Joachim Mensing

Beautiful
SCENT
The Magical Effect
of Perfume on Well-Being
Beautiful SCENT
Joachim Mensing

Beautiful SCENT
The Magical Effect of Perfume on Well-Being
Joachim Mensing
Miami Beach, FL, USA

ISBN 978-3-662-67258-7 ISBN 978-3-662-67259-4 (eBook)

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67259-4

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 V

How nice that you have taken this book in your hand—and maybe even bought it.
With 15 chapters, the book can already be described as a “thick tome”; And all those
who do not count themselves among the absolute bookworms may still be a little
skeptical, but you don't have to be. Because in front of you is a journey that can also
be immersed in stages. I promise you: Our 15 destinations are anything but boring,
and in the end you will belong to the insiders of a fascinating industry that fascinates
others with its wealth of knowledge.
 VII

A journey into the world, trends and future, but also into the history of perfume and its
industry with the latest findings from psychology, aromatherapy, brain research, and
neuroperfumery, how scents can work for our well-being.
Preface

Dear reader,
Welcome to a journey into the world, trends, and future of perfumes.
This book—“Beautiful Scent”, published Summer 2023—is a translation of the
German edition—“Schöner Riechen”, published 2021—but contains thrilling up-
dates and captivating additions that will enhance our journey. On this journey I
want to share with you current insider knowledge of a fascinating industry. In par-
ticular, I will introduce you to the latest findings from psychology, aromatherapy,
brain research, and neuroperfumery and show you how scents can work even more
targeted for our well-being.
Sometimes our journey also leads into the past, into the history of perfume, in
which many new, surprising, but also amusing discoveries await us.
You may be wondering what motivated a psychologist like me to write a book
called Beautiful Scent. Well, for more than 30 years, beautiful smells have deter-
mined my professional practice, both in therapy and, above all, in the fields of per-
fumery and the perfume industry. As a fragrance psychologist and trend coach with
perfume training at one of the big fragrance manufacturers, I was involved in the
creation of numerous, often even award-winning perfumes. For a long time now, I
have been sharing my experiences, above all of how perfumes work on us humans
and how they can work even better in the future, with an interested audience in lec-
tures on the subject of “beautiful scent” and in the training course “perfume in-
sider”, which I offer you in this book. In all of this, I count myself among the lucky
people who can say that they have made their hobby their profession. The world of
scents and their effects has exerted an undiminished fascination on me for decades.
And the most beautiful effect of a perfume is that it can specifically create more joie
de vivre.
But why now a book about “beautiful scent” or the effect of scent and perfume?
In the perfume industry, almost revolutionary developments can currently be ob-
served. Groundbreaking discoveries and innovations in the most diverse areas of
the perfume industry—for example in the field of neuroperfumery or in brain re-
search relevant to the perfume industry, fragrance psychology and therapy, as well
as fragrance selection and advice—are changing an entire industry. In addition,
there are new approaches to the work of perfumers and fragrance development. I
will report on all these topics in a well-understood, entertaining, and exciting way.
I will meet a scientific claim by means of literature references which will also
help you to deepen the various aspects on your own.
Beforehand, I would like to explain something for a better terminological under-
standing. When I talk about perfumery, I mean two areas:
5 The world in which perfumers create fragrances. This is about the world of the
fragrance industry, but also about the world of scientific research. The latter, for
example, investigates how we smell, how scents work, but also why we perfume
ourselves at all.
5 The world of stationary and online perfumeries, i.e. the so-called perfume spe-
cialist trade, which is about advising and selling perfumes, care and other beauty
products to the end consumer.
 IX
Preface

Sometimes the two areas overlap. But I will always make it clear which one I am re-
ferring to when using the term “perfumery”.

z What do I want to achieve with this book?

The latest findings—in particular in the areas of neuroperfumery and fragrance
psychology—are to be an inspiration for the practice of perfumery. This is primar-
ily about perfume development and creation, but also about trade, marketing, and
consulting, as well as the exciting field of fragrance therapy. In the first eight chap-
ters of this book, I will virtually introduce you to these topics, refresh your knowl-
edge about perfumery, and make you an insider of perfume and perfumery. But
even if you are not working in this industry and are only interested in the topic of
perfume, I would like to inspire you with this book. With the individual topics—in
particular in the first eight chapters—I deliberately do not proceed in chronologi-
cal order, because I want to create more tension and variety when reading. Never-
theless, everything fits into a big whole, and you will get to know all facets of the in-
dustry in a comprehensive and detailed manner.
More than that: I want to make you a beneficiary of a fascinating industry. For
this, this book gives you many practical tips.
My goal is also to introduce you to the latest findings and innovations in such a
way that you can use them for yourself today. I will show you that perfumes can do
much more than just smell good. For example, fragrances are now being developed
into real active perfumes that specifically increase well-being, health, and even joie
de vivre. You can experience this for yourself in this book. One more thing: I want
to make you your own perfumer—without the use of large tools.

z Do you need any prior knowledge for this book?

Definitely not! Even if I report on the latest from research and practice as well as
on the future of perfumery, you only need a little curiosity to discover a world that
creates the most beautiful of all drugs: perfume.

z What do you gain if you just take a sniff of the world of perfumes?
Based on my 30 years of professional experience, I make you an insider of a fasci-
nating industry, including its trends and future prospects. With this book, you will
become a witness of an industry that is currently experiencing a fragrant revolu-
tion, more precisely: the third revolution since the beginnings of perfumery about
6000 years ago. Probably the perfumery is even much older. The International Mu-
seum of Perfumery in the French Grasse dates its beginning back to 7000 BC. on
the basis of objects found in the Near East, which can be regarded as perfume and
cosmetic containers. This would make perfumery over 9000 years old.
The history of perfume and its effects alone are a fascinating topic in them-
selves—and the future prospects are just as exciting. So I can promise you that you
will never be bored while reading this book. Often you will probably also smile. For
example, you will learn which arguments the great philosophers put forward against
the beautiful scents and how they fought against perfumes and perfumery; or which
tricks and methods were used in the past to win the “influencers” of the old days
for his perfume creation.
X Preface

z If you have little time, can you still read parts of the book and get well-informed?
If you have little time and value quick information, this book offers you a “com-
pact course for the perfume insider”.
It provides comprehensive information on perfumes, the industry, current devel-
opments and trends, and gives all those who want to be active in our fascinating
industry—who want to bring their own perfume to the market, for example, and
perhaps position themselves as a brand or perfume influencer—a quick orientation.
For this, I recommend you read the “smelling around” 7 Chaps. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, 6,
7, 8 and from the 7 Chap. 9, 12 and 13 the Sects. 9.6, 12.3, 12.4 and 13.3. These
chapters and sections are the training content of my compact course for the per-
fume insider (contact: 7 Online Perfume Academy). In particular, the 7 Chap. 5,
6 and 7 give insider and practical knowledge of how trade is calculated for a new
perfume, and provide many tips on how to develop and successfully position a
perfume in the market.
In the following, I will give you a short overview of the essential contents of in-
dividual chapters that you might not even want to read in order to avoid tension
and anticipation. Certainly, the overview is helpful in finding topics that might in-
terest you.
But before I discuss the contents of individual chapters, allow me to take a small
excursion into the world of perfume. Because the term perfume already demands a
clarification due to the title of the book. It refers to two different areas:
5 I use the term “perfume” on the one hand as a general term for scent. This in-
cludes everything that smells good or is supposed to smell good. In English, the
word “fragrance” is used for “scent”, with which something that smells good is
also associated. This term does not only refer to perfume (English “perfume”),
but also to other sources of scent. The understanding of perfume in the Ger-
man-speaking world allows both associations. So the term “perfume” can refer
to perfume products of the perfume industry as well as to other beautiful scents.
As another differentiation, in addition to the word “fragrance” in English,
the term “scent” is also used, which refers to a more characteristic smell. The
German word “Geruch”—in American English “odor” or in British English
“odour”—is used as a neutral term of the olfactory, but can also be associated
with pleasant and unpleasant smells. In contrast, the term “Gestank” (English
“stink”) clearly refers to something that smells unpleasant. This shows the es-
sential difference between perfume and stink: the former is experienced olfacto-
rily positive, the latter negative. Of course, there are also perfumes that stink for
some people, and scents whose smell is not experienced as good by everyone—
but this would lead too far here.
Furthermore, in English, the terms “aroma” and “perfume” are also distin-
guished, which has also become established in German understanding. Both
terms refer to pleasant smells. While “aroma” refers more to plants, spices and
food, “perfume” is usually associated with scent and flowers.
5 The term “perfume” is also used for a product or in the plural for various per-
fume types of perfumery. The core term “perfume” thus refers to an olfactory
work of art with which one describes the most valuable—so to speak the crown-
ing achievement of what perfumery and perfumers have to offer -. Created as a
product for external use, perfume usually consists of a liquid mixture of various
 XI
Preface

so-called fragrance ingredients, or perfume components. In addition, there are

also so-called “solid perfumes” that can be applied as a cream.
The fragrance ingredients of a perfume are dissolved as fragrance oil in alcohol
and some distilled water. Depending on the concentration of the fragrance in-
gredients or the fragrance oil content, the following different perfume types are
distinguished: “perfume”, “eau de parfum”, “eau de toilette”, and “eau de co-
logne”.
As an olfactory work of art, a perfume should not only serve the enjoyment of
fragrance. Perfume lovers expect a perfume to surprise with a new and innova-
tive fragrance impression at its launch. Furthermore, it must—and the perfume
classics serve as the best example for this—at least subjectively increase the at-
tractiveness and well-being of the wearer. To achieve this, selected and valua-
ble fragrance ingredients—meaning great raw materials—must be used. But cre-
ating a perfume also requires perfume-making skills. So in addition to all artis-
tic attributes, one can expect a good adhesive strength, that is, durability, during
the fragrance from an excellent perfume. Perfumers often further differentiate,
distinguishing between “sillage” and “longevity” of a perfume. Originally from
France, the term sillage describes the lingering scent of the perfume a person
wears, or the scent trail it leaves behind. For example, you enter an empty eleva-
tor and know exactly what the person inside smelled like. The term longevity de-
scribes the durability of a perfume on a fragrance strip or on the skin. It may
even be the case that a perfume that lasts well on the skin is not necessarily as-
sociated with a high sillage impression. The crowning achievement of perfumery
with usually the best adhesive strength is the pure perfume, the so-called “extrait
de parfum”, referred to in English as “perfume extract” or “pure perfume”. The
fragrance ingredient or fragrance oil concentration is between 15 and 30% and
can even exceed 40%.

Sometimes the individual meanings for perfume also overlap. But I will always
make it clear—as with the term perfume—which context I am referring to when us-
ing the word.

Joachim Mensing
Acknowledgments

Writing a book, even when you have the topic clearly in mind, is a journey into the
unknown, at least as far as the time it takes to write is concerned. Without my un-
derstanding family, I would not have been able to make this journey. I would there-
fore like to thank my wife, Charmaine and our children Felicia, Shani, and Elaina
for giving me the time, motivation, and support to write.
You also underestimate that new findings from research can change, rewrite,
re-determine or weigh intermediate goals. Who would have thought, for example,
that people apparently can smell even without parts of the olfactory bulb or that
approaches to perfumery can already be found in the Stone Age. I am therefore
grateful to Hanne-Lore Heilmann and Angela Müller, who helped me to edit the
book and patiently gave me the opportunity to rewrite already finished text pas-
sages and adapt them to the current state of knowledge.
On a journey, an author quickly loses sight of the topics he or she wants to re-
port on, which points are or could be of particular interest to others. I am therefore
very grateful to Regina Spelman, who pointed out to me that I should bring in my
experience as a psychologist to a greater extent.
It takes well-disposed people who support you on your journey and give you
materials and tips on how to do it even better. I would like to thank in this con-
text Kai Brüninghaus, Dr. Andreas Leistikow, and Dr. Alberto Peek, but especially
Jacques Schumacher, who wonderfully enriched the book with his artistic pictures.
My very special thanks go to the participants of my perfume seminars, whose
positive feedback also motivated me to write this book and especially to current
findings from the Neuroparfümerie.
Finally, I would like to thank colleagues from the perfume and cosmetic indus-
try, from trade and from associations, who inspired me in my work with many con-
versations.
 XIII

About this Book

In the 1. Chapter I share with you a lot of basic knowledge about the topic “scent
and history”. You will learn a lot of fascinating things about the first scent rituals
of people and gain new insights into the beginnings of perfume and perfumery. You
will discover what was known in antiquity about the effects of scents, what impor-
tance scents already had for the quality of life and, above all,
5 which fragrance effects one could already achieve in the Stone Age.

In the first chapter we also discuss the state of the art of current smell research,
in particular what the influence of scents on our consciousness, our emotions and
mood, and thus
5 how scents work in the brain on our psyche;
5 what influence smelling and smell as well as perfumes, fragrances, and aroma-
therapy have on us.

In doing so, we look at first examples from the neuroperfumery, how and where cer-
tain fragrances and essential oils stimulate individual brain regions and their net-
works.
Allow me to point out in this context that I use the terms brain area and brain
region synonymously because, as I will show, it is difficult, if not impossible, to
show a spatially bounded area of the cerebrum—as one associates it rather with the
term brain area—for smelling.
In the 2. Chapter you can read what you need to know about the beautiful
scents from the perspective of practice,
5 how the current developments in perfumes look;
5 what current trends and new expectations there are among fragrance users, such
as the current development from perfume to active perfume.

But we also discuss questionable aspects of the topic of perfume—what one should
know and consider when using fragrance and enjoying fragrance, especially as a
perfume lover.
The 7 Chap. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are primarily aimed at anyone who wants to
quickly get a refreshingly different insight into the world of perfume and the la-
test perfumery. Here you will find more topics that I also discuss in my perfume
insider workshops and training. For example, you will learn
5 who are the people behind the scenes of perfumes today and how the calculation
for a new fragrance works,
5 how to market yourself and your perfume as an “influencer”,
5 which are the favorite ingredients of the perfumery and their current trends,
5 how smelling works,
5 who is the “maître des parfums” in our brain, creating sensory impressions and
connecting scents with our self-image,
5 who or what in the brain, so to speak as a fragrance manager, decides about our
fragrance choice and favorite scents,
XIV About this Book

5 how certain fragrance notes affect our personality, our emotions, mood and
well-being,
5 what the fragrance psychology knows about the use of perfumes and fragrance
families and why people perfume themselves,
5 why smelling is such a unique and fascinating sense that says a lot about our
mental and physical well-being and our health,
5 how and why our sense of smell can do so much good for us in the context of a
scent therapy.

In addition, I will once again go into the exciting history of perfumery since its be-
ginning in pre-Christian times. This includes two revolutions in the past that have
changed the way we smell perfumes. I also discuss the role of women, without
whom perfumery, as we know it, would not have taken place.
Chapters 9 and 10. have a focus on the future of smell and self-scent therapy.
Here I go into the third revolution taking place in perfumery, which will completely
change the entire industry. The latest discoveries from scent and brain research as
well as from neuroperfumery, a very young science, are at the center. You will learn:
5 what perfumes can do today—in addition to smelling good,
5 how the future of perfume looks,
5 which brain regions, i.e. networks, can be particularly well stimulated and with
which perfumes,
5 how the latest findings from neuroperfumery and brain research can be used in
sales and scent consulting.

In addition, I present the latest findings from scent psychology and therapy and ex-
plain how perfumes can lead to more enjoyment of life.
Everything is described very application-oriented and understandable, with
many suggestions for the practice of perfumery and the experience of perfumes. Es-
pecially in the 10. chapter I ask you to be creative and to create your own therapeu-
tic perfume. My goal is that you experience the power of neuroperfumes, that is, of
scents that are specifically designed to reprogram desired experience. With them, in-
ner strength, joy and well-being can be increased as part of a fragrance-supported
therapy.
In the 11. chapter I present to you current findings from brain research, neuro-
and sales psychology for fragrance consulting, and in the 12. chapter you can dis-
cover your fragrance preferences and your associated desired experiences with the
help of a neuropsychological self-test. I also give you many practical tips on how to
make fragrance consulting even more fascinating in the stationary perfumery, be-
cause many trend researchers would sign the following: The new customer—and
that's all of us—doesn't buy a product or a service anymore, but first and foremost
a positive experience.
That's why I'm introducing you to a new, exciting, but also unexpected perfum-
ery: the Experience Perfumery. So don't be surprised if you read about World Turtle
Day or Scented Dancing in this context. Both serve the enjoyment of perfume and
the increase of fragrance and self-experience, but also of health and health preven-
tion.
Finally, in the 13, 14, and 15 chapter a number of well-kept insider information
of the perfume industry, trade and marketing with you. You will learn about trends,
 XV
About this Book

innovations and developments with perfumers, how the perfume trade and its cus-
tomers change, and who wins the race for the stationary perfumery of tomorrow.
But I also show which strategic opportunities the stationary perfumery offer to ben-
efit from a changing market with new consumer needs. I am also following these
questions:
5 How does the German perfume market differ from other markets?
5 What are the perfume trends of the next years?
5 Are there trends in fragrances that are similar to fashion trends globally?
5 Are markets increasingly determined by national preferences?

In this context, I show that Germany is not in the middle of Europe on the map of
fragrance preferences and market mentality, but a completely different country.
The last chapter of the book is a postscript and dedicated to the perfumers. I
will investigate how and where the modern perfumer emerged, how perfumers can
become their own luxury brand, and what opportunities, (today), do perfumers
have.
 XVII

Contents

1 The Research of the Fragrance Effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.1 History of the Fragrance Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.1.1 Surprising Findings of Archaeology 77,000 Years Ago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.1.2 On the Difference between Perfume and Smell Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.1.3 First Mentions of the Use and Effect of Fragrance in Ancient Times and Antiquity. . . . . 6
1.1.4 The Scent of the Blue Lotus Or: The Divine Perfume from the Primeval Waters . . . . . . . . 10
1.1.5 The Art of Smoking—On the Meditative and Artistic Effect of Scent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.1.6 Healing Fragrance Magic—From Medical and Physiotherapeutic Fragrance
Applications to Divination and Spiritual Seances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.2 Scent Effect in Modern Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
1.2.1 Beginning of the Research of the Scent Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
1.2.2 Neuroparfümerie Causes a Breakthrough in Fragrance Effect Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
1.2.3 A First Look at the Effect of Scents on Specific Regions of the Brain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
1.2.4 A First Look at the Future of Fragrance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
1.2.5 Smelling Also Works the Other Way Around—The Fragrance Manager in the
Brain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
1.2.6 Research Areas of Scent Psychology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
1.2.7 Smelling, the Last Sign of Consciousness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
1.2.8 The Brain Can Create Its Own Smell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
1.2.9 How Fragrances Unconsciously Influence Our Behavior—Two Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
1.2.10 Aromatherapy—How Essential Oils Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

2 Perfumes in Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
2.1 Characteristics of Perfumes Today. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2.2 Types and Use of Perfumes—Areas of Interest of Perfume Lovers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2.3 The Trend in the Perfume Industry Towards Nature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
2.4 Personal Requirements for Perfumes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
2.5 Perfume in Conflict: Prohibited and Unwanted Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
2.6 Consumers Want More than Just Smelling Good—From Perfume to
Active Perfume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
2.7 The Difference between Aromatherapy and Scent Therapy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

3 Psychology of Perfume Choice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

3.1 Plea for the Sense of Smell: We Smell More than We Thought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
3.2 Scent Memory: Smelling Relativizes Space and Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
3.3 Artificial Olfactory Intelligence: The Future Has Already Begun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
3.4 Increasing the Enjoyment of Fragrance: Merging of the Senses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
3.5 Perfume Choice: Findings from Marketing and Neuromarketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
3.6 How to Smell: About Molecular Doormen and Ushers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
3.7 The Maître Des Parfums in the Brain or the Struggle for the Scent in the Head . . . . . . 72
XVIII Contents

3.8 Scent and Personality: How Brain and Personality Influence Olfactory
Enjoyment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
3.9 Olfactory Soothers of the Soul: Why Perfumes Do So Much Good . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

4 Welcome to the Neuroperfumery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

4.1 Latent Basic Expectations of Perfumes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
4.2 Olfactory Stimulation Needs of the Brain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
4.3 Well-Being Consultation: Fragrance Preferences of Individual Brain
Regions and Their Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
4.4 Neuro-Perfume Therapy: Findings for Fragrance-Supported Applications . . . . . . . . 90
4.5 On the Dynamics of the Olfactory Experience: Wandering with
Olfactory Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
4.5.1 Smelling Better: Perfume as a Medium or the Transformation of the “Self” . . . . . . . . . . 93
4.6 Smell Open: How Evolution Promotes Certain Types of Smelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

5 Insider Knowledge Perfumery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

5.1 Odorless … or 10,000 Smells Smell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
5.2 Perfumery is Not Additive and There Is No Room for Argument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
5.3 Perfume Jungle: How to Smell Your Way In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
5.4 Psychology of Perfume—The Fragrance Families From the Perspective
of a Fragrance Psychologist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
5.4.1 Feminine fragrance directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
5.4.2 “Masculine” fragrance families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
5.4.3 Not So Easy: Determining Target Groups in Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
5.5 Perfume Makers—The Teams in the Perfume Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
5.6 Fragrance Evaluation—A Creativity Killer? How to Discover Perfumes
With High Potential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
5.7 Perfume Flankers: Entertainment for Impatient Noses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
5.8 Perfume Recipe: Successful Ingredients of Fine Perfumery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
5.9 Scent Secrets of Ingredients—Smelling Exercise for a Better Smell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
5.10 Perfumers: The Perfume Industry Owes Almost Everything to Women . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

6 Insider Knowledge Perfume Industry and Trade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

6.1 The Makers of the Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
6.2 How a New Perfume is Calculated in Industry and Trade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
6.3 Areas of Perfumery: Haute Couture (Fine Perfumery), Functional Perfumery,
Aromatherapy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
6.4 On the Situation of the Perfume Specialty Trade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
6.5 You as a Perfumer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
 XIX
Contents

7 Scent Online: Storytelling and Digital Marketing of Perfumes . . . . . . . . . . . 157

7.1 Retro-Fragrance Trends: Why Violets are Immortal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
7.2 Beginning of the Perfume Industry: Scent With Additional Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
7.3 The First Fragrance Revolution: How Discoveries Changed the
Perfume Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
7.4 Digital Perfume Marketing: Tips From the Most Successful Influencers . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

8 Big and Small Moments of Modern Perfumery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

8.1 Scent & Eroticism with Charles Baudelaire or: The Change in Thinking . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
8.2 The Godfather of Perfumery Or: Are Perfumes Immoral? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
8.3 Perfume & Poetry: The German Soul of Scent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
8.4 Perfume & Image: The Ups and Downs of Perfumery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
8.5 Pheromones Or: The Current State of the Search for the Atlantis of Perfumery . . . . 186
8.6 The Second Fragrance Revolution: How Discoveries Led to a Better Smell . . . . . . . . . 190
8.7 Perfume & Self—Effects on the Ego or: The Most Beautiful of All Drugs? . . . . . . . . . . 194
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

9 On the Way to the Future of Smelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

9.1 Smell Search: The Scent has been on the Research Radar for a Long Time . . . . . . . . . 202
9.2 Nobel Prize-Finding: Do We Smell (Almost) Everything Twice? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
9.3 Imaging Smell: The Starting Shot For Neuroperfumery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
9.4 The Third Fragrance Revolution: “Evening” of the Future of Perfumery . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
9.5 Multiple Brain Stimulation Using the Broad-Spectrum Effect of Citrus
Aromas as an Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
9.6 Neuro-Fragrance Sales: How to Excite the Brain for a New Perfume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

10 Scent Therapy: Scents for More Joie De vivre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

10.1 Aromatherapeutic Application: Two Exercises For Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
10.1.1 “Scented Flight”—Letting Go, Inspiration, and Creativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
10.1.2 “Scented Power Posing”—Recharge For Mind and Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
10.2 Fragrance Enjoyment: Olfactory Cuddling “On Demand” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
10.3 Fragrant Anti-Stress: How and Where Scent Works Against Stress in the Brain . . . . 231
10.3.1 Plant Peptides with Anti-Stress Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
10.3.2 The Rush On Plant Peptides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
10.3.3 Olfactory Tools For Assessing Well-being . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
10.4 Self-therapy: Healing the Soul and Smelling Better with Primal Perfumes . . . . . . . . . 236
10.4.1 The Power of Primal Scents and Their Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
10.4.2 The Power of Scent-Supported Loving Looks For Self-Therapy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
10.4.3 Scent-supported Self-coaching: Exercise Example “The Power of Loving Looks” . . . . . 249
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
XX Contents

11 Sales Psychology of Fragrance Consulting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

11.1 The Epicenter of Success and Interpersonal Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
11.2 First Friend or Foe—also in Fragrance Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
11.3 The Formula: How to Win the Other Person’s Amygdala. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267

12 Welcome to the Experience Perfumery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

12.1 Myths in Perfume Sales: How to Become a Perfume Psychologist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
12.2 Psychological Scent Choice—The Slightly Different Experience of Perfumes . . . . . . 273
12.3 Neuropsychological Fragrance Test: Experience Wishes and Perfume
Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
12.3.1 Moodform-Test©—Test Instructions & Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
12.3.2 The Moodform Test© as a Perfume and Care Guide for Women: Solutions
from First and Second Choice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
12.4 Perfume Experience: Practice and Methods for more Perfume Enthusiasm . . . . . . . . 287
12.4.1 Dancing and Smelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
12.4.2 Goals, Steps, and Examples for the Experience Perfumery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
12.4.3 Rediscovering the World of Perfumes Again and Again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

13 Stationary Perfumery in Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301

13.1 Elephant Races: The Competition for the “Perfume Sales Location”
of Tomorrow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
13.1.1 Core Competencies of Stationary Perfume Shops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
13.1.2 The Role of Drugstores, Pharmacies, and Grocery Stores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
13.2 Stationary Perfumery in Transition: Developments & Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
13.2.1 Outstanding Food Markets as Role Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
13.2.2 New Beauty Worlds: More and More Perfumeries are Upgrading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
13.2.3 The Trend Towards the “Face-to-Face” Well-being Meeting Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
13.3 Sales Location Perfume Shop: Methods and Strategies for Winning
(New) Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
13.3.1 Target Groups of the Perfume Shop of Tomorrow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
13.3.2 Shopfitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317

14 Perfume Trends, International Fragrance Preferences

and Mentalities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
14.1 Evaluating Fragrance Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
14.1.1 Characteristics of the German Women’s Fragrance Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
14.1.2 Perfume Trends or: How a Fragrance and Trend Coach Thinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
14.2 How the German Women’s Fragrance Market Differs from Other Markets . . . . . . . . . 326
14.2.1 Scent Preferences in Spain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
14.2.2 Scent Preferences in Italy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
14.2.3 Scent Preferences in France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
14.2.4 Fragrance Preferences in England and the USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
 XXI
Contents

14.3 Scent Mentality: The Rose in the Anglo-Saxon Cultural Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
14.4 Global vs. National Perfume Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335

15 The Emergence of the Modern Perfumer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337

15.1 How and Where the Modern Perfumer Came About . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
15.2 How Individual Perfumers can Become Luxury Brands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
15.3 What Development Opportunities Do Perfumers Have? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
 1 1

The Research of the

Fragrance Effect
... On Consciousness, Emotion and Mood for More Well-Being
and Enjoyment—From the Stone Age to Current Brain Research

Contents

1.1 History of the Fragrance Effect – 3

1.1.1 Surprising Findings of Archaeology 77,000 Years Ago – 3
1.1.2 On the Difference between Perfume and Smell Application – 4
1.1.3 First Mentions of the Use and Effect of Fragrance in Ancient
Times and Antiquity – 6
1.1.4 The Scent of the Blue Lotus Or: The Divine Perfume from the
Primeval Waters – 10
1.1.5 The Art of Smoking—On the Meditative and Artistic Effect
of Scent – 11
1.1.6 Healing Fragrance Magic—From Medical
and Physiotherapeutic Fragrance Applications to Divination
and Spiritual Seances – 13

1.2 Scent Effect in Modern Times – 17

1.2.1 Beginning of the Research of the Scent Effect – 17
1.2.2 Neuroparfümerie Causes a Breakthrough in Fragrance Effect
Research – 18
1.2.3 A First Look at the Effect of Scents on Specific Regions of the
Brain – 21
1.2.4 A First Look at the Future of Fragrance – 22
1.2.5 Smelling Also Works the Other Way Around—The Fragrance
Manager in the Brain – 22
1.2.6 Research Areas of Scent Psychology – 24
1.2.7 Smelling, the Last Sign of Consciousness – 25
1.2.8 The Brain Can Create Its Own Smell – 26

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023
J. Mensing, Beautiful SCENT,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67259-4_1
1.2.9 How Fragrances Unconsciously Influence Our Behavior—Two
Examples – 28
1.2.10 Aromatherapy—How Essential Oils Work – 29

References – 32
1.1 · History of the Fragrance Effect
3 1
also wants to know when people first dis-
covered the effect of scents and smells. For
this, there are completely new and surpris-
ing findings from archaeology. They raise
the questions of whether the art of perfum-
ery is much older than previously assumed
and when one can actually speak of per-
fumery per se.
Let us therefore first discuss what has
been discovered about the effect of scents in
the early days of man and in antiquity, and
what is meant by perfumery, before turn-
ing to the first current findings of brain re-
search on perfume, scent, and effect in this
chapter.

