• Rumour has it that en route to the guillotine, Marie Antoinette trailed drops of her favourite Houbigant perfume along the way.

• When Cleopatra headed down the river to meet Mark Anthony, her ships we perfumed so that he could smell her coming.

• More than 75% of British women wear fragrance regularly, making us only second to the French in the world league of perfume users.

• At the court of Louis XV, etiquette decreed that a different perfume be worn every single day.

• Perfume comes from the Latin per fumus (through smoke). The smoke of incense, burning woods and spices were the most ancient scents.