Synthetics & Scandal: A Perfume Revolution to the Modern Fragrance

A wildly entertaining dive into the early 1900s — the era when perfume stopped being nature’s extract and became chemistry’s boldest invention. This episode uncovers synthetic molecules that shocked society, moral panics over “artificial women,” marketing stunts like perfume-balloon flyovers, the rise of department stores, and the explosive innovations of perfume giants like Coty and Houbigant. A cultural history of class, scandal, technology, and the birth of modern branding — all told through the lens of scent.