The Mendesian - NEA’s Ancient Egyptian Tribute Fragrance
Ever wonder what perfume Ancient Egyptian nobility wore? Egypt was the perfume capital of the ancient world, and "The Mendesian," was among the most iconic and well documented fragrances.
As part of the SoWa Artists’ Market this year, local crafters were invited to submit Ancient Egyptian themed hand crafted goods to accompany the premier of National Geographic’s Beyond King Tut exhibit at the SoWa Power Station.
This was super exciting for me since I’ve been thinking about historical fragrances for awhile now — what a great opportunity to take a deeper dive into ancient fragrances for which we have actual documentation. Granted, the extraction techniques for modern essential oils are much different than what the ancients would have used, but I’m excited to experiment with creating tribute fragrances that can potentially connect to the olfactory experiences of people from thousands of years ago. I’ve always been fascinated by pondering the lived experiences of people from other times and what better way to explore those experiences than through the power of fragrance?
I spent a few weeks toying with ratios and various complementary additives. The first few attempts were interesting, but when I added them to carrier oils to get a sense for how they’d marry into the skin, my husband commented “Wow that smells so nice! reminds me of Tiger Balm!” -_- so back to square one I went. The Tiger Balm essence was contributed by the Cassia essential oil (a cinnamon variety) which in a final product can only be present in a very tiny amount, since cinnamon essential oils can irritate the skin (that warming sensation, which can also leave a temporary red mark on those with sensitive skin). My solution was to add a variety of my favorite top note essential oils, which I know complement a myrrh base note quite well: bergamot and sweet orange. A few more tweeks and a few weeks marrying together in a dark amber jar, and the NEA Mendesian was born!
The final fragrance profile in the Rescue bar is a luxurious, spice-laden, warm citrusy blend. Sweet and indulgent, but not overpowering. I’m quite proud of it, and excited to share it with you all!
This Rescue Bar is scented with a tribute fragrance created using ingredients characteristic of The Mendesian (Myrrh, Cardamom, Cassia)
Fragrance profile: luxurious, citrusy & spice-laden
Key ingredients
Top notes: Citrus (Bergamot, Orange)
Heart notes: Spice (Cardamom, Cassia—cinnamon variety)
Base notes: Resinous spice (Myrrh, Frankincense)
Ancient perfumes were oil-based (not alcohol-based like modern formulas)
Perfume would have been delivered via something like scented oil or solid moisturizer
Want to learn more?
A recreation of the ancient Egyptian perfume Kyphi is available for olfactory tourism at the French fragrance archive in Versailles, The Osmothèque https://www.bonparfumeur.com/pages/egyptian-perfumes
Researchers from the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences have studied ancient extraction techniques in an effort to replicate multiple ancient Egyptian fragrances https://www.alchemiesofscent.org/replications
