Perfume attars and their history, such as jasmine oil and more. All natural perfumes made originally in India and other parts of the world.

1. Attar Perfume
Attar perfume oils and their original history
Attar Perfumes and their history, such as jasmine
oil and more. All natural perfumes made originally
in India and other parts of the world.
Attar also known as ittar is a natural perfume oil
derived from botanical sources. Most commonly the
se oils are taken from the botanical material thro
ugh hydro or steam distillation. Oils can also be
expressed by chemical means but generally natural
perfumes which qualify as Ittar/Attars are distill
ed naturally. The oils obtained from the herbs flo
wers and wood are generally distilled into a wood
base such as sandalwood and then aged. The aging p
eriod can last from one to ten years depending on
the botanicals used and the results desired.
These all-natural perfumes are highly concentrated
and therefore are usually offered for sale in sma
ll quantities and have traditionally been offered
in decorated crystal cut type bottles or small jew
eled decanters. Ittars are popular throughout the
Middle East and the Far East of India as well as P
akistan. Ittars have been used in the entire Easte
rn world for thousands of years. These 100% pure a
nd natural perfumes are free of alcohol and chemic
als and so the problems faced in the West by perfu
me lovers are irrelevant to most Eastern perfume l
overs. Natural perfumes are affordable because the
y are so concentrated that a small bottle will las
t the user several weeks, if not months. Due to th
e purity and the nature of oils, there is very lit
tle chance of spoilage unless a food based carrier
oil is used to cut the concentrated pure oil.

2. Some of the first lovers of Ittars were the Mughal
nobles of India. Jasmine ittar was the favorite p
erfume of the Nizams of the Hyderabad state. Tradi
tionally in the Eastern world it was a customary p
ractice of nobility to offer ittar to their guests
at the time of their departure. The ittars are tr
aditionally given in ornate tiny crystal cut bottl
es called as itardans. This tradition of giving a
scent to one's guests continues to this day in man
y parts of the Eastern world. Among Sufi worshiper
s the use of Ittars during meditation circles and
dances is quite common.
Most ittars are alcohol-free and are used by many
Muslim men and women. Ittar has long been consider
ed one of the most treasured of material possessio
ns and Prophet Muhammad has been compared to Ittar
as one of the most beloved of gifts given to mank
ind. Ittars are also used among Hindu, Buddhist an
d Sikh meditation practices.
History -
The word 'attar', 'ittar' or 'othr' is basically a
n Arabic word which means 'scent'; this in turn is
believed to have been derived from the Persian wo
rd Atr, meaning 'fragrance'.
The story of Indian perfumes is as old as the civi
lization itself. Archaeological evidence shows the
earliest inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent h
eld plants in great reverence. With the passage of
time, scented oils were extracted by pressing, pu
lverizing or distilling aromatic vegetable and ani
mal produce. Early indications of this activity ar
e available from the perfume jars and terracotta c
ontainers of the Indus Valley civilization, where
archeological work has revealed round copper still
s, used for the distillation process that are at l
east five-thousand years old (reference req.). The
se stills are called degs. Following the seasons o
f the flowers, traditional ittar-makers, with thei
r degs, traveled all over India to make their fres

3. h ittars on-the-spot. Even now, a few traditional
ittar-makers still travel with their degs to be cl
ose to the harvest. Their equipment has changed li
ttle, if at all.
A large number of references to cosmetics and perf
umes in Sanskrit literature were found like in the
Brhatsamhita is a 6th century Sanskrit encycloped
ia by Varahamihira (505 AD – 587 AD). Cosmetics an
d perfumes making were mainly practiced for the pu
rpose of worship, sale and sensual enjoyment. Gand
hayukti gave recipes for making scents. It gives a
list of eight aromatic ingredients used for makin
g scents. They were: Rodhara, Usira, Bignonia, Agu
ru, Musta, Vana, Priyangu, and Pathya. The Gandhay
ukti also gave recipes for mouth perfumes, bath po
wders, incense and talcum powder. The manufacture
of rose water began perhaps in the nineteenth cent
ury AD. The earliest distillation of ittar was men
tioned in the Ayurvedic text Charaka Samhita. The
Harshacharita, written in 7th century AD in northe
rn India, mentions use of fragrant agarwood oil.
In ancient India, ittar was prepared by placing pr
ecious flowers and sacred plants into a water or v
egetable oil. Slowly the plants and flowers would
infuse the water/oil with their delicate fragrance
. The plant and flower material would then be remo
ved and a symphony of their aromatic beauty would
be held in the ittar. These ittars were then worn
as a sacred perfume or to anoint.
Ittar figures into some of the romantic stories of
a bygone era. Its patrons included great poets li
ke the legendary Mirza Ghalib. When Ghalib met his
beloved in the winter, he rubbed his hands and fa
ce with ittar hina.
In Ain-e-Akbari, Abul Fazal, has mentioned that Ak
bar used ittar daily and burnt incense sticks in g
old and silver censers. A princess's bath was inco
mplete without incense and ittar. A very popular i

