Scents make us feel good
Remember, it was not so long ago, our story with the scents had a particular "perfume". The nose was saturated with odors which, on the pretext of masking others, had on the contrary superimposed themselves on it in an intensity of intensity. An example ? This moment that we all lived at least once, when a single pschitt of deodorant was enough to jostle the nose of a doubtful lilac-honeysuckle and, at the same time, to deposit a damp and sticky mist that fell back into the atmosphere to impregnate the clothes.
It was in 1985, a commercial was bursting the small screen. His melody trotted in the head and clung to memory like an old chewing gum in the soles: " I perfume with Wizard Sec, night, day, in my stay, like a caress ... " Another illustration , the small Magic Tree suspended in the rearview mirror of taxis. To the smell of the cigarette was added that of a heavy vanilla which carried to the heart. The little fir tree is now more rare, its perfume also. Because smoking is now banned in public places? Or because our nose is busy with other scents that capture our attention? Perhaps.
A certainty, these olfactory pages are now turned, because our relationship to odors and perfume has evolved. Why ? Because yesterday it was mostly the impression of suffering them. Today, it is more possible to master and refine them so that they become more subtle. Another very important reason is that the actors of the perfumed world (researchers, composition laboratories, brands) understand better the mechanism of smell and how it can act positively on our emotions. Scents do us good, and much more than we believe.
Marvel at the odors
They become the keys that open up new sensations. " Odors have a powerful power of evocation , this observation is not new. But there is an increasing need to escape, to live intensely, explains Pierre Bisseuil, director of research at the agency of tendencies Peclers. By interacting smell with other senses such as sight or hearing, it creates fabulous multisensory experiences. "Aurélie Dematons, a perfume marketing consultant, adds that" some places, such as museums and temporary exhibit sites, use scents more because they are looking for immersive and interactive scenes . " The sense of smell then becomes a new tool in the same way as audioguides were at the time. Thus, Scentys has developed for the National Museum of Energy, near Barcelona, scents that evoke electricity or the steam railway. At the Center d'art contemporain in Versailles, a scent reminiscent of the smell of hair , diffused by the same company, was an integral part of an astonishing exhibition on anthropomorphic plants imagined by Karine Bonneval. The name of this event spoke of itself: " I seek new perfumes, broader flowers, untried pleasures. "
Another cultural field is increasingly using olfaction: theater. Since smell is touch with sense of proximity, fragrances become, with the decor or the lighting, a key element of the scenography, allowing the viewer to immerse himself even more in a room. This artistic vision is of interest to researchers in neuroscience specializing in olfaction. A vast program of study on the links between the arts and odors, the Kôdô Project , thus called on three companies, including the Shooting and the Lyre which has already presented three creations on the theme of scents. In addition, workshops and workshops for professionals or amateurs are offered by theater groups such as L'Esperluette , in Paris.
Let yourself be carried away
This perpetual quest for sensations also affects the fields of beauty and perfumery. A logical and coherent approach that has long been muted. The reason is simple: finding the technologies and scenographies that make the public aware of this new vision of perfume was not so obvious. It is now done, especially since this approach joins two trends that are growing: to know better the world of perfumery, and to do well by associating more intensely emotions and scents.
" Before, we perfumed for reasons more" social "than personal and often followed the diktats of fashion. Of course, this phenomenon has not completely disappeared, however, today, we are more apprehensive about perfume in a hedonic dimension and in relation to oneself , "adds Alexandra Monet, perfumer at Drom Fragrances. But, to be in olfactive harmony with his moods and emotions, you must have a few keys in order to know which smells to turn . A skilful blend of the art of listening and knowing oneself, and the art of letting go, where one is carried away by what one feels. Brands, distributors or boutiques of niche perfumes surf on this balance between emotion, well-being and scent. So, last year, Sephora had experimented in Manhattan a pop-up store ("ephemeral shop") with the help of the laboratory of compositions Firmenich. For two months, the New Yorker was rediscovering the world of smell and perfume. " It was to immerse him in an experience where only his senses were awake. At the beginning of the journey, the frame was "naked" with all its sound, any image, any smell. Then, little by little, these appeared successively so that the visitor becomes fully aware of his senses, "says one in Sephora .
