Future Memories: The Power of Scent

To capture a fleeting memory, to conjure up an unremembered state, or to recapture the precious moments that define us, we have only to look to our nose. Unlike our other senses, which connect us to the here and now, our sense of smell has the power to transcend time and space.

Like Proust’s famous madeleine moment, the aroma of a favourite childhood treat can bring back a flood of memories, images, emotions, and sensations. Indeed, our sense of smell determines what we taste, as well as what we feel. A parfumier is not so different to a sommelier, who discerns the ‘nose’ of a wine — the aroma and bouquet, distinctive notes that change over time as the wine ages and breathes. So too, the notes in a perfume react to skin contact, mingling with the wearer’s pheromones as the scent reveals its true essence and complexity.

Scent is a universal language that speaks to our deepest instincts and truest self. A fragrance can also transport us to a beloved place: a wander in the woods after the rain, the smoky crackle of a glowing hearth, heady billows of jasmine blossom on a briny sea-breeze. These scentscapes trigger a chemical reaction that is both mysterious and irresistible, physical and emotional, akin to the feeling of falling in love. So it makes sense to surround ourselves with fragrances that soothe, seduce, and delight.