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!

Why do I love perfumes?

Although make-up and nail polish never appealed to me as a teenager, I did get caught up in the body spray and deodorant craze.

Growing up in the heat of Australia, full of energy and hormones, we were always too hot, and frequently smelly, so scented sprays seemed like a necessary obsession that my parents were happy to pay for. At my school, the fad in body spray was the brand Impulse, which is actually not even an anti-perspirant, (probably for the best considering we sprayed it everywhere; our hair, face and gym bag included). Impulse is responsible for my love of fragrance. In the 90's, the company would frequently bring out new scents in brightly colored cans with mysterious and attractive titles. I had to have every single one and certain scents became synonymous with important events in my teenage life.

Impulse was a cheap indulgence in the world of perfumery, and at the time (in Australia), it was one of the only available ones. The only 'Body Shop' was in the city and everything else was out of my price range as a teenager with a small allowance. All the same, my mom tried to encourage me with some bottles of real, actual perfume. But it seemed like a luxury item, I barely used them for fear of wasting them and many were too mature or floral for my teenage nose. So I stuck with my body spray and at school we exchanged and shared our favorite cans after every sports class.

It wasn't until I was all grown up, across the world, and had money to spend frivolously that I realised how exciting perfume is as a hobby. Our nose and brain work in amazing tandem with emotion and recollection. A whiff of a familiar scent can transport you back to the exact day and time you last wore it, even if you thought the memories long-forgotten. It is exciting to find yourself transported to another place and time just by a sniff, and perfume is inspiring in the same way as any other form of art, in its form and variety.

You will find on this blog a vast collection of my explorations in perfumery. From my love of Bath and Body Works and The Body Shop, that craft popular scents for the mass-audience, to my search for the weird and wonderful in the niche world of perfume. Some days I want to smell like coconut and others I crave smoky firewood or sugary candy, so my perfume travels are always varied and vast. I hope you enjoy the journey with me on this blog!