Often when we think of scents, we automatically think of sexy and ritzy perfumes that are suitable for a night out on the town. However, there are a number of fragrances that have been crafted to suit the tastes of all kinds of people. And these fragrances are actually based on the Biblical scents.
Historical context
During the Middle Ages, perfumes were a luxury for the wealthy. These substances were also used for funerals and religious rituals. They were considered a way to cover up unpleasant smells and attract gods. Often, fragrant materials were imported from the East.
In the Bible, various scents are mentioned. Some of these are natural and others are synthetic. However, it is important to recognize that many of these fragrances are allergens. It is best to choose a product that is based on your own body reactions.
The use of perfumes was especially common in hot climates. They were also used for erotic arousal. It is important to remember that perfumes were once only accessible to the wealthy. They were then banned by an Athenian statesman, Solon.
Creation in Israel
Using fragrance in the right way is an art form. The use of perfume has been traced back thousands of years. During the ancient period, perfumes were used for both religious and personal purposes. They were also used to cover unpleasant smells.
The Bible is full of references to perfume. In fact, the word “perfume” appears at least 58 times in the Old Testament. The term is translated as “bosem“, which is a fancy word for a perfume or incense.
The word is not mentioned in the New Testament. But, the Bible did mention fragrant oils and spices. For example, in the Song of Solomon, there is an extensive list of the chief spices. In the Book of Exodus, cassia is mentioned as one of the spices in the holy anointing oil. The word “cassia” actually translates into the word cinnamon. It is an indigenous plant to southern China.
Negative evaluations
Using literary devices to illuminate rabbinic literature, Deborah Green uncovers cultural associations pertaining to perfume in the Hebrew Bible. She contrasts the biblical gendering of the female fragrance with the rabbinic repulsion. She also uses the aforementioned literary methods to examine the rabbinic origins of the fabled smell of frankincense. Her results reveal a slew of incongruities.
Among her findings are the fifty-five principle odoriferous constituents of the mandrake aroma, as well as the chemical composition of the fragrance. Her findings are a useful starting point for a scientific study of the potential aphrodisiac effects of mandrake fragrance. She concludes that the aforementioned fabled smell of frankincense may have had more to do with a fanciful association with the word “dating” than a biologically based link between olfactory sensation and arousal.
Synthetic fecal notes in popular perfumes
Besides the natural scents, many popular perfumes contain synthetic fecal notes. These odors have an immediate and a psychological effect. They can give rise to feelings of vigor, heightened heart rate, and energy. They can also trigger emotional and neural responses that are learned.
One of the most common synthetic fecal notes is civet cream, a fragrance made from the anal gland of a civet animal. It is usually subtly added to the base of a perfume. Its fecal smell is pronounced when it is undiluted. However, it becomes a magical base note when it is paired with other scents. It is found in the fragrances Brent Leonesio Untitled No. 8 and Christian Dior‘s Dioressence, which was dubbed “le parfum barbare” in the 1950s.
The Secret Nature of Ancient Perfume
Prior to scientific developments that made it possible to examine the chemical components of fragrance, perfume creation was a carefully guarded trade secret passed down from one generation to the next for countless generations.
Formulas were seldom, if ever published. Theophrastus, a Greek author who lived between c. 270 and 285 B.C., contained lists of both perfume components and some description of the methods and equipment used to create them in his Natural History work.
Because oils evaporated fast when employed as carrier media in ancient perfumes, the scent masters of the time produced faint smells that needed to be in close contact to the nose in order to fully appreciate them.
Due to its accessibility, olive oil was the most used cooking oil in Greece and Rome. In the present day, fixatives, coloring agents, and preservatives are added to scent along with alcohol and essential oils.
Essential oils extracted from flowers, spices, and fruits were among the all-natural ingredients used in ancient fragrances. It is well known that scent has a wide range of applications and meanings.
It was regarded as holy and sacred during the Golden Age of Egypt since it was a crucial component of worship, embalming, and burial ceremonies. It also represented prestige and regal authority.
Cupids are shown combining perfumes in Roman paintings from Pompeii, while Egyptian murals and frescoes frequently represent the process of manufacturing perfume.
9 Biblical Fragrances That Still Thrive Today
Below are some biblical scents that are just as popular today as they were in their prime.
Cassia
This spice, which is native to southern China and is often referred to as Chinese cinnamon, is made from the fragrant bark of the Cassia tree, which may reach heights of over 10 feet.
It is a prehistoric form of cinnamon that was used to flavor clothing in biblical times. Cassia, which translates to “cinnamon” in Greek, is a name for a newborn girl and meaning “bow down the head” in Hebrew.
