Perfume History Timeline
Each entry links to deeper coverage and cites the archaeological, literary, or industry records we rely on. Use this overview to contextualise how fragrance evolved across cultures and centuries.
c. 3000 BCE
Perfumed oils in Saqqara tombs
Cosmetic jars containing scented unguents accompany elite burials, signalling perfume’s spiritual role.
Read more ↗c. 3000 BCE
Perfumed oils in Saqqara tombs
Cosmetic jars containing scented unguents accompany elite burials, signalling perfume’s spiritual role.
Read more ↗c. 1500 BCE
Hatshepsut’s Punt expedition
Carved scenes record shipments of frankincense and myrrh trees destined for temple kyphi blends.
Read more ↗c. 1500 BCE
Hatshepsut’s Punt expedition
Carved scenes record shipments of frankincense and myrrh trees destined for temple kyphi blends.
Read more ↗3rd century BCE
Theophrastus writes *On Odours*
First surviving treatise cataloguing perfume materials, extraction methods, and storage guidance.
Read more ↗3rd century BCE
Theophrastus writes *On Odours*
First surviving treatise cataloguing perfume materials, extraction methods, and storage guidance.
Read more ↗64 CE
Nero’s perfumed funeral for Poppaea
Roman historians describe the burning of a year’s worth of Arabia’s incense, exemplifying imperial luxury.
Read more ↗64 CE
Nero’s perfumed funeral for Poppaea
Roman historians describe the burning of a year’s worth of Arabia’s incense, exemplifying imperial luxury.
Read more ↗c. 822
Al-Kindi’s perfume manual
*Kitāb Kīmiyāʾ al-ʿIṭr wa al-Taṣʿīd* records 100+ recipes and distillation apparatus used by Abbasid scholars.
Read more ↗c. 822
Al-Kindi’s perfume manual
*Kitāb Kīmiyāʾ al-ʿIṭr wa al-Taṣʿīd* records 100+ recipes and distillation apparatus used by Abbasid scholars.
Read more ↗1370
Hungary Water circulates
Aqua Reginae Hungariae blends rosemary, lemon balm, and wine spirit as Europe’s first acclaimed alcohol-based perfume.
Read more ↗1370
Hungary Water circulates
Aqua Reginae Hungariae blends rosemary, lemon balm, and wine spirit as Europe’s first acclaimed alcohol-based perfume.
Read more ↗1533
Catherine de’ Medici’s wedding to Henry II
Florentine perfumers relocate to France, igniting courtly demand for scented gloves and eaux de toilette.
Read more ↗1533
Catherine de’ Medici’s wedding to Henry II
Florentine perfumers relocate to France, igniting courtly demand for scented gloves and eaux de toilette.
Read more ↗1656
Grasse obtains royal privileges
Local glove makers pivot to flower extraction, laying the foundation for the world’s perfume capital.
Read more ↗1656
Grasse obtains royal privileges
Local glove makers pivot to flower extraction, laying the foundation for the world’s perfume capital.
Read more ↗1882
Fougère Royale debuts
Houbigant’s Paul Parquet introduces coumarin, establishing modern fougère structure with synthetic chemistry.
Read more ↗1882
Fougère Royale debuts
Houbigant’s Paul Parquet introduces coumarin, establishing modern fougère structure with synthetic chemistry.
Read more ↗1921
Chanel No.5 launches
Ernest Beaux blends aldehydes and florals, ushering in the age of abstract luxury perfumes.
Read more ↗1921
Chanel No.5 launches
Ernest Beaux blends aldehydes and florals, ushering in the age of abstract luxury perfumes.
Read more ↗1992
Headspace and aquatics
Issey Miyake’s L’Eau d’Issey popularises marine accords captured via headspace technology and calone.
Read more ↗1992
Headspace and aquatics
Issey Miyake’s L’Eau d’Issey popularises marine accords captured via headspace technology and calone.
Read more ↗References
- Manniche, *Sacred Luxuries* (Cornell University Press, 1999)
- Theophrastus, *On Odours* (Loeb Classical Library, 1916)
- Al-Kindi, *Kitāb Kīmiyāʾ al-ʿIṭr wa al-Taṣʿīd* (translated excerpts in Levey, 1973)
- Elisabeth de Feydeau, *A Scented Palace* (I.B. Tauris, 2006)
- Edwin T. Morris, *Fragrance: The Story of Perfume from Cleopatra to Chanel* (Scribner, 1984)
- Philip Kraft, 'New Paradigms in Perfume Chemistry', *Angewandte Chemie* 2009