Perfume /ˈpɜr.fjuːm/ or parfum is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds, fixatives and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent." The odoriferous compounds that make up a perfume can be manufactured synthetically or extracted from plant or animal sources.
Perfumes have been known to exist in some of the earliest human civilizations, either through ancient texts or from archaeological digs. Modern perfumery began in the late 19th century with the commercial synthesis of aroma compounds such as vanillin or coumarin, which allowed for the composition of perfumes with smells previously unattainable solely from natural aromatics alone.
Read more about Perfume: History, Concentration, Describing A Perfume, Obtaining Natural Odorants, Fragrant Extracts, Composing Perfumes, Health and Environmental Issues, Preserving Perfume
Famous quotes containing the word perfume:
“[Wellesley College] is about as meaningful to the educational process in America as a perfume factory is to the national economy.”
—Nora Ephron (b. 1941)
“If the Soviet Union can give up the Brezhnev Doctrine for the Sinatra Doctrine, the United States can give up the James Monroe Doctrine for the Marilyn Monroe Doctrine: Let’s all go to bed wearing the perfume we like best.”
—Carlos Fuentes (b. 1928)
“Walter Neff: I’m crazy about you, baby.
Phyllis Dietrichson: I’m crazy about you, Walter.
Walter Neff: That perfume on your hair, what’s the name of it?
Phyllis Dietrichson: I don’t know. I bought it in Ensenada.”
—Billy Wilder (b. 1906)