During this season of excess, a few words to round out - in excess - the sense of scent. As with gift giving, these are some treasures I thought should be illuminated for use in scent dialogue. Some to be challenged, some to be embraced. Wishing you a balanced, brilliant, inspired new year. Please be in touch to share your words and scent inspirations in the new year!
Oneiric: (adjective) Things related to dreams.
"Undoubtedly scent is the fastest route to dreams and reflections and are therefore oneiric."
Sybaritic: (adjective) Fond of sensuous luxury or pleasure; self-indulgent.
"The jasmine flower, a classic note that is tenacious and musky, is fantastic even without stems or balancing notes, but they do add a noticeable depth of scent - and a whiff of sybaritic luxury."
Nonenal: (noun) A supposed molecule specific to "older persons". The scent is attributed to the microbiome and hormonal changes that naturally occur in the aging process. Supposedly acids are exposed to oxygen in the air, the change creates a smell, called “nonenal” after the 2-nonenal molecule that is produced in the breakdown process. Nonenal was first identified by a team of scientists working for Shiseido from Japan in 2001 and called it 2-nonenal. It can start as early as age 40 as a result of the decline in the function of the skin’s antioxidant barriers.
"As much as nonenal is portrayed in media as a repulsive scent or one to resist, I wonder if this scent might imbue comfort and wisdom instead."