1.1 History of the Fragrance

Effect

1.1.1 Surprising Findings

This first and second chapter are mainly for
of Archaeology 77,000 Years
those who are new to perfumery or in need Ago
of a compact refresher of basic knowledge.
If you are already advanced, a quick read So far it was assumed that the perfume had
through should suffice. To make orienta- arisen about 9000 years ago. This was based
tion easier and to facilitate quick reference on the findings of perfume and cosmetic
later on, you will find a summary with litera- containers in the Middle East. Even today
ture references at the end of each chapter, in it is still assumed that the development of
case you wish to explore the topics covered the perfume had taken a rapid upturn with
in more depth. the beginning of the first cities and the
needs of their increasingly cramped living
Perfume lovers will confirm that the right population. So Jericho, which was already
scent can be used to deliberately improve bursting at the seams, had already erected a
wellbeing and mood, as well as reducing city wall in 8000 BC. Perfumes had to work
stress. In this way, consciousness and mood as insecticides in addition for hygiene rea-
can be improved and positive, joyful emo- sons alone. The high population density of
tions can be triggered. all cities of antiquity—and even in modern
This raises the question: are these sim- times—caused odors and thus accompany-
ply soft effects or subjective illusions, like ing pests through waste and excrement. So
the placebo effect known as the “effect of Paris was said to smell like a large sewer
nothing”, or is it actually possible to mod- in the 18th century. Residents and visitors
ulate consciousness, mood, and emotion were trapped in a fog of feces and urine.
through perfume and smell? If the latter is When fragrances were first used to cover
the case, one wants to see this effect con- up the smell in the cities is not known. Fra-
firmed by scientifically sound evidence. One grance applications or the attempts to at
 4 Chapter 1 · The Research of the Fragrance Effect

least make the pests more bearable with 1.1.2 On the Difference
1 plants are very old. Whether perfume was between Perfume and Smell
first used as a fragrance to honor the gods, Application
or to improve living conditions and health,
I will discuss at a later point. Much speaks Perfume can generally be referred to as a
in favor of the latter due to current re- subjectively pleasant or attractive smell re-
search. Here is an interesting note on the sult. This arises from the conscious prepa-
etymology of the term “perfume”, which ration of one or more chemicals that stimu-
comes from Latin: The word consists of late the sense of smell or the olfactory cells,
the preposition “per” (= through) and the which are exclusively or predominantly in-
noun “fumum” (= smoke, steam). tended to olfactorily act on humans exter-
However, recent archaeological dis- nally on the body and/or for their interests
coveries led to surprising findings with re- in their living space. Of course there is also
gard to the history of perfume. So plants the perfume of food, which is not relevant
were already used in the Stone Age. In in this context. Those who use perfume are
South Africa, for example, 77,000 year primarily interested in the good smell, with-
old beds made of plants were found. They out necessarily being aware of the prepara-
were strewn with the aromatic leaves of the tion process and the effects.
quince from the family of the laurel plants. In order to serve the different “scenting
These leaves had a poisonous effect on in- interests”, perfume knows a wide range of
sects and thus kept even the smallest pests application areas. So you can also perfume
such as fleas and lice away. something that does not belong to your
There is also much to suggest that per- own body, for example other people or ob-
fume and perfuming go back to the fra- jects, animals and rooms. Even the invisible
grance to honor the gods. Fire has always can be perfumed. The intention is always to
had a magical fascination. Its discovery create a pleasant or attractive smell result
over a million years ago was a giant step in or something that is associated with a cor-
human development. The mastery and use responding expectation. The question arises
of fire were the most essential difference here whether people of the Stone Age al-
between man and animal. Fire served the ready knew something like “perfume” and
early humans not only for heating, but also could “perfume” themselves or something
for prolonging daylight. In addition, food in order to use the scent deliberately for a
could be heated with fire and thus chewed more pleasant experience, such as fewer
more easily and its shelf life extended. In mosquito bites. Probably, but not certainly,
addition, fire destroyed, for example, by they used plants such as the Cape quince
smoking pathogens and offered protection untreated. They may also have rubbed the
against wild animals. leaves of the Cape quince on the skin to in-
In ancient myths, gods brought fire to crease the effect, with the additional ef-
humans. In Greek mythology, fire belonged fect of a good smell. According to our cur-
to the god Zeus, who watched over it. rent understanding, this would already have
Therefore, it is likely that the early humans been a form of perfume.
thanked their gods for fire and its benefits The perfume of objects as a modern area
with fragrant incense. of functional perfumery would also be con-
Before we discuss the effects of per- ceivable for Stone Age people. Because if
fumes or deliberately created scents and they had also expressed the leaves over the
odors in different periods of cultural his- beds for better effect—which may have been
tory from the perspective of research, let’s the case—one would have to speak of a per-
first look at what is meant by perfume.
1.1 · History of the Fragrance Effect
5 1
fume of their objects. At least a precursor of tion. Odour applications can also serve or
perfume took place 77,000 years ago. Even act on people. They may smell less good or
if the scent was possibly not obtained from a even repulsive and do not require any prior
substance, but only the pure, untreated plant processing—with the exception of collect-
was used in parts, the smell of the leaves was ing the plants or substances. In this sense,
already used specifically. In contrast to this Stone Age people already knew targeted
precursor, real perfume requires the pleas- odour applications and their effects.
ant smell to be obtained by a process such In this context, another question arises:
as at least expressing a plant, which is then Must perfume be based on a deliberately
used in a targeted manner. This means that induced process? Depending on how this
certain incenses, such as those known from question is answered, rolling in the dirt
ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, meet the would also be a form of perfume—but
criteria of perfume. Because the substances only from the dog’s point of view, not from
most commonly used for incense, such as the human’s. Not only dogs find dirt, mud,
resins, were obtained by the process of tree and other things that stink to us humans ir-
felling, or cutting the tree bark. Incense resistible. They have different triggers for
by simple burning of one or more plants is their scenting. One is certainly the search for
therefore not considered perfume. more enjoyment, further for more well-be-
It can be objected to this view that when ing. This includes the masking of one’s own
mixing and burning various untreated sub- smell by a camouflage smell that helps when
stances, a pleasant or attractive smell can hunting. These are occasions of perfume
indeed be produced and this should be con- that are also known to humans—especially
sidered perfumery. Because strictly speak- the scent-supported hunt. It does not have
ing, a conscious process takes place here, to take on Old Testament proportions like
namely a mixing of ingredients in order to in the case of Judith, who saved the city of
increase the scent experience and scent ef- Betulia from Holofernes, an Assyrian gen-
fect. eral who was known for his looting, mur-
der, and arson in the Middle East. Judith of-
> “Perfuming” in this sense is a consciously fered herself to him in pretense. In order to
induced process in which a pleasant and appear more attractive and inconspicuous in
attractive smell is produced by preparing her actual intentions, she perfumed her body
a substance or substances or by mixing with the most tempting scents. Holofernes
two or more substances, which is then fell for it and was decapitated during the se-
used externally to serve people. duction of Judith that same night.
One could make it easy for oneself and
Back to our example. If, in combination explain that animals do not consciously
with the quince, other plants were used perfume themselves, for example, for the
77,000 years ago to produce a pleasant hunt. But that would mean denying animals
smell of the beds, then the Stone Age peo- a consciousness. The number of research-
ple would already have perfumed their beds. ers who agree with this at least in the case
This raises another, very subjective of mammals and some birds is decreasing.
question: Must perfume necessarily go They rather assume that these have a form
hand in hand with a pleasant smell? The of consciousness. Then one would have to
French word “parfum”, which we have say that animals that deliberately perfume
adopted into the German language as themselves with dirt or other substances—
“parfüm”, expresses a pleasant smell of especially one after the other at different
fragrances. I therefore suggest distinguish- places—also perfume themselves in a cer-
ing between perfume and odour applica- tain way.
 6 Chapter 1 · The Research of the Fragrance Effect

1.1.3 First Mentions of the Use Much of the beginnings of perfumery

1 and Effect of Fragrance are shrouded in darkness, as there are no or
in Ancient Times only very few written records of it. I would
like to introduce four authors here who also
and Antiquity reported on the use of fragrances as well
as perfume trends and the effects of their
The boundaries between perfume, medicine,
time: Theophrastus, Dioscorides, Pliny the
pharmacy, and religion were fluid in antiq-
Elder, and Claudius Galen.
uity. This is shown in the development and
application of fragrances and the first per-
fumes. At the beginning of perfume, per-
» Theophrastus (Theophrastos) was born
on the Greek island of Lesbos and lived
fumes were mostly a mixture of plants or around 300 BC. He was a pupil of Plato
plant parts that were either dissolved in oil, and Aristotle. With his small work De odo-
processed into perfume creams, or used as ribus (“On the smells”), which also reports
fragrant fragrances such as resins. In mod- on the production of perfumes, he gave a
ern perfume production, alcohol is usually first insight from a Western point of view
used as a carrier medium, which alone in- into perfumery. The majority of the text
fluences the fragrance effect. Alcohol evap- deals with the then more popular fragrant
orates much faster than oil and distributes “salve oils” for rubbing or anointing peo-
the fragrance faster and finer in the air. Per- ple and for the consecration of objects for
fumes based on oil or cream have develop- their use in temples. Theophrastus also in-
ment problems, especially with fresh citrus dicates the positive effect of some perfume
and flowery notes. Their top note takes a lit- oils on tumors, abscesses, headaches, and
tle longer to develop beautifully. Therefore, exhaustion.
the discovery of alcoholic perfume must Whether Theophrastus knew of earlier re-
have seemed like a small olfactory firework, ports specifically on plants and their use
especially for the scent of perfume. is not handed down. But one can assume
The alcoholic perfume was only known that Plato and Aristotle had a very exten-
to the ancient Egyptians from about 400 sive library. So what we today know as
BC. But they still held on to fragrant Papyrus Ebers could at least be known to
creams for a long time, which we today still him in content, even if this Egyptian scroll
know as so-called “solid perfumes”. They was written more than a thousand years
offered the dual function of longer lasting before Theophrastus. It contains the texts
fragrance and additional care, which the on medical topics known from the reign of
Egyptians who were conscious in this area Amenophis I. These include instructions
particularly appreciated. For perfume oint- for the preparation of remedies, for exam-
ments, they usually used ox fat as a car- ple against toothache, injuries, and para-
rier substance, for perfume oils the oil ob- sites. Furthermore, there is information on
tained from the kernels of the desert date, perfumes and (incense-) fumigations. The
since the olive oil used in other cultures was approximately 20 meter long scroll was
not available due to climatic conditions bad dated to the middle of the 16th century
for the olive tree. Only from the 10th cen- BC.
tury AD was alcohol used almost exclu- In the even older Gilgamesh Epic, written
sively in perfumery in the Orient and Af- around 2100 BC, the legendary king Ur
rica, and only from the 14th century in the (Mesopotamia) is told. He used incense to
Western cultural area, when the Crusad- probably set the gods in a pleasant mood
ers brought the knowledge from the Orient with frankincense and myrrh.
back to their homeland.
1.1 · History of the Fragrance Effect
7 1
The Egyptians also achieved true mas- have been invented in the Indian subcon-
tery in the field of olfactory stimulation. tinent long before Theophrastus. In the
They already started in the morning with 1970s, Italian archaeologist Paolo Rovesti
time-related incense. The most famous found a terracotta object in a Pakistani
Egyptian scents include the perfume con- research site that was dated 3000 BC and
sisting of many ingredients Kyphi (“Wel- was probably used for distilling fragrances.
come to the gods”), which was used at It is generally assumed that the Sumeri-
the end of the day during the evening in- ans already used a very simple vaporiza-
cense. The perfume, which is said to have tion process around 1300 BC to produce
even caused hypnotic states, was created essential oils, which they could use to in-
from frankincense,myrrh,sandalwood, and crease the fragrance effect. The time was
other natural raw materials. There were ripe for this because perfumes were al-
also variants of Kyphi for other occasions. ready being produced on a large scale by
Scents or incense were applied throughout 2000 BC. Almost every large temple had
the day in ancient Egypt. In Heliopolis, a “perfume factory” to meet the great de-
one of the oldest Egyptian cities and the mand for scents for the effect on the gods
main seat of worship of the sun god Re, and the population. The oldest perfume
incense was probably burned in the morn- factory discovered to date is in Cyprus. It
ing with resins from the frankincense tree, is estimated to be 2000 years old.
at noon with resins of the myrrh, and in There were already trading centers for the
the evening at sunset with Kyphi, to honor packaging of fragrances or for the supply
Re, but also to do good for people. Kyphi of perfume factories in antiquity, where
was supposed to calm and relieve fears, certainly techniques and information on
provide a sleeping aid for more beauti- perfume production were exchanged. The
ful dreams, relieve asthma sufferers and— trading centers included Babylon and an-
especially important in the Nile region— other location on the west coast of pres-
keep insects and pests away. Perfumes that ent-day Israel, where maritime ship-
contribute to the intensification of the ping took place mainly to Greece. Fixed
mood and even to the modulation of the trade routes that served as caravan routes
mood were therefore a matter of course as early as 1700 BC ran through the en-
even in the time of Theophrastus. tire Middle and Near East to the trading
Perhaps Theophrastus had already gained centers. Perhaps they even led to the Far
insight into Indian and Chinese thought. East, and Theophrastus had access to tra-
Probably between the 15th and 8th centu- ditional Chinese medicine as it was set out
ries BC.—possibly even earlier—the In- in the Book of the Yellow Emperorfor inter-
dian Vedas were written. They contain in- nal medicine. This work was probably pub-
formation on sandalwood,cinnamon, co- lished around the time of Theophrastus.
riander, and myrrh. This knowledge went But there are also assumptions that the
into the ayurvedic medicine and treatment, publication of individual texts could date
which developed around 500 BC and is back 2000 years.
still widespread today in India, Nepal, Theophrastus certainly knew about the
and Sri Lanka. The Vedas also contain great Persian culture of scent. The ele-
first hints of healing fire or the Agnihotra gant Damascus roses were cultivated in
ritual, which probably took place first in Persia, from where the much-praised rose
Nepal and which I will come back to later. scents came at that time. By the way, the
The ability to distill, that is, to produce intensely smelling Damascus rose was the
desired fragrances with water vapor, may medicinal plant of the year 2013. It has an
 8 Chapter 1 · The Research of the Fragrance Effect

anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and an- fee charcoal, which are obtained from the
1 tipyretic effect. seeds, that is, the beans, of coffee plants.
Perhaps Theophrastus also knew the Se- This is also confirmed by modern medi-
cond Book of Moses (Exodus, ca. 1200 cine (Langhorst et al. 2013). Currently, the
BC), which explains to the Hebrews the healing and protective effects of myrrh in
production of anointing oil for the conse- combination with frankincense (“frankin-
cration of priests, among other things. It cense”) are reported for many symptoms.
consisted of myrrh,cinnamon, and cala- In particular, anti-inflammatory and anti-
mus, mixed with olive oil. bacterial, even cancer-fighting effects are
There is ample evidence for the central mentioned (Cao et al. 2019).
role of scent in antiquity. It can also be as- In antiquity, the promised effects of
sumed that people have wanted to know myrrh as a fragrance were so great that the
more about perfumes and their effects for attraction of the sexes would even be in-
a long time. Therefore, one can assume creased to incest. In Greek mythology,
that Theophrastus’ little book De odoribus Smyrna, the Greek word for myrrh, was the
was a bestseller in his time. daughter of the king of Cyprus, who fell in
love with her father and became pregnant
In the oils of antiquity, iris and the highly
by him. As punishment, Aphrodite turned
prized myrrh, one of the oldest perfume
her into a myrrh tree at the birth of her child
ingredients, were used preferentially. The
Adonis, according to Greek legend. This
myrrh fragrance consists of the gum resin
gave people something: the original effect of
hardened in the air, which is obtained from
perfume from a tree that everyone could use
various myrrh trees by cutting the trunks
from then on to make themselves and others
and branches. Depending on the process-
more attractive. The resin of the tree goes
ing, myrrh smells as a fragrance slightly
back to a fall from grace, just like the apple,
spicy-balsamic-sweet. Myrrh resin was used
only that it is an olfactory fall from grace.
in three different ways: as perfume, for ex-
ample in creams, for incense, and as medi- » Dioscurides from the Roman province
cine. Especially mixed with wine, myrrh was of Cilicia, a region in Asia Minor, was a
both a gustatory and an olfactory pleasure Greek doctor who lived in the 1st century
in ancient cultures. AD. He is considered a pioneer of phar-
Myrrh is also mentioned in the Old and macology. Little is known about him ex-
New Testaments. Thus, in the Old Testa- cept for the text collection De materia me-
ment, there is a recipe for the production of dica. Among other things, it reports on
anointing oil. In the New Testament, myrrh the fragrance effect of plants that he got
is given to the infant Jesus by the Three to know on his travels to Egypt.De mate-
Wise Men together with gold and frank- ria medica was considered the most im-
incense. Myrrh was considered a very val- portant reference work on pharmacology
uable miracle drug with its diverse effects, for more than 1500 years and is still a his-
which was not easy to obtain for many cul- torical source of information on plants,
tures—including the Egyptians. minerals and animal substances that were
The myrrh resin was used in the treat- used as medicines in antiquity. Dioscu-
ment of wounds. As a myrrh tincture, it is rides was one of the first to call for the
still recommended today for mild inflam- separation of pharmacy from perfum-
mations of the gums and mucous mem- ery—probably also because the weak ef-
branes. When taken orally, the plant works fects of the scents of perfumes and in-
particularly well in combination with other cense could not be reconciled with the
substances such as chamomile and cof- standards of pharmacy and medicine.
1.1 · History of the Fragrance Effect
9 1
Pliny the Elder, also called Gaius Plin- earth, air, and water as the basic elements
ius Secundus, also lived in the 1st century of all being were derived mainly from a
AD and came from the region around Na- philosophical and medical point of view.
ples. He died there during the great erup- He also developed the ancient doctrine
tion of Vesuvius at the age of 56. For his of the four body fluids blood, mucus, yel-
Roman employers he was active in many low bile, and black bile further. Galen was
functions, such as scholar, officer, and skeptical of the effect of perfumes. He
civil servant. In doing so, he found time criticized above all the insufficient knowl-
to write about natural history, the use and edge of the perfumers, which was respon-
trends of perfume, and body care prod- sible for the ineffectiveness of their crea-
ucts. Through him we know today that tions. His criticism is unlikely to have re-
the Romans liked to spray rose water with ferred to the plants themselves. For the
a fragrant scent in their theaters. In this Romans even referred to their loved ones
context, he wrote that the Persians had in- as “my myrrh” or “my cinnamon”.
vented perfume. Around 800 BC, they al-
ready were the main supplier of rose oil. Even before Galen, Hippocrates, and Di-
He also explained Pliny the Elder, when oscorides doubted the therapeutic effect of
and at what distance certain plants show the fragrances mixed together by perfum-
the best scent effect and in which region ers. Galen wanted to achieve his criticism
they grow. He also reported on ancient essentially by separating the professions
perfume trends. These included the iris of perfumer and physician or pharmacist.
perfume from Corinth (Greece) and the But that took a long time. It was not until
rose perfume of the ancient Greek city of the World’s Fair of 1867 in Paris that it fi-
Phaselis, which was replaced by a quince nally happened. Perfumes were given their
blossom perfume from the Greek island own place. The perfume department, which
of Kos. The perfume trends of the Roman also included soap, was separated from the
Empire were mainly, but not exclusively, pharmacies. A separate trade part with now
from Greece. really independent profession emerged. The
One of the most famous Egyptian per- wonderful scent of soap and other products
fumes was created in the city of Mendes such as leather gloves had long since de-
in the eastern Nile delta and exported tached itself from the medical image. The
from there to Rome. The success of the customer wanted to offer pure pleasure, im-
Egyptian perfumers was in the appar- provement of quality of life, and a more at-
ently longer effect and durability of their tractive experience of everyday things. In-
perfumes. They were long superior to directly, Galen even contributed to the fact
Greek perfume production. This was due that the perfume split into the following
to the better sense of touch of the per- three sectors:
fumers for the right processing tempera- 5 Fine perfumery, in which enjoyment of
ture and the order of the ingredients, es- fragrance, attractiveness, and well-being
sential factors in the effect of their per- are in the foreground,
fumes. 5 functional perfumery, which makes
Claudius Galen lived in the 2nd century things more attractive and therefore also
AD and is considered one of the most im- makes them, and
portant physicians of antiquity. He came 5 aromatherapy, which adheres to the bor-
from Pergamon, an ancient Greek city in der area of medicine and pharmacy
today’s Turkey. Galen loved the number and wants to contribute to the allevia-
four, from which various concepts such tion of diseases and the improvement of
as the doctrine of the elements with fire, well-being.
 10 Chapter 1 · The Research of the Fragrance Effect

Later, I will discuss how these three areas portant. The pistachio, which was proba-
1 are increasingly overlapping. This is also bly called “snfr”, grew on the east and west
due to groundbreaking findings from new banks of the Nile.
methods of brain and smell research as well For example, fragrances of Frankin-
as changed expectations of consumers of cense and Myrrh had to be imported from
perfumes. the mythical land of Punt with great effort.
To this day, it is not certain whether it was
located on the Horn of Africa, in Zimba-
1.1.4 The Scent of the Blue Lotus bwe or in the Orient, today’s Yemen. The
Or: The Divine Perfume most precious fragrance was frankincense—
from the Primeval Waters not least because the tree refused to grow in
Egypt despite the pharaoh’s efforts. Accord-
Today, the most is known about the use ing to sources from other cultures of antiq-
of fragrances in ancient Egypt. They are uity, the gods were said to be particularly
usually based on archaeological finds fond of the smell of frankincense smoke.
and knowledge. However, these only al- Depending on the type and prepara-
low partly and mostly indirect, cautious tion, Frankincense smells quite complex:
statements about the use and effect of fra- as an essential oil balsamic-spicy and even
grances. Names of fragrances that were slightly lemon-like with a coniferous under-
found on pictorial and written tablets or tone; as an incense balsamic-woody with a
drawings are still unsecured, as they may subtle lemon note.
also refer to another fragrance. Also, the The myrrh bush from the family of bal-
assumed frequent use of individual fra- sam plants was the most attractive for the
grances could not always be confirmed by people of that time. From it one obtained an
corresponding finds. aphrodisiac, which was used in different fra-
An example of a possible case of mis- grance types. The effective resin was so pop-
taken identity is Myrrh (Commiphora). ular that as early as 1500 BC. in Zimbabwe
Today—4000 years later—it is assumed Myrrh terraces, today known as Nyanga ter-
that this anti-inflammatory and sensual race complex, were created. The large-scale
stimulating plant or its resin used for in- cultivation of the trees obviously served the
cense in Egypt was called “ ntyw”. How- export of their resins (Duffey 2005).
ever, egyptologists are not quite sure about The fascination and need for perfume
this. The term could also refer to Frank- seemed to be present from the beginning in
incense (Boswellia sacra), which was used the general population. In addition to Ky-
more often in ancient times to worship the phi, frankincense, myrrh, and pistachio, the
gods and is now said to have tumor-dissolv- favorite scent of the Egyptians was the scent
ing properties in cancer cells (Suhail et al. of the blue lotus, which smells the most in-
2011). The term “ntyw” could have referred tense of all lotus species and symbolized re-
to pistachio (Pistacia lentiscus) in ancient birth. Already the perfumers of that time
Egypt, which is often used as a fragrance tried to capture the scent in numerous crea-
ingredient and for incense. Its essential oil tions. It smells fresh and green on the plant,
has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and somewhat spicy, with a sweet-balsamic un-
antioxidant effects. The term “ntyw” could dertone. Blue Lotus also burned well and
also generally refer to the most luxurious diffused a unique green-spicy smell when
and fragrant as well as the hardest to ob- smoked. The flower was often served and
tain imported resins or fragrances, of which decorated at parties and banquets to create
frankincense and myrrh were the most im- a special olfactory experience (Byl 2012).
1.1 · History of the Fragrance Effect
11 1
In the morning, Blue Lotus smells particu- Buddhism between 500 and 600 AD, the
larly good. It was also the favorite plant of smoking of incense came to the island—a
Nefertem, the protective god of perfume, to custom that had been adopted from the
which it was dedicated. According to Egyp- Chinese. In old Japan, special smoking
tian mythology, the flower of the blue lotus vessels were created and their own cere-
emerged from the primeval waters with the mony developed. To this day, the ceremo-
perfume god sitting on it. nial smelling from a smoking cup is prac-
So even long before the “blue flower” ticed with eight to ten guests. The fra-
of Romanticism was known in our cultural grance vessel is placed on the left palm at
circle, the birth of the blue lotus flower con- chest height, lightly covered with the right
tributed to the romanticization and mystifi- hand and passed on to the next person in a
cation of the olfactory. clockwise direction after two to three inha-
In general, people in antiquity were fas- lations. In total, four to six different smokes
cinated by the mystical-romantic effect and are smelled. During each pass, the partici-
aura of scents. They offered a counterweight pants note what they smell and how they
to the assessment of scents oriented purely experience the effect of the fragrance. In
on medical points of view. This metaphysi- the 16th century AD, a Zen monk named
cal consideration gave perfumery something ten inspiring virtues that should guide the
supernatural and shrouded in mystery from smoking. They are still valid today and will
the very beginning, which still surrounds it be described by me later.
today. The production of scent and its ef- The Bronze Age Indus culture in the
fects were also far more than just an extrac- northwest of the Indian subcontinent used
tion process in many other cultures. For ex- specially made vessels for the burning of
ample, Chinese Taoists believed as early as fragrance around 2000 BC. These were
the 4th century BC that the extraction of called burners, which were probably known
the scent of a plant represents the liberation from Mesopotamia, the Near East and per-
of its soul and that this effect is expressed in haps also from Egypt. Before the develop-
six moods: noble, luxurious, beautiful, quiet, ment of their own devices for smoking in-
withdrawn, and sophisticated. cense, natural burners such as the mineral
Sensual scent was also associated with meerschaum were used, which tobacco lov-
function. An example of this is the Chi- ers still know from meerschaum pipes.
nese incense clock. Time could take on the Early on, national and regional fra-
form of a scent with this clock, which al- grance mentality developed. This is also
most spatialized it. A cartridge filled with evident in techniques and equipment for
ground incense released scent at certain smoking such as the pans and plates com-
times. Scent effect thus also became part of mon in Egypt. They were initially made of
the experience of time. stone, later, between the 5th and 4th millen-
nia BC, of clay. From these pans, the pro-
duction of metal vessels made of gold and
1.1.5 The Art of Smoking—On bronze later developed, later also of iron,
on which the smoking mixture was placed.
the Meditative and Artistic
In some cases, especially in ancient Egypt,
Effect of Scent these were partly small works of art with
which the fragrance effect of the smoking
In Japan, the most sensual and artistic became a very private experience and en-
use of fragrance was developed as part of joyment. In the reports of the German Ar-
smoking rituals. With the introduction of chaeological Institute, Department Cairo,
 12 Chapter 1 · The Research of the Fragrance Effect

