he Perfume Roads symbolize the crossing of different worlds and diverse cultures: the Middle East, the Orient and the Western World. Those roads created exchanges of goods, as well as exchanges of ideas and beliefs between the people.
Each country has its own perfume culture, rituals, routes and history. The discovery of this great heritage has given birth today to the awareness of perfumes’ cultural wealth. Perfume is a worldwide heritage that must be protected.
Since the most ancient of times, perfume was used by all civilizations.
In Ancient Egypt, they said “Those who breathe the scent of flowers breathe the soul of flowers”.
In South America, Native American doctors were called “Perfumeros”.
In China the sign used to name perfume is similar to the one meaning “remedy” and a proverb says “a perfume is always a medicine”.
In Russia, perfumes were sold essentially in pharmacies. They owned their own laboratories, flower fields and perfume bottle factories.
Follow us in the discovery of the most sensual stories: the stories of people as told by perfume.
For her project The Perfume Roads, Creezy Courtoy received UNESCO’s high patronage.
Creezy Courtoy is an historian and anthropologist specializing in perfume. She is also Founder and Chair of the non-profit International Perfume Foundation whose mission is education, protection and preservation of perfume heritage.