The Power of Scent

In the complex landscape of our experiences, fragrance holds a profound influence on our emotions, moods and even our perceptions of reality. It can shift our view of the world. Once you understand how to leverage feel-good fumes, you can make magic happen.

Every single day, a remarkable 75 percent of the emotions we generate are tied to what we smell. In fact, we’re a hundred times more likely to recall an aroma than something we’ve seen, heard or touched. It’s rooted deep in our biology: We have a primal, instinctual attraction to things that smell good. There’s also solid science behind aromas’ measurable impact on our physical and mental states. This combo gives scent unparalleled capacity to inform how we feel in any moment – and in our larger lives.

THE INTRICATE SCIENCE OF SCENT
When a scent enters our nostrils, it’s directed to the olfactory bulb, a structure that extends from the nose into our brain. This bulb has direct connections to the amygdala and hippocampus – prime areas in the brain’s limbic system that distill memories. Because the scent-processing regions share real estate with memory storage, specific smells can bring on vivid flashbacks and the feelings they carry.

However, the limbic system isn’t just a storage vault for memories; it’s influential in dictating an abundance of functions and feelings, like motivation, fear and pleasure. As more and more research discovers, it’s our emotional thermostat, subtly adjusting our moods throughout the day. This is the key to the smell-mindset link. A review of studies published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience states: “There is now extensive evidence that odors can overtly or subliminally modulate mood and emotion. Additional science finds that scent can also affect how calm and alert we are, sharpen our focus, and cause us to be more generous. Aromas stimulate the release of neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and endorphins, chemicals responsible for feelings of happiness, relaxation and arousal.”

What’s perhaps most mind-blowing is the finding that emotions themselves may have a distinct fragrance, forging a revolutionary idea that feelings might be “smelled.” As such, we are continually spreading our moods to those around us.

While the science behind scent is surely complicated, the practice of using it to orchestrate our frame of mind is simple – and multifaceted. Two pioneers in the fragrance world, David Moltz of D.S. & Durga, and Yael Alkalay of Red Flower, mine scent’s capabilities through varied approaches. Both believe smelling shouldn’t just be a passive experience; rather, scentscaping lets you intentionally immerse yourself wholly in the present and draw from aromas’ power to direct your feelings.

We spend a lot of our time allowing thoughts (worries, fears, frustration) dictate our attitude, which doesn’t always bode well. Scent swaps those roles, guiding emotions to pleasant places so your brain follows along.

CAPTURING MOMENTS – LIVED AND IMAGINED – THROUGH FUMES
We can use an aroma to gain access to a desired place, whether that place is a beloved real event or a wild, otherworldly realm.

It’s really armchair travel, according to D.S. & Durga, the husband-and-wife perfumer team that concoct intriguing, idiosyncratic fragrances that take you to both familiar and imaginary destinations, giving your nose the ability to shift reality. From their perspective, there is an enormous amount to gain from using scent to build wonderful unseen worlds. “It’s an invisible soundtrack that you can carry on your body throughout the day,” explains David, the brand’s cofounder and mixologist. He is a believer that when we allow scent to construct our perception of the moment, we fine tune our mood, physical awareness and mindset to align, and really open up possibilities to joy and wonder and energy. “We know that scents evoke memories and nostalgia, but on the flip, scent can introduce a totally unique experience and broaden your life perspective,” he says.

David teaches us that it’s possible to translate music, art, history, architectural spaces and celebrations into a smell, showing how we’re all able to sensorially craft atmospheres, tell engaging stories, and even forge connections with vast universes, real and fantastical. He’s created the aroma of an eighteenth-century violin shop and the olfactory translation of a rainbow, for instance. Ever consider what the wild shrill of Black Francis, front man of the band the Pixies, coming through the radio during a hot August might smell like? David brings that character and intensity to in his fragrance Debaser. Or how about the stunning beauty of Big Sur as you drive down Highway 1 with a strong wind and spellbinding views? Big Sur After Rain is a concoction that gets you into that mental space.

INHALE THE BENEFITS OF NATURE

By breathing in smells from the organic, outside world, we’re able to spark physiological changes to our inner well-being.

Yael, founder of Red Flower, a brand of holistic fragrances, taps the familiar and magnetic aromas of nature in her scents, inciting not just pleasure, but very specific biological responses. It’s a skill she mastered studying botanicals in Japan, and as a kid watching her mother boil flowers to blend essential oils. As she describes it, we have innate associations with, and reactions to, the smells of the earth. Some calm us, others juice us up; still more make us feel social or creative. Yael explains that scents carry a palpable energy. “You can read the vibrations of an essential oil the same way you would a cardiogram,” she says. “There is actual electricity that is transmitted when we inhale a scent, and that affects us dramatically. Good vibes are a real thing.”

Shaping your here-and-now through fragrance, says Yael, is incredible self-care that lets you decide how you want to exist in the world. She runs down some of the emotion potions we can use to direct our moods and mindsets.

FEEL POSITIVE AND ENERGIZED
Citrus, like orange, lemon and grapefruit, has very active vibrational energy, so it naturally stimulates your mind, says Yael. “The brightness of the scent is proven to make you feel more optimistic and lessens anxiety. Smelling citrus is a great way to start the morning, because it will set you up to be proactive throughout the whole day.”

Cardamom is another scent Yael recommends for mornings. “You can actually feel the heat, the energy, if you crack a cardamom pod between your fingers. Smelling it activates your brain and jumpstarts a feeling of positive well-being and, at the same time, gives a warm sense of feeling grounded.”

FOCUS AND SPARK CREATIVITY
Rosemary is a driver of creativity, enhanced performance, memory and feeling mentally sharp and charged. “It’s a strong, defined smell that encourages a motivated state,” says Yael. Many studies point to the scent’s ability to improve mental cognition, and one in particular proved that when inhaled, the scent’s compounds entered the subjects’ bloodstreams, boosting performance, but also showing evidence of the physiological changes that fragrance induces.

BECOME MOTIVATED
Mint dials up your urge to move, while at the same time downplaying fatigue. For example, according to research, it improves exercise performance. “Mint is great to breathe in before doing anything physical especially,” says Yael. “But in general, it makes you feel inspired and upbeat. I also believe it broadens your mind and tunes you to your greatest potential.”

GET COZY AND WIND DOWN
Orange blossom will shift your mood to content, comfy me-time, in part for its proven ability to reduce stress. “It’s a fragrance that’s not overly sweet, but has a touch of exotic fruitiness that can transport you to another world,” says Yael. “When you want to chill into a calm state, leave your day behind, and maybe settle into the evening, this is a sensual, rich aroma that’ll trigger that.”

Jasmine and moonflower are both night-blooming florals excellent to help you let go of work life and move into a soothing evening. “These flowers are unique in that they open up in the late hours,” says Yael. “The fragrance is seductive and abundant in order to attract night pollinators. When you smell them, you too adopt that same natural rhythm of letting go and releasing yourself to the evening.”

SOCIALIZE AND SEEK FRIENDSHIP
Palo Santo is a woodsy scent that embodies that feeling of gathering with friends by a warm fire, says Yael. “Especially during colder months, this fragrance is incredibly welcoming and luxurious and spurs you to bond with others. And because food and scent are so connected, the earthy smell makes you crave a comforting meal and great conversation with others.”