the discovery of a particularly beautiful increase their effect. This required special
1 find from 1914 in a temple was reported knowledge of how individual fragrance in-
in 1978. In the bronze bowl at the end of a gredients release their delicious smell under
carved smoking arm, small smoking pas- heat and with which materials this process
tilles were burned on charcoal. Similarly could be optimally influenced. It was im-
beautifully designed smoking arms from portant that the incense work was initially
the period 1500–1200 BC were also found. heated up controlled at low temperature,
In ancient Arabia, the smoking bowls so that the aroma of each incense could de-
were preferably made of gold or silver, in velop fully. For this purpose, incense ash
Africa of meerschaum, while large, no- is still filled as a substrate into the incense
ble shells were used in Central and South burner and a piece of incense coal is lit on
America. it. The glowing coal is pressed into the ash
Back to the Japanese art of incense and covered like a cone. With the help of a
burning. It took some time for the incense metal rod, an air hole about one centimeter
burning culture to come to Japan and for deep is pushed into the center of the cone to
incense burners to be developed for smell- the coal. The content of the incense burner
ing. But then an equally fascinating and ex- then looks optically like a mini volcano. A
tremely artistic incense trend took place. mother-of-pearl or ceramic disc of about
While incense was initially used exclusively two centimeters in diameter with valua-
for sacred purposes, it was discovered by ble aromatics is placed on it, which are pro-
Japanese nobles at the imperial court in tected in the incense burner from burning
Kyoto for regular scent games around the too quickly and thus have a longer effect.
8th century AD. On the one hand, it was After the ritual is finished, an incense
about recognizing individual incense scents burner can still be used. Sticks of incense
by their smell, on the other hand it was also placed inside stand upright and firm. They
about creating pleasant smelling fragrance are popular again today because of their
mixtures. These were assigned to seasons, ability to cleanse a room and smell pro-
but also to themes from literature, painting, tective. In contrast to incense burners, the
and architecture. smell of incense sticks after burning in a
Incense was also burned with var- room actually gets better, complementing
ious other ingredients for coordinated the scent presentation and prolonging the
dance rituals—in the 16th century AD as scent effect.
a sophisticated incense ceremony known Many incense stick lovers report that
as “Koh-D ”, which means “the way to they stimulate the senses and make one feel
listen to the scent” (Koh = scent, D = more grounded and receptive. Similar to the
way). During the following centuries, the incense burning that dates back to ancient
art of fragrance and the handling of in- times and was also used as a means against
cense burners were perfected. New fra- evil, incense sticks offer a special effect to
grances were also added. Even today, this modern city dwellers: one feels good about
ritual is carried out by Koh-D masters ac- what one smells and sees. Incense sticks be-
cording to strict rules. An incense burner is come a sort of countermeasure to environ-
passed around in the circle. The guests “lis- mental pollution, which comes with living
ten to the scent” and try to identify the re- in the city and inevitably enters homes from
spective scents as mixtures of resins, herbs, the outside. For this reason, incense sticks
and woods in traditional fragrance variants have also evolved in recent years. They not
with agarwood or oud while burning. only smell like powerful patchouli, but also
The art of incense included the slow and like green notes that remind one of the
even burning of the fragrance ingredients to scent of a cedar forest, and like delicate,
1.1 · History of the Fragrance Effect
13 1
high-quality frankincense notes. It is no co- bly first practiced in Nepal. In this incense
incidence that there are now Koh-D rituals burning, ghee, a product similar to clarified
as incense sticks, such as those of Koh-D butter, is burned together with other fra-
master Keijirou Hayashi, who today leads grance ingredients such as cow dung and
“Hayashi Ryushodo”, a 186-year-old busi- rice at every sunrise and sunset in the fire of
ness in Kyoto that packages the incense a pyramidal copper vessel. Over the centu-
sticks in a minimalist white box. ries, more and more ayurvedic incense mix-
An unknown Zen monk described the tures have been created.
“Ten Virtues of Koh” in the 16th/17th cen- Traditionally, the fragrance effect is ex-
tury AD, to which incense burning and its plained with the fact that nature is in a
effects still orient themselves today. Koh, state of complete balance of forces at sun-
the incense, rise and sunset. These times were consid-
5 connects with the transcendent and thus ered the best for cleansing and building en-
provides access to a world that lies be- ergies. Traditional main goals of the fra-
yond normal sensory perception; grance effects are still today psychological
5 supports the cleansing of body, mind, and spiritual regeneration, combined with a
and soul; harmonization of body, soul and spirit. The
5 eliminates negativity and has a cleansing fragrance effect is supported by chanted
effect on the environment; mantras, sacred syllables, words or verses
5 promotes and strengthens mindfulness; that are tuned to the vibration ratios of
5 is a companion in times of loneliness or sunrise and sunset.
loneliness;
5 brings peace and tranquility to the
everyday hustle and bustle; 1.1.6 Healing Fragrance
5 never gets tired and bored, even if it is Magic—From Medical
used a lot;
and Physiotherapeutic
5 also promotes satisfaction in small
quantities; Fragrance Applications
5 even after long storage does not lose its to Divination and Spiritual
effect; Seances
5 even with daily use does not damage.
Already in early times, fragrance was used
So the art of Koh-D is mainly about con- in connection with medical treatment and
sciously and meditatively immersing one- prevention. From this developed a real
self in the present, in the here and now, herbal medicine with fragrances. So in an-
through the sense of smell. As a form of cient times fragrance enjoyed great popu-
Zens, it trains mental vigilance that should larity as medicine. Already thousands of
lead to enlightenment. years before the current movement of aro-
However, this type of incense should matherapy came about, essential oils and
not be abused. Not only smoking, but also fragrances were used to treat various phys-
excessive inhalation of incense can damage ical symptoms and diseases, especially for
health. Nevertheless, the Japanese enjoy the pain. In numerous ancient cultures there
highest life expectancy in the world—even are predecessors of aromatherapy, as we
though their country is still the main mar- know it today. They were based on the con-
ket for incense. scious and deliberately used medical effect
As already mentioned, the Vedas also of fragrances. In China, numerous writings
contain first indications of healing fire or were published on this topic. In the 15/16th
of the Agnihotra ritual, which was proba- century the Chinese Materia Medica ap-
 14 Chapter 1 · The Research of the Fragrance Effect

peared. It lists—like the work of Dioscu- cause of the long trade routes. They were
1 rides—among other things all plants from used for enjoyable incense, especially in
which one assumed medical properties. In a temples, while other types served the needs
separate section on essential oils, the cham- of wealthy people. As the most effective
omile is mentioned, which is said to relieve frankincense for medical purposes, Boswel-
headaches. Jasmine is described as a general lia serrata is still one of the oldest and most
tonic and ginger-scented oil is praised as a respected medicinal plants in Ayurveda.
remedy for malaria. According to a legend, an elephant made
The African climate promoted the an Indian prince suffering from arthri-
use of fragrant oils early on as protection tis and rheumatism aware of this frankin-
against sun and dehydration as well as for cense—which is not too surprising, after
the faster healing of grazes and small skin all, elephants represent wisdom and longev-
injuries. Although, for example, in Egypt ity in India. Boswellia serrata seems to have
people liked to cleanse themselves, suffi- helped the prince—and apparently also the
cient hygiene was often difficult. pachyderm.
In the first strongholds of the perfume Another reason for the popular smok-
industry, one was particularly exposed to ing was the medical or health concerns of
the often hot and dry climate, to fine sand a wide population in relation to the bad air,
and dust, which could also lead to prob- which was considered a carrier of disease.
lems with the respiratory tract. For this Also, bad air was seen as unworthy of the
reason, people in Africa, the Orient and gods and therefore tried to disguise stench
Asia have long appreciated the aromatic with fragrance. Not only in Mesopotamia,
and cleansing effect of fragrances—if they one of the birthplaces of perfumery, but
could afford them. This is also confirmed also the olfactory accompaniments of dis-
by excavations in Tayma, an oasis inhabited eases were interpreted as signs of the posses-
as early as 3000 BC at the old frankincense sion of demons and evil spirits. They tried
route in today’s Saudi Arabia. Areas such to exorcise them with counter-smell or with
as temples, houses, public buildings and smell-supported conjurations and exorcistic
graves were perfumed in different ways for rituals.
cleansing and, of course, for spiritual effect. In Europe, smoking was used for disin-
The frankincense, also called “scent of fection, especially of the air in sickrooms,
the gods”, was considered an absolute lux- especially during the plague. For this pur-
ury perfume. There are different variants in pose, one also used frankincense and
terms of smell or more than 25 types. These myrrh, but mostly cheaper fragrances such
include as mugwort, pine resin, linden, camphor,
5 the black variant, the Borena frankin- pine, lavender,rosemary, thyme and juniper.
cense or black frankincense from Ethio- Fragrance was also used for spiritual
pia, Zimbabwe, or Kenya with an earthy stimulation and the support of visions, for
and sweet smell, example when divining—and apparently
5 the Olibanum Eritrea from—as the not entirely unsuccessful. In order to fall
name suggests—from Eritrea and Sudan into a trance, for example, the oracle priest-
with a sweet, honey-like and spicy smell, esses of Delphi sat on smoldering laurel
5 the green-white variant from Oman with leaf fumes. The fragrant smoke was fed to
a slightly aromatic-lemon and balsam- them through holes in the ground and sur-
ic-minty smell. rounded them magically.
Fragrance could also become a me-
These variants were among the most expen- dium for extrasensory perception, for ex-
sive for the Egyptians in antiquity—just be- ample when contacting the dead—for ex-
1.1 · History of the Fragrance Effect
15 1
ample when, with the help of perfume, the calming effect of the plant additionally pro-
aura was amplified and the effect and suc- vided deep relaxation.
cess of the sessions with their extrasensory Also in Central America, the Ma-
perceptions were increased. Spiritualist se- yas knew the sweat lodge and its applica-
ances reached their peak in the 19th cen- tions. Archaeological finds of the Univer-
tury. This also included olfactory neuro- sity of Boston under the direction of Nor-
ses and olfactory hallucinations or phan- mann Hammond have already proven these
tom smells, which I will discuss later. But facilities for the time from 900 BC—that is,
also fragrances such as scented candles, pil- before the founding of Rome and thus be-
lows or incense sticks as well as complete fore the beginning of the Roman bathing
smoking rituals were popular not only dur- culture. As later in the artful Roman baths,
ing seances themselves, but also at all kinds Maya groups with up to twelve sauna guests
of spiritualist meetings—and not only dur- could enjoy the treatments at the same time.
ing the Victorian era. They have always On the entire American continent,
been part of spiritual technique and served sweetgrass—also called fragrant meadow
the decoration and equipment at the re- grass or vanilla grass (Hierochloe odorata),
spective meetings. In addition, there were which actually smells like the spice of the
purely spiritual fragrance seances, in which same name—was the favorite therapy scent
the effect of the seance was to be increased of the natives. To achieve an optimal ef-
by the use of perfume. Also, the discover- fect, the plant was pressed and smeared in
ers of America reported on smoking rituals bundles on the body. Woven into a wreath,
of the indigenous population, which aimed it was worn during smoking. Its enjoyable
at conjurations with psychophysical, but scent served as a mood enhancer for all age
also purely medical effects. Fragrance oils groups in case of depressive moods. In ad-
were used by the natives mainly for thera- dition, vanilla grass was the accompanying
peutic purposes. For this purpose, one re- scent of medical and religious rituals.
lied on the combination of fragrance and For example, the smoke treatment with
heat, as one knows it from the sauna infu- coneflower (Echinacea) had proven to be ef-
sion with eucalyptus fragrance. For exam- fective for headaches. The aromatic plant
ple, the Aztecs treated injuries with wraps was also rubbed to promote wound healing.
and massages with fragrant ointments in The slightly sour and, for many, somewhat
sweat lodges, called Temazcalli. unpleasant smell probably supported the
The Inkas preferred a type of gel with assumption that medicine must taste bit-
valerian scent for massages, which was ter—and also smell.
thickened with other herbs and seaweed. When looking at European antiquity,
We would today call this a kind of thalas- one notices that scents were not limited to a
sotherapy with soothing detoxification by single effect. Apparently, a special perfume
algae. Apparently, the Inkas already knew handed down was able to combine different
that seaweed has a very positive effect on effects particularly well. This was the leg-
the body, especially on the immune system. endary Megaleion, created by the perfumer
With their many valuable vitamins, miner- Megallus from Sicily or Greece. The scent
als and trace elements, the algae acted like a consisted of, among other things, burned
kind of fountain of youth, which the Span- resin, cinnamon, and myrrh and scored
ish conquerors hoped to find in the New with a real double benefit: On the one
World, of course. The effect was strength- hand, it smelled very good, on the other
ened by a therapy with valerian, which was hand, it relieved tension and was popular in
supported by the scent. The sedative and the treatment of wounds and inflammation.
 16 Chapter 1 · The Research of the Fragrance Effect

All in all a small, fragrant all-round mira- 5 for mixing with other substances with a
1 cle cure. view to creation,
Much of the scent effects in antiquity 5 for the fragrance of objects, areas,
are still shrouded in darkness. Nevertheless, plants, animals, and humans,
I join the opinion of the many who have 5 for intensifying and changing conscious-
published on this subject with all caution: ness, self-experience, emotions, and
mood,
> Fragrances in antiquity knew various 5 for the acquisition of aura, attention,
medically oriented application areas, attractiveness, attraction, and beauty,
which revolved around the following ar- 5 for occasions and festivals, seasons,
eas and symptoms, among others: head- weekdays, days, and times,
aches, pain, asthma, and other respira- 5 to influence and acquire others or to en-
tory problems, stress, restlessness, lack chant someone and to be loved more,
of drive, eczema, insomnia, depressive 5 for pleasure, love, sensual pleasure, to
moods, rheumatism, infections, and par- bewitch, pamper, and seduce,
ticularly disinfectant effects. 5 for luck, as a bringer of salvation,
5 out of habit and tradition,
Early on, there were also areas of appli- 5 as a gift, reward, and surprise,
cation for oils and fragrances. They were 5 as a luxury, wealth and gain, for individ-
mainly focused on psychological, socio-cul- ual enrichment, for waste, and fascina-
tural, and aesthetic reasons and motives, tion,
but partly overlapped with medical ones. 5 to be fashionable and trendy,
They all still drive modern perfumery to- 5 for the creation and design of art, aes-
day. The desired fragrance effects have thetics, and beauty,
hardly changed over the millennia—even 5 for feeling good, for satisfaction, for re-
if they are now sometimes referred to and laxation, for sensuality, inner peace, har-
weighted differently. mony, mindfulness, spirituality, inner
I recommend the following book by strength, transformation, self-discovery,
Jonathan Reinarz to anyone interested in and imagination,
perfume history—especially its develop- 5 for the acquisition of creativity, inspira-
ment from the Middle Ages and the Renais- tion, concentration, and intelligence,
sance, that is, from the 15th century to the 5 for motivation, invigoration, stimula-
recent present: Past Scents, Historical Per- tion, acquisition of energy, for produc-
spectives on Smell (Reinarz 2014). Reinarz tivity, and new beginning,
is Director of the Department of the His- 5 for delimitation, affiliation, and identifi-
tory of Medicine at the University of Bir- cation,
mingham in the UK. 5 for generating envy and curiosity,
Here is a list of fragrance effects or rea- 5 for disinfection, protection, defense, and
sons for fragrance, as we typically know them expulsion,
from the past and present of perfumery: 5 to pacify needs and addiction,
5 for intoxication, for homage, for sacrifi- 5 for mourning and funeral care,
cial gifts, for thanksgiving, for religious 5 for the care and wellness of mind, body,
ceremonies, and rituals, and soul,
5 to express personality in terms of status 5 to cover up stink and body odor,
and power, to emphasize, control, and 5 as an aphrodisiac to invigorate and in-
also to self-elevation, crease libido, desire, and appetite.
5 for memory and nostalgia,
5 for flavoring and seasoning,
1.2 · Scent Effect in Modern Times
17 1
5 increasing sensuality, e.g. by sandal-
wood notes.

What particularly furthered the research

into the effects of scent and smell, or their
potential possibilities, was the beginning of
systematic interdisciplinary cooperation.
In this context, in particular, findings from
the fields of perfume, medicine, pharmacy,
chemistry, neurobiology, physics, sociology,
psychology, economics, neuromarketing,
and consumer neuroscience were shared.
They were all fertilized by discoveries in ol-
factory brain research.
This type of research was based mainly
on EEG studies in its early stages. In gen-
eral, voltage fluctuations, i.e. potential dif-
ferences, so-called evoked potentials, were
measured at the surface of the head. They
provide information about the activity of
nerve cells in a certain area of the brain, for
example in response to olfactory stimuli. In
other words, the observed olfactory evoked
potentials were evaluated as electrical re-
sponses of the cortex to olfactory stim-
uli. For this purpose, a person must be re-
1.2 Scent Effect in Modern Times peatedly exposed to olfactory stimuli under
controlled conditions, such as a certain way
of breathing.
1.2.1 Beginning of the Research As early as 1875, the English doctor and
of the Scent Effect physiologist Richard Caton discovered that
electrical activity could be seen on the cor-
There is no agreement on when exactly the tex. The first studies on humans took place
research of the scent effect began in mod- at the University of Jena from 1924. It took
ern times. It may coincide with the first almost another 40 years before the field of
smell studies in the second half of the 20th olfactory research was able to develop an
century under the use of the electroenceph- appropriate derivation technique for olfac-
alogram (EEG). Four areas were of par- tory evoked potentials using EEG in 1966.
ticular interest to the scientific confirmation In addition, a special device had to be de-
of the scent effect also in view of the prac- veloped for the systematic presentation of
tice of perfumery: olfactory stimuli, which made it possible to
5 more relaxation, i.e. relaxation, e.g. by measure exactly by means of a controlled
lavender, presentation of odorous air.
5 gaining energy and productivity, e.g. by At the beginning of the 1970s, the first
citrus notes, measuring systems of this type, later called
5 experiencing reward and pleasure, e.g. olfactometers, were used in smell research.
by chocolate notes,
 18 Chapter 1 · The Research of the Fragrance Effect

With the olfactometer it was now possi- This corresponds to the current state of
1 ble to controlledly give smelling test per- research, which has crystallized over the
sons fragrance substances in different con- years. Later I will also present various ex-
centrations. In the next 40 years, the olfac- amples of the effect of scent. Just so much:
tometer was then further developed into a Thanks to the available studies, ancient ap-
flow olfactometer which is controlled by a plications can be very well understood.
PC. Fragrance stimuli are given in a cer- In this context, for example, the originally
tain concentration and duration with con- from India used remedy sandalwood can be
stant humidity and temperature in a con- mentioned.
stant air stream (Moessnang and Freiherr
2013). In this way it can be investigated
whether, for example, a fragrance stimu- 1.2.2 Neuroparfümerie Causes
lus that is no longer consciously perceived a Breakthrough in Fragrance
nevertheless shows brain activation. So the
question is whether and how unconsciously
Effect Research
smelled can influence. The first registration
The real breakthrough to insights that hint
of potentials caused by smell in the 1960s
at the potential and future of fragrance and
was based on work from the years 1935 and
odor effect took place during the past years
1949 (Fischer 2015).
through methods of neurobiology or the
In the 1980s, EEG studies led to the
so-called young neuroperfumery—brain re-
first really exciting smell findings. It was
search in relation to perfumery. This allows
found, for example, that right-handers have
for contrast-rich insights into the brain or
a higher sensitivity to olfactory stimuli—
its individual regions and networks through
provided they are presented on the right
non-invasive imaging or neuroimaging
side of the nose. Left-handers, on the other
methods using so-called functional mag-
hand, are more receptive to stimuli on the
netic resonance imaging, abbreviated fMRT
left side of the nose. Also—as one would
or fMRI (English “functional magnetic res-
expect—fragrance concentration and fra-
onance imaging”). It shows how, for exam-
grance stimulus duration have a significant
ple, brain areas and networks of the lim-
effect on EEG activity. Therefore, it is not
bic system, the center for emotions, can be
yet certain whether fragrance substances in
specifically stimulated by different scents
different concentrations show the same or
and fragrance directions. In addition, in-
at least similar effects during longer EEG
direct conclusions can be drawn about the
recordings.
emotional and cognitive effects of individ-
In the years after the first interesting
ual odors or perfumes—provided that the
smell findings, there was a veritable explo-
smelling people share them with or show
sion of studies dealing with the effects of
them in their behavior.
various fragrance substances on the brain,
Although numerous current research re-
despite open application questions. Al-
sults are not or not yet released by industry,
though these studies differ in their method-
there are now neuroimaging maps. They
ology and, from today’s point of view, have
show olfactory networks in connection
deficiencies in their design, they neverthe-
with the scent effect and are constantly be-
less came to a common conclusion:
ing further developed. They not only allow
the enjoyable effect of scents such as choco-
> Fragrance substances can act directly and/
late and vanilla to be recognized. They also
or indirectly and influence the psycholog-
show in which brain regions they are ex-
ical and physiological conditions of hu-
pected to be perceived.
mans (Sowndhararajan and Kim 2016).
1.2 · Scent Effect in Modern Times
19 1
And it gets even better: These neuroim- also because the hypothalamus and its net-
aging maps even allow olfactory functions work, as I will show shortly, have their own
to be compared in diseases and thus to ex- preferences for scents.
pand the possibilities of early detection. The Dopamine transmission is involved
Therefore, current research and medical in essential aspects of lust-related percep-
practice are interested in developing exam- tion. This is how the individual reward,
ination techniques that allow for a “brain pleasure, and addiction centers are wait-
fingerprint” comparison and assessment of ing for stimulation—also olfactory. The
health and disease based on refined olfac- favorite scents of this system are choco-
tory (Fjaeldstad et al. 2017). This can con- late scents, followed by Vanilla and cinna-
trol whether a fragrance works or does not mon scents. Above all, it must smell sweet.
work in certain brain regions and leaves no But the system is not very choosy when it
traces. This could give an indication of how comes to craving sweets or craving sweets.
far, for example, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, The main thing is that it smells edible. In
or other diseases may have progressed in the perfume industry, it is the fragrance
a person. The following finding is increas- of the gourmand notes that smell like de-
ingly gaining ground: licious desserts and fit exactly into the re-
quirements profile of the dopaminergic sys-
> Scents do not only address specific re- tem. They can even be addictive, as we will
gions in the brain, they stimulate whole see later.
networks that often run through very dif- Before we go into further findings of ol-
ferent and widely separated areas of the factory pleasure perception, here are some
brain. This also means: one must analyze background information on the research of
a fragrance effect in its entire neuronal smelling and scents.
entanglement.
z Centers of Excellence and the Mecca of
In the following, I will explain using a first Fragrance Research
example what has been discovered in terms At the Technical University Dresden, one
of hedonic effect in the brain using neuro- of the strongholds of odor research, the
imaging, which network is involved and topic of scent effect and gustatory percep-
which possibilities for new fragrance crea- tion has been pursued for decades. Here,
tions arise from this. various figures of the perfume industry, in-
The Hypothalamus plays a significant cluding the flavor chemist and researcher
role in the experience and “wanting” of en- Günther Ohloff (1924–2005), studied. He
joying a scent. Its network not only con- led the research group of the Geneva com-
trols hunger and thirst, as well as sexual de- pany Firmenich, today one of the world’s
sire, but also has reward, pleasure, and ad- largest flavor manufacturers. Ohloff’s sci-
diction centers. These are the nodes of the entific work comprises 228 publications, in
richly interconnected dopaminergic sys- addition to 111 patents. He also suggested
tem. Dopamine—commonly known as the theories about the effect of flavors on hu-
“happiness hormone”—is a messenger sub- man emotions and social behavior. His
stance or neurotransmitter that transmits book Flavors and Olfactory Sense. The Mo-
excitement from one nerve cell to another. lecular World of Scents, published in 1990,
It plays a central role in increasing motiva- is considered the standard work of flavor
tion and motivation in the sense of “want- chemistry. It has since been revised by other
ing something”, even the enjoyment of a scientists and is available under the title
scent, even if the “wanting” does not neces- Scent and Chemistry—The Molecular World
sarily have to be equated with pleasure yet, of Odors (Ohloff 1992). Ohloff also wrote a
 20 Chapter 1 · The Research of the Fragrance Effect

