benchmarks

benchmarks

Contents:
01 history
02 resources
03 feedstock
04 producing
05 products
06 using
07 utensils
08 intake
09 appreciating
10 aesthetics
11 meaning
12 profession
13 changes

01 history

HISTORY OF ASIAN PERFUMERY ARTS

  • Appreciation of the fragrant landscape presumably since the beginning of Asian civilization and throughout Asia.
  • Provable origins of a ‚handicraft‘ over 2–3,000 years ago.
  • Specialization of a perfumery art – i.e. skills of conserving and refining the aromatics as well as as appreciating them reverently – over the course of the centuries at exclusive locations.
  • Intracontinental transmission of materials, techniques and meanings via land and sea routes over the course of time – with the effect of exchange and mutual inspiration.
  • Notable entanglement with Western business activities since the 16th century.

02 resources

FAMOUS REPRESENTATIVES OF ASIA’S ENDEMIC AROMATIC RESOURCES

Agarwood – ambergris – basil – benzoin – birch – cajeput – camellia – camphor – cardamom – cassia – cedar – cinnamon – civet – cloves – conifer – coriander – cypress – elemi – eucalyptus – fenugreek – fir – frangipani – frankincense – galbanum – gallnuts – ginger – jasmine – kanuka – lemongrass – lily – litsea – magnolia – maple – musk – myrrh – neroli – nutmeg – osmanthus – palmarosa – patchouli – pepper – pine – rhododendron – rosemary – roses – saffron – sandalwood – shell hinges – spikenard – spruce – star anise – storax – tea tree – tuberose – tulsi – vetiver – yarrow – ylang-ylang.

03 feedstock

PARTS OF PLANTS THAT HOST AROMATIC MOLECULES

Balm – bark – blossom – fruit (peel) – grass – leaves – lichen – needle – resin – root – seeds – wood.

04 producing

EFFORTS TO PRODUCE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF AROMATIC GOODS

(1) RAW MATERIALS

  • growing
  • harvesting

(2) REFINED (PURE) GOODS

  • cleaning
  • washing
  • drying
  • carving
  • grinding
  • distilling
  • extracting

(3) REFINED MIXED PRODUCTS

  • blending
  • cooking
  • saturating

05 products

TYPICAL

  • the natural surrounding as such
  • aromatic wood artefacts
  • fresh (parts of) plants (flowers, herbs, and other)
  • dried (parts of) plants (flowers, herbs and other)
  • powders
  • incense cake (as balls, cookies, soft sticks)
  • incense sticks (including a wood stick)
  • pastes
  • distillates
  • oils
  • cremes

06 using

SKILLS OF MAKING AROMATICS GIVE OFF THEIR FRAGRANCE

  • diffusing
  • boiling
  • censing

07 utensils

SELECT PERFUMERY UTENSILS

(1) PRODUCING

  • cooking pots
  • still
  • productional tools

(2) STORING

  • sstoring boxes

(3) APPRECIATING

  • sprinkler
  • censer
  • incense holder
  • fine boxes
  • fine cutlery
  • rack

08 intake

WAYS OF TAKING IN THE AROMATIC MOLECULES

  • inhalation
  • skin application
  • ingestion

09 appreciating

TRADITIONAL WAYS OF APPRECIATING FRAGRANCES REVERENTLY

  • Sensory appreciation of the natural atmosphere by full awareness.
  • Garden architecture.
  • Fragrant sacrifices to divine entities.
  • Noble gesture of respect and hospitality to the community.
  • Ritual appreciation of select olfactory notes for leisure and spiritual aims.
  • Therapeutic use of aromatics.
  • Flavoring food.

10 aesthetics

EXEMPLARY IDEALS AND CRITERIA (EACH ONE DESCRIBING A SPECIFIC CULTURE).

  • Naturalness (Eastern Asia)
  • Support of ritual purity (Islamic Asia).
  • Representation of Paradise (Central Asia).
  • Supporting harmony and balance of physical energies (South Asia).
  • Accompanied by visible smoke rising to the sky, or to the Gods respectively (Eastern Asia).

11 meaning

TRADITIONAL MEANING OF FRAGRANCES

  • Representing, symbolizing and supporting divine presence and energies.
  • Source of gaining spiritual insight and refining one’s personality.
  • Signifying healthy conditions.
  • Supporting the maintenance of human health (’natural pharmacy‘).
  • Paying respect towards divine entitites as well as the community.

12 profession

PERFORMING THE PROFESSION

  • In the beginning: Everyday habit – overlap of cooking, hygienic care, and reverent devotional service.
  • Over the centuries: Hobby – especially among those populations living in the cultivation area of aromatic plants.
  • By time: Special profession – of herbalists, pharmacologists, therapists, spiritual masters, and perfumers.

13 changes

TODAY’S ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE AND THREATS

  • Integration into global markets of multinational enterprises especially since the 1990s.
  • Object of (international) patents.
  • A sizeable multi-billion dollar business.
  • Overexploitation and loss of natural resources.
  • Loss of local knowledge and traditional (sensory and production) skills.