| . | Ancient Egyptian Perfumes & Oils |
Modern Perfumes & Oils |
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| Ingredients |
Natural
Natural ingredients both homegrown and imported - Punt was the source of aromatic woods and incense
Most of the ingredients were of plant origin, but the use of animal fats was also known
Oils included moringa, balanos, castor oil, linseed and sesame.
Synthetic
Perfume is made from about 78% to 95% ethyl alcohol and a remainder of essential oils.
Synthetic odorants include coal-tar and petroleum distillates
Chemicals provide fragrances which are not found in nature
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| Manufacture |
1- scents were extracted by steeping lotus flowers or splinters of fragrant wood in oil to obtain essential oil,
2- addition of other oils or fat
3- The materials were placed in a piece of cloth which was wrung and the fragrance retrieved.
Manufacture took place in small workshops
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Complicated chemical industry
Large scale mass production
The precise formulas of commercial perfumes are kept secret
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| Religious Role |
Gods were associated with fragrant smells - Nefertem was closely bound to the blue lotus
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Secular role
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| Olfactive families |
Floral: Fragrances that are dominated by the scent of lotus flowers
Woody: Fragrances that are dominated by woody cedar scents imported from Lebanon.
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Floral Bouquet: Containing the combination of several flowers in a scent.
Oceanic: A new category in perfumes
Citrus: Reshening eau de colognes with low tenacity of citrus scents.
Gourmand: Contain edible scents like vanilla and other synthetic components designed to resemble food flavors.
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| Applications |
Perfume for the gods
Oils were used for mummification - bodies were anointed with perfume to bestow life upon them
Ointments for the unction of gods statues
Elite society used perfumes on occasions and parties - wall paintings depict people sniffing lotus flowers.
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Perfume for the Masses
Widely used by working classes to give the human body and living spaces a pleasant smell.
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