much-noticed book on the cultural history (Hatt and Dee 2012) by Hanns Hatt is now
1 of flavors (Ohloff et al. 2012). a classic for all those who are interested in
Overall, the eastern part of Germany smelling and how it works.
has long held a leading position in scent The Mecca of fragrance research, the
or flavor production. The Saxon chemi- Monell Chemical Senses Center, is located
cal company Schimmel & Co. was at times in the American city of Philadelphia. Here,
the world market leader in flavor produc- scientists from numerous disciplines work
tion. Not until almost half a century later, together. The focus is on understanding the
in 1874, did the flavor manufacturer Haar- basic mechanisms and functions of taste
mann & Reimer emerge in western Ger- and smell. The institute is rather medically
many, from which the world company Sym- oriented and investigates what the senses of
rise later developed. humans say about health and illness. In ad-
Scent or flavor manufacturer—the terms dition, the center offers seminars that can
are used synonymously—usually deliver be attended by anyone. In the spring of
finished fragrance oils as ingredients for 2020, for example, events on the topic “The
perfumes. These are marketed by perfume COVID-19 Nose” took place. Early on, re-
houses such as Guerlain,Chanel,Armani,- searchers at the Monell Institute as well as
Gucci, or Hugo Boss under their name or the international fragrance research com-
as a license. One of the first perfume houses munity observed that Covid-19 is accom-
in Germany was founded by Johann Ma- panied by a partial loss of smell and taste.
ria Farina (1685–1766). In 1709 he brought Other centers of fragrance research are,
an Eau de Cologne of the same name to the for example, the UFCST (University of
market in Cologne. For the sake of com- Florida Center for Smell and Taste) or the
pleteness, however, it should be mentioned CSGA (Centre des Sciences du Goût et de
that it is not the most durable fragrance l’Alimentation) in the French city of Dijon.
product ever launched. As early as the 14th Back to the smell & taste study con-
century, the Queen of Hungary “brought ducted at the Smell & Taste Clinic, De-
Aqua Reginae Hungariae” or—as the fra- partment of Otorhinolaryngology at the
grance was also called—“Hungarian Wa- Technical University of Dresden. The ti-
ter” to the market. For 400 years—until the tle of the study was: “Food-related smells
loss of its recipe—the fragrance dominated activate dopaminergic brain regions” (So-
the market and is still the longest-selling rokowska et al. 2017). It was found that
perfume of all time. This record could be pleasure smells or the above-mentioned
broken by Cologne by Farina, now called food smells like chocolate,vanilla, and cin-
“Farina 1709”, in 2109. namon create a significantly higher acti-
Another German hub of fragrance re- vation of certain network regions than
search is located at the Ruhr-Universität non-edible smells, such as those of flow-
Bochum. Here, the fragrance researcher ers. An interesting phenomenon was ob-
and cell physiologist Hanns Hatt, a grad- served in the exclusively right-handed test
uate in biology, chemistry, and medicine, subjects, which had already been reported
worked with an interdisciplinary team. Hatt in other studies: The smell effect was par-
was the first to discover that olfactory re- ticularly pronounced, but not exclusively,
ceptors also have an important function in network regions belonging to the right
in cells outside the nose. They control cell hemisphere responsible for face recogni-
growth, hormone regulation, and the re- tion. Pleasantly smelling odors have a cor-
lease of messenger substances in the body. responding effect on the evaluation of
In addition, the popular science work Das faces. They can gain attractiveness through
kleine Buch vom Riechen und Schmecken scent—and vice versa.
1.2 · Scent Effect in Modern Times
21 1
In contrast, the left hemisphere with its It is also involved in the perception
dominance in speech production seems to of pain—especially with its right side,
react only partially to the effect of scents which assesses the perceived pain. In ad-
and to contribute relatively less to the ex- dition, it plays a major role as one of
perience of scent than the right hemisphere. the addiction centers. Nature does not
This is also understandable for another rea- seem to be averse to creating a certain
son: Smelling, as we often experience it, addiction to sweet, edible aromas on an
quickly makes us speechless, or we lack ad- unconscious level. This may be to pre-
equate expressions to describe the scent— vent a deficiency of nutrients, or to en-
probably also because we do not have our sure that babies always like the taste of
own language of scent in our culture that is breast milk. The insula is also the brain
not derived from other senses. This means region most affected by negative exter-
that one could postulate that the left hem- nal stimuli. This may also explain why
isphere, at least for many of us, was and is it seeks sweet, edible fragrances to be
less challenged in olfactory perception or pampered by them.
in olfactory socialization, where one learns 5 … the Putamen located at the base of
the meaning of smells and scents already in the brain (right). It belongs to the so-
early childhood. called Striatum and is part of the Ba-
sal Ganglia. The Putamen also has vari-
ous functions, for example in the control
1.2.3 A First Look at the Effect of movement sequences and in learn-
of Scents on Specific Regions ing. For olfactory research, it is inter-
of the Brain esting that the Putamen belongs to the
dopaminergic system and plays a role in
A closer look at the brain hemispheres re- the reward or motivation for and striv-
veals specific regions and networks to ing for rewards. A low activation of the
which the sweet, edible pleasure scents men- Putamen is therefore associated with a
tioned in the study by Sorokowska (2017) lower feeling of reward. Wanting less
above work. These include scents that work and achieving less leads to feeling less
on … good. This could be demonstrated in
5 … the anterior zingular Kortex, also children and adolescents suffering from
called “anterior cingulate cortex” or chronic fatigue syndrome (“childhood
ACC. The effect could be observed on chronic fatigue syndrome”—CCFS)
both sides of the hemispheres, left as (Mizuno et al. 2016). In adults, this dis-
well as right. The ACC is an area of the ease is known as CFS.
cerebral cortex and is attributed to the
emotion center. This region and its net- With severe fatigue, which usually begins
work are, among other things, involved with a loss of drive, activities that require
in the perception of pain. It is already relatively little physical and mental effort,
known for a while that sweet smells in- such as cooking or shopping, can become
crease the tolerance to pain. The pain, a torture. Sweet, edible fragrances stimulate
which can also be a soul pain, is not the putamen, which is usually accompa-
necessarily reduced by the sweet, edible nied by a dopamine release. This could al-
fragrances, but it is easier to bear. ready be shown for other brain regions such
5 … the Insula (right). As one of the five as the amygdala. Something nice to smell
cerebral lobes, it is involved in the veg- is accompanied by a corresponding feel-
etative nervous system and initially pro- ing. Or, as it is called in popular language:
cesses unconscious body sensations. scents can make you happy.
 22 Chapter 1 · The Research of the Fragrance Effect

The results of the study mentioned effect on the brain. Nature is particularly
1 above suggest that scents can intervene in interested in its preservation and wants to
the reward and drive system. This does not protect us from poisonous or harmful sub-
mean that CCFS or CFS can be cured in stances. The brain has a special interest in
this way. But a certain positive effect on the remembering everything that smells bad,
associated neuronal reward and drive sys- harmful, stinking, or nauseating, but also
tem can be shown with this type of scent— forbidden, and reacting to it reflexively,
especially when you are hungry or crave because it endangers our well-being. The
sweets. sense of smell is supported by the trigemi-
nal nerve, which reacts to stinging, burning,
biting, and sharp sensations in the nose and
1.2.4 A First Look at the Future mouth, through which we also smell. Ac-
of Fragrance cordingly, there is brain activity with such
substances, namely in such a way that they
The results of the studies mentioned above are not forgotten by the Hippocampus and
should make perfume makers think. Thus, its network, which also serves as a smell
the information from imaging methods could memory. According to a recent study, mem-
be used as a guide for the creation of neu- ories are stronger if the original experience
roscents or active perfumes that optimally is accompanied by unpleasant odors (Co-
address specific brain regions or their net- hen et al. 2019). Stench and especially dis-
works. Sweet, edible active scents could be gust-inducing odors have a greater effect
used specifically against pain or evoke a feel- on the brain and remain in memory longer
ing of reward and happiness in the brain. It than the beautiful scents.
is therefore not surprising that the often des-
sert-smelling Gourmand notes are among
the fastest growing fragrance trends of re- 1.2.5 Smelling Also Works
cent years. This says a lot about the current the Other Way Around—The
wishes and needs of many fragrance users. Fragrance Manager in the
Since most brain regions have different Brain
functions, other possibilities for olfactory
effects in a region can also be shown. The But the course of action also goes in the
stimulation needs of the Putamen alone reverse direction—from the brain to the
suggest the creation of motivation and scent. The brain can in fact create its own
drive scents for different situations, for ex- scent atmosphere and smell emotion, even
ample for learning. if a smell source does not justify this feel-
Other brain regions also show a strong ing. This way, the brain can also “smell
reaction to scents—but without being par- good”. It can even insist on a smell im-
ticularly choosy about the fragrance notes pression that—although it is not currently
that activate them olfactorily. An exam- present for others—triggers psychophysi-
ple is the ventral tegmental area. This is a cal reactions. Most of the time, the sense of
highly trainable group of nerve cells in the smell is influenced by a visually perceived
midbrain. So people who like to drink too stimulus that is experienced as attractive,
much already have them activated by the for example the sight of a person.
smell of alcohol (Kareken et al. 2006). It is above all the region of the brain’s
Even if this book is about smelling bet- piriform cortex that, in conjunction with
ter, we have to admit that unpleasant smells other regions, decides on the effect of per-
have a stronger and above all longer lasting fume and smell. This region of the brain is
1.2 · Scent Effect in Modern Times
23 1
closely linked to the sense of sight and has explain later. Before I continue the topic
amazing abilities. It can not only amplify the and go into the results of further current
effect of perfume and scent on conscious- studies, I would like to briefly talk about
ness, mood, and emotion, but also prescribe life and movement, if only because smelling
to the olfactory bulb, which is closely linked and smell, as I said, are also movements or
to the nose, what and how something smells. originate from movements.
This can go so far that a certain substance is Life is movement. Without movement,
not smelled at all, is not smelled further or a life as we know it is simply not possi-
is only sniffed partially—depending on what ble. What we experience is therefore move-
the piriform cortex and its system perceive ment—at least it is movement in our brain.
as important. The experience that goes hand in hand
The piriform cortex also decides what, with the movement, like the movement it-
how, and where something is given to smell self, can take place unconsciously, partially
further processing in other brain regions. consciously or fully consciously. Experience
For this purpose it has a very emotional, and movement come in different shades,
often frightening smelling ally: the amyg- combinations, and dimensions. It can be ex-
dala. It usually always smells with and ex- perienced as emotional needs and desires,
changes information with the piriform cor- which in turn fuels experience and move-
tex about the smell impression. The result ment. Experienced movement can have a
can also be reported back to the olfactory slow or fast effect as pleasure or displeas-
bulb in a feedback loop. The effect of per- ure, excitement or relaxation. We know this
fume and smell on consciousness, mood, from the seven basic emotions that every
and emotion is thus managed by an inter- human being knows: joy, surprise, fear, an-
esting scent manager. ger (rage), disgust, contempt, and sadness
With the piriform cortex we have a kind build up quickly, have an effect in a fraction
of little man in the brain who not only of a second and can be read from our facial
whispers gently how to deal with a smell expressions. The same applies to our four-
stimulus. He can decide as a scent man- teen other learned basic emotions and ba-
ager that a smell is forwarded directly to a sic feelings. They include compassion, dis-
region in the brain, for example to the or- appointment, jealousy, relief, shame, envy,
bitofrontal cortex. The latter controls per- guilt, pride, attractiveness, enthusiasm, dis-
sonality traits such as extraversion and con- comfort, trust, and love.
scientiousness in the network and is par- Psychologists distinguish between emo-
ticularly stimulated by certain perfumes tions and moods when it comes to these
and odors according to the findings of neu- mental movements, even though the tran-
roperfumery. The piriform cortex thus also sition is fluid and both overlap. The differ-
has an influence on our personality, which ence between the two is mainly seen in the
it motivates with olfactory impulses. temporal development, even though more
pronounced psychophysical characteristics
> Smelling is movement, movement is life, such as heart racing and blushing are usu-
life is smelling—at least a lot of joie de ally more common with emotions. Moods
vivre is lost without smelling. build up relatively slowly in comparison
to emotions, but then stay in motion for a
Smelling creates movement, one could also longer period of time. In the German lan-
say: almost reciprocal unrest in the brain. guage, it is easy to come up with over 200
So it’s not just about smelling from the nose adjectives that describe emotions, basic
in one direction, as one might think. Skin emotions and moods as well as the mental
and other organs can also smell, as I will movement experienced.
 24 Chapter 1 · The Research of the Fragrance Effect

Now back to the topic. research, it investigates whether, where,

1 How do perfume, scent, and smell dif- how, and why scents and, as a result, per-
fer from other olfactory impressions? Smell fumes and essential oils, when inhaled or
is to be understood as a neutral term of the applied, cause certain psychological, physi-
olfactory, whereas scent and perfume refer cal, or psychophysical effects. When deter-
to a pleasant experience and stink to an un- mining scent effects and fragrance prefer-
pleasant one. ences, scent psychology is particularly inter-
Smelling is life and is therefore based on ested in emotional and cognitive processing
mental and physical movements in the most in the brain—but not exclusively, as the
diverse forms—from intense to weak, from skin and other organs that have their own
pleasant to unpleasant. It can range from intelligence can also smell.
contemptuous to loving, from disgusted to With the help of imaging methods, one
joyful and be experienced as rewarding and can watch the brain smell, observe the ef-
punishing. The particularly fascinating thing fect of olfactory stimuli, but also recog-
about smelling is that the movement starts nize which fragrance preferences individ-
unconsciously, can remain completely un- ual brain areas and their neuronal networks
conscious, but can also become conscious have. From this, the neuroperfumery is cur-
quickly and thus be experienced by us as rently developing as its own research disci-
smelling. In other words: pleasure or dis- pline. Through it, scent psychology is cur-
pleasure, excitement or relaxation, tension rently gaining numerous fascinating new in-
or solution or a combination of everything sights. Based on these findings of neuronal
can be smelled both consciously and un- fragrance preferences, the research area of
consciously. They are triggered by smell scent psychology—and this interests every-
and stink as well as by scent and perfume one in practice who offers a perfume con-
as emotions, basic emotions, or moods and sultation—is which factors influence a fra-
then have the corresponding effect on us. grance choice, especially when deciding on
Scent research confirms the effect of a perfume.
smells. Even if they are not conscious or In addition, scent psychology investi-
only semi-conscious to us, or if we do not gates psychosocial relationships. This area
concentrate on them, they can influence also speaks strongly to fragrance users, as
our mood and emotions (Kadohisa 2013). it explains how a perfume affects the wear-
Above all, smells can relax, invigorate, and er’s environment or what the scent evokes in
soothe anxiety and stress (Kontaris et al. oneself and in others. Here, findings from
2020). Later on, I will introduce various scent sociology, from the areas of person-
scent-supported therapies and exercises to ality psychology and self-concept research
achieve more joie de vivre, which can be im- are in the foreground. Above all, the latter
plemented directly by oneself. knows the connection between “how one
would like to experience oneself more” and
preferences for fragrance directions. The
1.2.6 Research Areas of Scent preference for certain perfumes can also be
Psychology explained by olfactory socialization, i.e. by
learning experiences. Here it plays a spe-
Questions such as how and why certain cial role that certain scents or perfumes are
smells have psychological effects and how a linked to memories and the emotions and
particular perfume choice is made also be- moods associated with them.
long to the research area of scent psychol- For over two decades, studies have em-
ogy. As a sub-area of perfumery and scent pirically shown that smells can influence
1.2 · Scent Effect in Modern Times
25 1
mood, emotion, physiology, and associated nection with a therapeutic strategy such as
behavior (Herz 2022, 2009; Kontaris et al. pain treatment.
2020). For example, a study conducted by The medical error rate in determining a
Canadian and US researchers reports that state of consciousness is 40%. In order to
after just five minutes of a pleasant smell, minimize this, the effects of fragrances are
a positive mood and relaxation can be in- currently being researched as a diagnostic
duced, while after five minutes of an un- tool for the severity of loss of conscious-
pleasant smell like pyridine, which smells ness (Arzi et al. 2020). Furthermore, I will
like decay, a negative mood and slight anxi- also describe how fragrances have been
ety can arise (Villemure 2003). Accordingly, used for some time now to not only diag-
researchers are very interested in the ef- nose, but also treat diseases such as Parkin-
fects of smells and the exploration of smell son,Alzheimer, and others. It should also be
in the field of emotion, mood, but also noted here that smell not only affects con-
pain research. It is increasingly recognized sciousness, but also encourages it to report
that odors not only change emotions and circumstances that only allow for the small-
moods, but can also significantly influence est nonverbal reactions. The sense of smell
the perception and memory of pain and is thus also an indication of life and some-
suffering. Smells can thus change or even times even the last hope-giving sign of life.
trigger emotional reactions and memories Back to brain research.
with considerable positive and certainly The whole topic of how smell works
also negative emotional content (Herz and and what the effect says is currently raising
Engen 1996; Keogh et al. 2001). Even more: new questions with each new discovery. For
later I will show how smells influence eval- example, the question arises through which
uations of the attractiveness of people, but neuronal circuits or processes individual
also of things like paintings (Rotton 1983; brain regions can stage or influence con-
Ehrlichman and Bastone 1992). sciousness, emotions, and moods by means
of a stimulation caused by smell. There are
surprises. For example, different brain re-
1.2.7 Smelling, the Last Sign gions work together, the involvement of
of Consciousness which in the processing and effect of fra-
grances was previously unknown. It was
Smelling is an expression and thus almost also recognized that there is a struggle for
a sign of life. The importance of smell and competence between individual brain re-
its effect are even gaining importance in gions when it comes to who makes the final
emergency medicine. The reaction to smell decision on an olfactory impression and the
can even indicate consciousness in acci- resulting behavior. It was also discovered
dents, even if the patient only shows the that specific brain regions, better said: core
smallest nonverbal reactions when smell- areas of the brain, lead a double life and
ing. The sniffing of odors, called “olfactory are responsible for different colored emo-
sniffing” in the jargon, signals conscious- tions and moods. For example, it was found
ness in unresponsive patients with brain that the Amygdala or in German (Man-
injuries and so chances of recovery. This delkern), which is located deep in our emo-
is especially important in view of the fact tional center and is centrally responsible for
that after a severe brain injury it is often the processing of smells, is involved in both
very difficult to determine the condition of negative emotions such as fear and anxi-
a patient and to predict his chances of sur- ety as well as positive, pleasant, and relaxed
vival or to make the right diagnosis in con- experiences. For aromatherapy this offers
 26 Chapter 1 · The Research of the Fragrance Effect

the chance to reprogram core areas of the factorius”), the first smell station in the ol-
1 brain from fear and anxiety to positive ex- factory brain. This is followed by a complex
periences. However, for this the research on process. From the olfactory bulb, neurons
smells has to look at the entire process of pass information on to a variety of ana-
smelling in much more detail in order to tomically and functionally different targets
understand how, when, and where exactly in the brain. A main target is the Amyg-
these core areas stage individual activities. dala, our phylogenetically oldest center for
One problem in researching the rela- emotions and thus a central part of our
tionship between smell on the one hand emotional center in the limbic System. But
and mood and emotion on the other hand before the amygdala smells, as already men-
lies in the structure of the brain, which can tioned, the piriform Cortex is involved,
only partially distinguish between emotions which receives olfactory signals from the
and moods at the neuronal level, since dif- olfactory bulb first and forms the largest
ferent core areas are involved in each case. subregion of the olfactory brain. Because
Another difficulty lies in the overlap of this part of the cortex does an enormous
emotions and moods. So fear can be either amount for smelling and also takes indirect
a temporary emotional state or a persistent influence on emotion and mood, the cur-
mood (Kontaris et al. 2020). rent research on smell focuses particularly
on him.
In fact, research on the piriform cor-
1.2.8 The Brain Can Create Its tex is constantly discovering new things. In
Own Smell analogy to the little man in the ear, it is, as
already mentioned, increasingly seen as a
Smelling is based on different neuronal kind of fragrance manager. It is both a fra-
network processes. How smelling actu- grance relay and a fragrance memory as
ally comes about when fragrance molecules well as a very intelligent fragrance recogni-
come into contact with olfactory cells and tion station that decides in almost mysteri-
thus generate neuronal impulses is still con- ous ways which other brain regions an ol-
troversial in research. Sharma from the In- factory information will be passed on to. In
dian Institute of Technology currently de- addition, the piriform cortex is involved in
scribes eleven theories (Sharma et al. 2019). what we see and what we perceive with our
The so-called Steric Theory is currently other senses. So it influences what we per-
preferred most strongly. According to her, ceive as a fragrance (Schulze et al. 2017).
depolarizing molecules that are absorbed This way the piriform cortex can change or
on the surfaces of olfactory cells generate reshape the sense of smell in various ways
a nerve impulse: “The smell quality is influ- through its network, usually intensify or
enced by the timing of the nerve impulse, weaken it. So it is also a fragrance interpre-
while the smell intensity is perceived by the tation center.
total number of similarly excited cells as In research circles, it is currently being
well as by the total number of impulses in discussed how the piriform cortex can even
the nerve” (Sharma et al. 2019). give information to the olfactory bulb in a
In simple terms, the sense of smell be- feedback loop and thus influence the sense
gins with sensory neurons specialized in ol- of smell in advance (Wilson 2011). This in
factory stimuli in the nose. They form, so turn affects our consciousness, our emo-
to speak, the gateway to the world of smell tions, and our mood and thus our behavio-
and activate the olfactory bulb (Bulbus ol- ral reactions. For example, this is the case
1.2 · Scent Effect in Modern Times
27 1
when the piriform cortex associates a smell with unhappily, and his house. The experi-
with disgust or simply smells it out of the ence of disappointed love developed into
blue—regardless of whether a correspond- a trauma for her. The repressed memory
ing reaction is justified or whether an exter- manifested itself in the young woman in ol-
nal olfactory stimulus is actually present. factory hallucinations.
The latter is referred to as Phantosmie or There are also toxic-induced smell dis-
in German Geruchshalluzination. Here you orders, which, for example, are influenced
have a pleasant or unpleasant smell, even by drugs—especially by the taking of psy-
though there is no corresponding source of chotropic drugs such as antidepressants—
fragrance. Nevertheless, the sense of smell but also by alcohol. In very rare cases, a
triggers corresponding moods and emo- tumor in the area of the olfactory nerve
tions. The brain is thus able to create its or an olfactory center for phantosmia can
own smell and thus trigger psychological, also be responsible for this sensory illusion,
psychophysical, and even psychosomatic re- as is known from otolaryngology. Most of
actions and respond to them. the time, this sensory illusion is due to too
In such a reaction, one does not imme- much stress, for which the olfactory bulb
diately have to assume the worst and think is very susceptible. Sufficient rest and sleep
that this form of sensory illusion is a symp- provide relief.
tom of a developing or already pronounced The phenomenon of a “stinky nose”
Schizophrenie,Epilepsie or Parkinson’s dis- is not a smell hallucination. Here, bacte-
ease. Persistent olfactory hallucinations oc- ria produce a slimy, foul-smelling coating.
cur more post-infectiously after a time-lim- The affected people usually do not notice
ited infection of the (upper) respiratory this themselves, but their fellow human be-
tract or as a post-traumatic smell disorder, ings do so all the more. If the affected per-
for example caused by a head injury in an son recognizes this, his self-experience and
accident. self-esteem suffer.
Olfactory hallucinations also play a role The sense of smell is basically divided as
in classical psychoanalysis. The founder of follows:
psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, developed 5 normal sense of smell = normosmia,
the theory of a “Geruchsneurose” as re- 5 reduced sense of smell = hyposmia and
pression of a traumatic or forbidden event 5 absent sense of smell = anosmia.
in 1892 at the case of Lucy R. The young
Lucy came to Freud’s treatment because There is also a hyperosmia, an increased ol-
she had largely lost her sense of smell and factory sensitivity. This occurs, for exam-
was additionally pursued by two subjective ple, in migraine. But you can also dream of
smell sensations. At first there was the smell smells and fine fragrances—regardless of
of a burnt pastry and then the smell of ci- whether they are present in the room as ol-
gars. Lucy said that she smelled these scents factory stimuli. A deviation from the aver-
everywhere, even though she was assured age perception of a fragrance by the pop-
the opposite. The young lady lived as a gov- ulation is also called parosmia. These
erness in the house of a factory director in perception changes can be pleasant or un-
Vienna. After a few therapy sessions, Freud pleasant as well as more or less intense and
came to the conclusion that these smells are often influenced by additional visual
had once been objectively present. Accord- stimuli.
ing to his analysis, they were related to her This leads back to the piriform cortex
employer, whom Lucy had fallen in love and its network. As I said, through it flow-
 28 Chapter 1 · The Research of the Fragrance Effect

ing visual and other sensory as well as emo- 1.2.9 How Fragrances
1 tional information, it can whisper to the ol- Unconsciously Influence Our
factory bulb what it smells like. This in- Behavior—Two Examples
formation seems to come mainly from
the back part of the piriform cortex (Eng. There are several examples in the literature
“posterior piriform cortex”, abbreviated: of how individual fragrances can work on
pPCX). But the front part of the piriform us unconsciously. The induction of odor-in-
cortex (Eng. “anterior piriform cortex”, ab- duced emotional reactions by copulins is
breviated: aPCX) is also involved in smell- often cited. These are short-chain fatty ac-
ing. According to the current state of re- ids in female vaginal secretions. Copu-
search, a specialization of the parts of the lins were thus diluted by the Vienna Lud-
piriform cortex can be seen. Nature has de- wig Boltzmann Institute to such an extent
veloped something brilliant for this. This that their smell was no longer perceived by
way we are able to smell scents, for exam- male test subjects. Nevertheless, the follow-
ple from flowers, as a whole, but also the in- ing effect occurred: After the unconscious
dividual fragrance molecules they contain. smelling of the copulins, the male test par-
The latter certainly requires some practice. ticipants rated portrait photos of women as
Even trained noses quickly reach their lim- more attractive than before smelling. Even
its here, as floral scents can contain more photos previously rated as less attractive
than 100 relevant fragrance molecules. became more attractive after unconscious
Natural odors are mixtures of many fra- smelling (Froböse and Froböse 2012).
grance molecules. Plants in particular often I will discuss the results of the Ludwig
emit not one, but several fragrance mole- Boltzmann Institute, which have been ques-
cules at the same time (Pannunzi and Now- tioned by some researchers, in more detail
otny 2019). The art of perfumery is based in connection with pheromones.
on these two ways of smelling—as a whole Female attraction to men, which is also
and in individual parts. The front part of associated with an improvement in mood
the piriform cortex probably smells like olfactorically, is also possible in a simpler
a trained perfumer. Here the mixture of way, namely without unconsciously smell-
the individual fragrance molecules is de- ing sexual attractants. According to a study,
coded. A categorization of the smells takes two of eight heterosexual men showed acti-
place. The back part of the piriform cortex vation in certain brain regions when smell-
smells—as is probably the case with most ing a woman’s fragrance. This reaction was
people—the smell impression as a whole particularly noticeable in the hypothala-
(Kadohisa 2013; Wang et al. 2020). mus and the insula, two brain regions also
The ability of humans to smell individ- responsible for reward and pleasure (Huh
ual parts from complex scents has psycho- et al. 2008).
logical and physical effects. So the brain, Currently, research is focusing on kiss-
that is the piriform cortex and its network, peptin. This is a hormone that influences
can smell individual ingredients of a per- both puberty and brain processes in adult
fume creation that are not or only half con- men. Kisspeptin also affects olfactory per-
scious to us at first, but can influence our ception and makes men smell female per-
mood. Accordingly, then individual sub- fumes like Chanel No 5 more beautiful
stances can make us feel more or less pleas- (Yang et al. 2020). The research of smell
ant, more or less intense, which of course is discovering more and more that nature
can also be seen in our behavior. knows different ways to help with olfactory
1.2 · Scent Effect in Modern Times
29 1
perception according to gender and thus the effects when inhaling the plant oils. Em-
put them in a good mood. We will discuss pirical studies confirmed this claim for sev-
some of their tools later. eral oils. The American psychiatrist Rachel
Herz already proved this years ago with her
study “Facts and Fiction about Aromather-
1.2.10 Aromatherapy—How apy: A Scientific Analysis of the Olfactory
Essential Oils Work Effects on Mood, Physiology and Behav-
ior”, which was published as a professional
That smells can have a positive effect on article, that the oils and their smells used in
mood and health is not a discovery of mod- aromatherapy can affect mood, physiology
ern times. Already the ancient cultures ap- and behavior (Herz 2009).
preciated and knew their use. Even the per- It is now generally accepted that inhal-
fumes of the first recorded perfumer, a ing essential oils can, for example, affect
woman named Tapputi, offered a pleasant blood pressure and heart rate. Endocrinol-
smell with additional benefits. Around 1200 ogy, the study of hormones, metabolism
BC, she worked in Babylon with plants that and the diseases associated with them, also
also had a psychologically cleansing and confirms the effect of aromatherapeutic ap-
thus therapeutic effect. plications. A study showed that women
In the last century, the French chem- who inhaled lavender aroma while watch-
ist René-Maurice Gattefossé coined the ing a stressful video had lower CgA levels
term “ aromatherapy”, which we associate than the control group receiving a placebo
with plant-based essential oils for inhala- (Toda and Matsue 2020). CgA stands for
tion. They can also be partially applied to chromogranin A, a protein that is also con-
the skin or ingested. Originally, the essen- sidered an indicator of stress when values
tial oils were obtained by pressing plants are high. More and more studies are there-
or plant parts, especially leaves. Only later fore coming to the conclusion that aroma-
were methods such as steam distillation or therapy with essential oils offers clinical ad-
other extraction methods used. vantages. It represents an alternative and an
A precise definition of the current mean- additional medical treatment for high blood
ing of aromatherapy can be found on the pressure, fatigue, psychological stress, and
website of the US National Cancer Insti- various other diseases and symptoms (Ka-
tute (NIH). Aromatherapy is therefore “the wai et al. 2020).
use of essential oils from plants (flowers, Further studies examined the influ-
herbs, or trees) as a complementary health ence of essential oils on moods and cogni-
approach. The essential oils are usually used tive effects. Thus, the US biologist Sachiko
by inhalation or by applying a diluted form Koyama and his colleague Thomas Hein-
to the skin.” Essential oils from fruits such bockel (Koyama and Heinbockel 2020)
as orange oil, which are certainly also clas- as well as the English psychologist Mark
sified as plants, are not explicitly mentioned. Moos with his team (Moos et al. 2003,
The aromatherapy has given rise to the 2008) went to the question of how plants
aromachology. It pursues a more scientific act when inhaled as essential oils on cog-
approach and investigates why and how nitive performance and mood. The effect
certain scents trigger a psychophysiologi- of the plants depends on the place of their
cal reaction. But aromatherapy itself makes growth and their age. There are also sea-
a scientific claim—especially with regard to sonal influences. The purity of the oils, the
 30 Chapter 1 · The Research of the Fragrance Effect

