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Queen of Hungary water and rosemary
The many virtues of rosemary as well as its remarkable olfactory qualities have been known since the 14th century, and perhaps even well before! From a reliable source, history tells us that the elderly and ailing Queen of Hungary became acquainted with a miraculous perfume, a gift from a monk to relieve his rheumatism. The 72-year-old Queen was enchanted by this rosemary scent which gave it back its beauty and freshness of yesteryear. History would have it that this perfume helped her to conquer the heart of the Prince of Poland, that is to say!
Thus the decoction composed of flowering rosemary branches was named in memory of this Queen: the Water of the Queen of Hungary. It was famous for decades for its divine scent as well as for its virtues until the day when the famous Eaux de Cologne came to replace it… or rather we should say supplement it. Today there are many rosemary-based perfumes, nevertheless the house of Fragonard, attached to this beautiful tradition, has decided to release a new fragrance which reproduces in every way this Water of the Queen of Hungary: Water of Hungary .
Aromatic notes and rosemary in modern perfumes
Rosemary is part of the aromatic or rustic notes family in perfumery. This olfactory family has been well known for centuries for being the basis of the manufacture of the famous Eaux de Cologne. Today the Eau de Cologne being a little outdated, the aromatic notes appear especially in the ranges of perfumes for men.
The aromatic notes, especially those produced from rosemary, create very dynamic scents. As a result, they are typically associated with a very manly or very sporty range of perfumes. One of the first men's perfumes designed entirely around the aromatic note, Pour un homme, was created in 1934 by D'Altdorf. Pour un homme brings together around the same citrus juice, aromatic and woody notes, a divinely invigorating blend that greatly appealed to men.
If today men have clearly appropriated the aromatic notes for their citrus or spicy perfumes, some designers have dared to launch perfumes for women on this same type of range. So Diptyque wanted to innovate in 1975 by offering a fragrance with clearly aromatic notes while remaining feminine with L'Eau Trois which delicately distils rosemary of course, but also thyme, bay leaf or marjoram… Current trends in perfumery clearly evolving towards a return to natural raw materials, it is a safe bet that our noses will still have beautiful rosemary surprises to discover!
