Scent and sensory: The science behind fragrances

The beauty industry’s on a health kick, and fragrance brands are angling to get in on the act. Aromatherapy, which uses essential oils to impact mood, was just the beginning. “We’ve moved on to aromachology,” says Céline Manetta, a senior consumer-science manager at fragrance powerhouse International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF), referring to the scientific study of the effect of odors on human behavior and emotion. The emerging category of functional fragrances claims to soothe nerves, boost focus, and more. 

“Smell is the only sense with a direct connection to the amygdala-hippocampal complex in the brain,” says Rachel Herz, a neuroscientist and adjunct assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University. Scent activates neurons in the olfactory bulbs, which sit behind the nose and act studied stress-reducing notes like vetiver and pine in its Forest Lungs scent, and Vyrao, which also worked with IFF to develop the Sixth, a fragrance infused with cypress and patchouli oil that’s said to “tune out the noise of everyday life like one would during meditation,” says Vyrao founder Yasmin Sewell. Not all brands are using aromachology to create new scents. YSL Beauty is partnering with bioinformatics company Emotiv to offer customers fragrance suggestions based on brain activity measured by an electroencephalogram (EEG) headset. As you sniff, the tool tracks which notes trigger strong responses. The smell of coffee, for example, may trigger increased focus and alertness by recalling experiences of the drink itself. Therefore, like extensions of the brain. Then scent information travels through the emotion-processing amygdala and enters our cerebral cortex, where associations and decisions are made. 

Two of the biggest fragrance companies, Firmenich and IFF, have launched programs that combine neuroscience, consumer data, and artificial intelligence to assist in-house perfumers and outside brands develop functional blends. One of the first to use IFF’s program is Nette, a candle and fragrance company. Its new scent Thé Vanille promises a confidence boost with clinically studied ingredients like vanilla, pink pepper, and cardamom. 

Other brands leading the charge include the Nue Co., which launched its first functional fragrance in 2017 and uses well studied stress-reducing notes like vetiver and pine in its Forest Lungs scent, and Vyrao, which also worked with IFF to develop the Sixth, a fragrance infused with cypress and patchouli oil that’s said to “tune out the noise of everyday life like one would during meditation,” says Vyrao founder Yasmin Sewell. 

Not all brands are using aromachology to create new scents. YSL Beauty is partnering with bioinformatics company Emotiv to offer customers fragrance suggestions based on brain activity measured by an electroencephalogram (EEG) headset. As you sniff, the tool tracks which notes trigger strong responses. The smell of coffee, for example, may trigger increased focus and alertness by recalling experiences of the drink itself. Therefore, YSL’s Black Opium Eau de Parfum Extreme, laced with coffee beans, may be a good option on a day of meetings.
 

Estée Lauder’s Luxury Fragrance collection, released in 2021, uses aromachology by indicating the emotions each blend is intended to evoke. (For example, Infinite Sky is said to elicit feelings of confidence.) And consumers can become their own aromachologists by looking for specific notes, like the calming chamomile and white musk in Jo Malone’s Moonlit Camomile or the relaxing marine kelp and lavender in House of Bō’s El Sireno. “People are looking for tools to support their mental wellbeing,” says Jules Miller, cofounder of the Nue Co. “And smell is one of the fastest ways to impact that.”