way they are obtained and their administra- which occur in larger quantities in eu-
1 tion are also decisive. calyptus and other plants. Which com-
Here are examples from empirical stud- ponents finally work in which combi-
ies on the effect of some plants as essential nation and in what quantities is often
oils: not yet researched. Lavender and rose-
5 Lavender has a calming effect. When in- mary each have 505 and 450 compo-
haled, reaction time slowed down for nents. Most plants have at least 100 to
tasks that require memory and attention 250, only a few plants are content with
(Moos et al. 2003). a small number—like Guaica wood with
5 Rosemary increases performance. The only 25 (Koyama and Heinbockel 2020).
aroma makes you more alert (Moos
et al. 2003). Test subjects feel fresher More and more, the statements of Valerie
and more active emotionally. Blood Ann Worwood, one of the more well-
pressure, heart rate and breathing rate known advocates of aromatherapy, are be-
increase with the inhalation of rosemary ing confirmed that essential oils, among
oil (Sayorwan et al. 2013). other things, promote relaxation and con-
5 Peppermint improves vigilance and lin- centration. In her book published in 1997,
guistic skills (Moos et al. 2008). In com- The Fragrant Mind: Aromatherapy for Per-
bination with rosemary, it increases sonality, Mind, Mood, and Emotion (Wor-
memory functions. Peppermint is one wood 1997), she takes it one step further:
of the oldest and most popular medici- she specifically recommends essential oils
nal plants with a wide variety of effects for the enhancement of experience for dif-
that were already appreciated by the an- ferent personality types as well as generally
cient Egyptians. Fragrance research has for mood change.
long confirmed that the smell of pepper- The confirmation of the effects of essen-
mint also has a very positive effect on tial oils, of smells in general, and of indi-
athletic performance and fitness. For ex- vidual plant ingredients has led to a boom
ample, it was found that adults did more in olfactory brain research. It has been
push-ups in the presence of peppermint found, for example, that lavender and euge-
flavors and improved their running per- nol (an organic compound with a strong
formance (Herz et al. 2022). clove-like smell that is also found in cloves)
5 Ylang-Ylang has a similar effect to lav- or chamomile have a particularly strong ef-
ender. It promotes (inner) peace and fect on certain areas of the brain and net-
provides deceleration. Test subjects re- works of the temporal lobe or the frontal
acted relatively slowly when inhaling lobe (one of four lobes of the cerebrum),
(Moos et al. 2008). and can make the state of wakefulness
5 Sage (garden sage) and Spanish sage in- more relaxed. For rosemary, an effect was
crease cognitive performance, specifi- found on the front part of the brain (the
cally memory. This effect was even ob- frontal lobe) that is typically associated
served in Alzheimer’s patients, as re- with increased vigilance or attention, de-
ported by researchers at the University pending on the situation experienced.
of Messina in Italy (Miroddi et al. The empirical studies of how certain
2014). In particular, specific chemi- fragrance ingredients work in and for the
cal components of sage and 1,8-cine- brain has prompted further research into
ole are discussed as being particularly the search for specific neuroscents, or as
promoting for cognitive performance, some call active scents. For Céline Manetta
1.2 · Scent Effect in Modern Times
31 1
(Senior Manager of Human and Consumer Current techniques and discoveries even
Insights at IFF—a leading fragrance manu- inspire to guide consumers in-store to fra-
facturer), the results pointed towards “Aro- grances that best suit their emotional de-
matherapy 2.0”. sires and needs. L’Oréal and neurotechnol-
Neuroscents are in demand: According ogy company Emotiv have teamed up to
to IFF, the company “surveying more than develop such devices. One of these devices
3,000 women and men in 14 different coun- – Scent Sation – was piloted at the Dubai
tries and found that nine out of 10 wanted Mall in November 2022 and is set to launch
to improve their well-being. Eighty-seven in the UK, Germany, Spain, and Switzer-
percent desired a fragrance with emotional land by 2023/2024. We will discuss ideas for
and physical benefits, while 45 percent ex- in-store perfume consultation using fMRI
pressed that they expect fine fragrance to technologies in chapter 10.
better their mood and comfort levels… Later on, I will discuss other smells and
Following coronavirus-related lockdowns, fragrances in their significance for men-
there is a swell of demand for perfume with tal experience, such as phenylethanol,
wellness attributes” BeautyInc newslet- which is a main component of rose and is
ter (2023). Therefore, while we might have said to have an antidepressant, or at least a
mixed feelings, neuroscents are seen as the mood-calming anti-stress effect. We will also
next generation of fragrances, created on discuss how and where individual smells ac-
the basis of advanced science and backed tivate the brain for specific experience. Fur-
by facts. Studies in neuroperfumery, for ex- thermore, I will show that certain areas of
ample, have found that lavadin (part of the brain and networks are addicted to cer-
the “Lavandula family” but a naturally oc- tain fragrances and want to smell them first.
curring hybrid plant) is even more relax- Let me mention one more thing here
ing than lavender. These types of research to make you curious about possibilities for
methods generally combine people’s ver- fragrance-supported therapies, which I will
bal and neurological responses (fMRI) to discuss later and suggest as a self-experi-
smells. ment: it is fascinating how quickly a smell
Each of the world’s leading fragrance can work. Studies confirm that odor-in-
manufacturers and suppliers, (we present duced emotional reactions can occur with
them in Chapter 6) have now developed significant changes in mood in less than
their own tools to identify beneficial neuro- two minutes (Ehrlichman and Bastone
scents: 1992; Chen and Haviland-Jones 1999). The
5 Firmenich uses tools like EmotiWAVES first recognition of a fragrance can already
to identify natural ingredients in essen- take place in the range of less than 500 mil-
tial oils that have been neuroscientifi- liseconds, and distinguishing between two
cally proven with an fMRI to stimulate fragrances takes no longer than one to two
a specific emotion. seconds (Junek et al. 2010; Draguhn 2010).
5 In November 2022, Givaudan released Of course, there are other senses that are
MoodScentz+ to improve the effect of faster, such as sight, which perceives some-
fragrances thing in the range of 300 milliseconds. But
5 IFF partners with SleepScore Labs to we humans smell very quickly—and better
find active scents that improve sleep. than many think.
 32 Chapter 1 · The Research of the Fragrance Effect

Summary Fischer J (2015) EEG-Ableitung der olfaktorisch

1 This chapter discussed the scent effect evozierten Potenziale bei streng einseitiger Stim-
ulation des Riechepithels mit dem Olfaktometer.
on consciousness, emotion, and mood. Dissertation der Medizinischen Fakultät der Frie-
For this, it went back to antiquity. Fur- drich-Schiller-Universität Jena
thermore, it was about the topic of smell. Fjaeldstad A et al (2017) Brain fingerprints of olfac-
It starts unconsciously, can remain com- tion: a novel structural method for assessing ol-
factory cortical networks in health and disease. In:
pletely unconscious, but can also become
Sci Rep. 7:42534
conscious quickly and thus be experi- Froböse G, Froböse R (2012) Lust und Liebe – alles
enced as smelling. I have also presented nur Chemie? Wiley-VCH, Hoboken
the effects of odors, fragrances, and per- Hatt H, Dee R (2012) Das kleine Buch vom Riechen
fumes, as well as essential oils, on moods, und Schmecken. Albrecht Klaus, München
Herz RS et al (2022) A three-factor benefits frame-
emotions, and cognitive experience on
work for understanding consumer preference for
the example of some first newer stud- scented household products: psychological inter-
ies. Our smell brain shows amazing abil- actions and implications for future development.
ities. This even goes so far that brain re- Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications
gions and networks around the piriform 7:28
Herz RS (2009) Aromatherapy facts and fictions: a sci-
cortex, which is part of the smell brain,
entific analysis of olfactory effects on mood, phys-
can change olfactory perception from the iology and behavior. Int J Neurosci 119:263–290
outside world so that it creates feelings Herz RS, Engen T (1996) Odor memory: review and
and behaviors that are incomprehensi- analysis. Psychon Bull Rev 3:300–313
ble to outsiders. However, therapy with Huh J et al (2008) Brain activation areas of sexual
arousal with olfactory stimulation in men: a pre-
fragrances can also be used for a whole
liminary study using functional MRI. J Sex Med
range of diseases and symptoms. 5(3):619–625
Junek S, Kludt E, Wolf F, Schild D (2010) Olfactory
coding with patterns of response latencies. Neuron
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Kadohisa M (2013) Effects of odor on emotion, with
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Arzi A et al. (2020) Olfactory sniffing signals con-
Kareken DA et al.(2006) Alcohol-related olfactory
sciousness in unresponsive patients with brain in-
cues activate the nucleus accumbens and ventral
juries. In: Nature (2020). 581(7809):428–433
tegmental area in high-risk drinkers: preliminary
Byl SA (2012) The essence and use of perfume in an-
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cient Egypt. University of South Africa
Kawai E et al (2020) Increase in diastolic blood pres-
Cao B et al (2019) Seeing the unseen of the combi-
sure induced by fragrance inhalation of grape-
nation of two natural resins, frankincense and
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myrrh: changes in chemical constituents and phar-
cle sympathetic nerve activity. J Physiol Sci 70(1):2
macological activities. Molecules 24(17):3076
Keogh E, Ellery D, Hunt C, Hannent I (2001) Se-
Chen D, Haviland-Jones J (1999) Rapid mood change
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and human odors. Physiol Behav 68:241–250
amongst pain fearful individuals. Pain 91:91–100
Cohen AO et al (2019) Aversive learning strengthens
Kontaris I et al (2020) Behavioral and neurobiological
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Learn Mem 26:272–279
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Koyama S, Heinbockel T (2020) The effects of essen-
R, Pape HC, Kurtz A, Silbernagl S (eds) Physiolo-
tial oils and terpenes in relation to their routes of
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Duffey AE (2005) Hatshepsut’s expedition to Pwn.t.
Langhorst J et al (2013) Randomised clinical trial: a
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herbal preparation of myrrh, chamomile and cof-
in ancient Egypt. University of South Africa
fee charcoal compared with mesalazine in main-
Ehrlichman H, Bastone L (1992) The use of odour in
taining remission in ulcerative colitis – a dou-
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 35 2

Perfumes in Change
The Practice Of Perfume Effects—From Fragrance Counselling To
Scent Assisted Therapy

Contents

2.1 Characteristics of Perfumes Today – 36

2.2 Types and Use of Perfumes—Areas of Interest

of Perfume Lovers – 38

2.3 The Trend in the Perfume Industry Towards

Nature – 44

2.4 Personal Requirements for Perfumes – 45

2.5 Perfume in Conflict: Prohibited and Unwanted

Effects – 46

2.6 Consumers Want More than Just Smelling

Good—From Perfume to Active Perfume – 48

2.7 The Difference between Aromatherapy and Scent

Therapy – 49

References – 50

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023
J. Mensing, Beautiful SCENT,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67259-4_2
 36 Chapter 2 · Perfumes in Change

all a new awareness have led to a change in

the perfume industry. Consumers are now
offered completely different fragrance op-
2 tions.
There are also completely new types of per-
fume that are increasingly able to do more
than just smell good. This is the subject of
this chapter. I also want to give newcom-
ers and career changer to this fascinating in-
dustry, background information on perfume
practice and aromatherapy and their claims.

2.1 Characteristics of Perfumes

Today
High-quality essential oils, which are ob-
tained from lavender or sage, for example,
are not only a gift from nature, but must
also be considered a cultural asset. Because
their careful extraction requires great expe-
rience. Plant ingredients can directly trigger
a psychophysical effect. This gives them the
potential—especially in the context of aro-
matherapy—to act directly on personality,
Trailer consciousness, mood, and emotions (Wor-
At my university, over 30 years ago, people wood 1997).
were quite surprised at the passion I, as a But what about perfumes? Can they also
psychologist and sociologist, had developed be used for aromatherapy? And did they
for perfumes and, in particular, for the psy- show an effect?
chology behind fragrance choice. Of course, First, it must be defined what is consid-
some of my colleagues were also perfume us- ered perfume. In this context, it is better to
ers and usually wore French perfume clas- speak of fine perfume to distinguish it from
sics as eau de parfum or eau de toilette, but the scent of a household product. Later on,
there was no academic interest in exploring I will go into the different areas of perfum-
the world of perfumes. ery and explain the difference between fine
At that time, the perfume offer was quite perfume and functional perfume as well
limited compared to today. Most perfumes as aromatherapy. I will also go into detail
were launched on the market with beautiful about the perfume market and the world of
stories, targeting target groups such as “the beautiful scents.
young sporty” through sociodemographic Perfume, as we most commonly know
and lifestyle characteristics. Only a few sus- it today, is a liquid mixture of different fra-
pected that psychological and neuropsycho- grance ingredients (in German Riechst-
logical factors would play such a big role in offe)—a term that is often used synony-
fragrance choice. mously with fragrance- or volatile com-
In recent years, perfumes have changed. New pounds (Duftstoffe) with a molecular
creation techniques, ingredients, but above weights of less than 300 g mol−1 (grams
2.1 · Characteristics of Perfumes Today
37 2
per mole/molecule of substance), that hu- during the first 15 min after application)
mans perceive through the olfactory sys- via the heart note (developed after the first
tem. These mixtures of fragrance ingredi- quarter of an hour and usually lasts up to
ents are usually used as fragrance oils dis- two hours) to the base (often begins af-
solved in alcohol and some distilled water ter two hours and can even last for several
to create a pleasant smell. This fragrance days).
experience is applied to the body or cloth- In addition to a good fragrance, one
ing as part of an external application. Per- also expects it to be long-lasting i. H lon-
fume lovers also expect, more or less ex- gevity. This was already the case in antiq-
plicitly, that the scent impression of a new uity. Thus, Theophrastus testified in rela-
perfume is also new and innovative. In ad- tion to the Greeks: “A long-lasting perfume
dition to liquid perfumes, there are of is what women are looking for” (De odor-
course also so-called “solid perfumes”, ibus, “On odors”, paragraph 42). For this,
which can be applied as a cream. They orig- today’s perfumers often use fragrance re-
inated from the first perfumes of antiquity. tardants, so-called Fixateure. They hold
Depending on the concentration of the lightly volatile components such as cit-
fragrances or the fragrance oil content in rus notes by heavier volatile or longer last-
the alcohol, different perfume variants are ing ingredients such as resins. In the preface
distinguished, such as: “perfume”, “eau de to this book, we pointed out that perfum-
parfum”, “eau de toilette”, or “eau de co- ers like to distinguish between the “sillage”
logne”. There are also other perfume spe- and “longevity” of a perfume. The term
cialties, which are often attributed to func- “sillage” describes the lingering scent of
tional perfumery or overlap with fine per- the perfume a person wears, or the scent
fumery. These include hair perfumes, body trail it leaves behind. The term longev-
perfumes, or perfume deodorants. ity describes the performance, or durabil-
Traditionally, a perfume is also char- ity (the time a fragrance lasts) of a perfume
acterized by its scent profile, in which one on a fragrance strip or on the skin. The per-
smells the top note first, then the heart and formance of a perfume can last anywhere
finally the base or the bottom which, based from 60 minutes to 12 hours and more (an
on its impression, gives indication of its ol- eau de parfum generally lasts around 8
factory family, by breaking down the scent hours and tends to stay longer on fabrics
and classifying its smell. This is also often than on the skin). A perfume can also last
visualized as a scent pyramid with the re- up to 18 hours and, as we said, even days,
spective characteristic ingredients or main and is then called a “Beast Mode” perfume,
accords for the scent profile. Today, this a current fragrance trend that we will dis-
scent profile is no longer considered a typ- cuss later (Chapter 14). In addition, per-
ical perfume characteristic. Because in per- fumers like to distinguish between “sil-
fumery there is also a trend in which lin- lage” and “projection”. Projection is about
ear or almost linear is created on purpose, how far a perfume travels from the skin (or
(the top note extends more or less into the scent strip). If a perfume is projected well,
base), and a single perfume can fall into you can smell it very well from an arm’s
several different olfactory families. Nev- length away. In contrast, a fragrance with
ertheless, most perfumes are still created poor projection can only be smelled from a
with a typical olfactory family in mind, (as short distance of a few centimeters, while,
we will discuss later), with a scent impres- as mentioned, silage is the scent trail left
sion that unfolds harmoniously from the in- by someone wearing perfume after walking
itial smell of the top note (typically smelled past.
 38 Chapter 2 · Perfumes in Change

The division into feminine and mascu- ing care, pre- and aftershaves, hair, hair re-
line perfumes is also increasingly seen as moval, and foot care products as well as sun
outdated today. Since the beginning of the protection, and baby care. In 2019, the mar-
2 first emancipation movements in the late ket for all beauty products—including wom-
19th century, women have also discovered en’s and men’s fragrances—reached 14 bil-
men’s perfumes for themselves and vice lion euros in Germany alone. In 2022, after
versa. two COVID-19 years, the market reached
Although the idea of therapy is not usu- the size of 2019 again. In Germany, buy-
ally in the foreground when a perfume is cre- ers spent 14.3 billion euros on personal care
ated, but rather more the feeling of well-be- and cosmetic products. Of this, women’s
ing and the acquisition of attractiveness of and men’s fragrances generated 2019 around
the wearer and his representation in front of 1.5 billion euros and is currently growing,
others, it can also influence personality, con- (2022 to 1.7 billion euros with a + 3% in-
sciousness, mood, and emotions. However, crease to 2021) in Germany. In comparison,
according to the EU Cosmetic Regulation, the fragrance segment in the United States
application may only be external. Here, cos- was around $5.1bn in 2022. The use of fra-
metic products, to which fragrance and per- grance still shows a gender-specific tendency
fuming also belongs, are defined by their today. In Germany, the women’s fragrance
purpose as follows: “Substances or prepara- market is almost twice as large as the men’s
tions of substances which are exclusively or fragrance market at 500 million euros. How-
predominantly intended to be applied exter- ever, the comparison is not quite correct, as
nally to the human body or in the mouth for many men use shaving care and, in this con-
cleansing, protecting, maintaining a good text, aftershaves in particular, as perfume. In
condition, perfuming, changing the appear- Germany alone, this represents a market of
ance, or influencing the body odor.” 200 million euros.
Every year, over 2,000 new perfume
launches in various variants flood the mar-
2.2 Types and Use of Perfumes— ket. In the case of fine fragrances, six clas-
Areas of Interest of Perfume sifications are typical, with classifications
based on the concentration of fragrance
Lovers
compounds or fragrance oils being rela-
The market for beautiful scents or per- tively relative. There are no legal regula-
fumes (“fragrances”) in different variants is tions as to what is to be considered as Eau
very large and worldwide reaches the 51-bil- de Parfum or Eau de Toilette. A regulation
lion-dollar mark (2022). Already in 2016, is opposed to the fact that individual fra-
consumers worldwide spent 46.7 billion grance oils smell differently when they are
dollars on scents. However, perfume, which dissolved in alcohol and some distilled wa-
is most often offered in the concentration ter for traditional perfume production.
of an Eau de Parfum, followed by Eau de In the following, I would like to intro-
Toilette, is the smallest segment in the en- duce the most important perfume variants.
tire beauty industry.
z Everything you need to know about the
For decorative cosmetics, i.e. make-up
precious perfume
products, 72 billion dollars were spent in
2019, for facial and skin care 140 billion The word “perfume” is associated with the
dollars and for hair and body care 236 bil- crowning glory of perfumery. The fragrance
lion dollars. The latter category includes oil concentration is between 15 and 40%.
shower and bath products, soap, oral and The rest—and thus the majority—is alco-
dental care products, deodorants, shav- hol with distilled water added. From a 20%
2.2 · Types and Use of Perfumes—Areas of Interest …
39 2
concentration, one speaks of pure perfume cheeks or to clap. The scent is then first
or Extrait de Parfum. invigorating, energizing, and disinfect-
ing tonic.
» Why do we use other perfume variants in
5 Spray the perfume into the air and run
addition to perfume?
into the cloud. Perfuming is thus the
It is certainly a question of money, but it principle of the fairy tale of the Broth-
also depends on how you like to be per- ers Grimm, the fragrance particles fall
fumed. Pure perfumes are less suitable for like a fairy tale from the sky. Maybe
generous application. As much as you love the most innocent and shy way of per-
long-lasting, more intense perfumes, there fuming, in which you only get a hint of
are still some things to consider. Especially perfume and can be sure not to appear
with fragrance concentrations of 15 to over-perfumed.
40%, a careful approach is required so that 5 Dab perfume into the knee hollows.
you can smell the perfume longer. Perfumes This quickly becomes the most subtle
can trigger a smell signal cascade in the ol- and sophisticated perfume application,
factory cells and their receptors, which then especially for women. Depending on the
react hyperactively—a process that is in- movement or position of the legs, one
terrupted after a while. Although the fra- can surprise others with the fragrance
grance components of a perfume are still effect. If women then set their legs in
present, they are no longer or only barely pose with the right clothes, this often
perceived. There is an adaptation. Every- confuses men at first, then curiosity and
one knows the situation that you have ap- finally the desire to seek proximity.
plied too much perfume and at the same 5 Luxuriate in the scent. In other words:
time you smell it less and less. enjoy your own over-perfuming. This
has something majestic and reminds of
» Where is the best place to apply perfume?
the court of King Louis XV. Water was
Ideally, a perfume needs skin contact. It is not an option as a cleaning agent at that
best applied to warm body parts with a no- time. With perfume, the own smells were
ticeable pulse. But beware: larger quantities covered. The etiquette at the court also
should not come too close to the nose. Ear- prescribed to use a different scent every
lobes, neck, chest, temple or neck are suit- day. The court of Lous XV was there-
able for perfume. For pure perfumes, you fore also called the “perfume court”.
should limit yourself to light dabbing. Wrist,
on the other hand, can receive a little more » Does a perfume smell different on everyone?
of the delicious elixir. The back of the knees
In the perception of fragrance, differ-
are the perfect place for pure perfumes if you
ences in temperature and humidity play a
want to apply them more generously and at
role, but also individual condition and skin
the same time avoid a too rapid adaptation.
type. In addition, everyone has an individ-
» Does the way you apply perfume reveal as ual body odor, which is influenced by nu-
much or almost as much about you as the trition, lifestyle, age, gender, immune sys-
perfume you wear? tem, and health condition. Experience has
shown that a perfume is still relatively easy
There are a number of ways to apply per-
to recognize in the top note/ headnote, that
fume that can have different effects on
is, in the first 15 min, with different carri-
yourself and others, or that can put you in
ers—even if it is applied discreetly. If the
different moods. Here are some examples:
perfume melts during the heart note on the
5 Many men love to give their scent, es-
skin, that is, after about two hours of wear,
pecially after shaving, on the neck and
 40 Chapter 2 · Perfumes in Change

it begins to smell more individual and its perfume does not collapse when using too
recognition becomes more difficult. It gets many fragrance ingredients. This is only a
really difficult to recognize a perfume in theoretical size, because a lot of fragrance
2 the base or in the fond, that is, after several does not automatically mean a lot of nice
hours of wear—unless it has a very distinc- smell.
tive aftertaste and/or is known. Of course,
the previous experience also plays a role in » Can you mix a completely individual
perfume yourself?
the recognition of a perfume, if one knows,
for example, how a perfume develops. In Yes, you can, from two perfumes—which
general, one can say: The longer a perfume you must not tell any perfumer. The
is applied discreetly to the skin, the more method is called perfume layering. I will
individual it smells. introduce it in detail later. For perfumers,
the idea of mixing two artworks is horri-
» How many individual fragrance, or
fying. They see a perfume as a creation of
ingredients, does a perfume consist of?
usually many different coordinated ingre-
When can you smell something?
dients that do not allow intervention. Nev-
A fragrance is a chemical substance that ertheless, one is often surprised how the
stimulates the sense of smell. It is based on olfactory artworks complement each other
molecules composed of elementary units. when layering. However, you have to stick
Molecules are two- or more-atom particles to certain rules. For example, when layer-
held together by chemical bonds. Everything ing, the heavier perfume must be sprayed
that smells to humans constantly emits over the lighter, fresher, more volatile fra-
small amounts of specific fragrance mole- grance, so that both perfumes mix well.
cules that stimulate the olfactory cells in the
upper part of the nose. You can calculate » How are perfumes won?

