Our scent talks about us, and we should talk about scents

Why should anyone care about perfume?

Perfumery has been accused of being no more than a luxury consumer item, frivolous hobby, or even an allergy-inducing irritant. In the last century, this concept was fueled by the fact that perfume was an expensive item, produced primarily by designer houses like Chanel. These days though, perfumery is used in soap, lotion, cosmetics, detergent, laundry products, cleaners, medication, candles, cooking and food production and as a subtle (?) marketing technique to influence our purchase decisions.

Hey you smell like my mom....

It is easy to think that the most our body scent might tell someone is whether we shower regularly. However, subconsciously, and through social norms in culture, perfumes of all kinds can indicate gender, age and even wealth. Deeper in the subconscious, scent and memory are tied closely together, we can accidentally remind someone of their grandmother by wearing her perfume, for example. Many of these interactions can cause someone to feel nostalgic, happy or sad, just via subconscious scent memories. We can't possibly know what perfumes have scent memories for other people, but through education, we can affect our own moods and understand our own reactions.

Controversy

Lets talk about chemicals for a moment. There are a growing number of co-workers claiming "allergic reactions" to "ALL" perfume, and there is panic over parabens in cosmetics, aluminum in anti-perspirants and triclosan in soaps, so it is important to at least have an understanding of what we surround ourselves with and why.

Here's a sample soap that I use with triclosan as the active ingredient. 

This is a popular brand available for a few dollars, something that could be in any home, yet it contains the antibacterial/antifungal agent triclosan. Some people are concerned that this chemical assists with the formation of drug-resistant bacteria (among other possible environmental effects).



What does our scent say about us?

Perfume is a fashion statement, a statement to others subconscious and displays things about us whether we like it or not. Even the absence of perfume is a statement, of some kind. With that in mind, we should all understand at least what messages our body scent and the things we use in our home are sending, and make sure those are consistent with how we want to live. Just like showing up to work in a tracksuit is only appropriate in some jobs, your body odor is part of your wardrobe, too. Make sure it matches the image you want to project!