Other initiatives are being created so that everyone can regain the pleasure of appropriating perfume. Such as the organ of perfumer of the shop Nose in Paris, or the creative and playful workshops set up by the Bistro de la Beauté ***, in Annecy. Or the concept of the new brand Candora, which proposes, in the same spirit as the fragrance combining (art of mixing perfumes ") of Jo Malone, to assemble toilet waters of different olfactory families. We associate a woody with a floral or a spicy, according to his moods and his desires for cocooning or a more bubbly and energizing atmosphere.
But what are the smells that make us feel good? "Those we pick" in our daily life, because they offer daily sensations of pleasure and happiness. One reason why our approach to scents is holistic and comprehensive. We can reassure ourselves , for example, with notes of white musk, which can be found in care fragrances such as Kenzoki Sensual Cream , washing powder , deodorants such as Ushuaia Vanilla , the number one deodorant in France. And, of course, in eau de toilette such as Jersey de Chanel , with lavender and tonka bean accents, White Musk Libertine at The Body Shop or Blanc de Courrèges . " These notes are incredible, because they can evoke the clean linen as well as a soft and warm sensuality ," explains the perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour. Hence this sense of well-being and protection when they are combined with the smells of the skin and envelop us with an invisible fragrant bubble.
Arnaud Aubert, a teacher-researcher in emotional analysis, adds that the taste for this or that scent is also determined by important vital functions such as feeding. At the beginning of our evolution, we were "hunter-gatherer primates" who lived from what they fished, hunted and recovered in the trees. That is why, for example, we like the smell of fruits whose bright colors (red, yellow, orange ...) are synonymous with gaiety. It will be pink grapefruit and litchi that will be found in Kiehl's Aromatic Blends fragrances, or apple and pear in Issey Miyake's Pleats Please. And then also the redcurrant, the orange, the raspberry in the shower gels Fruit Cakes of the Petit Marseillais; the cranberry in the softener Cajoline Brin de Folie. We also think of the citrus fruits that incorporate the notes of cologne: the Water of Benefits of Roger & Gallet , The Grapefruit of Miller Harris or the Aqua Universalis of House Francis Kurkdjian.
Happiness in Remembrance
Other characteristics of the scents that make us good, their connection with the memory. A simple mechanism common to all eras and civilizations: the more familiar a scent, the more it is appreciated. The reason ? The area of the brain (the limbic system) that treats odors is close to that which stores memories and the one that triggers emotions. These will be gourmand scents reminiscent of childhood, such as the Marshmallow accord of Maison Martin Margiela's Funfair Evening, the draped note of L'Eau en Blanc by Lolita Lempicka, the orange blossom from Seville to the Aube de L ' Artisan Perfumer or The Perfume of Elie Saab .
We can also evoke the scents that are anchored in our socio-cultural heritage: the smell of Nivea Cream, Elquet's Laque or Mustela Milk . And, just as mythical, the perfume of face powder The Meteorites of Guerlain. Characteristic of our French culture, it is a perfect example of the odors that belong as much to the collective memory as to the intimate history of each one. For it evokes both the traditional rice powder and the wigs of the eighteenth century. Her feminine and refined notes of violet or iris are found in Ann Gérard's Leather of Mother-of-Pearl, Lubin's Unpublished or in the Iris Powder candle at Mizensir.
For all that, is the memory of odors so extraordinary that it is said? In fact, it is no more efficient than short-term memory generated by sounds or images. So smelling a scent to promote the memorization process serves no purpose. On the other hand, what characterizes it is its persistence in time and its evocative power. This is called "Proust's Syndrome," in reference to the episode of the Madeleine in The Search for Lost Time. André Holley, Professor Emeritus at the Claude-Bernard University in Lyon, details this process: " Our olfactory acuity is less powerful than that of sight or hearing. Also, to memorize a scent, one will use on the one hand our emotions and on the other hand we will retain the context in which this smell was felt. When we perceive it later, the whole framework in which it was originally known will emerge from a block, including emotions . "
From smell to cosmetics
It is also possible to observe other beneficial effects of the scents on the brain. Research on the subject exploded in the early 2000s, and an event helped to make the public understand their importance: the 2004 Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to Linda Buck and Richard Axel for their discovery of olfactory receptor genes and their work on the processing of information by the olfactory system. Since then, there has been an attempt to understand how and why scents can generate positive emotions such as appeasement. How can this be applied in fragrances or creams? " Of course," explains teacher-researcher Arnaud Aubert, "these questions are extremely complex because, to date, it is still difficult to determine what is the order of the learning and the experience of each one. which would be more of the order of genetic predisposition . Or else what concerns the psychological field and what affects the physiological more. So, what is the attraction for vanilla. It is known that its perfume is universally appreciated and that it acts on the neurochemical equilibrium of the brain. But how ?
