• Aromatic substances were central to spiritual and medicinal practices worldwide
• Egypt used frankincense and myrrh in religious ceremonies and mummification
• India's Vedas (1500–1000 BCE) documented incense in Ayurvedic healing
• China burned cypress and sandalwood in ancestor worship from the Neolithic period
• Indigenous peoples across the Americas used sage and cedar in purification rituals
• One of the earliest recorded perfumers was Tapputi, a Mesopotamian woman chemist (~1200 BCE)

• Scholars like Avicenna perfected steam distillation for purer essential oils
• Advances enabled alcohol-based perfumes and more consistent extracts
• Knowledge spread along the Silk Road, connecting Arabia, India, China, and Europe
• Rose water and botanical perfumes became more sophisticated

• Fragrance became a status symbol among European nobility and royalty
• Catherine de' Medici brought Italian perfumery traditions to the French court in the 1530s
• Scented gloves, pomanders, and perfumed oils signaled wealth and social rank
• Perfume was believed to ward off disease during plague outbreaks
• Southern France (particularly Grasse) became the fragrance capital, with master perfumers cultivating jasmine, rose, and lavender
• Formulas were closely guarded craft secrets; ingredients were botanical and regional

• In 1888, German chemist Albert Baur accidentally created the first synthetic musk while trying to make explosives—it replaced musk deer secretions
• Chemists began synthesizing aroma molecules that mimicked or enhanced natural ingredients
• Synthetics made fragrance cheaper to produce and more stable
• Perfume became accessible to the middle class, no longer just a luxury for the elite
• In 1921, Chanel No. 5 proved synthetic molecules could be sophisticated and beautiful
• The era of lab-created scent and mass-market fragrance had begun

• Scent moved beyond perfume bottles into everyday products: shampoos, soaps, lotions, deodorants, laundry detergents, cleaning products
• "Fresh lemon" and "spring clean" scents became ubiquitous in American homes
• Fragrance became layered into daily life through multiple products
• But ingredient disclosure did not follow

• The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act required ingredient disclosure for consumer products, but fragrance formulas were exempted as "trade secrets"
• Companies could list "fragrance" instead of actual chemicals
• What had been guarded craft secrets became a legal shield for thousands of undisclosed ingredients

• Mass production accelerated; cost-effectiveness drove ingredient choices
• Polycyclic musks (Galaxolide, Tonalide) became widespread despite environmental concerns
• Phthalates like DEP were used extensively as solvents and fixatives, hidden under "fragrance"
• A single product could now contain hundreds to thousands of undisclosed chemicals
• Performance and profit were prioritized; long-term health concerns were ignored

Key studies began linking fragrance chemicals to health concerns:

• 2002: Reviews of phthalates raised hormone disruption concerns
• 2005–2008: Studies linked DEP to sperm damage, abnormal reproductive development in male infants
• 2009: EWG found synthetic musks in newborn cord blood
• 2010: EWG's "Not So Sexy" study found hormone disruptors in 17 tested fragrances
• 2012: Reviews connected phthalates to asthma, allergies, reproductive disorders
• Growing evidence linked chemicals to ADHD, insulin resistance, neurotoxicity, thyroid disruption
• The EU began banning certain phthalates and nitro musks, but US regulations remained virtually unchanged

Consumers demand transparency:

• As awareness grew about the EU's stricter regulations (1,300+ banned ingredients vs. the US's 11), consumers started questioning what was in their products
• Advocacy groups like EWG and Campaign for Safe Cosmetics pushed for accountability
• Brands like Beautycounter (2013) and retailers like Credo Beauty (2015) demanded cleaner standards
• In 2022, the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA) passed — the first major update in 80+ years
• BUT: Fragrance disclosure still remains optional

Where we stand now:

• The industry can still hide thousands of chemicals behind the word "fragrance"
• Macrocyclic musks are replacing older, more toxic versions, but transparency remains rare
• Consumers are more informed than ever, yet the regulatory system hasn't caught up
• You still can't know what you're spraying on your body unless a brand chooses to tell you

The history of fragrance has always been about innovation—new techniques, new ingredients, new possibilities. We're honoring the craft while fixing what's broken by providing full ingredient disclosure, independent toxicologist verification, and performance that doesn't compromise your health. Made with your wellness in mind.