Edgewood High School, El Corral, 1988, Page 99

Description:	KClint DunbarCurt DurnilDawn DuvalBradly EmpsonJanna FiggToilet water isnt what you clean your toilet bowl with.Ancient peoples burned fragrant resins,gums, woods as incense at their religiousceremonies. The word perfume comes fromthe words per, meaning through, and fumus,meaning smoke. Many perfumes have odorssimliar to those of fresh flowers. Almost allperfumes are blend from natural and synthetic substances. The most expensive perfumes contain oils from flowers.The composition of a perfume dependslargely on its intended use. Many perfumesare blends of flower and plant oils, animalsubstances, synthetics, alcohol, and water.Essential oils is what gives fragrant plantstheir pleasant odor. Plants whose oils areused extensively in perfumes include thecinnamon, citronella, geranium, jasmine, lavender, patchouli, rose, rosemary, sandalwood, and tuberose.Much essential oil is extracted from plantsby steam distillation. From some flowersessential oil is obtained by boiling the petalsin water, rather than by passing steamthrough them. Another process is called solvent extaction. For example, jasmine absolute, a fragrant oil, is extracted from jasmine petals after a lengthy separationprocess using fatty wax and petroleum solvents similar to benzene. It costs about$3,500 a pound. Attar of rose, the sweet-smelling extract of a rare variety of bloomcalled Rose de Mai, runs $4,500 a pound,and orris oil, from European iris root, commands as much as $3,000 a pound.Another source of scent is animal oils.Animal oils produce a leathery or muskynote and give other scents their staying power. Civet, a fatty substance found near thegenitals of the overlarge East African cat,and musk, a spray given off by musk deer ofChina when in heat, are as difficult to harvest as you can imagine and are thereforevery costly. Tincture of musk runs about$6,000 a pound. It can, however, be synthesized in a laboratory for a faction of that.Synthesized civet, used because the naturalsubstance is so rare, costs about $100 apound but lacks the fineness and warmth ofthe original. As many as 800 different ingredients go into a perfume, so you may begetting just a few cents worth of jasmine inyour $160 ounce of Dibressence.William S. Cain, professor of environmental health and psychology at Yale University, asserts that wearing a fragrance doesadd to a persons overall attractiveness. Andnow that women are dressing for success,instead of for men, some are using perfumein the hope of career advancement. A 1984survey of 804 executives by Newsweek magazine four that 36% of the women and 42%of the men believed that wearing a scenthelped women in their careers. Amazinglyenough, two-thirds felt that cologne did nothing for a mans advancement.Fragrances generally fall into six differentgroupings: florals, such as Joy and WhiteShoulders, which have a flowery scent.chypres, (pronounced sheeps), such asCabouchard and Aramis for men, which useoakmoss, citrus and fragrant woods greenscents, including Aliage and Grey Flannel,which combine crushed leaves, camphor,pine and sometimes lavender, orientals,such as Sh<j$%nar and Cardin for Men, whichare heavy perfumes that mix spices, incenseresins and woods, fruity scents, includingMitsouko and Drakkar, which combine citrusaromas, aldehydic blends, among themChanel No. 5 and LInterdit, which combinea pleasant-smelling chemical booster withnatural aromas.Results from an Edgewood survey ofthe junior class:Top 3 Fragrances Worn by Edgewood WomenBeautifulLiz ClaiborneObsession .Top 3 Fragrances Preferred by EdgewoodWomenPoloDrakkarLagerfeldEdgewood men showed no preference.ay noh say yessignatureDo you often try new scents59% say yesDo you have a signature scenl25% say noHow much would you pay forscent?7% would spe21% would spend $5-$l5 .29% would spend <jmiiwould speHow much would you pay for a new scent?5% would spend $0-$530% would spend $5-$1542% would spend $15$2523%> would spend $25+Where do you buy your fragrances?10% buy at discount stores70% buy at department stores0% buy at exclusive perfume boutiques16% receive as giftsBy surveying the Class of 89 it was foundthat 23% of them are smartallecks, and ofthat 23%, Vz are male, Vz are female, and Vzare neuter.Bedoukian, Paul Z. Perfume,Encyclopedia, 1987 ed., XV.World Bookjuniors99aaaaaaaaaaaaWaaaaaaaaaaMJ
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-edgewood/id/2911
Collection:	Edgewood High School

Further information on this record can be found at its source.