4. ttar with the Mughal princes was ood, prepared in
Assam.
Situated on the banks of the sacred River Ganges,
80 km from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, is the now alm
ost forgotten ancient city of Kannauj, once the ca
pital of the famed Emperor Harshavardhana. Today i
t prides itself as the 'Attar City' or the perfume
city of India. Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh India is
a major producing city of ittar. Here, there is a
legend on how the first ittars were made in the ar
ea. The forest dwelling Faqirs and Sadhus ascetics
used certain perfumed jungle herbs and roots in t
heir bonfires during the winters. The shepherds wh
o grazed their sheep in that region found the perf
ume lingering in the burnt wood long after the asc
etics left the place. Word spread about this and s
ome enterprising people searched and found the fra
grant herbs and roots. Then the experiments on itt
ar began and the first ittars to be made were Rose
and Hina.
Types of Ittars -
Ittars may be broadly categorized into following ty
pes of flavour or ingredients used.
Floral Ittars – Ittars manufactured from single sp
ecies of flower are coming under this category. Th
ese are Gulab ex Rosa damascena or Rosa Edword, Ke
wra ex Pandanus odoratissimus, Motia ex Jasminum s
ambac, Gulhina ex lawsonia inermis, Chameli ex Jas
minum grandiflorum, Kadam ex Anthoephalus cadamba
Herbal Ittars - Ittars manufactured from combinati
on of floral, herbal & spices come under this cate
gory. Hina and its various forms viz., Shamama, Sh
amam –tul – Amber, Musk Amber and Musk Hina.
Ittars which are neither floral nor herbal also co
me under this category. Ittar Mitti falls under th
is category and is produced by distillation of bak

5. ed earth over base material.
Ittars can also be classified based on their effect
on human body such as
Warm Ittars' – Ittars such as Musk, Amber, Kesar (
Saffron), Oud, are used in winters, they increase
the body temperature.
Cool Ittars' – like Rose, Jasmine, Khus, Kewda, Mo
gra, are used in summers and are cooling for the b
ody.
Uses -
The Indian perfumes in the past was used by the el
ite, particularly kings and queens. Also it is use
d in Hindu temples. Today it is used in numerous w
ays:
1. Pan Masala and Gutka is the largest consumer of
Indian perfumes. The reason for using it is its e
xtraordinary tenacity along with characteristic to
withstand with tobacco note. The perfumes used ar
e Rose, Kewra, Mehndi, Hina, Shamama, Mitti, Marig
old etc.
2. Tobacco is smaller segment for perfume consumpt
ion as compared to above industry. The perfumes us
ed are mainly kewra & Rose. Along with Pan masala
& Gutkha it contributes to more the 75% of perfume
consumption.
3. Betel nut is smaller segment for perfume consum
ption as compared to above two industry. The perfu
mes used are mainly Kewra & Rose.
4. It is used by many people as a personal perfume
, particularly by Muslims due to absence of alcoho
l.
5. Perfumes have the application in pharmaceutical
industry.
6. Perfumes of Rose & Kewra are used in traditional
Indian sweets, for imparting flavour.
Safety & Application of Ittar

6. Safety & Application of Ittars -
Alcohol (common solvent for most perfumes) causes
the perfume to evaporate much faster sometimes upt
o as much as 10 - 15 times faster. This causes the
first impression of the perfume to be overwhelmin
g to human senses, but it soon evaporates and lose
s power. Given its natural derivation, ittar lasts
a long time. Body heat only intensifies its smell.
A major difference between synthetic perfumes and
ittar is that the oil-based ittar is worn directly
on your body. The inside of the wrist, behind the
ears, the inside of elbow joints, back of the nec
k and a few other parts of your anatomy are direct
ly dabbed with ittar.
A small drop is enough to be used as a fragrance o
n the body. A few drops can be added to water and
used with aromatic vapour lamps. A few drops of so
me ittars are used with cold drinks, such as milk,
to give fragrance.
Storage and Shelf Life -
Ittar has a permanent shelf life and some ittars b
ecome stronger and smell better when they are olde
r. and they become very aromatic.
Future of Ittars -
Due to increasing cost of Indian Sandalwood citati
on needed and high cost of production of ittars ha
s had an ill effect on existence of this industry.
Competition comes in the form of chemical based p
erfume products, which are cheaper compared to nat
ural ittars.