Why Do We Worry About Perfumes?

Perfumes comprise a wide range of both natural and synthetic compounds that are selected for use based on their pleasant odour. They are made up of many different compounds that can vary widely in composition and structure. Perfumers have access to a vast selection of speciality chemicals that they can choose from when developing new scents.

Natural perfumes are generally based on a mixture of extracts from plants such as vanilla, citrus or flowers. Essential oils are derived from various parts of plants. The oils are usually relatively volatile, giving plants their characteristic odour, for example lavender, lemon, rosemary, clove leaf oil, etc.

Ingredients of animal origin such as musk are no longer used in perfumery. Musk used to be obtained from the glands of the male musk deer found in Asia. Nowadays, musk is reproduced synthetically.

Synthetic perfumes contain a variety of odiferous compounds selected for their pleasantness and similarity to natural compounds. Many aroma chemicals are also found in nature and most natural odours can be reproduced synthetically, e.g. banana and peach.