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It is believed Egyptians were the first people to incorporate perfumes (primarily natural incense and ointments) into their culture around 3000bc. Since these times, perfumes have been used in lots of places and for lots of things... ceremony, religion, medicine and therapy to name a few.
Fast forward to modern times where the vast majority of commercially sold perfumes are diluted with large quantities of ethanol (alcohol), containing petroleum carriers and other fillers. The term 'modern' however may not be quite as recent as we may think. The use of alcohol as a solvent for perfume oil dilution actually dates back to the 1300's. Also, to complement expensive fragrances in the modern era, perfume containers continue to be societal objects of great value and beauty, most often with glass as the prevailing material.
While the most common solvent for perfume oil dilution is ethanol or a mixture of ethanol and water, perfume oil can also be diluted by means of neutral-smelling lipids such as jojoba, fractionated coconut oil or wax as a healthier alternative to alcohol. And the debate, of course, rages between the merits of natural essential oils, synthetics, ethanol, glass and pretty much everything else related to our industry. Most would agree, however, that alcohol causes essential oils to dissipate faster than their natural evaporation rate. Top notes also evaporate quickly but are very important in the selling of perfumes and ethanol solvents compensate by creating an illusion of fragrance far stronger than it actually is. However, the sensation fades quickly and dramatically - usually within one or two hours - when perfume oils have evaporated along with the alcohol.
So where are we headed with this? There are thousands of wonderful perfumes and beautiful packaging out there (if you have the purse)... and our hats are off to many of our very creative friends in the business. But we're simple folk here who saw an opportunity to deliver the world's finest French fragrances at a fraction of the price of a typical perfume and thought it was a pretty cool idea to hydrate the skin versus dry it out by applying perfume like in the old days, as an ointment incorporating a pleasantly moisturizing carrier of bees wax and sweet almond oil. All natural.
By varying the quantity or percentage of oils in a fill, the consumer (you) can also buy many different 'types' of perfume with prices to match. And variations in strength allow people who might experience irritation or allergies from highly concentrated perfumes to also enjoy many wonderful fragrances. Eau Fraiche, for example, is the least potent perfume generally with a concentration of oils between 1% and 3%. Next comes Eau De Cologne with 4% to 8%, Eau De Toilette with 8% to 15%, Eau De Parfum with 15% to 22% and, Parfum (the strongest) with a concentration of at least 22%. Wanting our stuff to hang in there (really, really long-lasting!) you won't find any of our cream perfumes with a concentration below 20%.
Lastly, what's a cream perfume company to do without a nut? We had to put the unguent in something refreshingly different, environmentally friendly and from a renewable source. So today we purchase virtually all our container material as residual wood from small mills. And, we make every effort to buy raw materials from suppliers that meet the criteria set out by the Forest Stewardship Council whose mandate is to promote environmentally appropriate, socially responsible, and economically viable management of the world's forests.
Bottom line, in a nutshell, is this: we simply pack way more perfume punch into our small .35oz wooden nuts than anything else on the market... affordable, long-lasting, moisturizing, environmentally friendly and, fun!
Nuts créme de parfum… great perfume as it was meant to be. From the cream perfume company.
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