FIRST IRANIANS WHO WERE ENGAGED WITH THE ART OF PERFUMERY

[Rasputin]

INTRODUCTION: Reliable evidences indicate that perfumery, or the art of making perfumes began in ancient Iran first and it was then transferred to ancient Egypt. It was later developed and further refined by the Romans. Knowledge of perfumery came to Europe as early as the 14th century. By the 18th century, aromatic (aroma means pleasant odor) plants were being grown in Grasse, a town in southeast of France, to provide the growing perfume industry with raw materials. Presently, Grasse is known as the world's perfume capital, and it produces over tow-third of France's natural aromas. This industry turns over more than 600m Euros a year and today, France remains the centre of the European perfume design and trade. In olden days, fragrance was used to hide unpleasant odors and impart a pleasant scent to the skin, hair or the environment. Today fragrance is added to bath soaps, shampoos, antiperspirants, bath oils, lotions, laundry soap, cleaning products, candles, and other consumer products for the same purposes. Fragrance is also used to influence mood or emotion via aromatherapy.

[Rasputin]