profumo

Profumo is the Italian term for perfume or fragrance. In everyday usage it refers to a scented preparation applied to the body or encountered as a personal or household scent. Etymologically, profumo is linked to Latin per fumum, meaning through smoke, reflecting ancient practices of releasing fragrances by burning incense or using scented vapors.

Contemporary profumi are complex blends of aroma compounds, essential oils, and solvents, typically ethanol, sometimes with fixatives or carrier oils. They are categorized by concentration: parfum (or extrait), eau de parfum, eau de toilette, and eau de cologne, with higher concentrations generally yielding longer-lasting scents. The fragrance is often described as having top, heart (middle), and base notes that unfold over time.

Historically, perfumery emerged in antiquity with perfumes and incense used in religious, cosmetic, and medical contexts. Early centers included Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, later flourishing in Renaissance Italy—especially in Venice and Florentine courts—before expanding through Europe in the 17th–19th centuries. The modern perfume industry developed with industrial chemistry, marketing, and dedicated houses that publish catalogues of fragrance families and ingredients.

Profumo is also a surname of Italian origin. Notably, John Profumo (1915–2006) was a British Conservative politician whose 1963 scandal, the Profumo affair, had a lasting impact on public life and media coverage of politics.