how many molecules of fragrance must be The raw materials for perfume oil are tra-
present in one breath per olfactory cell in or- ditionally produced by five methods, which
der for there to be a sensation. The amount are further refined in further processing
is different for each fragrance and can, for steps:
example, be eight molecules. 1. Distillation. A separation process in
When it comes to the sense of smell, one which a fragrance ingredient is sepa-
distinguishes between the threshold of per- rated or dissolved by evaporation or
ception and thethreshold of recognition. condensation.
The threshold of perception is the concen- 2. Maceration. Most often, chopped sub-
tration of fragrance so low that one only stances are soaked in a liquid such as al-
suspects that one smells something. With cohol, oil and water, but also with other
the threshold of recognition, on the other means to obtain soluble components.
hand, one can name the fragrance—if one 3. Enfleurage. Heat-sensitive, freshly har-
knows it. There is a perfume on the market vested flowers or plants are allowed to
with a single fragrance ingredient, the syn- give off their volatile essential oils in fat,
thetic “Iso E Super”. Most perfumes con- oil or other substances.
sist of 30 to 70 fragrance ingredients, but 4. Extraction. Substances are separated or
can also be composed of several hundred. purified by various methods, including
In theory, perfumers can choose from a pal- steam distillation.
ette of fragrances of about 3000 natural 5. Expression. Certainly one of the oldest
and synthetic fragrance ingredients. This is methods of perfumery to obtain some-
the case when the price of a perfume is not thing that smells good and is benefi-
an issue, ingredients are accessible and the cial. Originally, for example, plant leaves
2.2 · Types and Use of Perfumes—Areas of Interest …
41 2
were pressed by hand. Even today this is 5 Faure, P. (1990) Magie der Düfte. Eine
done by means of mechanical pressing Kulturgeschichte der Wohlgerüche von
processes. den Pharaonen zu den Römern. Arte-
mis, München und Zürich
» How long does a perfume last, and where is 5 Le Guérer, A. (1992) Die Macht der
the best place to store it? Gerüche. Eine Philosophie der Nase.
Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart.
It may sound surprising, but it’s true: per-
5 Schlögel, K. (2020) Der Duft der Im-
fume does not belong in the bathroom. In
perien: „Chanel No 5“ und „Rotes
many bathrooms, for example, there are
Moskau“. Hanser, München
temperature fluctuations and high humid-
ity due to hot showers, which can quickly
Perfume ingredients:
change the smell of an olfactory work of
5 Hall, R., Klemme, D., Nienhaus, J.
art. Perfumes love cooler, drier, and darker
(1985) H&R Lexikon Duftbausteine
rooms with constant temperatures. They es-
– Die natürlichen und synthetischen
pecially don’t like sunlight,heat, and oxy-
Komponenten für die Kreation von Par-
gen. The bedroom might be the ideal place
fums. Glöss, Hamburg.
to store them. If treated well, the fine es-
5 Martinetz, D., Hartwig, R. (1998)
sences can last for more than three years.
Taschenbuch der Riechstoffe – Ein Lex-
This is especially true for perfumes from the
ikon von A–Z. Harri Deutsch, Thun
Amber-Oriental fragrance family. These fra-
und Frankfurt a./M.
grance notes can last for decades, even if
5 Legrum, W. (2012) Riechstoffe, zwis-
the top note eventually disappears. For per-
chen Gestank und Duft: Vorkommen,
fumes in the “fresh-green-citrus” fragrance
Eigenschaften und Anwendung von
family, such as Bergamot notes, it is even
Riechstoffen und deren Gemischen.
recommended to store them at refrigerator
Springer Spektrum, Wiesbaden
temperature. If a perfume has changed color
5 Nagel, B. (2020) PARFUM. PUR.
significantly and become thicker, it means
Düfte, Farben, Kulinarik: und eine Prise
that it has exceeded its life expectancy.
Poesie. Art Parfum, Oy-Mittelberg
» What areas and areas of interest fascinate
perfume lovers? Perfume making:
5 Stead, C. (1996) Parfum aus ätherischen
Perfume and perfumery span a wide range
Ölen selbst herstellen—Komponieren
of specialties. Twelve areas in particular are
Sie Ihren ganz persönlichen Duft.
fascinating. Here are some German-lan-
ECON Taschenbuch, Düsseldorf,
guage literary classics and newer treatises as
5 Aftel, M. (2004) Die Kunst der Al-
examples and to get a taste. Some of them
chimisten—Alles über Parfum. Rütten
are also available as English or French edi-
& Loening, Berlin
tions Just from the titles alone, they give a
5 Ellena, J. C. (2012) Der get-
good overview of the areas and interests in
räumte Duft—Aus dem Leben eines
perfume and perfumery:
Parfümeurs. Insel-Verlag, Berlin
Perfume history:
5 Corbin, A. (1984) Pesthauch und Blü-
Perfume artworks:
tenduft. Eine Geschichte des Geruchs.
5 Turin, L., Sanchez, T. (2013) Das kleine
Wagenbach, Berlin
Buch der großen Parfums: Die hundert
5 Morris, E.T. (2006) Düfte – Die Kul-
Klassiker. Dörlemann, Zürich
turgeschichte des Parfums. Albatros,
5 Girard-Lagorce, S. (2001) 100 legendäre
Düsseldorf
Parfums. Tosa, Wien
 42 Chapter 2 · Perfumes in Change

5 Mayer Lefkowith, C. (2000) Glan- atrie und Neurologie. Springer, Berlin

zstücke der Parfümindustrie. Brandstät- Heidelberg
ter, Wien 5 Spitzer, M., Bertram, W. (2009). Hirn-
2 forschung für Neu(ro)gierige: Brainter-
Smelling: tainment 2.0. Schattauer, Stuttgart
5 Hatt, H., Dee, R. (2012) Das kleine
Buch vom Riechen und Schmecken. Al- Sociology of smell:
brecht Klaus, München 5 Raab, J. (1998) Die soziale Konstruk-
5 Burdach, K., J. (1991) Geschmack und tion olfaktorischer Wahrnehmung. Eine
Geruch. Gustatorische, olfaktorische Soziologie des Geruchs. Dissertation,
und trigeminale Wahrnehmung. Hans Universität Konstanz
Huber, Bern, Stuttgart, Toronto 5 Ehrensperger, A. (2015) Parfüm-
5 Pause, B. (2020) Alles Geruchssache: geschichten: über die Sprachlosigkeit sin-
Wie unsere Nase steuert, was wir wollen nlicher Erfahrungen. University of Zurich
und wen wir lieben. Pieper, München 5 Bandura, J. (2005) Der Geruch und der
Geruchssinn—eine soziologische Betra-
Fragrance molecules: chtung über die soziale Konstruktion der
5 Ohloff, G. (1992) Riechstoffe und olfakto- rischen Wahrnehmung. Studie-
Geruchssinn: Die molekulare Welt der narbeit des Fachbereichs Soziologie—
Düfte. Wiley, Weinheim Kultur, Technik und Völker. Universität
5 Peter, K., Vollhardt, C., Schore, N.E. Duisburg-Essen (Institut für Soziologie)
(2011) Organische Chemie. Wiley, Wein-
heim Scent marketing:
5 Breitmaier, E. (2005) Terpene: Aromen, 5 Rempel, J., E. (2006) Olfaktorische
Düfte, Pharmaka, Pheromone. Wiley, Reize in der Markenkommunikation.
Weinheim Theore- tische Grundlagen und em-
pirische Er- kenntnis zum Einsatz von
Fragrance psychology: Düften. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg
5 Gschwind, J. (1998) Repräsentation von 5 Schiansky, M. (2011) Mit allen Sinnen:
Düften. Wißner, Augsburg Duftmarketing. Diplomica, Hamburg
5 Jellinek, P. (1973) Die psychologischen 5 Knoblich, H., Scharf, A., Schubert, B
Grundlagen der Parfümerie. Hüthig, (2003) Marketing mit Duft. De Gruyter
Heidelberg Oldenbourg, München
5 Mensing, J. (2005) Duft-Guide. Der sch-
nelle Führer zu Ihren Ideal-Düften. In: Aromatherapy:
Roller, U., Spelman, R. Parfums – Edi- 5 Worwood, V., A. (1992) Liebesdüfte—
tion 2005. Ebner, Ulm. S. 206–215 Die Sinnlichkeit ätherischer Öle, Gold-
mann Ratgeber. Goldmann, München
Olfactory brain research/Neuroperfu- 5 Schnaubelt, K. (1995) Neue Aromather-
mery: apie—Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden
5 Pause, B. (2004) Über den Zusammen- durch ätherische Öle. vgs, Köln
hang von Geruch und Emotion und 5 Lawless, J.(1996) Kleine Aroma-Apotheke,
deren Bedeutung für klinisch-psycholo- ECON Taschenbuch, Düsseldorf
gische Störungen des Affektes. Pabst
Science Publ, Lengerich Perfume-Belletristik:
5 Moessnang, C., Freiherr, J. (2013) Ol- 5 Süskind, P. (1985) Das Parfum. Die
faktorik. In Schneider, F., Fink, G., R. Geschichte eines Mörders. Diogenes,
(Hrsg.). Funktionelle MRT in Psychi- Zürich
2.2 · Types and Use of Perfumes—Areas of Interest …
43 2
5 Janson, B. (2012) Der verbotene Duft. set. Perfumers are familiar with the prob-
Ullstein, Berlin lem that their olfactory work of art can col-
5 Rose, M., J. (2013) Das Haus der verlo- lapse or suddenly develop a different fra-
renen Düfte. Aufbau, Berlin grance character at a higher concentration,
because now certain ingredients smell more
» Which perfume museums should one visit at pronounced. Finding the right concentra-
least once from their location? tion for a fragrance oil is an art in itself.
Often one starts with the first mixing of
There are wonderful perfume museums all
an oil at 12% and then works step by step
over the world. I will only mention two.
up or down. It can happen that the same
They are located in places where the heart
mixture smells better with 12% than with
of the perfume industry beats particularly
14%. This also depends on the alcohol
strongly:
used. So Germany’s perfumers had to work
5 Musée International de la Parfumerie
for a long time with state-supported alcohol
2 Boulevard du Jeu de Ballon
from sugar beets, which stung a little in the
F-06130 Grasse
nose at first smell. French perfumers have
5 Osmothèque
always been able to fall back on better al-
36 Rue du Parc de Clagny
cohol. I still remember my early days in per-
F-78000 Versailles
fumery, when in Germany the alcohol was
made “rounder” with a hint of musk. So
The Osmothèque is part of the ISIPCA,
one hoped to be able to keep up with the
one of the most famous perfume schools.
alcohol used in France from sugar cane,
After this excursion, I will return to the
wheat or fruits—even in Eau-de-Vie qual-
other perfume variants.
ity. Already the choice of the alcohol, which
makes up the largest part of a perfume in
z Eau de Parfum
the classical alcoholic perfumery, is there-
This is not only in Europe, but worldwide, fore decisive for the fragrance perception.
the most popular perfume variant. It has,
after the perfume with 10 to 14%, the sec- z Eau de Toilette
ond highest concentration of fragrance oil
This type of perfume has lost much of its
or fragrance. Consumers associate with this
former popularity in recent years. Many
perfume variant a certain value, also be-
perfume lovers find Eau de Toilettes either
cause one believes that a Eau de Parfum
too light, and they prefer a more valuable
can be used more sparingly. This is usually
sounding Eau de Parfum—or they prefer
also the case for the durability of the fra-
an even lighter scent. In fact, there are two
grance, especially when the concentration
scent trends independent consumer trends
is between 12 and 14%. However, the fra-
in perfumery. On the one hand, lighter per-
grance oil concentration is not a guarantee
fuming is in demand, on the other hand,
for their durability or subjective impression.
scents with character and expressiveness are
This is influenced by several factors such as
sought for certain occasions. As a fragrance
climate, environment, nutrition, mood, skin
trend in 2023, we could see the appearing of
condition and -quality, but also by medica-
highly concentrated fragrances, some of the
tion and the accustoming to the perfume.
most frequently cited examples of scents la-
Perfumery is also not additive. A high
belled as “beast mode” fragrances include
fragrance concentration does not guaran-
Sauvage Elixir by Dior and Maison Francis
tee a better smell. Often this is even rather
Kurkdjian’s BaccaratRouge 540 (both the
the case when a fragrance oil is diluted in
Extrait and the Eau de Parfum).
more alcohol, thus lighter concentrated or
 44 Chapter 2 · Perfumes in Change

Most Eau de Toilettes have a fragrance dry out the skin. Those who cannot per-
concentration of about 6 to 8%. However, fume themselves at work often use body
the concentration can also be higher—es- mists as a substitute for perfume. They are
2 pecially for men’s fragrances. Many men as- also a good alternative for allergy suffer-
sociate the term “perfume” with something ers, of which there are particularly many in
feminine, but still expect their own scent to the USA and in Europe. In addition, body
be durable and personal. That’s why there mists are significantly cheaper than eau de
are also Eau de Toilettes for men with 12 parfums.
to 14 percent fragrance oil concentration
or more, which at least elevates them to the
ranks of Eau de Parfums. 2.3 The Trend in the Perfume
Industry Towards Nature
z Eau de Cologne
This is the classic presentation of many Some perfume products are already very
scents, especially from the “fresh-green-cit- close to essential oils in terms of claim
rus” direction. Even today, the invigorating and quality. These are fragrances based on
bergamot notes with a three to five percent plant essential oils. The range of scents of
fragrance concentration dominate in this these quality perfumes is currently increas-
scent direction. ing more and more, as essential oils can
be obtained from various parts of plants.
z Eau Fraîche These include flowers, flower buds, leaves,
The perfume variant Eau Fraîche, also branches, fruits and their parts, bark, roots,
called Splash Cologne, typically comes with seeds, needles, wood and the rhizome,
a fragrance oil concentration of 1 to 3% as which grows underground or close to the
a refreshing summer scent. Most shaving ground.
water / after shave or balm products as well However, for many plants—even if
as soaps, bath and shower gels also have a they smell very good or unusually interest-
fragrance concentration in this range. The ing—the proportion of fragrance content
fragrance content is usually less than 1% is so low that their processing is not worth-
for creams and lotions, and not more than while. You would like to use these unusually
0.5% for skin care products. The fragrance smelling plants or plant parts, because the
content of most lightly perfumed room art of perfume-making also consists in cre-
sprays and air fresheners starts at about ating a new and innovative fragrance expe-
0.5%. But there are also products with a rience. In these cases, one often resorts to
fragrance content of up to 5%. Fragrance natural identical fragrance ingredients (in
candles often have a fragrance concentra- German naturidentische Duftstoffe), which
tion of about 1.5%. Not all fragrances are are chemically identical to a plant or plant
suitable for scenting the various products. part, but are not or only partially obtained
For example, fragrances for candles must from naturally occurring substances. How-
still smell good under heat influence. ever, this can result in the therapeutic fra-
grance effect (in German Duftwirkung) be-
z Body Mist ing limited or not occurring at all under
This perfume variant, also called in Ger- aromatherapeutic requirements. Neverthe-
man Körperduftspray, is particularly pop- less, there is also a clear trend towards more
ular in the USA and has an oil concen- natural and thus towards natural essential
tration of 0.3 to 3%. Many body mists oils in perfumes. This current trend can also
are scented skin or body care products. be formulated as follows:
Some do not contain alcohol, which could
2.4 · Personal Requirements for Perfumes
45 2
> The transitions between fragrance en- has long since turned again, and consumers
joyment, care, and therapy are becoming increasingly wish for natural ingredients in
more fluid. their perfumes—since synthetic fragrances
have been criticized in recent years, mainly
Even if natural identical fragrances are and because of the parabens and phthalates
must continue to be used in the creation of they may contain—but not only because of
perfumes due to the limited availability of this—the public rightly has a negative opin-
various plant parts, the industry is paying ion about the effects on human health.
more and more attention to a positive or But what if research develops more
even health-promoting effect of the ingredi- and more synthetic and semi-synthetic fra-
ents. They are increasingly being researched grances that reduce the risk of allergies,
by the fragrance-producing industry. work better in perfumes and offer addi-
Perfume research has focused in recent tional health benefits such as optimiza-
years particularly on the aspect of skin care tion of skin condition? In this context,
through perfume ingredients. For example, semi-synthetic fragrances are of particu-
in 2020 the perfume oil manufacturer Fir- lar interest. They are isolated from natural
menich brought the biotechnologically pro- substances and then possibly further pro-
duced fragrance “Dreamwood” to market, cessed. Later on, I will go into the impor-
inspired by sandalwood in “Mysore qual- tance of plant peptides for the future of
ity”. This is a quality designation named af- perfumery. This raises a completely differ-
ter an Indian place. This sandalwood is pro- ent question: How strong can perfumes ac-
duced in Indian distilleries from wood chips tually work? But more on that later.
of the sandalwood tree. The new fragrance
smells warm and creamy and has an antimi-
crobial, that is, growth-inhibiting, and calm- 2.4 Personal Requirements
ing effect on the skin. Therapeutically, san- for Perfumes
dalwood is of particular importance as a
fragrant massage oil. In 2014, research also Perfume lovers today have more and more
came as a surprise with a surprising mes- opportunities to very precisely determine
sage: The skin can smell sandalwood. their personal requirements and criteria for
This raises the question of perfume ef- their perfume and thus take into account
ficacy, which is increasingly difficult to an- different types of fragrance use. For exam-
swer: Are natural fragrances better than ar- ple, perfumes are available or under devel-
tificial or synthetic? There are natural, fully opment and can be selected
synthetic, and semi-synthetic fragrances. At 5 as vegan, organic and as bio-perfume;
the end of the 19th century, synthetic fra- 5 as certified natural perfume, e.g. from
grances were celebrated as an innovative and BDIH, NaTrue or Ecocert;
revolutionary new movement in perfum- 5 as alcoholic and alcohol-free perfume or
ery. They usually have the advantage that with special alcohol such as bioethanol;
they are much more durable and can also be 5 as perfume made from natural, biotech-
produced more cheaply. In many cases, al- nological, semi-synthetic, or pure syn-
though not always, synthetic fragrances also thetic ingredients or a combination of
offer an advantage for allergy sufferers. Be- these;
cause the synthetic fragrances smell like the 5 in a light (e.g. as an eau de toilette) to
unadulterated image and often better or al- concentrated concentration (e.g. as an
low new olfactory impressions, but do not eau de parfum or extrait de parfum);
contain the allergens that can be contained
in natural fragrances. Nevertheless: The tide
 46 Chapter 2 · Perfumes in Change

5 with one molecule, with few ingredients, 2.5 Perfume in Conflict:

or with several; Prohibited and Unwanted
5 as perfume made from one plant species Effects
2 or from several plants or plant parts of
a specific region; The legislator has identified a number of nat-
5 as liquid or solid (solid cream / balm) ural and synthetic fragrance ingredients that
perfume; are considered potentially allergenic and/
5 as perfume without questionable or un- or harmful to health. Their use in fragrance
wanted effects to avoid personal allergy products is prohibited or their concentration
risks. In this context, it is interesting is very limited. The list of these ingredients—
that more and more testing methods are which are also to be warned of without ex-
discovered whether fragrances could po- plicit ban—is constantly getting longer.
tentially trigger skin reactions, without According to EU law, 26 ingredients
the need for animal testing or human with allergy risks must be indicated in per-
clinical trials; fumes from 2019 if 0.001% of the respec-
5 as a fragrance to counteract bad odors tive fragrance remains on the skin or hair in
such as cigarette smoke (e.g. with Ver- the end product, for example in a perfume,
nova Pure® technology); and it is therefore a leave-on product. If the
5 as a fragrance with added benefits such product can be washed off like a shampoo,
as anti-aging, moisturizing, cleansing, the value is 0.01%.
and slimming properties (e.g. offered The INCI (International Nomencla-
with Robertet ActiScents technology); ture of Cosmetic Ingredients) offers al-
5 as a bespoke fragrance, mixed with the lergy sufferers in particular the opportunity
ingredients of your choice at an in-store to check a product for the 26 suspicious in-
refill station (e.g. patented by Coty in gredients before purchase. Fragrances are
2023); then summarized under the collective terms
5 as a sustainable fragrance with bio- “perfume”, “fragrance”, “aroma”, or “fla-
based packaging for more environmen- vour”. If the suspicious fragrance ingredi-
tal friendliness (e.g. offered by Sulapac ents are contained in a cosmetic product,
since 2023); i.e. also in a perfume, they are listed on the
5 as fragrance with ingredients and for- packaging with their INCI names in de-
mulas designed to be mood-boosting; scending order of concentration and with
5 as a fragrance created to enhance syner- the date of manufacture. The ingredients
gistic experiences; with a concentration of less than 1% are
5 as a fragrance with neuroactive ingre- then listed in no particular order.
dients and benefits, one of the latest Various consumer organizations such
trends in the cosmetics and personal as Öko-Test demand even further restric-
care industry (we’ll get into that later); tions on ingredients. They are not satisfied
5 as a fragrance designed for your needs that the responsibility for suspicious ingre-
and desires with AI (we will talk about dients in products and thus their safety for
this in detail); consumers lies solely in the hands of manu-
5 as a vintage fragrance to indulge in clas- facturers. As early as 2012, the scientific ad-
sic simplicity. visory board of the EU Commission pub-
2.5 · Perfume in Conflict: Prohibited and Unwanted Effects
47 2
lished a paper in which 82 fragrance in- and cosmetics industry. And that is also de-
gredients and essential oils were named as manded by the legislator.
proven contact allergens. The concentration For example, since July 2019, the EU
of many other fragrances should be limited. has banned certain marketing statements
Many even demand that the individual in- that advertise compliance with legal re-
gredients be listed in all fragrance formula- quirements. For example, the statement
tions. “This product complies with the require-
So far, the EU law has only required the ments of the Cosmetic Products Regula-
general indication “perfume” on the pack- tion (Kosmetikverordnung)” is not allowed.
aging for fragrances with approved sub- More fairness is also taken into account.
stances in order to protect the formulations So the claim is prohibited: “In contrast to
of the perfumers as a secret. Accordingly, product X, the product does not contain
many brand manufacturers do not disclose the ingredient Y, which is known for its ir-
these formulations or describe them with ritating effect.” The legislator also requires
olfactory impressions and some informa- a convincing, not exaggerated advertising
tion on ingredients in the head, heart and message. For example, a statement such as
base of the perfume. A perfume usually “This product gives you wings” should no
consists of 30 to 70 ingredients. Many con- longer be communicated.
sumers therefore fear that the constantly in- The regulations are also changing in the
creasing allergic reactions are due to secret USA. Elena Knezevic (Editor-in-Chief of
substances. These reactions are recorded Fragrantica—a website for perfume lov-
two to three times more often in women. ers) outlines for the years 2023 and 2004:
This is especially true for household prod- Perfume and cosmetics companies are cur-
ucts to which women are more exposed. rently preparing for the new regulations
Approximately 3% of the European (MoCRA—The Modernization of Cos-
population are estimated to be allergic to metics Regulation Act), some of which will
some fragrance components. It is estimated be mandatory in the next year (2024). This
that well over 2 million Americans suffer law gives the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Ad-
from significant fragrance allergies or sensi- ministration) new powers over the industry.
tivities and the number is rising. These can From December 2023, cosmetic companies
have either natural or synthetic origins. A must register with the FDA and report prod-
service for consumers could be that the in- ucts and ingredients as well as fragrance al-
gredients of products are listed on offi- lergens. In other words, consumers get more
cial websites. In this way, one could search information about the products they use.
for substances with allergy risks and cross In order to make scents more attrac-
them off the shopping list immediately. tive to consumers, the trend towards natu-
But the real problem is different. While ral perfumes focuses on certain plants that
consumer groups such as Women’s Voices have ripened only under very specific con-
of the Earth fear secret chemicals, an in- ditions. They carry seals of quality such as
verse fear haunts industry: consumers NaTrue or Demeter in accordance with the
could find out what is not in the fragrance. specifications of natural cosmetics manu-
So wonderfully described fragrance compo- facturers. The focus is on plants recognized
nents from exotic countries could turn out by certified natural cosmetics, whose origin
to be simple chemicals. Nevertheless, there is known, which have been grown and pro-
is an increasingly trend towards more hon- cessed in accordance with the controlled-or-
esty, evidence, and fairness in the fragrance ganic guidelines. This of course excludes
 48 Chapter 2 · Perfumes in Change

the use of genetically modified plant mate- 2.6 Consumers Want More
rial. This makes it possible to comply with than Just Smelling Good—
the new COSMOS ORGANIC quality seal, From Perfume to Active
2 which is defined by international environ-
Perfume
mental organizations as the minimum qual-
ity requirements for “organic” fragrance
From a fragrance psychology perspective,
and cosmetic products. The new, harmo-
there are even more questions:
nized COSMOS standard combines the pre-
5 What does olfactory offer the best effect
vious standards of BDIH (Germany), COS-
to increase personal feeling and experi-
MEBIO, ECOCERT (both France), ICEA
ence, such as specifically the acquisition
(Italy), and SAO (England).
of more self-attractiveness and self-con-
A fragrance user can of course asso-
fidence? Are they perfumes or essential
ciate positive and harmless, but also ques-
oils?
tionable and negative things with a per-
5 How must a fragrance smell for some-
fume from his or her individual point of
one so that it is suitable for the “therapy
view. The numerous perfume variants make
of the self ”, which is more focused on
a generally valid statement difficult. There-
the search, acquisition, and increase of
fore, before smelling a perfume, you should
mindfulness and identity?
first create a personal profile or a require-
5 Or simply asked: What is best for per-
ments profile for your scent. In this way,
sonal self-optimization?
you can concentrate only on bio-perfumes
with natural and unobjectionable ingredi-
When answering these questions, it is cer-
ents for yourself when you are looking for
tainly also about what promotes health
or advising on a perfume. Vegan perfumes
through smell. But here the personal “self ”
made from at least 90% natural and sus-
is clearly in the foreground in its experience
tainably sourced ingredients have already
and feeling. Both will often overlap.
become the new standard in fine perfumery.
But the search, acquisition and increase
An example is Gaultier Divine—Eau de
of more self-attractiveness, mindfulness,
Parfum by Jean Paul Gaultier (2023).
and self-confidence can also be a separate
Depending on the profile of require-
therapeutic goal, especially when it comes
ments, a perfume can indeed also come
to processing one’s own identity. I will later
close to an essential oil. In this case it is a
propose fragrance-supported self-coachings
pure natural product—with or without alco-
for the “therapy of the self ”.
hol—and can even have been created from a
Of course, an experienced fragrance en-
specific plant—like most essential oils. But
joyment is needed to achieve the respective
there are also essential oils from different
optimization goals. But it is mainly about
plants or from a recommended mixture that
the possession of one’s own olfactory tool
gives an oil a certain perfume character. For
that works for one and thus can do more
example, a mixture of essential oils from
than just smell good. Accordingly, ideally
calming lavender, mood-enhancing orange
you need an “active fragrance” or an “ac-
and concentration-enhancing lemon is asso-
tive oil” or an “active perfume”. Such per-
ciated with better learning. In other words,
fumes are currently the focus of research
perfumes and essential oils can overlap and
in neuroperfumery. Many see the future of
are doing so more and more, as the current
fragrances in neuroactive fragrances (neu-
trend shows.
roscents). We will discuss this topic later us-
ing the latest findings.
2.7 · The Difference between Aromatherapy and Scent Therapy
49 2
This olfactory “effect tool” can be a each person defines them for themselves. Of
fragrance, a perfume, or an essential oil. course, organic perfumes that are similar
How and whether it works can often only in quality to essential oils are a good first
be decided by the user himself. It cannot choice.
be claimed that the same fragrance or the This also answers my question from the
same tool will also have the same effect on beginning: Can perfumes also be used for
others. Whether it is an “active fragrance” scent therapy, or is scent therapy only pos-
depends on the respective subjective experi- sible with essential oils?
ence. However, the difference between aroma
This subjective experience characterizes and scent therapy still needs to be clarified,
the difference to classical aromatherapy, in which I will do in the following.
which—as in medicine—one focuses on ef-
fects of plants that are as universal as pos-
sible, for example against stress. In con- 2.7 The Difference
trast, the method I refer to as scent ther- between Aromatherapy
apy claims—even if not exclusively—to
and Scent Therapy
contribute to “therapy of the self ”, with-
out certain fragrance notes or oils having The terms aromatherapy and scent or fra-
to claim general validity in their effects.
grance therapy are mostly used synony-
Thus, in scent therapy, the individual him- mously. However, on closer inspection,
self must decide what works best for him there are differences in the self-understand-
olfactorily.
ing of these methods.
Often he has to experiment and be- In comparison to scent or fragrance
come his own private perfumer. This can therapy,aromatherapy has a more medi-
be achieved with the layering of perfumes
cine-oriented self-claim. It is based on the
method without much effort, which we use of essential oils from plants that are
will talk about later. Of course, one can used in a therapy to improve physical and
fall back on the knowledge and applica-
mental well-being. The focus is therefore on
tion methods of aromatherapy. But here plants with person-spanning or general, ob-
too it applies: Everyone has to decide for jective effects. The goal of aromatherapy is
himself whether and with which olfac-
to be used as an alternative or supplement
tory tools a “therapy of the self ” can be to a number of diseases and symptoms. It
achieved. There are good reasons for this. thus acts as an additional medical treat-
The experience of scent arises in regions ment, e.g. for stress and depression.
of the brain that are responsible for per- Scent therapy is focused on the individ-
sonal feelings, moods, emotions as well as ual, subjective well-being of its users. All
for consciousness and personality and are kinds of olfactory media are used, which
colored by individual memories and asso- in addition to essential oils can also include
ciations. In order to achieve a targeted per- perfumes. The user decides on the type and
sonal self-optimization through scent, one form of administration. What is important is
should not exclude olfactory tools that do what is good for each individual. This means
one good. that there is no claim that the same scent or
For the “therapy of the self ” it is there- the same tool will work in the same way for
fore not a question of whether it is better to others. This means that the subjective ex-
use a perfume, an essential oil, or another perience of the individual decides whether
olfactory medium in the scent therapy. something is an “effective scent” for him and
With the self-optimization intended here, whether he can work therapeutically with it.
perfumes are also a welcome tool, however
 50 Chapter 2 · Perfumes in Change

