Background of Research
Why is it that women love perfumes as much as men love cars? According to (Smith and Wade, 2008) “There are studies that most of women’s reason for loving perfume is because of the pheromones their bodies produce. Often these scents or perfumes trigger the increase of how much pheromone a woman’s body will produce” (p.12) In studies carried out, nearly 80% of all women will make a perfume purchase at least each year. Not only does smelling great make a woman feel good about herself, but it will make her feel attractive also. Roses have been around and are documented longer than most of our garden plants. The earliest record of them seems to be rose leaves found in the Colorado Rockies, dating back 35 to 32 million years to the Paleolithic era. First mention of them, and their appearance in artistic motifs, was in Asia about 3000BC, with mention elsewhere about 2300 BC (Perry, 1998). Roses are one of the most popular floral notes in perfumes due to its pleasant scent and staying power. The rose has many connotations; it is considered elegant, expensive and attractive. French perfumes - Joy perfume and Chanel No.5 were the early best-sellers containing rose.
Rosa Berberifolia was associated with the Greeks and Romans as they moved to Rome. It’s said that the Greeks were the first to make liquid perfume, although it wasn’t anything like today’s perfume (Kenneth, 2000, p.21-22). In order to make their perfume, they used a mixture of fragrant powders and heavy oils – no alcohol. According to Lord (1992), the Greeks loved to bathe with these fragrant oils, men and women alike, and they used them on all parts of their bodies, both before and after their baths. On the other hand, this practice was rampant in the Roman baths, where there would be all kinds of jars and pots of fragrant oils, in all shapes and sizes. The Romans bathed three times a day, so they needed to keep lots on hand.
References: Smith, G., and Wade, M. (2006). How to make your own perfume. Center City, MN Hazelden. Austin, G. (1984). Shreve’s Chemical Processes Industries, 5th ed. Singapore. McGraw-Hill, Inc. Lord, S. (1992). Message in a Bottle. Vogue, vol. XV, p. 220. Green, Timothy. (1991). "Making Scents Is More Complicated Than You Think." Smithsonian, p.52-60. Dorman, E. (2007). How Perfume is made. Bulletin of American Society. Vol.II. Retrived from: http://www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Perfume.html#b#ixzz2HBdq4J8d Kenneth, I. (2000). What is perfume made from?. Retrieved from: http://www.fashion-era.com/perfume_history.htm#What Is Perfume Made From? Hestler,M.(1998).Start your perfume business. Retrieved from: http://www.trimo.co.za/perfume-manufacturing-business Perry, L. (1998). Roses and their Fragrance. University of Vermount. Retrived from: http://perrysperennials.info/articles/rosefrag.html