Modern Parfumery 1860 – 1900

Towards the end of the 19th century, the fragrance industry increasingly targeted women belonging to the middle class. The first synthetic fragrance ingredients made their appearance.

The Second Empire was marked by a brief yet excessive infatuation with vetiver and patchouli. This fad came to an end during the latter part of the 19th century when the emergence of a strong middle class brought about a more refined taste in fragrance. The trade of luxury goods blossomed and perfumery was increasingly viewed as an art.

New and original fragrance notes such as coumarin, heliotropine, vanillin, ionone and the first aldehydes - created through the brand-new process of chemical synthesis - caused an olfactory revolution. It was the birth of modern perfumery.