Discover The History Of Women's Perfume

Discover the story behind the fragrances we love most, with our guide to the history of women’s perfume.

From religious origins to the innovation of scents today, the art of perfumery spans centuries, echoing the mood and trends of the time, while always able to influence our emotions.

This is the enchanting story behind the history of women’s perfume.

In partnership with Givenchy.

FROM ANCIENT ORIGINS

The word ‘perfume’ is derived from the Latin phrase per fumes meaning ‘through smoke’ – alluding to its origin as incense-based aromas, burned as offerings to the gods. In Ancient Egypt – considered the cradle of perfumery – fragrant resins, woods, and spices such as frankincense, myrrh and cedar wood, would be used for religious rituals. These notes are still used in fragrances today.

Evidence of the oldest perfumery (from the Bronze Age) has been discovered in Cyprus, and the world’s first recorded chemist – a Mesopotamian woman named Tapputi – was also a perfume maker. She developed the methods for distillation and scent extraction that are the basis for modern perfume making.

Evidence of perfumery has also been found across the globe throughout history – from Europe to Asia and the Middle East. References can be found in the Hindu Ayurvedic text Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita; in the Christian Bible (Exodus 30:22-23); and through Islamic writings as far back as the 6th century. The Roman scholar Pliny the Elder described it in his Naturalis Historia, as did the Arabic philosopher al-Kindi, who outlined one hundred and seven recipes for perfume-making.

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FROM NECESSARY TO STATUS SYMBOL

Initially, outside of religious rituals, fragrance was mainly used for a practical reason. In the Middle Ages, a lack of bathing practices meant people relied on perfumed waters and scented pomanders to mask odours. Fragrance was also thought to have cleansing and protective powers, leading to the inclusion of herbs, such as lavender, rosemary and clove.

As for the creators of the first ‘modern women’s perfume’ – that honour goes to the Hungarians. Specifically, Queen Elizabeth of Hungary in 1370, who ordered an alcohol-based perfume primary made with rosemary that became known as ‘Hungary water’.

The Renaissance then ushered in a golden age of perfumery. Alcohol-based perfumes enabled experimentation with botanicals, and the flourishing spice trade increased access to new ingredients, so flowers like rose, jasmine and orange blossom gained prominence.

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Perfume wasn’t just for your body either; it was used to scent clothes, gloves, and even furniture, especially as a sign of wealth in the French and Italian courts. The court of Louis XV was known as “la cour parfumée” (the perfumed court) and fragrance stayed popular even when the monarchy ended, with Napoleon’s wife Josephine so fond of musk it was said to be detectable in her boudoir decades later. It is perhaps not surprising then that Grasse, in the South of France, became (and has stayed) at the heart of European perfume making.

SCIENCE MEETS ART

From the Enlightenment through to the 20th century, advances in chemistry continuously revolutionised women’s perfume. Notes were categorised into “top,” “heart,” and “base,” creating the olfactory pyramids still used today, and synthetic ingredients emerged and became more sophisticated, allowing perfumers to capture scents that were previously unattainable. Aldehydes, for example, created luminous, sparkling effects, while marine and green notes allowed for the creation of experimental scents to challenge traditional compositions.

As women’s perfume became increasingly democratised – no longer a luxury reserved for the wealthy – fragrance increasingly entwined with pop culture, fashion, and Hollywood glamour too. Fragrance bottles turned into iconic pieces of design in their own right, and scents broke free of gender norms, embracing the trend to use perfume for self-expression.

THE PRESENT AND BEYOND

Nowadays, the fragrance industry is a multi million-pound industry that offers a wealth of fragrant treasures. Sustainability is increasingly important, individuality still reigns supreme, and, as technology advances, women’s perfume continues to push boundaries. We’re already seeing the rise of digital scent experiences and even AI-designed aromas. But no matter how futuristic things get, women’s perfume will always remain rooted in emotion. After all, fragrance’s ability to enchant is something that never goes out of style.