An Exquisite Look into Perfumes
- ejorigin
- Jul 18, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 17, 2025
Written and designed by: Lee Chin Yi (23-E4)
Out of all the five senses the normal human possesses, smell is perhaps the most underrated one. Most of the time, we only take notice of this capability when we smell something horrid. Rarely do we stop to appreciate the scents that bring us a sense of revelation, as unfortunately, there are few of those to begin with.
On a different note (hehe, ‘fragrance notes’), perfumes can be a way to enhance yourself. Particularly for the affluent, perfumes are seen as a personalised and rather distinctive accessory. Catching someone’s attention with your branded handbag is rather dull compared to doing it with your alluring scent. The intangibility of perfume reinforces its association with class. But to the common man, what exactly is their association with perfumes? And should we change that? In this article, we shall see.
THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
One of the first recorded perfumers was a woman named Tapputi from Mesopotamia, Egypt. In its early stages, perfumes were made using natural materials such as bark, roots, leaves, and flowers. Today, the memory of Tapputi is kept in a sacred Egyptian clay tablet, where her stories are for the world to appreciate.
The chemist Tapputi and others.
(Photo credit: FragranceX)
Fragrance played a huge role in Egypt’s high society. As odour was a distinctive way to differentiate the rich and poor, only the rich were able to afford perfumes. Around 1200 BC, Egyptians resorted to aromatic resins as a means to sweeten the smell of sacrificial offerings. This way, scent was used to communicate with otherworldly gods too.
Indeed, there have been some rather eccentric moments in the history of perfume. The infamous general Napoleon Bonaparte loved the scent of Eau De Cologne so much that he ordered close to fifty bottles every month. He particularly took a liking to rosemary, one of its key ingredients. Napoleon enjoyed dousing himself in it as it reminded him of his childhood. Besides this, he also enjoyed his wife’s natural scent, such that he even refrained her from bathing. As seen from these riveting stories, perfume has played an important role in one’s beliefs and lifestyle.
THE EXCLUSIVITY
Since its inception, the perfume industry has been rather exclusive. Without the concerns regarding budget and laborious work, the rich had little else to care for. Furthermore, the art of perfumery was a family business, which would usually be passed down to the next generation. Hence, perfumery was a particularly concentrated (hehe, ‘concentrated perfumes’) business.
Now, let’s look at an apt case study, Guerlain. In today’s market, the name is synonymous with innovative and luxurious fragrances. But what about its history?
Guerlain is a French perfume house founded in 1828, one of the oldest in the world. The business, like many others, was passed down through several generations till the age of commercialization. In 1853, Guerlain particularly took off after its creation ‘Eau de Cologne Impérial’; a fragrance mainly consisting of lime notes. The French emperor’s wife, Empress Eugenie, loved it so much that she named Guerlain an official purveyor of colognes and toiletries to the imperial family. Soon after, aristocrats flocked to get their hands on a bottle, hoping to attain a whiff of royalty too.
Guerlain’s classy design choices were also what made it more exclusive to the rich. Known as ‘The Bee Bottle’, the glass bottle in which they store their perfume has 69 bees engraved onto it—a symbol of French imperialism. With its meaningful artistic details, the bottle quickly became an item of desirability. But Guerlain is so much more than that. These design choices signify the distinction of Guerlain from other common brand perfumes. With 170 years of delivering luxury to customers, ‘The Bee Bottle’ is indeed more than a bottle—it is a precious craft symbol between tradition and modernity.
The Bee Bottle.
(Photo credit: The Perfume Society)
After four generations, Guerlain was bought by the investment corporation Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) in 1994. Upon learning about this turning event, fans were displeased as they perceived it to be a step towards cheapening and commercialisation of the Guerlain legacy. This leads us to our next idea—the gradual saturation of the perfume industry.
THE PRESENT
You probably have heard of ‘Chanel No. 5’, the supposed IT perfume embodying modern femininity. Famously worn by Marilyn Monroe, ‘Chanel No. 5’ was said to revolutionise the desirable qualities of a woman’s scent—clean, bold, and tasteful. Unsurprisingly, this sort of crossover with Hollywood allowed the perfume industry to transcend to a new level—one where aspiring commoners had the means and desire to purchase such exquisite scents.
Fast forward to modern times, perfumes have become a staple for most beauty brands. What exactly does this mean? To put it simply, cosmetic brands that mainly focus on makeup and fashion are beginning to branch out towards perfumery, reinforcing their brand identity. By only releasing one perfume based on its brand image, brands spur consumers to achieve a holistic look that represents the brand’s essence in terms of scent, makeup, clothes, and many other aspects. In the end, you’ll resemble an ideal and rather quintessential Barbie doll, all based on a single brand’s products.