The main goal of fragrance therapy is the fragrance and cosmetics industry, from
“therapy of the self” and thus the search which allergy sufferers also benefit. The
for and increase of more self-attractiveness, current trend can also be formulated as
2 mindfulness, and self-confidence in the con- follows: The transitions between fra-
text of processing one’s own identity. grance enjoyment, care and therapy are
Of course, scent therapy and aromather- becoming more fluid. Perfume lovers to-
apy overlap in many therapy goals—even if day have the opportunity to very pre-
not everyone working in these areas would cisely determine their personal require-
agree with my distinction. Nevertheless: In ments and criteria for their fine perfume,
general, scent therapy does not see itself as for example by only selecting scents that
an independent treatment method in con- are certified as natural perfume with a
trast to aromatherapy, but as an olfactory quality seal.
component of a fragrance-supported ther-
apy. Later in this book I will go into this
type of therapy with exercises and expla- References
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torische, olfaktorische und trigeminale Wahrneh-
2, but it is important to me that everyone
mung. Hans Huber, Bern/Stuttgart/Toronto
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rachlosigkeit sinnlicher Erfahrungen. Schweiz Arch
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Faure P (1990) Magie der Düfte. Eine Kulturg-
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Le Guérer A (1992) Die Macht der Gerüche. Eine Phi- sertation, Universität Konstanz
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Legrum W (2012) Riechstoffe, zwischen Gestank und enkommunikation. Theoretische Grundlagen und
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 53 3

Psychology of Perfume
Choice
How We Smell, Who or What in the Brain Decides on the Scent,
and Why Perfumes Do So Much Good

Contents

3.1 Plea for the Sense of Smell: We Smell More than We

Thought – 54

3.2 Scent Memory: Smelling Relativizes Space and

Time – 56

3.3 Artificial Olfactory Intelligence: The Future Has Already

Begun – 57

3.4 Increasing the Enjoyment of Fragrance: Merging of the

Senses – 58

3.5 Perfume Choice: Findings from Marketing

and Neuromarketing – 60

3.6 How to Smell: About Molecular Doormen and

Ushers – 67

3.7 The Maître Des Parfums in the Brain or the Struggle

for the Scent in the Head – 72

3.8 Scent and Personality: How Brain and Personality

Influence Olfactory Enjoyment – 74

3.9 Olfactory Soothers of the Soul: Why Perfumes Do

So Much Good – 77

References – 79

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023
J. Mensing, Beautiful SCENT,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67259-4_3
 54 Chapter 3 · Psychology of Perfume Choice

3.1 Plea for the Sense of Smell:

We Smell More than We
Thought
The olfactory sense is one of the oldest of
3 humans, but was long underestimated and
even devalued. The latest scientific findings
have completely changed this view. One
can even speak of a “renaissance of smell-
ing”. A growing number of researchers are
challenging the notion that the sense of
smell has declined during human evolution.
They even assume an opposite development
(Shepherd 2013).
We may even be able to smell with our
tongue, because in addition to taste re-
ceptors, there are also olfactory receptors
(Malik et al. 2019). Therefore, the state-
ment that our tongue only knows the gusta-
tory perceptions of sweet, sour, salty, bitter,
and umami, (meaty, savory, delicious) may
have to be reconsidered.
The mere existence of smell recep-
tors does not by itself allow the conclusion
Customers often give perfumers, the per- that we can smell with all of them—espe-
fume industry and retailers puzzles with cially not in the way that the olfactory pro-
their reactions to perfumes. Often, the choice cess takes place through the nose: We smell
of perfume in the point of sale perfume with more than 10 million olfactory cells
store seems spontaneous and determined by and their smell receptors, which are located
chance, and not really predictable. Therefore, in the nasal mucosa of the two nasal cavi-
it is difficult for marketing, neuromarketing, ties. So far it has been assumed that the
and economics to provide explanations for smell impression only develops through the
the purchase of perfume. The perfume and smell cells in our nose, which is closely con-
brain research provides new results on possi- nected to the mouth. But odorants are also
ble influencing factors on the choice of per- released when chewing and then enter the
fume, which overload established explana- nasopharyngeal space when swallowing and
tory models. Now, findings from the neurop- exhaling. I will go into this aspect in more
erfumery shed light on the darkness. In the detail later. Nevertheless, it is conceivable
choice of perfume, there is quickly a strug- that an unconscious smell with the tongue
gle in the head of the consumer, which brain also creates a smell impression. Thus it
regions and networks can prevail in the deci- would be possible that the interplay of smell
sion. Two regions are particularly in the fore- and taste begins already on the tongue.
ground, about which I want to report in con- The effect of sandalwood—an old an-
nection with recent findings and develop- ti-inflammatory remedy originally from In-
ments in the field of olfactory research. This dia, used as incense sticks and massage oil—
makes it clear what makes smelling and thus had long given rise to the suspicion that we
the choice of perfume so special. can also smell with our skin. Hanns Hatt,
3.1 · Plea for the Sense of Smell: We Smell More …
55 3
professor of physiology at the Ruhr-Univer- terested noses. But we humans are, when it
sität Bochum and probably Germany’s best- comes to the sense of smell, definitely more
known smell researcher, and his team have capable than originally assumed.
now confirmed the olfactory ability of the
skin (Busse et al. 2014). Earlier, these scien- z Olfactory early warning system
tists surprised with the statement that, for The smell impression, which is perceived
example, there are also smell receptors in by nose, skin, and organs, is, inter alia, part
the prostate, in the intestine, which is known of an early warning system of the immune
as intelligent, and in the often overused kid- system. Because our own smell reflects in-
ney. We humans therefore do not only smell ner experience like emotions, feelings and
with our nose, but with our whole body— moods, it is also an indicator of the respec-
both internally and externally. Thus it is tive health condition. This can be observed
likely that we not only constantly sniff our- very well in dogs, which can smell much
selves, but also our entire environment— better than us, (up to 80 times better), in
partly consciously, partly unconsciously. relation to human smells. They are almost
perfect diagnosticians. For example, the so-
z Do we smell in stereo? called cancer dogs are able to smell lung,
Olfactory research is now based on further breast, bowel, and bladder cancer with
assumptions. Currently, it is being discussed amazing accuracy. In addition, they can
whether humans as well as various animal also detect epileptic seizures and hypogly-
species can smell in stereo to at least some caemia in people in their environment at an
extent. Most right-handers can smell bet- early stage, in addition to numerous other
ter through the right nostril (left-handers risks for humans. Dogs are therefore ideal
through the left), but both nostrils work. smell watchers for us humans (Preuk 2013).
A group led by Yuli Wu from the Insti- Even the medical doctors of old times,
tute of Psychology of the Chinese Acad- such as the most famous doctor of antiq-
emy of Sciences in Beijing has now con- uity, the Greek Hippocrates (around 460
cluded that humans can navigate by means BC—around 370 BC), knew immediately
of stereo smelling (Wu et al. 2020). In their when they smelled certain odors of their
experiment, the test subjects turned their patients. Because: Disease smells. Doz-
heads or noses in the direction from which ens of diseases can lead to a characteris-
the higher concentration of fragrance was tic smell. Above all, the different smells of
to be smelled. This is certainly no compar- urine serve the diagnosis. For example, a
ison to the smoothshark and its sense of sweet-spicy, maple syrup-like urine indi-
smell. In contrast to humans, its nostrils cates a metabolic disorder. But also cer-
are far apart, so it can smell in stereo and tain smells of excretions help in the diag-
thus automatically get an orientation of nosis and, for example, indicate intestinal
where the scent comes from, e.g. when fra- diseases. Furthermore, certain breath and
grance molecules first reach one nostril and sweat smells are associated with specific dis-
then the other with a delay. Certainly more eases. For example, the breath of patients
studies are needed to find out to what ex- with liver disease smells of ammonia, other
tent humans can actually navigate olfacto- smells are associated with schizophrenia.
rily. Maybe only 10% of us can really smell More detailed studies exist for Parkinson’s
in stereo in everyday life, suggests Thomas disease, which is also announced by the
Hummel, head of the “Smell and Taste” smell of the skin (Trivedi et al. 2019). Even
department at the University Hospital a lost or reduced sense of smell, can show
Dresden. This assumption, in his opinion, first symptoms for self-analysis of health.
applies especially to younger, fragrance-in- For example, the sense of smell is impaired
 56 Chapter 3 · Psychology of Perfume Choice

at the beginning of Alzheimer’s disease, but bination with memory or vice versa makes
also in infectious diseases such as Covid-19. the reproduction of complex films possi-
ble, which touch us with topics that are of-
ten very emotional and go back far into
3.2 Scent Memory: Smelling our childhood. So smell also contains links
Relativizes Space and Time from past to present.
3 More: Since odors are only perceived
z Olfactory déjà-vu unconsciously according to the latest brain
Back to “healthy” smelling. Rather, a short research before they become conscious to
film runs in us more or less conscious (Rolls us—if at all—there can be another effect
2004). How it comes about is complex and when smelling: a rare but possible olfac-
by no means completely comprehensible. The tory déjà-vu. You believe you have already
good news is that much more research is be- smelled or experienced the smell of a cur-
ing done on smell than a few years ago. For rent situation. This impression can be so
example, the two American scientists Linda strong that you have the vision to pre-ex-
Buck and Richard Axel were even awarded perience or pre-smell the development of a
the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their find- situation because you believe you have al-
ings. As already mentioned, currently at least ready experienced it. Then the smell would
eleven theories compete with each other. It so to speak point to the near future. This
is, simply put, among other things about the also has to do with the fact that we smell,
question: Is smelling based on different vi- among other things, with a certain brain re-
bration frequencies, or do the fragrance mol- gion, the already mentioned amygdala. He
ecules fit in the transferred sense like a key is superior to all other regions in the speed
in a lock, by docking specifically on recep- of his sensory perception.
tors and thus triggering specific activations? The Amygdala is our early warning sys-
Therefore, one would like to have a super mi- tem in the emotional center and reacts even
croscope in research, with which one could when the cerebrum does not yet know an-
observe the activities of the molecules. ything. Smell can thus relativize our sense
But back to the smell film. It is first pro- of time, also because we can immerse our-
duced on the olfactory mucosa. This is lo- selves in different times quickly through
cated on the roof of the nasal cavity, where smelling. Long-forgotten things from the
the fragrance molecules first meet. On this past can be activated as a current, sponta-
field there are—generously estimated—up neous impression or a feeling for what is to
to 30 million olfactory cells, others speak of come.
only 10 million. There are olfactory hairs on
it, whose surfaces are equipped with about z Smelling in weightlessness
350 different receptor types. Via switches, Several regions and networks of our brain
the olfactory stimuli reach individual brain work together in the memory of scent, in-
regions. On their way, they are converted cluding the seahorse, called Hippocampus
from a chemical stimulus into electrical im- in Latin. The ability of our olfactory mem-
pulses. This alone makes the sense of smell ory to store conscious and unconscious is
so unique compared to other senses. How almost fascinating. For example, baby re-
smelling exactly works, we will discuss later. search has shown that a fetus can smell
The conversion also opens up an espe- the amniotic fluid of their mothers, that
cially exciting field for fragrance psycholo- is, their first primal scent (in German “Ur-
gists. Because we humans have an excellent Duft” or “Ur-Parfüm”), unconsciously,
sense of smell, which is located in the emo- and that a person can remember it years
tional center (Hatt 2006). Emotion in com- later. In addition, the smell of one’s own
3.3 · Artificial Olfactory Intelligence: The Future …
57 3
amniotic fluid, which is usually perceived cause of cancer-related deaths in Europe. In
at a pleasant temperature in the protective 2018, the SniffPhone was awarded the Inno-
weightlessness, still has a positive psycho- vation Prize of the European Commission as
logical effect even years later. This says a lot the best project in its category.
about the quality of the olfactory storage. The application of the portable device
The same applies to the second “Ur- is extremely simple. The measurement re-
Parfüm” that we humans perceive as new- sults are sent from the smartphone to a
borns when breastfeeding: the mix of own cloud via Bluetooth. Medical staff have ac-
smell of the mother, her skin and mother’s cess to the data and notify the SniffPhone
milk, which accompanies us more or less user. According to Cordis, this non-inva-
consciously in memory for a lifetime. The sive method has the potential to revolution-
Anglo-Dutch perfume maker Quest, today ize cancer prevention. Meanwhile, a whole
Givaudan, found that sweet, vanilla-like, industry is trying to win the future market
musky fragrance notes, as they occur in for itself with new diagnostic devices, that
mother’s milk and are used in the creation is, electronic noses. The development is now
of many perfumes, have a noticeably relax- taking an unimaginable step further. The
ing feel-good effect even in adults. This can Volkswagen Foundation is therefore sup-
also be seen on a neuronal level in brain porting a research project at Friedrich-Al-
studies. Only slowly does one understand exander University Erlangen-Nuremberg
what a great role these “Ur-Parfüms” can that is to use artificial intelligence to pre-
play in a therapy supported by scent even dict which molecule structure produces cer-
in adults. Later on, I will show you some of tain odors. The molecule structure is to be
these therapies that you can use yourself. In determined even before the odor arises,
particular, I will also discuss milk or milk which is particularly interesting for health
mousse fragrance notes and their effects. prophylaxis. In this way, the probability of
a certain odor occurring can be calculated,
which in turn serves as an indicator of a
3.3 Artificial Olfactory possible upcoming disease. In other words,
Intelligence: The Future Has the probability of future health risks is cal-
culated on a molecular level. In addition,
Already Begun
the success of treatment courses could be
The interest in diagnostics with the nose is recognized very early in this way.
currently increasing sharply. It is currently If these analysis methods were further
being developed into a computer-controlled developed—especially in mobile form—
diagnosis, that is, into a kind of medical they would be ideal for the early detection
“E-nose”, based on questions of medicine, and evaluation of emerging psychosomatic
psychology, and therapy, using artificial in- complaints. So before a smell develops, psy-
telligence. Simply put, a computer smells dis- chological stress could be recognized and,
eases and conditions. In this way, a research using a smartphone, a targeted and situa-
group at the Technion, the Technical Univer- tion-specific intervention in the form of ex-
sity of Israel in Haifa, developed a so-called ercises, for example for more resilience, re-
SniffPhone within an EU funding program laxation, mindfulness, self-confidence or
(Cordis) together with a consortium of sci- self-esteem, could be proposed. Such de-
entists from six European countries. The sen- vices would be a further development of
sors of this smartphone evaluate the mouth the nose of a dog, which is quite rightly re-
odor of the user for the early detection of ferred to as a smell watcher and which is as-
stomach cancer, the fifth most common tonishingly capable.
 58 Chapter 3 · Psychology of Perfume Choice

However, the current focus of re- cial fascination of smelling so special: it is

search on this analysis method is on the often experienced together with other senses
resource-saving creation of fragrances— such as sight and hearing, which makes it
which would take us back to our actual even more intense. So fragrances are not
topic. Because perfume creators go through only perceived by so-called synesthetes—
a lot of trial and error, that is, many fu- that is, people who can merge the senses
3 tile attempts, to find new olfactory impres- with each other—for example, in color and
sions for perfumes. This costs resources, in shape. In fact, this applies to almost all
especially time and money. It is no coin- people to a certain extent. You don’t have
cidence that more and more fragrance man- to be a little Kandinsky to, for example, see
ufacturers are venturing into new territory fresh citrus notes as orange, light green and
with artificial intelligence (AI). For exam- yellow flying triangles following the sound
ple, the Symrise AG, a publicly traded, sec- and rhythm of a saxophone. In other words,
ond-ranked global provider of flavors, fra- smell is ideally suited to being merged with
grances and ingredients, based in Holz- other senses, so to speak multi-sensorially,
minden, Lower Saxony, has developed in order to experience an increase (Tamura
“Philyra” together with IBM Research, the et al. 2018)—although there are individual
world’s largest industrial research organiza- and cultural differences that can make the
tion with twelve laboratories on six conti- merging of individual senses different.
nents. “Philyra” has access to a huge data- The general relationships have long been
base consisting of fragrance formulas, data made their own by perfumers and fragrance
on fragrance families and historical data. lovers in our cultural area. For example,
With the help of AI, for example, it creates they speak of a fragrance smelling green or
a fragrance specifically for Brazilian men of of a perfume being harmonious and round
the Millennial generation or suggests ingre- or stinging in the nose. However, what
dients for new creations to perfume creators. smells rather blue, red, yellow, or green can
The term Wirkparfüm or active perfume quickly be associated differently with color
is particularly interesting to psychologists blindness or deficient color vision. It is es-
in connection with the topic of fragrance timated that 8 to 9% of all men suffer from
molecules. These are, as already mentioned, color blindness or deficient color vision in
fragrances that can do more than just smell the colors red and green. There are also
good. With the knowledge of which mole- other visual impairments.
cules result in which olfactory impression,
perfumes can be created specifically for spe- z The sensory world of the Makú Indians—
cial emotional needs and thus for individual an example
brain regions. But more on that later. Back Cultures such as the Makú Indians on the
to smelling and what makes it so special. Rio Uneiuxi in the Amazon region do not
distinguish at all between green and blue
in their language Nadëb and will therefore
3.4 Increasing the Enjoyment not be able to say what distinguishes both
of Fragrance: Merging of the colors in smell. They also seem to have no
Senses abstract concepts of colors and to associ-
ate colors more with things like the brown
The sense of smell has traditionally been manioc root (their main food, depending
attributed a supporting function in con- on the stage of utilization with different
nection with other senses (Knoblich et al. brown smells) or their river (which prob-
2003). But that is also what makes the spe- ably also smells dangerous during the of-
ten prolonged heavy rains, because it floods
3.4 · Increasing the Enjoyment of Fragrance: Merging …
59 3
their settlement with brown mud). An ob- experience. In fragrance marketing, this
servation of the non-existence of abstract connection has been used for a long time,
color concepts was also made with Stone especially in the so-called multimodal pro-
Age peoples on New Guinea. cessing of olfactory and visual stimuli.
The Makú Indians also have their own From the practice of perfume consulting,
sense of time in their world, which was it is known that a bottle that matches the
shaped by two gods (hostile brothers) who fragrance in color and shape enhances the
lived at the upper and lower reaches of the smell impression or the smell expectation
river before they were Christianized by an positively. An attractive and associatively
Irish missionary in the 1980s. Time periods successful visual interpretation of the fra-
and memories were measured until Chris- grance experience is particularly important.
tianization according to events such as be- Consumers usually come into con-
fore and after major floods, which were at- tact with a fragrance through display win-
tributed to the conflict of the divine broth- dows, advertisements in print media, so-
ers (Mensing et al. 2017). It is possible that cial media networks or television adver-
the new white god from the skin color of the tising, as well as displays, i.e. decorated
missionary now saw their gods like them- promotion areas in the store, on the visual
selves as brown. The assumption is therefore level. Here they see its bottle and its world.
that contact with “whites” has changed their Only then do they smell it (Jellinek 1997).
self-perception and that the color “brown” It is not by chance that many fragrances are
is now associated with further smell associ- also colored in matching colors that sup-
ations in their facets. Perhaps now a kind of port the smell impression. More precisely:
brown also goes with tribe membership and in colors that certain target groups, for ex-
-smell. Through these relationships and de- ample young women, love and find match-
velopments, the color brown may have fur- ing to the fragrance. In addition, the fra-
ther differentiated itself among the Makú grance experience can be further enriched
Indians, and individual shades of brown are by the haptics of the form language of the
now associated with increasingly different bottle—but also by background music and
smells. During my visit to the Makú Indians other sensory stimuli.
in the second half of the 1980s, the color Therefore, when presenting a new fra-
brown pointed to a considerable number of grance, edible ingredients are often offered
smell things that were equally important in for tasting—for example raspberries, if the
meaning as the color green (blue). However, top note is based on them. It is also no co-
it was not checked whether the Makú Indi- incidence that new perfumes are often in-
ans might have red-green color blindness troduced to the press in cafés in a multisen-
(protanopia). With this type of color blind- sory way. With the sight of different fruit
ness, red cannot be perceived. This leads to tarts, the upcoming fragrance experience is
confusion, for example red with brown or made tasty and should figuratively melt in
green. It was also not examined whether the one’s mouth in expectation.
lack of differentiation between green and If two or more coordinated sensory im-
blue is due to green or blue blindness. pressions, for example visual and olfac-
tory, are processed together, a so-called “su-
z Intensification of the senses peradditivity of the stimuli” can arise. In
The fusion with other senses makes smell- almost all cases, however, the smell or the
ing, as already mentioned, more intense perfume, if it is not overlaid by taste im-
and attractive. It can also be expressed this pressions, wins in every combination, with
way: it smells nicer through multisensory this impression even being intensified. As
 60 Chapter 3 · Psychology of Perfume Choice

brain research confirms, the joint processing Just so much: In recent years, a whole
of visual and olfactory stimuli even leads new field of application and research has
to increased brain activity (Pezoldt and emerged with fragrance marketing, which
Michaelis 2014), which—as recent stud- deals with the influence of olfactory stimuli
ies show—can even be further increased, on brands in the fields of communication,
namely by unexpected, beautiful smelling advertising and purchasing behavior. Scent
3 in combination with other additional expe- is increasingly understood as a non-ver-
rience. This happens, for example, through bal form of communication. In this con-
a surprise in fragrance consulting, through text, Meyer and Glombitza (2000) speak
individualization of perfumes, but also of an “invisible brand personality” that can
through their scarcity. make a brand unique (Rempel 2006). Most
Since I will come back to this in more studies on fragrance market research deal
detail later, I will limit myself at this point with the influence of the olfactory system
to the description of the shortage. Unex- or the scent on individual purchasing be-
pectedly beautiful smell in combination with havior. In other words: To what extent do
scarcity often leads in practice to the follow- olfactory stimuli influence purchase pro-
ing deliberately induced situation: The cus- cesses? Among other things, the question is
tomer smells a new perfume. If he is very whether the preference for a certain luxury
fond of the scent and asks for the price, the brand can be increased by a certain scent,
dealer claims that he first has to look in the for example the smell of leather. Another
store—or “in the back”—to see if the per- big topic is room fragrance. Is the visitor of
fume is still available in the favorable size. a store more likely to buy if he is exposed
This situation often triggers a hopeful ex- to a certain scent in the room? This could
pectation in most fragrance enthusiasts. Be- already be confirmed by a study of the
cause often only the large and therefore University of Paderborn in 1996. It exam-
also particularly expensive bottle stands in ined the influence of fragrance at the point
the shelf. If the small version is available, of sale (POS) in about 200 sports stores in
the customer feels a sense of relief: Thank Germany. The scents used in the stores are
God, it’s there! Because the price of the per- said to have increased the willingness to ad-
fume—even if it is not exactly low—can vise by almost 19%, the length of stay by
then be endured more painlessly. It can be just under 16%, the willingness to buy by
assumed that during the entire situation— almost 15% and the turnover by 3 to 6%
from the expectant tension to the relieved (Pusch 2018).
feeling of happiness—the brain activity is Without going into the numerous stud-
additionally increased in addition to the ies that would go beyond the scope of this
processing of visual and olfactory stimuli. book, it can generally be said that con-
sumption behavior is stimulated by scent,
especially when the scent is matched to the
3.5 Perfume Choice: respective areas of application. For this rea-
Findings from Marketing son, numerous fragrance marketing compa-
nies offer special scents that are supposed
and Neuromarketing
to lead to a positive purchase decision.
z On the trail of individual purchasing be- Nevertheless, due to the numerous influ-
havior encing factors, it has not been possible to
The science of our purchasing decisions come to a convincing answer to the ques-
(Barden 2013) also offers many and exciting tion of who or what influences the choice
insights for fragrance advice. of scent in the brain, in particular the in-
3.5 · Perfume Choice: Findings from Marketing …
61 3
dividual purchase decision for a perfume. work Multisensory Marketing in the Online
Nor are the answers to the questions of Shop (Pusch 2018) based on Steiner (2017),
which scents work best on which people, to what extent color, form, space and move-
with which products and in which situation, ment supplement the found connections be-
or which scents should be used for scenting tween scent, form, and color of the Mood-
or masking odors, often left to the discre- form Test© (Mensing and Beck 1988; Mens-
tion of fragrance marketing companies. Of ing 2005).
course, one can expect that the intensified Studies on the influence of individual
scent of fresh baked goods or coffee aromas sensory impressions on smell come to an
will usually also trigger sales-promoting as- interesting result: Although more than 80%
sociations in the corresponding context. of all sensory impressions are consciously
The scent of novelty, quality, and cleanli- perceived through the eyes, slightly more
ness, on the other hand, is more product- than 10% acoustically and only just under
and situation-related. What you certainly 4% consciously through the sense of smell
want to achieve next to the effect on the (Pusch 2018), scents nevertheless play the
purchase decision is the increase in the feel- decisive role for moods and feelings. In par-
ing of well-being and the feeling of well-be- ticular because we do not consciously per-
ing with the product itself. Basically, it is ceive most scents and they are processed
about arousing positive emotions that moti- unfiltered in our emotional center.
vate consumers to buy. There are interesting That multi-sensory marketing is cer-
findings from multisensory marketing, neu- tainly the future of scent marketing is not
romarketing, but also from economics. disputed by most marketing professionals.
Nevertheless, as can be seen from the ex-
z Multisensory marketing—synchronized ample of Abercrombie & Fitch, it is diffi-
choreography of the senses cult to implement and also no guarantee for
Multisensory marketing is based on the su- lasting success. With the visual appearance,
peradditivity of stimuli, whereby an at- where lightly dressed men greet the custom-
tempt is made to address all five senses ers at the entrance, there were complaints.
(visual [optics], auditory [acoustics], olfac- Also, the loud music booming from the
tory [olfactory], gustatory [gustatory], and speakers caused important target groups to
tactile [haptic]) as coordinated as possible be lost or not even gained for sales. Also,
and in a holistic manner in order to opti- the black floors and ceilings as well as the
mize the experience. As already mentioned, darkened stores, which are aimed at at-
it is assumed that the effect in the brain is mospheric room atmosphere and the sense
higher when emotional and cognitive pro- of touch, were not everyone’s taste. In ad-
cessing of incoming stimuli is carried out dition, the Abercrombie & Fitch Signature
using coordinated stimulus modalities. fragrance “Fierce” came onto the market
Which individual sensory stimuli of differ- in a very concentrated form and mainly al-
ent modalities are particularly suitable for lergy sufferers avoided the stores. That was
superadditivity is also a field of research in no wonder, because the company obviously
art and media and by no means exhausted. sprayed the scent in the stores all day long
In this book I will show in detail the con- and employees were even asked to spray it
nection between specific fragrance direc- into the air conditioning. Perfumes or con-
tions, colors, shapes, and experience. This sumers are in a state of change with regard
connection is the basis for the Moodform to their expectations of a scent, as we have
Test©, which you can carry out as a self-test seen above. So it is questionable whether—
at a later stage. Marina Pusch shows in her as currently planned—a scent box in the
 62 Chapter 3 · Psychology of Perfume Choice

private sector, which can be connected, tems that influence life and are used in con-
for example, to visual media or the Inter- sumer research and brand positioning. The
net, will ever be a commercial success. Like German psychologist Hans-Georg Häusel
some printers, the scent box contains small (Häusel 2016) and marketing agencies such
cartridges with different fragrances that are as “Konversionskraft” describe them as fol-
emitted in different amounts and mixtures lows:
3 at the same time (Pusch 2018). Conceivable 5 Balance system: striving for stability, or-
are essential oils, which together with other der, security, and belonging; avoiding
sensory impressions promote health and uncertainty and fear.
well-being in the context of accompanying 5 Dominance system: striving for power,
fragrance therapies. For example, one could assertiveness, status, and autonomy;
offer fragrance seminars, fragrance tests, avoiding suppression and foreign con-
or fragrance journeys with added value via trol.
social media, e.g. for Alzheimer’s patients 5 Stimulant system: striving for adventure,
to smell better—and thus for more joie de reward, and variety; avoiding monotony
vivre. and boredom.

