ‘essence’ of flowers was discovered, early perfumers had only herbs, spices and woods to work alongside. The earliest perfumes could possibly have smelled like something we may have desired to eat rather then cover ourselves in, with almond, coriander, cinnamon, vanilla together with other herbs all commonly used.

It was when the Persian chemist Ibn Sina invented the operation of extracting oils from flowers that this intricate palate of perfumery was actually born. His first triumph was rosewater, a substance that was lighter and more delicate as opposed to other perfumes from the day. Because of its feminine delicacy, it became common as a perfume for women immediately. Flowers quickly became extremely popular in perfumery, and by the 14th century an entire industry had evolved relating to the cultivation of flowers with regard to their oils.

When the perfume industry advanced, so did our ways of talking about it. Soon we had names for that different ‘notes’ linked to a perfume, all of these relevant to the wide spectrum of things that were now used. Just one floral note was every time a specific flower was identifiable, while floral bouquet denoted a multitude of different flower essences. Perhaps strangely, through the nineteen century materials like tobacco and leather became popular scents to incorporate in perfumes, and are also still often used today.

Nowadays, perfumes for women are a lot more complex than they ever were with the invention of synthetic scents. It isn’t uncommon on an eau de parfum spray to include synthetic scents which might be purposely intended to smell such as cut grass or possibly a certain style of food. Perfume makers have realised a smell might be a powerful way of activating certain memories and moods within the wearer, and also have purposely tried to include scents that come with the pleasant memories of summer days or freshly baked cookies.