Have you caught a familiar smell and instantly felt transported back in time? A hint of jasmine, the smoky, woody smell of a burned log can unlock treasured memories in an instant. Suddenly, you are running on hills in France or feel the taste of roasted marshmallows that you had with your family at a camping site in the woods. This instantaneous scent-triggered time travel is real.

How an Odor Becomes an Emotional Memory. Smell is special among all 5 senses because of the way it travels to the brain.

Unlike vision or hearing, smell has a direct path from nose to the brain’s emotional and memory centers: 1) amygdala (area that processes emotional experiences and memories) and 2) hippocampus (involved in associative learning). Through hippocampus, smells become linked to events, people and contexts. Once these connections are created, the odors become powerful retrievals of the past. In addition, the orbito-frontal cortex assigns affective values to olfactive stimuli. Due to these specific paths, fragrances can instantly spark strong emotional recollections, much more that the memories resurfaced by other senses. This phenomenon is known as the “Proust Effect.”

3) Autobiographical prioritization. Odor-triggered memories tend to be self-defining. This mechanism makes olfactive memories very resistant to change. This resistance to change is particularly useful when, by using repeatedly the same odor, we can elicit a specific positive past experience.

Moreover, it was demonstrated that odor-evoked memories are created much earlier in childhood than those triggered by verbal or visual stimuli¹.

Can Scents Reduce Stress, Improve Mood and Well-being? Yes, it is possible. The effect depends on the scent, person, context, delivery method. For example, lavender is known for its calming, sleep-enhancing properties, while rosemary has been linked to sharper memory and alertness. Perfumes that blend these notes with other favorites scents can become individual tools for improving mood and the well-being of a person.

Benefits of Scent:

• Rapid effect. Due to its direct limbic access, a scent can change the mood within seconds to minutes.

• Personalization. A fragrance that is linked to a cherished memory can become a personalized mood boosting tool.

• Scalability. From personal perfumes to scents designed for stores, hotels etc, olfactory interventions can be easily implemented and scaled.
• Complementary benefits: Smell can complement other interventions (music or art therapy etc).

Limitations of Odor-led Mood Interventions

• Published data require testing on large cohorts for results to be confirmed. Many aromatherapy studies have methodological issues (small cohort sizes, lack of control group etc). As a result, the effects cannot be confirmed without well-designed randomized controlled trials.  
• Individual differences and possible olfactory deficits. Genetics, cultural differences, diets, age, and possible olfactory deficits (either temporary, due to a cold, progressive, as in Alzheimer's disease or permanent, secondary to inherited or idiopatic conditions) can change how people perceive scents. 
• Allergy concerns. Essential oils and fragrances should be avoided by those with asthma, eczema, in infants and pregnant women. 
• Risk of negative recall. Odors can be strong triggers for traumatic memories, especially in post-traumatic stress disorders (e.g. smell of diesel etc)¹.
• Effect is dependent on the duration of exposure to smell. 

The connection between scent, feelings and memories is biological. Understanding it is one thing. Feeling it is different story altogether. This is why we invite you to conduct your own sensory experiment.

Whether you are seeking to create a new memory, find your own space of peace and quietness in a busy, unpredictable world, our artisanal perfumes are here to help. Explore our niche fragrances and discover which one unlocks the secret door to the inner you. Your next great adventure and memory is waiting to be unveiled.

Reference: 1. Rachel S. Herz. The Role of Odor-Evoked Memory in Psychological and Physiological Health. Brain Sci.2016, 6, 22:doi:10.3390/brainsci6030022