This year we’ve been focused on scent—how it ties into who you are, the memories you have and understanding how it affects our daily rituals. One of our recent highlights was working with an aromatherapist, Mindy Green, who helped us learn more about how scent plays a role in our lives. 

Below are a few fun facts we learned throughout the entire process!

               [Photo used under Creative Commons from NedraI/Flickr]

• In a survey of 1,000 adults, most women described vanilla as a nurturing scent and men described it as exciting.


• Woodsy scents like sandalwood and cedar have base notes rooted to nature, triggering grounded and relaxed feelings.


• Taste is 80% aroma!


• Pleasant aromas help you breathe slower and deeply, lowering your heart rate and blood pressure to naturally calm you.


• In a survey of 1,000 adults, respondents described spicy scents as festive.


• When asked to choose one “scent personality” for their home, a majority of women chose lavender (35%), and men chose vanilla (25%). 


• Vanilla is considered an “exciting” scent for men, and a “nurturing” scent for women. Green says, “For men, this may be because of the unconscious recognition that vanilla is often used in aphrodisiac perfumes for women. For women, it may be the association with feeding the family with comfort foods such as cookies and puddings.”


• Floral scents are seen as elegant and welcoming when used in the home, but when worn, convey them as feminine, traditional and nurturing.

Is there a certain scent that ties directly to a memory for you?