In his book Odours, Fragrances and Cosmetics (1865), S. Piesse developed theories that related specific odours to notes on a musical scale in an attempt to categorize the spectrum of smells, whilst in 1890 Atkinsons produced one of the first books on perfume technology, essentially concerned with the production of absolutes by the cryo — scopic removal of fats. Perfumery was beginning to be investigated in depth.
Structured Perfumes, and Use of Synthetics
In 1861, Guerlain created Eau Imperiale for Empress Eugenie, the influential wife of Napoleon III, whose gowns were designed by the House of Worth. By the end of the century, this redeveloped fragrance was shown to be created around neroli, rose, geranium, sandalwood, musk and the synthetic chemical coumarin. Fragrances began to be described in a structural form, with the adoption of top-, middle — and bottom-note terminology.
Two other fragrances, Fougere Royale (1882, Houbigant) and Jicky (1889, Coty) were in vogue. Fougere Royale was arguably amongst the first fragrances to use a synthetic (coumarin), whilst Jicky is held to be the first truly vertically structured fragrance, with a fresh, citrus top based on lemon, bergamot and mandarin, middle floral notes of rose and jasmin, woody notes in vetiver, orris root and patchouli, and base notes of coumarin, benzoin, civet, amber and vanillin (a second synthetic). Fougere Royal disappeared a long time ago, but its influence lives on in the aromatic fougere family of fragrance to which it lends its name.