What is the power of scents? Is it true that we should just not smell our favourite perfume? Is it a good idea to buy perfumes as gifts or buy them online? There are many myths about smells and perfumes, and people are not always looking for answers where they should be. “Human scent is unique and irreplaceable, like a fingerprint, and with perfumes we really do not aim to mask, but to enhance our natural, innate scent”, perfumer, aromatherapist Laime Kiskune shares her thoughts.
A game of individual scent and perfume
It would be difficult to say that there is a universal pleasant scent for everyone, because the choice of each scent corresponds to a personās individual scent. The unique human smell is like a fingerprint that is innate and cannot be changed. Swiss scientists have found a link between perfume and our own smell. Contrary to popular belief, when choosing a scent we do not try to mask the scent of our body, but on the contrary – we choose the perfume closest to our individual scent that best mixes with the natural body aroma, subconsciously seeking to accentuate and enhance it.
Perfume is strongly related to a personās identity, can remind not only of certain life events, but also people, so attachment to perfume is also emotional.
Scent etiquette
According to the scent expert, the aroma of a perfume should not spread beyond the outstretched hand, so the habit of leaving the “band” of the aroma behind is considered a bad tone.
“It is not difficult to recognize a person who does not have an educated taste in perfume. These people who broadcast a message about themselves to the environment and try to “occupy territory” through smells. I call it environmental rape. Such people donāt follow the etiquette: they donāt pay attention to co-workers who may be sensitive to odors, children who donāt necessarily like your smell. Scents have the ability to evoke memories and evoke certain emotions, therefore it is a powerful tool that should be handled thoughtfully, āL. Kiskune shares her insights.
Control questions to find power of scents
You shouldnāt be surprised why you canāt find your scent when you rely solely on friends or a store consultant. Each person’s scent is individual, so he will choose the perfume according to his sense of smell. Unless we collect perfume in a rare perfume boutique. Where you will be greeted by its owner, perfume lover and a good connoisseur of them – we will have a good opportunity to find our scent.
Before choosing a perfume. It is advisable to use a few simple questions prepared by Swiss scientists from the Geneva Scale of Emotions and Scents: Do we want a scent that tones? Or maybe we want him to release us? Should the smell warm us or give us freshness? When are we going to use perfume – morning or evening? What mood do we want to create with our scent for ourselves and those around us? Do we want to focus the scent on the outside and proclaim the world about ourselves? Or to attract attention? Maybe do we need an intimate scent for the person closest to us?
The perfume can be compared to music. If we played or heard only one note at a time, we would probably go crazy. It is also available with perfume. Sense of smell – so created that the smells of the environment must change, be dynamic and ignite new impulses, have our own pauses, because otherwise we will experience olfactory fatigue. So it is especially fashionable to mix several different but compatible types of perfumes at the moment. Thus, their aroma changes depending on the body and ambient temperature and plays like a great orchestra
The culture of scents is growing
More and more people are interested in smell education and power of scents, involving more and more young people. Not only are people interested in the famous names of fragrance manufacturers, but they are not afraid to explore, test, smell, discover new fragrances that suit them and make a connection with them that promotes self-confidence and strengthens their best qualities.