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Norell by Norell (1968)

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“The First Great Perfume Born in America” My fascination with history is, in large part, the reason behind my obsession with perfume. Perfume is, to my mind, a rare and tangible way to travel back in time.  At the beginning of my perfume journey, my aim was to learn as much as I possibly could. While so many aspects of perfumery are interesting to me, I found myself delving more and more into the perfumes of the past. For this , I found one particular resource to be absolutely invaluable:   Perfume Legends II: French Feminine Fragrances  (a 2019 revision of the original 1996 work) by Michael Edwards.  A Bible for those interested in perfumery in general, it is even more valuable to those attempting to trace the lineage of modern perfumery back to its storied origins.  You can imagine my thrill when I discovered that there was, in fact, a follow up to the 1996/2019 masterpiece focused specifically on the evolution of American fragrances — American Legends (2024)...
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The Fragrant Bridge: The Islamic Golden Age & the Genesis of Modern Perfumery (Part III)

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For the third and final part of the series on the Islamic Golden Age and the genesis of modern perfumery, we will be discussing how the knowledge, techniques, and common raw materials cultivated during the Islamic Golden Age made their way to Europe and, eventually, the world. We will also take a look at their lasting legacy and how they shaped the perfume industry as we know it today! For those who may have missed them, here are  Part I   and   Part II  of the series. 
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The Fragrant Bridge: The Islamic Golden Age & the Genesis of Modern Perfumery (Part II)

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Today, we will continue the story where we left off; looking at the specific developments to perfumery and the key figures responsible for them during the Islamic Golden Age . For those who missed it, you can find Part I here !
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The Fragrant Bridge: The Islamic Golden Age & the Genesis of Modern Perfumery (Part I)

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Coming from the Gulf, I’ve been exposed to perfume, incense, and all sorts of fragrant products for as long as I can remember.  It is not an exaggeration to say that, in this part of the world, fragrance is so deeply ingrained, its use is practically instinctual.  From layering oils, lotions, and sprays to scenting your clothing and hair with burning oud chips, fragrance permeates every aspect of daily life without exception.
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Tabu by Dana (1932)

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“A velvet boudoir at midnight”  After leaving the corporate world to realign and recentre, I used my time to dive deeper into various interests that had hitherto been neglected. Since I had always been a perfume enthusiast, exploring that world further happened to be on my list of many, many things I planned to eventually get around to if work permitted. During my online investigations, it was a post I came across on Bois de Jasmin that gave new life and renewed zeal to my interest in perfumery, this time focused on the great classics. As a lifelong history buff who has always yearned to travel through time, I was in hot pursuit of the perfumes of the past. So, happening upon Victoria ’s countdown of fragrances that influenced perfume history was like striking gold. Alongside the usual suspects, however, were a few fragrances I hadn’t encountered before. One, mentioned in passing, from a fragrance house I’d never heard of, caught my attention. This was Tabu by Dana .
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