The holy anointing oil referenced in the Book of Exodus contains spices, including cassia (30:24).
In Psalm 45, it is also mentioned as the main component of the Oil of Gladness, which was used to perfume Jesus’ clothes.
The twigs, buds, and leaves of the bark are often steam-distilled in the production of perfumes, although perfumers will occasionally replicate these elements as well.
When treated with the tender care it merits, the resultant facet is strong, spicy, and intensely sensuous, well suited for perfumes belonging to the ambery (previously oriental) fragrance family. Scents are heavy, warm, and rich, and they are known to stay on the skin.
This market includes aromas like rich, sweet, nutty, dark, honeyed amber, and creamy sandalwood.
Frankincense
This sector encompasses notes such as: dark, honeyed amber; creamy sandalwood; dense, sugary and nutty coumarin; floral, violet-nuanced orris; lush, elegant vanilla and balsamic and fruity gum resins.
All incense is made of this fragrant resin.
The word Frankincense, which meaning pure incense or pure illumination in old French, is whence the phrase gets its origin. Along with myrrh, it was highly prized in antiquity and was worth its weight in gold. It is thought that this high demand led to the creation of the ancient trade routes connecting southern Arabia with India, the Mediterranean, and the Silk Road in China.
The “sweat of the gods” was revered by the ancient Egyptians, who used frankincense daily in their religious and embalming rituals.
According to the Pentateuch, the early Hebrews burnt frankincense as a sacred component in their temple incense.
It was one of the three gifts that the Magi gave to the baby Jesus on the night of his birth, according to the Book of Matthew.
Today’s masters of fragrance recognize that the diversity of frankincense as a raw element is what gives it its genuine power.
It is as wonderful when skillfully blended with floral head notes as when used as a dry down, producing an essence that is lingeringly gentle, silky, and earthy.
Rich, green, mysterious and woody, this sticky, brown and aromatic resin is extracted from plants that are in the same botanical family as carrots, celery and parsley.
Galbanum
Also known as Ferula gummosa; Galbano and Oleogum Resin, these plants thrive along the mountainous slopes of northern Iran, Afghanistan and Turkey, and are known to reach about ten feet in height and diameter at maturity.
Galbanum is mentioned in the Old Testament as one of the holy components included in holy incense (Exodus 30:34).
The powerful pharaohs of ancient Egypt brought in vast quantities of this priceless substance from Persia to make their sacred scent, Metopian, and the Romans and Greeks burnt it in incense sticks, put it in bathwater, and used it to make popular skin balms and unguents.
Galbanum had a significant role in numerous Medieval European medicinal formulations.
Galbanum offers a complex smell mosaic and an application style that is best left to experienced formulators.
It is used in combination with earthy, musty patchouli, intense, dry, and green oak moss, and sweet, fresh, and spicy bergamot in the chypre family of perfumes, where it is most frequently seen today.
The fact that this aspect changes throughout time necessitates a particular, accurate touch.
It serves as an excellent fixative that blends nicely with floral and spice notes as well as pungent, green hyacinth, raspberry-nuanced iris, powdered violet, powerful, rich narcissus, and creamy, smooth gardenia.
This sticky resin, also known as ladanan, black balsam, and gum cistus, is native to extremely arid regions of the Mediterranean, North Africa, and the Middle East. It was initially employed in perfumery during the heyday of ancient Egypt, when it became a staple.
Early formulations, which were used in a variety of religious rites and ceremonies, had nuances of: deep, sweet wine; rich honey; sugary honeycomb; and hints of earthy, musty ingredients.
When creating an amber aroma, it is unsurpassed in the eyes of our professional perfumers. It mixes effectively with a wide range of essential oils.
Because it mimics the scent of ambergris, which is impossible to extract, labdanum is now widely used in absolute form. When creating an amber aroma, our expert perfumers at Alpha Aromatics have no equal.
It is a great fixative that preserves the unique character of other aspects.
It is often either sweet and flavored with delicious, peachy plum, or soft and leathery. It mixes effectively with a wide range of essential oils.
These include but are not limited to: dry. cedar wood; warm cinnamon; aromatic frankincense; rosy geranium; mellow lavender; sugary mimosa; earthy oak moss; and spicy ginger.
Myrrh
Myrrh is made from the sap that is secreted when the bark of the Boswellia and Commiphora trees is cut, just like frankincense is.
It was one of the three gifts the Magi gave to the newborn Jesus on the night of his birth, and it was associated with death and burial customs. It was also a key component in ancient Egyptian embalming practices.
To produce a really potent variation, myrrh and frankincense were frequently burnt together. It has a woodsy, warm, aromatic, and faintly medicinal smell.
