Hidden facts you need to know about the composition of perfumes and how it is being made

Perfume (Latin "per
fume" meaning
"through smoke") was
highly favored by the
Egyptians, Romans, and
Arabs. In East Asia,
perfumes were incense
based. People used to
make perfumes from
spices and herbs like
bergamot, myrtle,
coriander, conifer resin,
and almond. The use of
flowers came only after
Avicenna, an Iranian
doctor and chemist
showed the process of
distillation, whereby oils
could be extracted from
flowers. In 1370, at the
behest of Queen
Elizabeth of Hungary,
the world's first
modern perfume -
"Hungary Water" was
made by blending
scented oils in alcohol
solution.
The composition of a
perfume is of vital
significance and is
handled by an expert
known as a perfumer,
who deals with primary
scents like rose,
jasmine, cola, etc;
modifiers like esters;
blenders like linalool and
hydroxycitronellol; and
fixatives like resins,
wood scents, and
amber bases. The
resulting scent is
explained in a musical
metaphor of three
'notes', namely, top
notes (consisting of
fast evaporating small
size molecules) like
citrus and ginger
scents; middle notes
(consisting of slow
evaporating medium
size molecules) like
lavender and rose
scents; and base notes
(consisting of slowest
evaporating largest size
molecules) like fixatives
etc. All these notes
work together like a
musical chord.
Perfume oils contain
volatile compounds in
high concentrations and
thus have to be diluted
by solvents, so that
injury is not caused
when applied directly on
skin or clothes. The
common solvent is pure
ethanol or ethanol
mixed with water.
Fractionated coconut oil
or wax, neutral smelling
fats such as jojoba, can
also act as solvents and
dilute the perfume oil.
The perfume oil is
further mixed with
other aromatic
compounds. Generally,
the percentage of
aromatic compounds in
perfume extract is 20%
to 40%; in eau de
parfum is 10% to 30%;
in eau de toilette is 5%
to 20%; and in eau de
cologne is 2% to 5%.
The oil concentration in
a perfume along with
other aromatic
compounds, determines
the intensity, longevity,
and price of the
perfume and thus it is a
closely guarded secret
of every perfumer and
perfume house. By
adjusting the
percentage level and
the notes of the
perfume, variations on
the same brand may be
created like Chanel's
Pour Monsieur and Pour
Monsieur Concentree.
Classification of
perfumes is never
complete, due to its
ever-evolving nature.
The traditional
classification comprises
of categories like Single
Floral, Floral Bouquet,
Ambery, Woody,
Leather, Chypre, and
Fougere; while the
modern classification
comprises of Bright
Floral, Green, Oceanic/
Ozone, Citrus/Fruity,
and Gourmand. In 1983,
Michael Edwards, a
perfume consultant,
created a new
fragrance classification
"The Fragrance Wheel",
which classified and
sub-grouped five
standard families,
namely Floral (Floral,
Soft Floral, Floral
Oriental), Oriental (Soft
Oriental, Oriental,
Woody Oriental), Woody
(Wood, Mossy Woods,
Dry Woods), Fougere
(has fragrance
elements from all the
families), and Fresh
(Citrus, Green, Water).
Perfumery has used a
number of aromatic
sources like plants,
animals, and synthetic
sources in the making
of perfumes. Plants are
used as a source of
aroma compounds and
essential oils. The parts
of plants that are used
are:
1 - Bark (cinnamon,
cascarilla);
2 - Flowers (rose,
jasmine, osmanthus,
tuberose, mimosa,
vanilla);
3 - Blossoms (citrus,
ylang-ylang, clove);
4 - Fruits (apples,
strawberries, cherries,
litsea cubeba, juniper
berry, vanilla, oranges,
lemons, limes,
grapefruit);
5 - Leaves and Twigs
(lavender, patchouli,
citrus, violets, sage,
rosemary, hay,
tomato);
6 - Resins (labdanum,
myrrh, gum benzoin,
Peru balsam,
frankincense/olibanum,
pine, fir, amber, copal);
7 - Roots, Bulbs, and
Rhizomes (vetiver
roots, ginger and iris
rhizomes);
8 - Seeds (coriander,
cocoa, mace,
cardamom, anise,
nutmeg, caraway,
tonka bean);
9 - Woods (agarwood,
birch, rosewood,
sandalwood, pine, birch,
juniper, cedar).

Tips for a healthy love life

Do you want to know tips on how to maintain a healthy love life in your marriage? Of course you want, who does not? The only reasons you would not care are your marriage is as strong as ever or ending up in divorce.

Let’s assume that you love your spouse and living a healthy love relationship as your main priority.

Firstly, you need to consider your feelings of attraction and desire for your partner at first, treating

Tips on How to woo a lady

It is an open secret that women like to be wooed and even if a woman may not show an interest in the man, using the right wooing strategy may just be able to melt her heart.
Here are a few tips on wooing a woman and some stories behind them:

• Buy her a gift. Although buying the woman a gift is a common way of showing a man’s interest, ending up with wrong gift can also be disastrous. My husband’s mate is currently interested in his colleague and recently, he asked my husband to help in choosing a piece of jewellery for her. I told my husband if they are merely colleagues at the moment, I’m just not too sure if a Tiffany necklace is the right thing to buy. Personally, I would be reluctant to receive such an expensive item from someone who is still only a colleague. Most women would love a gift definitely but something simple and sweet would be sufficient as too expensive a gift may just put us off.
• Anticipate her needs. When my husband and I were still friends, he used to brave the cold weather and cycle out to the take away shop in the middle of the night to buy me those midnight snacks without me asking. This was during the exam periods back in university when we would all be up in our rooms burning the midnight oil. He knew I would be looking for food and he did his part to fulfill my hunger pangs. Suffice to say it works. I guess if a man pays enough attention on the woman’s needs and is able to meet those needs, half the battle is won.
• Do something special. I once had a colleague who was being wooed by a guy she was still considering. On her birthday, this man did not go out and buy her a cake but he actually baked her one. When she found out that he actually had to spend a few days learning how to bake the cake, she didn’t believe him. But when she went over to his place and saw all the baking equipment, her heart melted. I suppose if a man does something to make a woman feels special, she might just be his for the taking.
• Know when to back off. I know there are women out there who would cave in to a persistent man. But persistance is only good to a certain extent. I know of a friend who used to have this guy who was crazy over her. Every morning, he would call her office to check if she has arrived safely to work. Then, he would call her just after the lunch hour to see if she had eaten. Before the day is over, he would ring again to find out what time she will be leaving the office and to ask her to drive safely. I guess he was trying to show that he cared but he just overdid it. The lesson being a woman wants to be wooed but not suffocated!

Anyway, I once read that women are often attracted to men who have plenty of admirers because their opinions of the opposite sex are often based on how other females view them. So, if this study is correct, perhaps the most effective way to woo a woman then would be to show a little interest in her friends as well. After all, if her friends have nothing but nice things to say about the man, she would be taken in too by all the positive opinions. Sounds logical to you?