The art of perfumery : and the methods of obtaining odours of plants : with instruction for the manufacture of perfumes for the handkerchief, scented powders, odorous vinegars, dentifrices, pomatums, cosmetiques, perfumed soap, etc. : to which is added an appendix on preparing artifical fruit essences, etc. / by G. W. Septimus Piesse.

  • Piesse, G. W. Septimus (George William Septimus), 1820-1882.
Date:
1856
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The art of perfumery : and the methods of obtaining odours of plants : with instruction for the manufacture of perfumes for the handkerchief, scented powders, odorous vinegars, dentifrices, pomatums, cosmetiques, perfumed soap, etc. : to which is added an appendix on preparing artifical fruit essences, etc. / by G. W. Septimus Piesse. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    cured from the Citrus bergamia, by expression from the peel of the fruit. It has a soft sweet odour, too well-known to need description here. When new and good it has a greenish yellow tint, but loses its greenness by age, especially if kept in imperfectly corked bottles. It then becomes cloudy from the deposit of resinous matter, produced by the contact of the air, and acquires a turpentine smell. It is best preserved in well-stoppered bottles, kept in a cool cellar, and in the dark ; light, especially the direct sunshine, quickly deteriorates its odour. This observation may be applied, indeed, to all per- fumes, except rose, which is not so spoiled. When bergamot is mixed with other essential oils, it greatly adds to their richness, and gives a sweetness to spice oils attainable by no other means, and such compounds are much used in the most highly-scented soaps. Mixed with rectified spirit in the proportions of about eight ounces of bergamot to a gallon, it forms what is called “ extract of bergamot,” and in this state is used for the handkerchief. Though well covered with extract of orris and other matters, it is the leading ingredient in Bayley and Blew’s Ess. Bouquets. (See Bouquets.) Benzoin, also called Benjamin. — This is a very useful substance to perfumers. It exudes from the Styrax benzoin by wounding the tree, and drying, becomes a hard gum-resin. It is principally imported from Borneo, Java, Sumatra, and Siam. The best kind comes from the latter place, and used to be called