It is difficult but yet quite thrilling to wear as a perfume note. It practically screams with personality, and it takes a very talented master perfumer to include it without making the whole composition smell too strong.
Calice Becker, a perfumer, said that myrrh is like butter to a chef in that it enhances flavors.
A sensual, eerie essence is produced when myrrh and other ingredients are properly balanced.
Onycha
Onycha was one of the components included in the sacred Ketoret incense that was used in the Solomon temple in Jerusalem, as mentioned in the Torah book of Exodus (30:34-36). This incense was combined with other ancient materials.
Onycha was also stated in the Old Testament as part of a divine order to Moses to “take fragrant spices all in equal proportions and create a sweet-smelling mix of incense…”
The name comes from a Latin term that means “fingernail” or “claw,” and it relates to the operculum, or claw, of a Red Sea native clam species that releases a pleasant scent when burnt.
Onycha is a woody, rich, and creamy herb that was traditionally only ever used to make incense. Onycha, sometimes known as the “purple pearl,” is a unique note in perfumery because, unlike other notes, it has the capacity to stream throughout the full development of a scent.
Oudh
The ancient writings of several religions mention the usage of oudh.
The Islamic world used the priceless resin as an essential oil and a perfume because the Prophet Mohammad described it as a rare object discovered in heaven.
Oudh is mentioned as an incense kind in the Song of Solomon. King Louis IV of France was so entranced by its alluring scent when it began to be used in Europe that he bathed his clothing in it.
Oudh has earned its rightful position in contemporary fragrance. Because of its propensity to linger on the skin for a very long time after other aspects have gone, it is typically a base note (up to six hours or more).
It is deep and extremely rich, and its actual strength resides in its capacity to both accentuate and, in some cases, utterly overpower other elements in a song.
In contrast to most woody overtones, the aroma of oudh is pleasant and sweet. Due to the high cost of harvesting, the majority of perfumers use a synthetic alternative.
Spikenard (Nard)
Spikenard, often referred to as nard, muskroot, and nardin, is a woody, spicy, herbaceous, dazzlingly fragrant, warm, and earthy scent component.
It is made from a plant called Nardostachys jatamansi, which grows abundantly in the hills of northern India and is known there as the jatamansi herb.
A balance between spirituality and emotion was thought to promote dedication and calm the human spirit in ancient societies.
Spikenard is described as the oil a sinner used to anoint Jesus’ head before to his execution in the New Testament’s Book of Mark (14:3–9). Both Song of Solomon and John (12:3) make reference to it (14).
It was used as incense by the ancient Hebrews in the Jerusalem Temple. The use of costly oils and perfumes in preparing a body for burial is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament.
Spikenard was expensive because it required complicated oil extraction and time-consuming shipping to the Holy Land.
Spikenard is a grounding oil with earthy, spicy, earthy, and musty notes that makes it perfect for aromatherapy, massage, and meditation.
It is frequently used with complimentary oils in perfumery, including fragrant frankincense, hot, pungent clove, green, fresh, and crisp juniper berry, warm, woody myrrh, and deep, rich, and sweet wild orange.
Additionally, it pairs well with floral essential oils like harsh, musty geranium and calming, cold lavender.
This perennial plant’s roots are used in perfumery, where they act as a glittering fixative in both chypre and ambery scents.
It blends well with zesty spice, clean fresh lemon, and vetiver’s powerful, sensual, and bark-like notes.
Styrax
These names for the balsamic resin known as benzoin also go by the names storax and Friar’s Balm. Their names come from where they came from, namely the Styrax Benzoin tree.
The first people to refer to benzoin as the “frankincense of Java” were the Arabs in the 14th century, and it was used in potpourri, soaps, pomanders, and incense.
Many woody scents get weight from this natural component. Rich scents are known to remain on the skin for a long time.
This group of perfumes includes notes including rich, creamy sandalwood, dark, honeyed amber, sweet, smooth, and luxuriant vanilla, sensuous, creamy caramel, sweet, smooth, and nutty coumarin, strong, roasted coffee, sweet, flowery honey, and floral, violet-tinged orris.
Additionally, it is widely used in contemporary gourmand and ambery accords.
In Conclusion
We are just as interested in history as any of the comments listed above!
Our roots may not go back as long as they do in Biblical days, but they were planted in the wake of World War II, and we are still thriving now just as strongly as the scents that filled those ancient ages.
We make and deliver smells for a variety of personal care companies, candles and diffusers, home fragrances, private label brands, odor neutralizers, household cleaning products, and outstanding personalized perfumes for any situation, whether it be fine, natural, or designer fragrances.
Give our teams a call today and lend a note of history to a new signature scent or customized perfume.