Critics find that such a business approach is merely capitalising on the rising perfume empire, reinforcing the profit-seeking talons that reach into the pockets of consumers. From a broader perspective, this leads to the over-saturation of the perfume industry. Brands are becoming less innovative in their creations, and it’s hard to compete with the classic perfumes that have been around for decades. So, perhaps the authenticity behind the art of perfumery is slowly fading away.
Besides the lack of originality, the rise of commercialisation led to an increasing trend in celebrity perfumes. At the beginning of its era, celebrity perfumes were a means for the public to consummate their parasocial relationship. These perfumes were set at a particularly low price point, rarely exceeding 50 dollars. For instance, Jennifer Lopez released her perfume ‘Glow’ in 2002. To put it simply, it was a mixture of bright citrus fruits and sheer florals for SGD $45. In a span of a few years, celebrity perfumes had completely saturated the market. They were flying off the shelves, but nobody could understand why—celebrity perfumes, everyone agreed, smelt terrible.
Chandler Burr, a perfume critic for NY Magazine had this to comment about celebrity perfumes:
‘As art — creativity, quality, legitimacy — reputations are abysmal. Perhaps this is because Jennifer Lopez and Celine Dion have perfumes but Cate Blanchett and Helen Mirren do not. That reason may be that Lopez has a strongly self-associating demographic eager to monetize her celebrity, whereas Mirren focuses on acting. It may also be that much of celebrity perfumery is unadulterated garbage.’
Overall, the age of celebrity perfumes was a wild phase in pop culture. Right now, the landscape has calmed down, and celebrity perfumes are released more moderately. Ariana Grande, who is well known for her music and cosmetic brand, has established herself in the perfume industry as well. Steering away from the trail of uninspiring scents, she has thus received several awards for her stellar innovations. Perhaps with this subtle shift, you can finally say goodbye to sleazy-made perfumes!
Outside of the pop culture sphere, there have been many brands that are reinventing the conventional art of perfumery. The French perfume brand, Etat Libre d’Orange, released the perfume ‘I Am Trash’. According to the brand, it is the ‘first luxury perfume created by upcycling by using the trashed ingredients exhausted rose petals, already distilled sandalwood chips, and even leftover apples from the food industry to create the most beautiful fruity, floral, and woody blend.’ With its ambitious vision, ‘I Am Trash’, along with many other perfumes, is making good use of its platform to promote sustainability (while keeping it necessarily palatable for the masses).
‘I Am Trash’ perfume.
(Photo credit: Etat Libre d’Orange)
THE PERCEPTIONS
When you pass by someone, accidentally get a whiff of them, and realise it’s perfume—would you be shocked? In this relentlessly humid weather, where we tend to avoid most perfumes—yes, we do indeed feel shocked. But is it so hard for one to smell effortlessly exquisite?
For most of us, we tend to not wear perfume. The frivolity and provocativeness of it might make us stand out too much. Additionally, as perfume is often associated with extreme luxury, we may find it rather strange to douse ourselves in a scent that does not represent our true identity.
Regardless, many agree that perfumes make us feel more confident about ourselves. It is one of the most effective ways to grab attention without physically having to do anything. By possessing someone’s sense of smell, you have already sparked some interest within them. So, have fun shaping the perception that others have of you! Just don’t go overboard with the spritzing.
THE APPRECIATION
Alas, we have finally come to the end of this deep dive into perfumes. As mentioned before, the perfume industry is still considered to be a rather distinguished one; despite its subtle shift towards commercialisation. If you’re an aspiring perfume collector but don’t know where to start, try getting some samples from online retailers! Or perhaps, prance your way into Sephora and try as many samples as possible (when the workers are too busy to judge you).
In essence, please do not underestimate the capacity of perfumes. Though ephemeral, a perfume’s intoxicating scent often lingers gracefully, weaving itself into the very air we breathe.
THE REFERENCES
Serras, Leanna ‘The Fascinating History of Perfumes.’ FragranceX, 28 October 2021.
Napoleon, Josephine, And a Giant Bill for Cologne...’ The Perfume Society.
Guerlain, Wikipedia.
Fairley, Jo ‘Guerlain’s Bee Bottle Brought to Life on Film.’ The Perfume Society.
Burr, Chandler ‘Scent Notes | Midnight Fantasy Britney Spears.’ T Magazine, 19 March 2009. https://archive.nytimes.com/tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/scent-notes-midnight-fantasy-britney-spears/
US Etat Libe d’Orange, I AM TRASH.
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