Aromas carry lots of information and values that help us navigate and make the right choices. They can easily influence our sub consciousness over which we have no control. Therefore we can quite easily be manipulated by fragrances. How well aware are we of the effect scents have on us?
Through scents we understand the world
We might not apprehend how important scents are to us until we lose our sense of smell. Those of us who have experienced a proper blocked nose or gone through COVID-19 know exactly how losing the ability to smell can affect our overall conception of the world. Food loses its taste, much of the information is not received, we become insecure and perplexed about what is really happening around us.
Odours surrounding us reassure us that everything is under control and according to our expectations. This is the rational side of scents – providing information for our mind so we can make conscious decisions. For example, when smelling something unpleasant, the brain signals us to keep our distance.
Aside from assisting us with rational analysis and decision-making, aromas mess with our sub consciousness over which we have no control. They awaken memories, affect our mood and help us choose a partner or friends.
Looking for a partner? Trust your nose!
Every human being has a specific odour and their own perfume preferences. This can say quite a lot about a person. We don’t have to be with a trained nose to know, when whiffing someone, if they are ‘’our kind of people’’. In that situation we don’t need to rationalize anything, we just know, feel it deep down.
So what kind of a perfume should we choose to help us find a partner more easily? First of all, we should ourselves smell good, take care of our personal hygiene that also shows we appreciate others around us and value general aesthetics. As for picking out a perfume, it is a truly personal decision that should be based on our very own preferences. If we wear a scent we really love, it will attract people who also respect and cherish it.
A perfume as a reminder
A scent becomes personal once we attach a certain memory or experience to it. Although we perceive space with different senses, it is most often the smell of an event or a place that sticks with us and stirs up emotions.
It functions like a memory stick – even decades later a specific smell can trigger images and details of a place or an experience. It can also work the other way around. You think about something or someone and suddenly smell what you associate with this particular place or person.
The same area in the brain – olfactory cortex, runs both the sense of smell and our emotions. It has been scientifically proven that this area communicates with the hippocampus where information is stored for long-term memory. Therefore when we smell something, this information is directed to the ‘’pantry’’ of our long-term memory and from where specific memories can later be dug up.
You could turn this phenomenon to your advantage. For example when having a special occasion (wedding, anniversary etc.) you could choose an entirely new fragrance. If years later you smell it again, you will feel overwhelmed with those powerful emotions and sweet memories.
Another clever idea is to surround yourself with a new perfume or a scented candle when studying for exams. Then, when it is time to pass the test, reapplying the same scent will trigger memories linked to the study session and help you find the right information from your brain.
A perfume as a means of communication
It is no secret that scents have an important role to play in communication. They can even be used as instruments of persuasion. Scent marketing is a scientific approach to influence customers’ shopping behaviour through aromas.
Have you ever smelled freshly baked cookies in a food store? It might not instantly make you want to buy baked goods, but it very well can send your brain a signal to snack on something and therefore make you engage in more impulse purchases. On another note, when doing business, it is also recommended to use certain scents that help build up trust in the other party.
A perfume as a mood influencer
As we breathe in a perfume, the aroma particles interact with our brain and our nervous system. This consequently influences our mood. So by choosing how we perfume our home or ourselves, we can actually change the way we feel. To impact our feelings, we could even use aromatherapy. Regardless of our own personal preferences, there are types of scents that influence us all in a similar way, may it be calming, cheerful, irritating etc.
A perfume as our body chemistry influencer
Perfumes can help us gain self-confidence, battle depression and increase creativity. We also know by now that scents can affect our body chemistry. This means boost the production of serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin. For example vanilla, lavender, coffee and rose aromas enhance our feel-good hormones. The perfume industry also uses components to act as aphrodisiacs to trigger sexual passion and attractiveness.
A perfume as a part of our identity
The fragrance we wear becomes a part of our identity. It tells a story about our values, opinions and characteristics. We are known for and remembered by much thanks to the way we smell and how others sense us.
Why should we prefer niche perfumes?
As we already know, scents can affect our health situation and emotional wellbeing. If we have to be surrounded by a cloud of perfume on a daily basis, it would be nice to know it doesn’t in any way harm us and that the ingredients of the fragrance are natural. This is where niche perfumes come into play and why they gain more and more recognition in the perfume business.
For niche perfumes, the production is usually very limited, so automatically we are more unique when wearing them. Also, they are mostly made of natural ingredients for example powerful essential oils that are environmentally – and skin-friendly.
A niche perfume is a piece of art. The ‘’nose’’ knows the philosophy behind all scents and assembles a bouquet that has a story to tell, influences our mood and grants us with a decent dose of originality.
Estonia’s only niche perfume producer T-Perfume offers fragrances in three categories: for women, for men and unisex. The perfumer Tony Veiler explains that niche perfumes made in Estonia have their advantage: when mixing and assembling the perfumes here, he can be inspired by trends and sensations that matter to our own people.
Where to find T-Perfume’s exclusive niche fragrances:
- T-Perfume atelier-lab on Parda Str. 4 (by appointment only)
- Krunnipea Design Shop in Solarise Center
- Eve Hanson Design Boutique in Telliskivi Center
- T-Perfume e-shop
