Perfumes are full of science, history, and surprising ingredients — some gross, but all interesting! So read on to find out why fatty whale poo is so valuable, what musk really is, or why if you want the world’s most expensive perfume... you’d better get saving up!

For more fantastic facts about everyday items, check out these facts about crocs (as in, the rubbery shoes), these fast-paced PS4 facts, or even these tree-mendous Christmas tree facts!

But back to the main event - perfume facts! So take a deep breath, hold it, and then let's begin!

1. The Oldest Perfume Ever Found is 4,000 Years Old!

In Cyprus, archaeologists found an ancient perfume factory that dates back about 4,000 years! They uncovered containers and tools used to make fragrance from herbs and flowers. People in ancient times loved smelling good, just like we do today — and their perfume was made with plants like coriander and almond. Whilst modern perfumers use different chemicals to make those smells now, the smells of coriander and almond are still popular today!

2. Whale poo is very important!

Ambergris, one of the rarest and most expensive perfume ingredients, comes from sperm whales. It’s a waxy substance that whales poo out when their stomachs can’t handle tough things like squid beaks. After floating on the ocean for years, it eventually hardens and becomes super valuable. Ambergris has an earthy scent and an amazing ability to make perfumes last longer. It's classy stuff, that fatty whale poo!

3. Beaver bum goo smells good too!

Yes, you read that right! Castoreum is a sticky, musky-smelling goop that comes from glands near a beaver’s tail (you know, near their bum). It’s been used in perfumes for centuries to give scents a warm, leathery smell. Today, it’s mostly synthetic (so no need to worry), but you’ll still find it in some fancy perfumes. What a strange business.

4. Cleopatra Was Obsessed with Perfume

The famous Egyptian queen Cleopatra was known for her love of perfume. She would use it to impress the people she met, including powerful Roman rulers like Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Cleopatra even had a perfume factory near the Dead Sea, and she was said to have scented her palace floors, walls, and even the sails on her boats! She was a woman who knew how to make a big entrance!

5. You can smell better when you're hungry

Here’s a cool science fact: when you're hungry, your sense of smell actually becomes stronger. This makes sense because our ancient ancestors needed a good sense of smell to find food in the wild. So, if you’re ever at a perfume shop, try smelling scents before lunch — it might help you pick your favourite easier!

6. Deer, oh deer!

And for another slightly gross "where do smells come from" fact- musk comes from deer belly glands! Musk has a rich, earthy smell and is an essential scent in perfumes. Originally, it came from a gland in the belly of a male musk deer. Like castoreum, most musk today is made synthetically in a lab. But the musky, animal smell is still one of the most popular scents in the perfume world!

7. Gross smells / nice smells

You've probably noticed by now that some of the grossest-smelling ingredients can make perfumes smell incredible! And they are often used in very clever ways. For example, civet is a musky substance that comes from a type of cat. It smells quite strong on its own but adds depth and warmth to perfumes when blended well. Oud is another one - it's a luxurious ingredient and it comes from rotting wood infected by a fungus!

8. Perfume is a bit like music

Perfume has "notes" just like music! When you smell a perfume, you’ll notice different layers: top, middle, and base notes. Top notes, like citrus, are light and disappear quickly. Middle notes, like floral scents, last longer, while base notes, like wood or vanilla, can last for hours. Together, they create a whole “song” of scent. Once you get good at learning the language of smells, you can notice them much easier.

9. There’s a Perfume That Costs $1.29 Million!

The world’s most expensive perfume, “Shumukh,” costs around $1.29 million! It’s sold in a bottle made from diamonds, pearls, and gold. But it’s not just the bottle that makes it expensive—the fragrance itself contains fancy ingredients like Indian agarwood, rose, and sandalwood. It’s a blend that took three years to perfect, apparently! One thing's for sure - you'd have to be stinking rich to buy this! Eh! Geddit?

10. Brains love smells!

There’s a special connection between our noses and our brains that makes smell memories incredibly strong. This is why a whiff of a certain scent can remind you of a person or place immediately, even years later. Remember going to the fishmongers with your gran? The smell of candy floss at a funfair? In perfume-making, creators try to craft scents that can evoke these strong memories and emotions. Well, maybe not the fishmonger memory.

11. Chanel No. 5

Chanel No. 5 is one of the most famous perfumes ever, created by Coco Chanel in 1921. What made it special was its use of aldehydes, which are synthetic chemicals that made the scent smell bright and sparkling. Unlike natural floral scents, Chanel No. 5 was modern and - complex, somehow. It became wildly popular and started a new era of perfume-making!

12. Not just a lovely smell

In ancient times, people didn’t have easy access to water, so perfume was used to cover up bad body smells. In ancient Rome and Egypt, people would wear oils and fragrances to smell better and to avoid illness since many believed that bad smells caused disease. The word “perfume” even comes from Latin "per fumum," meaning “through smoke” because they would burn scented resins for it's nice smell.

13. Eau de mushroom*

One of the rarest and most unique perfume ingredients is truffle, an earthy, pungent mushroom. Truffles grow underground and are highly prized for their intense smell and flavor. In perfumes, truffle adds a deep, earthy richness, giving some fragrances a mysterious, woodsy vibe.

*It's not technically a mushroom - but it is a lump of fungus!

14. The world's favourite fragrance is...

Vanilla! This bean pod is one of the most beloved and widely used ingredients in perfumes around the world. People love vanilla’s warm, sweet smell, which is linked to feeling cozy and happy. Some scientists think it reminds people of food, which is why it’s so comforting. Real vanilla is very expensive, so most of what we smell in perfumes is synthetic. Vanilla is far from boring!

15. Flowers in the dark

Certain flowers, like jasmine, only release their strongest scent at night. In perfume-making, these are sometimes called "night-blooming" flowers. They release their fragrance at night to attract night-time pollinators like moths. Perfume makers use night-blooming flowers to create deep, mysterious scents that you might not have smelled before. Unless you're the kind of person who hangs around in gardens at night!