TALKING SCENTS

Have a sniff of the new breed of biohacking fragrances

There was a time when the jammy notes of a glass of Malbec and the perfume of a freshly picked peony might have been sufficient to fast-track you to a state of chill. These days, you might need something a little stronger. The humble sense of smell is enjoying a renaissance. Some 48% of you wore perfume during lockdown, despite having next to no one to impress, and sales of scented candles, room fresheners and diffusers are also up compared with last year*. That your nose is covered up when you venture out of the house these days might have something to do with your desire to fill it with pleasant smells the rest of the time. Or perhaps scent has taken on new significance since one in three people with Covid-19 reported anosmia, a temporary loss of smell. Regardless, it’s a quiet reminder of just how potent scent can be, and thanks to a new wave of inhalable beauty products, there are more ways than ever to harness its power. ‘Inhalable beauty is based on the idea that cosmetic ingredients that directly affect your nervous system, like scent notes, can benefit both mind and skin, says Cult Beauty founder and trend forecaster Alexia Inge. It draws on the field of psychodermatology (see page 88), whereby skin conditions are treated using psychological techniques. Stress and anxiety cause internal inflammation, which is at the heart of skin conditions like eczema and acne; it follows that anything that calms the mind can help remedy skin problems.

But what gives scent the edge over, say, touch and music where your mind is concerned? The explanation begins with your olfactory system – the one dedicated to decoding the contents of your nostrils. While other senses, like touch and sight, are processed via the cerebral cortex, ‘scent is the only sense to go straight to the olfactory bulb in the brain’, says biochemist Nausheen Qureshi. Essentially, it gets fast-tracked to the brain regions associated with memory and emotion, such as the hippocampus, thalamus and frontal cortex. It’s one of the reasons that scent is so subjective – and difficult to study. A note of jasmine can make your heart race because it reminds you of the perfume of that boss you hated, while the whiff of your parents’ washing powder has the power to transport you back to your childhood bedroom. Based on this science, trying to create a scent that’s universally enjoyed is tricky. And yet, by tapping into smells that are common to the human experience, you can access a sense of shared memory. The one scent Soapsmith founder Samantha Jameson recommends for relaxation? Vanilla. Studies show that even breastfeeding newborns are drawn to the compound vanillin – found in vanilla, and the milk of nursing mothers who have consumed vanilla – resulting in them feeding for longer and taking on more milk*. Do with that what

‘For centuries, fragrance was deployed to ward off illness’

you will. Nor do you need to have smelled something before to have an emotional connection with it; even scents you have no memory of can boost your wellbeing, an explanation for which can be found in evolutionary psychology. ‘There’s evidence that your brain recognises the aromas of plants that can cure or protect, which in turns leaves you with an instinctive sense of wellbeing,’ says psychologist Dr Mark Moss of Northumbria University. It’s insights like these that are inspiring a wave of beauty and wellbeing products that aim to fast-track you to the olfactory equivalent of savasana.

PERFUMES WITH PURPOSE

We’ve long known that our responses to certain scents are instinctive. ‘When you smell sour milk or fire, the scent triggers a mental red flag and stops you in your tracks. In the same instinctive way, scents can have a calming or energising effect,’ says perfumer Veronique Gabai-pinsky. But the perfume industry is no longer settling for instinct and circumstantial evidence. Using clinical research, it’s now in the business of developing fragrances to access your neural pathways with specific goals in mind. The Nue Co. Functional Fragrance, £120, is based on a study* that mapped participants’ neurological reactions to certain scent groups, irrespective of whether they had a personal affinity to them. Bergamot, green cardamom and palo santo wood, key ingredients in Functional Fragrance, were found to significantly lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and prompt the release of feel-good hormones dopamine and serotonin. It’s essentially bottled stress relief. Researchers took a similar approach when developing

This Works Morning Expert Wake-up Drops, £16. Using brain-imaging FMRI scans, they tailored their scent to include ingredients that had the strongest impact on the parts of the brain associated with memory and reward. The winning combination was a blend of peppermint and rosemary essential oils proven to help sharpen focus and zap tiredness. Peppermint is thought to be particularly potent: in one study*, drivers exposed to it were found to be more alert, less tired, more motivated and less irritable.

HOME COMFORT

Like trying to nail Joe Wicks’ daily workout, creating a cocoon of tranquillity in your abode was high on many lockdown agendas. ‘Homes took on many new purposes, functioning as offices, classrooms and workout spaces, all when they needed to be a sanctuary of calm more than ever,’ says Emma South, Jo Malone fragrance and lifestyle expert. The creation of more ‘clean’ scents has been one of the results. ‘For centuries, fragrance was believed to hold healing properties and deployed to ward off illness,’ says Experimental Perfume Club founder Emmanuelle Moeglin. While progress in hygiene and infectious disease has taught us otherwise, these ideas have survived in the collective unconscious and drive a desire for fragrances that evoke feelings of security. Jo Malone Lilac, Lavender & Lovage Scented Candle, £48, and Beauty Pie Clean House Candle, £35, are reminiscent of freshly washed sheets, thanks to notes of lavender, musk and freesia, while Maison Margiela Replica Bubble Bath Eau de Toilette, £98, has the aroma of clean skin after a soak in the tub. The soapy accords are down to the dewy wet rose and a blend of musk, lavender and creamy coconut.

LIQUID ESCAPISM

A dose of vitamin sea might have been off the cards this year, but your sense of smell can do a steller job of convincing you otherwise. There are certain aromas that the majority of us will associate with a summer jaunt, and sun cream is one of them. Nivea’s, which blends sparkling citrus with lily of the valley, violet, lilac and powdery-warm musk, has become so synonymous with the feeling of sand between your toes that the brand has launched it as a stand-alone eau de toilette. If active holidays are more your bag, Aromatherapy Associates has captured the scent of a hike using the Japanese concept of ‘forest bathing’. Aromatherapy Associates Forest Therapy Bath & Shower Oil, £49, is rich in phytoncides (mood-lifting oils from cypress and other trees and plants). Whether you lace a bath with an invigorating oil blend or invest in a new signature fragrance, self-isolation scents can have a major pay-off.