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Perfumery, process and industry of
making perfumes. Natural perfumes—substances that give off
agreeable odors—are of animal or vegetable origin. Artificial
perfumes are of two types: (1) the chemical compounds of natural
perfumes are reproduced synthetically, as with vanillin, and
(2) only the odor of the natural perfume is imitated; the
artificial substance is itself chemically unlike the natural
one.
The four principal animal perfumes
are musk, civet, ambergris, and castor. Musk is the dried
secretion of the preputial follicles of the musk deer. A similar
substance is secreted by the musk-ox, muskrat, and the Florida
alligator. Civet is secreted by the civet cat, Viverra
zibetha, an animal of African origin. Civet is found in
a double pouch under the tail, from which it is taken from
the living, caged animal two or three times a week. Ambergris,
a biliary secretion of the spermaceti whale, is supposed to
be produced as the result of a diseased condition of the organs.
It is found floating on the sea. Castor is a glandular secretion
of the beaver. When fresh, it is semiliquid; it is prepared
for commerce by drying in smoke. Animal perfumes are valuable
for the permanence that their presence imparts to the more
evanescent vegetable odors.
The odor of plants may be in the leaves,
as in sage, thyme, and mint; in the bark, as in cinnamon and
cassia; in the wood, as in cedar and sandalwood; in the flower
petals, as in the rose and violet; in the seeds, as in anise
and caraway; in the roots, as in the orris; and in the fruit
rind, as in the orange. It may also be secreted as a resinous
gum from the tree, as in camphor and myrrh.
The center of the
natural perfumery industry has for many years been in Grasse,
France. The culture of flowers for perfumery is carried on
also in Turkey, Bulgaria, India, and Syria. Istanbul
and Edirne, in Turkey, are especially noted for the production
of attar of roses.
The
fragrance of flowers is caused by minute quantities of volatile
oils formed by the alteration of essential oils in petals.
Natural perfumes are made from such flowers as hyacinth, heliotrope,
mimosa, jasmine, orange, rose, and violet, among others. The
various fragrances attract pollinators to the flower. Some
flowers give off putrid odors, again to attract their pollinators,
usually the house fly or a fly relative. Such flowers are
called carrion flowers and usually smell like rotting flesh.
Carrion flowers are not limited to any one family or order
among the flowering plants.
Musk,
substance with a strong, persistent odor from an abdominal
gland on the male of the musk deer found in high Asian mountains.
The long-lasting odor of musk has made it an important ingredient
in perfumes throughout history. Musk also delays evaporation
of more volatile scents in a perfume, and is used as a fixative
in blends where other scents are dominant. In Asia it is sought
as an aphrodisiac, and it is believed to be medically beneficial
as a stimulant. Fresh musk is viscous but dries to a grainy
powder and a tincture of this powder is used in perfumes.
The basic oil that is the source of the odor has been identified
and called muskone.
Cosmetics,
general term applied to all preparations used externally to
condition and beautify the body, by cleaning, coloring, softening,
or protecting the skin, hair, nails, lips, or eyes. Perfumery
is usually excluded from the field of cosmetics, although
perfumes are commonly manufactured in coordination with cosmetics.
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