| 18th Century History |
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Articles and Products of History Perfumes and FragrancesPerfume in the 18th century was largely a single fragrance. These were usual floral of lilac, lily, rose, violet, and violet. Fruity perfumes were sometimes made by the zest of lemons and other citrus fruits. The scents of the day were light. The colors were clear and transparent. The fragile bottles they were encased in were as important as the fragrance itself. Cologne also came to the foreground in the 18th century. Cologne and after shave were usually a mixture of rosemary, bergamot, lemon, and neroli. Colognes were put in bath water, as well as mixed in with wine, used as mouth washes and sometimes they were even used as enemas. Cologne was marketed as a cure all for anything that ailed a person. During the 1700's perfumes and cologne were used to disguise and cover up body odors. Bathing was an infrequent occurrence. The heavy, musky scents of past perfumes were being replaced with lighter, more outdoor scents. The premise being that the outdoor scents were clean, pure and natural. They seemed to mingle with the body better. Dry perfumes were placed on wigs, dusted on clothing and bedding. Royals liked to have the rooms in their homes to have a particular scent each day. Perfume was sometimes believed to ward off illness, as well. An individual
may wear a scented sachet under their clothing, or have one hanging in
their wardrobe. A lady would have a handkerchief that was scented. She
would keep this handkerchief either up her sleeve, or in her bodice. She
would place it over her nose when faced with an offensive smell. Perfume
and body lotions has many famous movie stars starting fragrances
companies. become a billion-dollar industry and many famous people are
starting their own line of scents. Now it is being marketed as a personality
enhancer, while in yesteryear it was mainly used to camouflage ones
own body odors. Further Reading
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