The Perception of Scent

A rose by any other name will still smell as sweet? I'm afraid Shakespear got that wrong when it comes to fragrances. Fragrances can actually smell very different from one person to another. Our olfactory acumen or ability to detect scent varies due to many different reasons:

1. The Nose.
The nose itself is really a very complex tool for gathering and perceiving scent molecules. For a theory of how it does this, read "The Emperor of Scent". Add to this, different people have different levels of scent perception. The highest level attainable is possibly, that of a pregnant woman. Furthermore, certain habits like glue sniffing or cigar smoking lowers the ability to detect scent. Exposure to certain odours like coffee beans for example, is like pushing a reset button to the nose. So if you're thinking of smuggling drugs, pack them in coffee beans.

2. The Environment.
A scent will smell different according to when you spritz it. Spraying in summer will cause the scent to bloom more and reveal more of itself, hence the tendency for heavy scents to seem cloying in hot weather. Wearing a scent to a club of heavy smokers is going to drastically change the smell of the scent. Nothing clings more readily than cigarette smoke!

3. The Method of Application.
This has been exhaustively discussed in basenotes. Everyone has a special method of application that he/she uses. I'll just mention a few, to be thorough. If you tend to spray on your hands and rub them over your chin, you're gonna "bruise" the scent and rub more of your own epithelials into the scent. Spritzing on a spot especially the pulse points will cause the scent to evaporate faster (theoretically). The walkthrough method disperses the scent molecules over a bigger area and mutes the scent somewhat. 6-8 spritzes will smell different from 1-2 spritzes, at least sillage-wise.

4. The Juice.
The scent will change over time. Some call this deterioration, but i've personally encountered many different types of "deterioration". Some lose their topnotes, some get a stronger midnotes and some just turn putrid. So, when a person says a scent smells fruity and you don't agree because it smells powdery to you, take this into consideration.
Some houses which i will not mention, that uses natural ingredients will also suffer from batch inconsistencies. This has largely been eliminated by the modern use of synthetics which are more stable and easily replicable.

Is it then no wonder that we all have very differing perceptions of a scent? So many factors need to be aligned for me to smell what you smell. [smiley=wink.gif]

Thanks Rick, i forgot 2 more factors that affect our perception of scent.

5. Psychological
Human beings are complex creatures. While some may be creatures of habit, most crave the new and associated newness with improvement. Mood determines our perception to a great extent. When i'm happy, i tend to go for a certain type of scent. Similarly, some scents are there as "pick-me-ups". Why then do we go back to an older acquisition or even repurchase something we've offloaded some time ago? Well, the connection between scent and memory/emotions is very strong. I suppose it has something to do with the feeling of longing or even filling an empty void that we never knew existed.

6. Skin Chemistry
Our skin itself is not an odourless scent strip. The scent when sprayed using whatever method will mix with the pheromes that we naturally produce as part of our own animalic attraction mechanism and this changes the scent. Sometimes subltly, sometimes dramatically. Imagine wearing Amen if you have a sweet pheromone odour. I feel a musky, bitter pheromone mixes well with Amen. Furthermore, oily skin retains the scent better while dry skin only makes the scent evaporate faster. Hence the use of lotions to extend the life of the scent.

Thanks spirit, it's good to be appreciated and makes all the effort worthwhile. [smiley=smiley.gif]

Steve has made an astute observation and allows me to fill in more voids in my write-up.

7. Marketing Hype
It is undoubtedly true that marketing plays a major role in the fragrance industry. That fact that the companies are willing to pour in millions to market a product that hasn't seen the light of day is proof of its efficacy. Advertisements serve as the lure to hook newbies who are blissfully unaware of the derivitives after derivitives being churned for their consumption. It becomes a choice of either Scent A or Scent B or Scent C, which all have more or less the same theme. A-Men or B-Men. 212 or 212 Ice. It can be difficult but we have to break through the trappings of advertisements. I've not bought a single scent yet because i find the ads irresistable, but then i know what to look for. The uninformed does not. They are easily misled by the chimera of a holy grail scent.

8. The perception of the new
Related to marketing hype, is the perception that anything new is definitely better than the old. I'm afraid fragrances are not cars or computers. They don't become obsolete, just out of fashion and even then, who decides what is fashionable these days. Confidence is the key. The classics hold hidden treasures that when worn today, out of its time, becomes something new in itself. "They just don't make em' like they used to" is a truism that can be made into a positive instead of a mere lament of old times forgotten. My secret weapons include many classics from the exquisite jasmine scented Monsieur Carven, to the sillage par excellent Caron 3rd Man. Tell me how many today still have DK Fuel or Ungaro I in their arsenal. Very few people indeed and those who do have them can understand what the rest are missing out on right? Part of the fun is the searching for these rare gems and the rest is in owning and wearing them with pride. Pride, not hubris and why not pride when you have a slice of perfumery tradition in your possession.