So many study tracks that have repercussions in the fragrance of cosmetics or even in certain fragrances. The pioneers in this field are the Japanese, such as the Shiseido group, which, with the Takasago laboratory, studied aromatics (the physiological effects of olfaction) as early as the eighties. " Fragrance is commonly used for its soothing effect, which facilitates the penetration of the active ingredients of a treatment, " explains Christine Mas, Director of Training, Shiseido France. And adding that the laboratories have gone further by developing for example the Body Creator range a fragrance based on pepper and fennel, the SLM Fragrance, which facilitates fat burning. " Another promising discovery, that of Lancôme , made in conjunction with the Claude-Bernard University in Lyon: the more you smell a pleasant smell, the more it takes place in the brain and prepares the nervous circuits to perceive a new one times, and to multiply its good effects ", explains Anne Abriat, expert in cosmetic perfumes. In other words, the more fragrance smells good, the more it will do us good.
Patrice Bellon, Vice-President of Innovation and Applied Research at the Symrise Laboratory, added that we are still at the very beginning of these opportunities. The benefits of products such as the Muscle Relax shower shampoo from Nivea For Men were analyzed and published. And many tests are even carried out, such as the one that analyzes the facial microexpressions (totally unconscious) linked to an emotion, developed by the American psychologist Paul Ekman. The latter is also a consultant for the FBI and for the television series Lie To Me ... Reality goes beyond fiction? Perhaps. But if it is for our well-being, we can only rejoice.
Our thanks to Anne Abriat, Arnaud Aubert, Patrice Bellon, Pierre Bisseuil, Aurélie Dematons, Alexandra Monet, Alberto Morillas and Karine Rawyler.
A perfume of gallantry
Who remembers this sentence from a television commercial? " An unknown woman offers you flowers, that's the magic effect of Impulse. "It would seem that it works. The Cerveau & Psycho magazine team carried out an experiment on the olfactory relationship between two unknowns. Obviously, men are much more likely to help a woman or to report the loss of an object if it has a perfume . As by "psycho-olfactory magic", a fragrance would strengthen the sensation of proximity on two people relatively physically distant. An Italian film of 1974 evokes with humor and poetry the power of the feminine wake: Perfume of woman of Dino Risi.
Fragances and Therapy
Can perfume help regain memory in the case of head trauma? Yes. It can also relieve the side effects of cancer treatments or restore the taste to take care of yourself in the case of anorexia . For the past eleven years, the CEW association, with the help of IFF laboratories, has been developing olfactory consultations in numerous hospitals (Pitié-Salpêtrière, Raymond-Poincaré, Ambroise-Paré and Institut Gustave-Roussy). Volunteers from the beauty sector such as otfactotherapy expert Patty Canac, perfumer Aliénor Massenet (IFF laboratories) and Marie-France Archambault animate these workshops. " Smell can help in many pathologies, " explains Patty Canac, who, through Olfarom, also trains speech therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and psychologists. For further information: www.cew.asso.fr and www.olfarom.com .
Rossetto, lipstick and others
Impossible not to know the perfume of the lipstick, notes of violet and rose, sometimes a hint of vanilla and raspberry to put more water in the mouth. On every continent, its smell is appreciated, as it is the perfect example of scents that have traveled through cultures and eras . It is the perfume of kisses, smile and glamor. So, Prada put its scent in wake with Rossetto, the fourteenth opus of his collection of Essences Exclusives. Everything is there, even the pretty red-pink hue of the fragrance. To rediscover, in the same spirit, the fragrances Lipstick Rose by Frédéric Malle, Immortal Marilyn at Nez à Nez or, more caressing and musky, La Belle Hélène at MDCI. And, in candlelight, it will be for example that of Jovoy, baptized "01 40 20 06 1".
