Random Corner

•The use of perfume can be traced back to Ancient Egypt, where recipes from 3000 B.C.E. have been found inscribed on the walls of temples built in Ptolemaic Egypt. Perfume was used to celebrate religious ceremonies, as well as during mummification because they considered a pleasant smell a sign of holiness.

•Kyphi, a recipe with multiple ingredients, was the most popular perfume used for mummies as temple incense. A drink was also made from it with healing properties that treated asthma.

•The first recorded chemist was Tapputi-Belatekallim, a perfumer in Mesopotamia whose recipes from 1200 B.C.E. were found by archaeologists. After her work was written on cuneiform tablets and translated, perfume experts discovered she already used perfume-making techniques like distillation and cold enfleurage which are still used today.

•Ambergris has been used to prolong perfume scents since the

10th century. One of the strangest of natural phenomena, ambergris is found in the digestive systems of sperm whales and, due to its rarity, can cost as much as $7,000 per pound.

•Ambergris isn’t the only weird ingredient used in perfumes. Some use civet, castoreum and musk — all obtained from the anal glands of different animals.

•Eau de toilette, or “toilet water,” might sound unpleasant, but it’s actually the most sold type of fragrance because it’s less expensive. It dates back to the 14th century. And no, it doesn’t smell like a toilet.

•Eau de Cologne was invented in the 18th century by a man named Farina who was homesick for his Italian spring mornings. It was named as such, however, because Farina invented Eue de Cologne in Cologne, Germany, where he had emigrated from Italy. Napoleon Bonaparte reportedly loved the scent, ordering 50 bottles every month.