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The dizzying array of perfumes available in stores or at the duty free counter might seem bewildering, but it’s nothing compared to the complexity of the fragrances themselves. The best scents take time to develop and reveal their true aromas, so it’s a good idea to be patient when it comes to appreciating perfume.

Although it’s now a multi-million dollar international industry, the idea of perfumes and perfumery has been around for thousands of years. In fact, it goes as far back as the ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians, and perfume-making apparatus has been discovered in Cyprus that is believed to be some 4000 years old. Those fragrances are probably not as fresh now as they were then!

Ancient perfumes used ingredients like almond, coriander, bergamot and flowers. They were made up of a blend of oils, crushed herbs and petals and would have been very concentrated compared with the scents we know today. Once the process of distilling oils from roses was discovered in Persia - and rose water created - the methods of perfumery that are still used today were born.

In Europe, some key figures and fragrances helped shape the perfumes currently available on the shelves. At the request of the Queen of Hungary, for example, a perfume known as Hungary Water was created in the 14th century. It’s a secret blend of oils and aromatics that still appears in modern fragrances, and is still a luxurious and sought-after commodity.

France has often been regarded as the spiritual home of perfume. It’s an idea that was actually born in Renaissance Italy when the personal perfumer of Catherine de Medici took a number of recipes into France. The Medici family were powerful patrons of science and the arts throughout Europe, and their influence - along with other wealthy families - helped give birth to the modern perfume industry.

Perfumes are complicated in more ways than just their history. The way they’re structured and the way we experience them is as complex as the taste and “nose” of fine wines. The structure of a perfume is split into three “notes”, which are different groups of scents grouped together to form a new, unique fragrance where all the separate components work in harmony.

Top notes (or “head notes”) are the first scents we experience when a perfume is sprayed onto the skin. They’re usually quick to evaporate and fade, but act as an introduction to the scent. This bright burst of aroma is a key part of marketing a perfume, as it’s the initial smell anyone encounters and forms their first impression of it.

As the top notes evaporate, the middle (or “heart”) notes come through. These tend to be deeper fragrances that give the perfume its weight and body, and prepare the wearer for the arrival of the base notes. These elements have even more weight and don’t become apparent until the scent has been on the skin for some time. In combination, all three notes create the complete impression, the “smell”, of the perfume.

Modern-day perfumes use synthetic fragrances, more complex structures and come in fancier bottles than their ancient Egyptian ancestors, but the basic principles remain the same. So when you’re trying out a new fragrance in the store, it’s worth taking some time to let the scent develop. After all, it’s taken 4000 years to get this far - why rush things in the final few seconds?

Perfumes are big business throughout the world, but they’re also an ancient art form that has been with us since the time of the Pharaohs.