Please note that this lecture is given to members of the Swedish Pharmaceutical Society

Materials of animal origin have long connected the worlds of perfumery and pharmacy. Today largely replaced by synthetics in perfumery, musk, ambergris, castoreum, beeswax, civet and hyraceum each tell a story of how animal substances have been collected, prepared and valued, revealing shared histories of fragrance and medicinal practices.

In this lecture, I will explore these materials and their historical functions in the apothecary’s preparations and the perfumer’s palette. Drawing on finds from the Swedish Pharmaceutical Society’s museum archives and historical library, I will examine the connections between their medicinal and fragrant uses. Along the way, attendees will smell contemporary reconstructions, bringing a sensory dimension to the historical sources.