He who ruled scent ruled the hearts of men - Patrick Süskind

Our olfactory ability or sense of smell is surprisingly acute and directs our social interactions in ways that we don’t consciously realise. So, the fragrances we wear have a direct impact on our interactions and impressions that are formed. While some take the art of wearing scents casually, picking up whatever their friends and family recommend or what is suggested by glamorous glossies, a walk down the scented power corridors of history reveals the conscious connection the royalty had with their fragrances.

One of the first records of fragrances takes us to the ancient Egyptian society where the rich elites of Egyptian society, would adorn themselves with aromas to denote their status. In Ancient Greece, perfume was seen as a mark of hospitality and respect and of course economic stature. The guests in households of the rich and powerful would be greeted at the door by servants of the household, who would soak and bathe their feet in perfumed water and essential oils.

Harshacharita, written in the seventh century AD, mentions how the perfume industry in India thrived under the patronage of King Harshvardhan in his capital city Kannauj. Later, the Mughals encouraged the craft of making perfumes, with Emperor Akbar having a separate department called the khushboo khana. These were extensively used in royal baths or hammams. In India, during the reign of nawabs, it was not uncommon either for the palaces alleys to be sprinkled with attar before the arrival of a state guest. It was a clever aromatherapy trick used by the royals to put their guests in a state of tranquil ease. Also, an invisible message that conveyed respect, power and authority and set the tone for future interactions.

Does it seem too extravagant? Not really. Don’t we see big business conglomerates using the power of scents to their advantage to persuade the customer to make an impulse purchase? Various studies have proven that a scented environment leads to consumers staying longer, and spending more. In a particular study of Las Vegas slot players, it was observed that players spent 45% more in a scented environment than those in an unscented one.

And the influence of scent branding is not just limited to companies. Leaders and influential people throughout history have used the invisible power of fragrance to create their own personal branding.

More than 2,000 years after her death, the Egyptian queen Cleopatra still looms large in the popular imagination. There are numerous tales of her ethereal beauty. However, many modern historians present her as less than exceptionally attractive but with exceptional charm and persuasion skills. Legend has it that the queen chose to soak the sails of her ship in fragrant oils as she sailed towards Marc Anthony, in the hopes that he would smell her before laying eyes on her. This was more than a romantic gesture. She knew how to impose her personality and to create a wow effect. So more than just Marc Anthony, she announced her arrival to Rome, a place alien to her, by perfuming her boat with roses, and having all its streets adorned by its petals. 

Rose, lavender, violet, lilies and other sweet-smelling fragrances were by nobility to mask the bad odours and create an illusion of being plague and disease-free. It is believed that Queen Elizabeth 1 used scents that contained ambergris, civet, orange water, lavender, violets, and waterlilies. She is known to have suffered from panic attacks which made her sweat, but she used perfumes liberally to mask the smell of anxiety. Royal clothes were often heavy, embellished, embroidered and difficult to wash. There are records of her clothes being sprinkled with perfumed water or held over incense to scent them before she wore them.

 Closer home, the Wajid Ali Shah, last Nawab of Awadh who ascended the throne in 1847 was an avid perfume lover and the art of perfume making flourished under him. According to one of the accounts, Shah sweated a lot while dancing; so, the Hina attar was created especially for him, so that the smell of his sweat could be masked by this unique aromatic blend of 65 herbs.

 One of the most powerful military leaders, Napoleon Bonaparte had a thing with colognes. Apparently, he is said to have a standing order with his perfumer to deliver 50 bottles of colognes a month. For him, this fragrance with key note of rosemary also had an emotional connect. Rosemary is known to flourish along the cliffs and rocky scrubland in Corsica, where he was born. Records suggest that Napoleon used one whole bottle of Eau de Cologne a day at great cost to his exchequer! In a famous letter to his wife, he had directed her ‘don't wash, I'm on my way’ which led everyone to assume that perhaps he liked the scent of his wife ‘au naturel’. However, Josephine was known to enjoy jasmine and violet based perfumes, and she kept pots of scented flowers of hyacinths, and mignonette (which has a violet-like scent), in her rooms. So fragrant were mignonette flowers that it was a fashion of that era to place on balconies to mask the foul smell of the streets.

Nur Jahan was the 20th and last wife of the fourth Mughal emperor, Jahangir. She is believed to be the most prominent and powerful empress in the history of the Mughal Empire. Nur Jahan was beautiful and further took to roses to accentuate her enigmatic aura. Her rose-soaked baths are legendary. Rose by its olfactory virtue is not just sweet smelling but highly therapeutic. It relaxes the muscles, relieves anxiety and regenerates skin. But this multitasking fragrant elixir comes at a cost, has been a coveted asset reserved for the rich and powerful.

Perhaps the most torrid love affair between a monarch and his perfume was that of Louis XIV of France. His passion for fragrance was so enormous that his court in Versailles became known as ‘The Perfumed Court’, and the King himself earned the name ‘The Perfume King’. It is documented that Louis and his court scented their lives to an extraordinary degree, dusting wigs, linens, sheets and fans with scented powders. Not just that, even the garden fountains were perfumed so that the air around Versailles itself would smell divine. 

And we make the mistake of thinking that that scent branding is a modern concept! In an age where it’s a challenge to stand out in a swarming market, fragrances help you to differentiate your brand emotionally. The intention is to use certain fragrances to create favourable impressions and to keep the clients and customers in a calm state of mind. A fresh scent near the entrance or reception always works as they make your clients feel welcome. It will also be the first they smell and the last thing they recall while leaving. Waiting is always a drag. It will bode well to keep soothing aromas in waiting rooms and reception areas to keep them relaxed.