European royal families were not new to the art of perfumery either. It existed there since as early as 1221. In the year 1370 at the behest of Queen Elizabeth of Hungary scented oils and alcohol solutions were combined to produce the famous Hungary Water.
This fragrant art prospered in Renaissance Italy and the then personal perfumer to Catherine de’ Medici, Rene the Florentine took it to France. Today this country is among the leading European centers that manufacture perfume and cosmetics. South of France became a major region for cultivation of flowers for their essence in the 14th century. What is known today as the eau de cologne was first formulated in 1693 by an Italian barber Giovanni Paolo Feminis. Its original name was Aqua Admirabilis. It was in the 17th century that Europeans discovered that fragrances could heal. Doctors would mask themselves with leather pouches containing pungent spices such as cloves and cinnamon to prevent them from falling prey to infection from plague victims.