z Neuromarketing—the connection be- All three emotion systems result in an

tween emotional systems and olfactory emotional space that has been visualized
experience and known as the Limbic® Map for better
Perfume marketing, like marketing in gen- overview.
eral, is increasingly interested in findings In neuroperfumery and olfactory psy-
from neuromarketing. Simply put, neuro- chology, the three basic systems of this
marketing aims to study the effect of stim- model developed by Hans-Georg Häusel
uli on marketing and sales from the per- are not unknown. Below is a first assign-
spective of the brain, or even simpler, to test ment to fragrance directions, which I will
the reaction of networks to certain stimuli. discuss in detail in their psychology at a
The focus will be on reactions controlled by later point:
emotions, especially by the limbic system. 5 Balance-System: floral fragrance notes
Accordingly, it is assumed that in humans and floral notes such as the so-called
the reasons for their actions are mainly in- Florientals and milk-like milk-mousse
fluenced by emotional factors that cannot notes.
be easily uncovered by surveys. In order to 5 Dominance-System: Chypre notes as
test which brain regions and networks are well as leather and aromatic fragrance
activated by certain stimuli, imaging meth- notes.
ods are used (such as functional magnetic 5 Stimulant-System: Gourmand notes, that
resonance imaging), which will be discussed is, scents that the smell brain registers
in detail later. But we must honestly say that as sweet-edible and that act on the re-
the conclusion from brain reactions to ac- ward network. In the Limbic® Map they
tual experience is still in its infancy—just can be assigned to the Stimulant-Sys-
because individual brain regions and their tem. Furthermore, fresh-green citrus fra-
networks, as we saw in 7 Chap. 1, have dif- grance notes fall into this system.
ferent functions at the same time. So the
amygdala is activated both by fear and by z How and why do consumers choose a
joy and knows all the facets in between. particular perfume?
Currently, neuromarketing is particu- For the perfume shop, which is itself of-
larly focused on three large emotion sys- ten perfumed, another, so far unanswered
3.5 · Perfume Choice: Findings from Marketing …
63 3
question arises: Who or what influences tomers are happy to be advised on this in
the choice of scent in the brain, i.e. the a perfume environment. The perfume shop
purchase decision for a perfume? The an- also attracts customers who value advice.
swer to this could have a decisive influ- After all, consumers are flooded with an
ence on the sales of individual perfume immense number of advertising messages
brands and on trade as a whole. In Ger- that can quickly confuse them. Market-
many alone, just under 50% of all women ing professionals speak of 3000 messages
use perfume, most often in the concentra- that affect most of us every day, so our at-
tion of an eau de parfum, followed by the tention is correspondingly limited (Kirsch-
lighter eau de toilette. I will introduce the berger 2015). That is why it is only too un-
perfume market in more detail later. Just so derstandable that, due to overstimulation,
much should be said here: Only about every around 30% of all purchases do not crystal-
20th perfume reaches the third year after its lize on a specific product until the point of
market launch (Schnitzler 2004). But even sale (in our example the sales situation in a
scents that survive this time and are some- perfume shop). This means that the choice
times still available are often hardly chosen of perfume is also subject to impulse buy-
or shown to customers. ing, and the influence of advice at the POS
In addition, from the perspective of plays a significant role in the purchase deci-
marketing, there are general problems in sion-making process.
the sales situation. It is assumed that 75%
of all purchase decisions are made sponta- z Factors influencing perfume choice—the
neously. This is of course reinforced by ap- contribution of economics
propriate advice. Often the customer has There are very few studies and explana-
something else or another product category tions for the perfume choice, which is prob-
in mind and then, to stay with the perfume ably the most central question for perfume
shop, discovers a scent. A perfume shop in practice. A study explaining the differ-
Munich has perfected this almost to perfec- ent influencing factors on the scent choice
tion. At the entrance, almost on the street, comes from Kerstin Pezoldt and her col-
on a mobile display stand, the customer league Anne Michaelis from the Faculty
has the choice between different hair design of Economics and Media at the TU Il-
products (e.g. decorated hair clips in dif- menau, Thuringia (Pezoldt and Michae-
ferent colors). The store is known for this. lis 2014). Using the S-O-R model (Stim-
The fewest customers only leave the per- ulus-Organism-Reaction model), they try
fume shop with a hair product, at least they to make the purchase decision for a per-
are given a perfume sample. But often they fume more transparent, i.e. to better illumi-
buy a perfume that is many times more ex- nate the emergence of the perfume choice
pensive spontaneously, which fits the style at the point of sale. Since many factors in-
and aura of the hair product. In market- fluence the perfume choice, as I will explain
ing speak, this is called “upselling”. To an shortly, this is not an easy task. Therefore, I
affordable product like a hair clip, which add some additional factors, and you, dear
is actually the main product for which the readers, will certainly be able to add some-
customer enters the store, an additional thing from your own experience.
high-quality product such as a perfume is With the S-O-R model, the perfume
offered. Interesting about this: The price purchase, like any purchase of a prod-
of the perfume often does not play a big uct, can be understood as a process. Of
role, but rather whether the perfume is ex- course, one is ideally interested in predict-
perienced as matching at this moment. Cus- ing the purchase decision in the perfume
 64 Chapter 3 · Psychology of Perfume Choice

choice. But because of the complexity of price of a perfume can also influence
the influencing factors, one has to keep the the choice of perfume in advance.
claims small—already because the consum- – Environmental stimuli. These include,
er’s brain is in a real fight with itself during for example, the influence of cultural
the perfume choice, as studies of neuromar- or seasonal factors (vacation, holi-
keting or brain research know. Accordingly, days, etc.), but also time factors, up
3 the analysis of the purchase decision using to days of the week or time of day. I
models such as the S-O-R can only make will discuss these influencing factors
partial statements. in more detail, because, as we will see,
The S-O-R model analyses the purchase it makes a difference when looking
process over three large areas with influenc- for a new perfume whether this takes
ing phases, here using the example of the place from Monday to Wednesday or
perfume choice: from Thursday to Saturday. The time
1. Exogenous stimuli (area S—stimulus) of day also has an influencing effect
– Marketing stimuli. In this first phase on those seeking out scents. Rich am-
of purchase, it is above all the per- ber-oriental notes stimulate differ-
fume bottle with its material, its dec- ently (more sensually) in the late af-
oration, its embellishments, its color- ternoon than in the morning (more
fulness, its shape and its light refrac- extravagant). Furthermore, climatic
tion, and thus also with its haptic influences, in particular tempera-
promise of quality and value, that ture and humidity, play a role. They
stimulate us. Furthermore, the per- all stimulate the potential choice of
fume brand, i.e. the brand name with scent differently and influence the
slogan, and the general appearance, purchase of perfume even before
such as the outer packaging and the smelling a perfume. The environ-
presentation as a whole, influence us. ment of a stationary perfume shop
But the impression made by content or the location (A-location or B-loca-
such as the type of advertising (social tion) is also stimulated differently, as
media, print media, television, win- is the place of purchase (perfume spe-
dow and display advertising, ad mo- cialty store, fashion boutique, phar-
tif with or without the support of fa- macy, drugstore, department store,
mous personalities), in which emo- grocery store or discount store). Of
tions, moods, style, image, trends (e.g. course, the social media presence also
gourmand notes for men), memories, has an influencing effect when shop-
expertise (e.g. that of a specific per- ping online. In addition, it is deci-
fumer), origin (e.g. New York), oc- sive whether the respective store has a
casion, special features (e.g. rare in- perfume department or only an area
gredients), availability (e.g. limited in which scents are presented (e.g. at
edition) and target groups (e.g. ad- the cash register or on a shelf). Does
venturers) for the use of the perfume the store offer a perfume consultation
are communicated, also plays a sig- or is one more dependent on self-ser-
nificant role. Of central importance is vice? With location and type of place
the communicated olfactory impres- of purchase, the building also acts ac-
sion, e.g. by additional decorations in cordingly, just as the store itself does
the window display with correspond- with its style of furnishing. Even
ing plants and objects, also in order the view from outside into the store,
to create a gender-characteristic ex- which gives an initial impression of
pectation of the scent. Of course, the the personality of the sales staff, their
3.5 · Perfume Choice: Findings from Marketing …
65 3
non-verbal behaviour or consultation personal usage habits come into play.
style, influences the purchase of per- As mentioned above, there are great
fume. Certainly this has less effect on differences in the way in which expe-
regular customers of a store, but es- riences with perfumes are reflected
pecially new customers are influ- in the way they are used. Since many
enced, especially when they are look- consumers have a real perfume bar at
ing for a new perfume for themselves. home, they may only be looking for
Conclusion: With exogenous stimuli, a supplement or want to experience
marketing primarily wants to trig- themselves in a completely different
ger emotions and associations in po- fragrance direction. Many consum-
tential customers for the choice of ers think that a fragrance must match
perfume or create an environment in their personality and style, which is a
which a purchase is made. very subjective assessment. Other fac-
2. The buyer (O—Organism area) tors influencing fragrance selection
Since at the beginning of the consulta- are age, income, gender, the influence
tion not much is known about the cus- of the “best friend” or the social en-
tomer and his purchase decision, except vironment. Furthermore, perfumes
if it is a regular customer about whom are judged according to whether they
one knows more, this area is also re- can be worn in everyday life or only
ferred to as the “black box”. on certain occasions. There are even
– Background factors. In this phase of regional and national fragrance pref-
fragrance selection, fragrance social- erences. More on this in the penulti-
ization and thus memories of fra- mate chapter.
grances and odors that were often Health- and wellness related aspects
experienced as pleasant, neutral, or are becoming increasingly important
unpleasant in childhood influence to customers. As mentioned above,
fragrance preferences. Furthermore, they are looking for a fragrance with
the occasion plays a role for which a more therapeutic effect than just
one wants to use the fragrance (e.g. smelling good. This also plays a role
to experience oneself as more sensual in fragrance selection in that the effect
and attractive), and whether it should on self-experience through its modu-
have more of an effect on oneself or lation with corresponding self-ther-
others. Fragrance selection is thus apeutic expectations is taken into ac-
also influenced by mood, particularly count. All motives of fragrance users
by how someone wants to experience mentioned here as background fac-
themselves or experience themselves tors will be discussed separately.
anew. Furthermore, it is decisive Conclusion: Fragrance users can have
whether one is looking for a per- very different reasons for their fra-
fume for oneself or as a gift, whether grance selection. The purchase pro-
it is the re-purchase of a product that cess is correspondingly influenced.
has run out or whether the customer It is certainly not wrong to say that
wants to surprise themselves with a the processes leading to the purchase
new perfume. Personal olfactory abil- of perfume include activation by the
ity also plays a role in fragrance selec- perfume itself, behind which are emo-
tion. This is in addition to the influ- tions, moods, motivation, and atti-
ence of one’s own body odor, whether tudes. And since it is precisely the
the fragrance adheres to the skin or close link between fragrance, mood,
smells too intense or too weak. Here, and emotions, which of course in-
 66 Chapter 3 · Psychology of Perfume Choice

cludes the subjective attractiveness of our-perfume test, which we will dis-

the fragrance impression itself. cuss later and which I offer as a self-
– Purchase decision. In this phase of test (Moodform-Test©). Another
the perfume purchase, advice, brand method is the strategic “perfume lay-
awareness, atmosphere and the expe- ering” that I have already mentioned
rience in the store play a role—and of and will discuss in detail later. With
3 course the perfume impression itself, both methods, it is about creating an
with a speciality coming in with per- “aha” experience for the customer,
fume: Those who would like to buy a for which I will give tips later on.
perfume are limited by the ability of 3. Reaction/Response (Area R—Response)
their own sense of smell in the num- – Final purchase decision. This includes
ber of possible perfumes that can be the behavior during and after the
smelled at once with an untrained purchase. How the specific perfume
nose. Often, it is four to six intensely and brand choice affects the deci-
smelled perfumes, after which the sion between on- and offline purchase
nose, i.e. the brain, needs a break is in the hands of the retailer. This
(about 10–20 min). But often, cus- does not contradict the purchase de-
tomers do not have enough time for cision just explained, where one has
that in the store. already decided to buy one or more
It takes very different amounts of perfumes. More and more customers
time until the customer comes to the are being advised in a perfume shop,
perfume choice, if at all. Much de- also decide for a scent, but buy it on-
pends on the customer themselves. line, often at a discount, from an-
The perfume choice is the quickest— other dealer. So today you have to
usually five to ten minutes—when more and more between a “princi-
the customer has already identified pled purchase decision” and a “final
a problem in advance. This can be a purchase decision”, which takes place
used up perfume or the search for a at a later time, distinguish. The final
gift for a special occasion, where you purchase decision also includes sat-
already know the favourite perfume isfaction with a product and thus a
of the person to be gifted. The per- preliminary decision for the re-pur-
fume purchase does not take much chase. This brings us to another inter-
longer when the perfume has already esting phenomenon.
been “pre-sold” through samples or
perfume strips or through other ad- z Why we also like to wear the same per-
vertising. This includes recommen- fume over a long period of time
dations from friends. Although cus- Another approach, which enriches the
tomers want to smell the one or the S-O-P model of economics, is presented in
other to secure their purchase deci- detail later on and originates from person-
sion, the neuroperfumery and neu- ality psychology. It starts with area O and
romarketing know: The perfume offers, among other things, an exciting ex-
smelled first always has an advan- planation of why many fragrance lovers
tage over the perfume smelled after- also like to wear the same perfume over a
wards. Consequently, it is important long period of time. This approach tries to
for a quick purchase decision that the show the unconscious or semi-conscious
first perfume “sits”. There are differ- dynamics of fragrance selection, which
ent techniques to determine this first arise from the self or the self-experience
perfume. One is a psychological col- and aim at approaching the ideal state. The
3.6 · How to Smell: About Molecular Doormen and Ushers
67 3
self-discrepancy theory, which was devel- dala. This remains to be clarified for re-
oped by Edward Tory Higgins in the 1980s search and will probably only affect people
at Columbia University, is based on these like perfumers who associate olfactory in-
dynamics (Higgins 1987). In analogy to his gredients with other sensory features when
theory, the act of perfuming can be under- learning. Of course, it is also possible that
stood as a self-transformation process. The only the amygdala and its network smell,
fragrance selection and the satisfaction with without the scent impression being passed
a perfume are strongly influenced by the on to the OFC. Nevertheless: If it comes to
experienced success. Satisfaction already perfume choice and price, both regions are
arises when one can bring oneself from the activated.
“current self ” (how one feels at the mo- Often, the amygdala and the OFC are
ment) with a perfume closer to the “ideal in conflict with each other when it comes to
self ” (how one would like to feel even more) choosing a scent. The amygdala feels com-
at least to some extent. If a perfume can do fortable with the perfume, but the OFC sig-
this, it becomes almost the perfume of the nals that you can’t actually afford the per-
ideal self. The perfume is then associated fume. Guess who wins when a perfume
with a higher desired self and is therefore really fascinates the amygdala and the pur-
bought and used again and again. chase is just barely possible financially.
One might actually assume that the Right, the amygdala! Reason comes against
price is decisive for the choice of perfume. feeling again and again—as so often in
Of course this plays a role, but next to life—not a chance.
other factors. Although neuropsychological
studies have shown that the price activates
the pain center in the brain and a product 3.6 How to Smell: About
is only bought if its reward promise out- Molecular Doormen
weighs (Scheier et al. 2008). But it’s not that
and Ushers
simple with a scent.
You will read an unexpected thesis in
Most treatises on the subject of smell and
7 Chap. 4. Because apparently we smell fragrance begin with the olfactory organ
most of it twice in the brain: first uncon- nose and the observation that the olfac-
sciously with the emotional center and
tory system is always activated and that it
there in particular with the Amygdala. She cannot be turned off as easily as the opti-
makes the decision, after the scent stim- cal one. Unless you really hold your mouth
ulus was played to her from the piriform and nose, but that doesn’t work for long
cortex (PC) the fastest, whether she likes a because you have to breathe. It is also of-
scent emotionally or not. Then, in higher ten reported that living beings were able to
brain regions such as the orbitofrontal cor- smell before they could see and hear. The
tex (OFC), it is smelled consciously. Here, need for a nose arose during the transition
among other things, it is a more cognitive from water to land life, because originally
decision whether a perfume is worth its all vertebrates breathed through the gills.
price. Can the amygdala be smelled past? Then comes the hint that the size of the
At least it is physiologically possible. There nose has no influence on the sense of smell.
are direct neuronal connections between To set the tone for the topic, it is also com-
the PC and the OFC and even vice versa, mon to talk about nose shapes and how
which are mainly activated during “ol- they differ between people of different or-
factory learning”. Theoretically, it would igin. They are said to have developed de-
therefore be possible that we can smell pending on the climate. Narrower noses
without the emotional input of the amyg-
 68 Chapter 3 · Psychology of Perfume Choice

have arisen more frequently in cold-dry mouth (oral-trigeminal). What we under-

climates during evolution, while broader stand as smelling is the perception of vol-
noses are typical of warm-moist climates. atile, airborne odorants. Non-volatile sub-
This is then the transition to the inside of stances are perceived in the mouth cavity.
the nose, because one of the tasks of the However, many volatile substances trigger
nose is also to make inhaled air warm and a smell sensation in both the olfactory sys-
3 moist through contact with the mucous tem and the nasal-trigeminal system, such
membrane. as mustard or onions, but also menthol.
The inside of the nose is also interesting The volatile odorants or fragrance mol-
for us fragrance psychologists. But it only ecules reach our nose primarily when in-
gets really exciting for psychology when a haling or smelling. A second possibility is
fragrance stimulus reaches the smell brain, the indirect retro-nasal perception of the
which is not counted as part of the nose. mouth-nose-throat connection. Here, as
But that doesn’t mean that the nose’s ability already mentioned, the odorants are re-
to act as a big door to the world of smell leased during chewing and then enter the
should be downplayed. On the contrary, it nose-throat space when swallowing and ex-
is thanks to the nose that humans can dis- haling. As we all know only too well, the
tinguish more than 10,000 different smells. mouth and nose-throat space are connected
This begins with the fact that the nose has to each other, and so the odorants can be
an olfactory mucous membrane that is ap- smelled by oneself via both routes.
proximately five square centimeters in size
in both nasal cavities. Here are around ten z Odor threshold
million olfactory cells, which carry olfac- Let me continue with the smelling of fra-
tory receptors on thin olfactory hairs. After grance molecules from the outside world,
suitable contact of the molecule of a fra- because everything that smells to us hu-
grance substance with the olfactory recep- mans constantly emits small amounts of
tor, the chemosensory stimulus from out- specific molecules into the surrounding air.
side is converted into an internal electrical These are particles of substances that con-
signal and forwarded to the smell brain. As sist of at least two atoms and that our nose
you can imagine, the process is much more and our brain can process and generate as
complex, and I therefore want to go into an olfactory impression. Dogs and cats,
more detail here about smelling and how which smell much better than we humans,
it works before we discuss the “Master of would have pity on us if they knew how
Perfume” („Maître des Parfums“) or the little we smell in comparison to them. Be-
struggle for the fragrance in our head. cause much of what smells to them is below
the odor threshold for us humans and can
z Prickling, biting, cooling …—what all therefore no longer be perceived by us.
contributes to the smell impression Molecules of individual substances
Two physiologically different systems are have a different threshold value. The low-
involved in olfactory perception: The ac- est known odor threshold is Thioterpi-
tual olfactory system goes through the nose neol discussed, a slightly citrus-smelling
and the other, the nasal-trigeminal system, aromatic component of grapefruit juice.
goes through the mouth and nose to a fa- Of course, the individual threshold values
cial nerve (trigeminal nerve). This nerve vary depending on the individual smell of
produces, via the nose (nasal-trigeminal), a person, but they also vary intra-individ-
sensations such as burning, prickling, bit- ually. For example, a hungry person has a
ing, cooling, and sharp, tingling via the lower threshold value for scents that smell
3.6 · How to Smell: About Molecular Doormen and Ushers
69 3
of food. However, smelling in the threshold to be able to cause upper respiratory infec-
range is not a pleasure because it is not pos- tions and, like rhinoviruses (mainly respon-
sible to determine the scent, but only the sible for colds and flu), to impair the sense
sensation of an undefined smell. of smell. In addition, the olfactory mucosa
For the sense of smell of humans, as al- can be damaged by the viruses, which can
ready mentioned, about ten million odor lead to the shrinkage of the olfactory bulb.
cells (so-called olfactory sensory cells) are
responsible, which are located in the upper z Slimy doormen
part of the nasal cavity and renew them- Mucus, as bad as it sounds at first, has a
selves every one to two months. The odor very important protective function and pro-
cells have two functions: to recognize fra- motes smelling. Mucus helps to dissolve the
grance molecules in the air and to forward fragrance molecules from the air inhaled.
the fragrance information to the brain. The It moistens and warms the air we breathe
keyword for this performance is “chemo- and makes us smell nicer. An optimal vis-
electric transduction”, which means that cosity of the mucus and thus best condi-
when smelling, a chemical stimulus is con- tions for a nicer smell is at a relative humid-
verted into an electrical signal. You can im- ity of around 75 to 80% and a mucus tem-
agine the odor cells as telegraphs of the old perature of 35 degrees Celsius. Of course,
days, which encode the messages of fra- a value of 60% humidity or less is recom-
grance molecules in the air for the brain by mended for the living room, but warm air
converting them into individual electrical contains more water vapor than cold air,
signals and sending them to the brain. and a higher temperature invites fragrance
molecules to move more. This indirectly
z Smell Police leads to more molecules getting into our
In their work, capturing information from nose and we perceive scents more intensely.
the scent molecules, the olfactory cells are Everyone knows the fullness of smell after
supported by many thin cilia, which are a summer rain. But too wet and too dry air
surrounded by mucus and on which olfac- changes the smell again. Especially with too
tory receptors sit. So that the molecules can humid air, an olfactory overload can oc-
pass through the mucus (also called mu- cur quickly. Then our sense of smell helps
cus), nature has invented a transport sys- by interrupting the olfactory signal cascade
tem for them, the so-called odorant-bind- that triggers the now hyperactive olfactory
ing proteins (OBP). These are small trans- cells and their receptors after a while. This
port proteins that pull the odor molecules means that although the fragrance sub-
to the olfactory receptors. In the field of ol- stances are still present, they are no longer
factory research, it is also assumed that the or hardly perceived. In other words: an ad-
OBP act as a kind of smell police. They aptation takes place. This is also known
seem to be able to take over protective func- from your perfume when you apply too
tions and to block the way to the recep- much, but at the same time you smell it less
tors for certain odor molecules, for example and less. But under which climatic condi-
toxic ones. If it were possible to control the tions one smells best and stores his per-
OBP more specifically and effectively in the fumes is different. As a rule of thumb: a
future, it would be possible to take olfac- perfume does not belong in the bathroom.
tory action on the transmission of certain As already mentioned in 7 Chap. 2, tem-
infectious diseases and volatile toxic sub- perature fluctuations and high humidity in
stances at an early stage. A total of more the bathroom can quickly change the smell
than 200 different viruses are now known of an olfactory work of art. The bedroom
 70 Chapter 3 · Psychology of Perfume Choice

is usually the better place in most cases. the olfactory receptors not only depends on
Compared to other rooms, it is usually the type of fragrance, but also on its con-
cooler, drier, and darker there with constant centration. At low concentrations, a recep-
temperatures. tor reacts less to a fragrance. It remains
Back to the slime. It protects against open in research how hundreds of differ-
dust, bacteria and viruses and, with anti- ent molecules find their olfactory receptor
3 bodies contained in it, contributes to im- (one of 350). Perhaps the odorant-binding
munity. Mucus thus takes on a kind of proteins mentioned above also act as ticket
doorman function in the nose. takers / ushers for the arriving molecules.
Most odorants have a molecular weight
z Ticket taker / Ushers of < 350 g/mol (molar mass = unit sys-
The “smelling hairs” of the olfactory cells tem for the amount of substance, the unit
are called cilia. On them are, as already is grams per mole). In order for smell to
mentioned, olfactory receptors that are like take place at all, the molecules must also be
a landing stage for the fragrance molecules. water- and lipid-soluble or lipophilic (fat-
So far, about 1000 differently constructed friendly) in order to penetrate the lipid-con-
receptors have been discovered in animals, taining membrane of the olfactory cells or
for example in rodents, which are active to reach the receptors through the aque-
and receptive to molecules. The human ol- ous mucus layer. In order to bind to the li-
factory organ still has 350 different func- pid membrane, the molecules must also be
tional receptors. The US researchers Linda fat-soluble. Even if it is not quite clear what
Buck and Richard Axel, who were awarded makes a molecule an “odorant molecule”:
the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medi- It must be volatile or released during chew-
cine in 2004 for their research on smell and ing and water-, lipid- and fat-soluble.
how it comes about, also examined the es-
sential features of the olfactory receptors. z First smell stations
In doing so, they and other scientists dis- By activating specific types of receptors, a
covered different types of olfactory recep- typical pattern arises in the first olfactory
tors. Olfactory receptors differ in that they station in the olfactory bulb of the brain
only recognize very specific fragrance mol- (olfactory bulb). In collaboration with
ecules and react less strongly, hardly, or not other brain regions such as the piriform
at all to those for which they are less re- cortex, it creates the respective olfactory
sponsible. This means that a type of olfac- impression. It is calculated that humans,
tory receptor can react to many odors, but as already mentioned, can perceive around
with varying intensity. For a molecule to 10,000 different olfactory patterns, that is,
bind to specific receptors, its chemical com- they can distinguish odors. Since scents of
position is important—and thus its surface lavender or rosemary, as we have already
structure. Because according to the most discussed, have 505 or 450 fragrance com-
common theory of olfactory research, what ponents alone, olfactory cells have to coop-
finally triggers the sense of smell, only the erate with their different fragrance recep-
right size and weight and thus the shape of tors. Complex odors such as those of rose
a molecule allow it to be recognized by its with more than 500 fragrance components
specific receptor and that its information create a “signal combination code” before
can be converted into a clear electrical im- the brain can decode it. Using the exam-
pulse. In this sense, the matching fragrance ple of the rose, this means: The signal cas-
molecule acts on its receptor like a key that cade that is created in the olfactory cells by
fits into the lock. However, the reaction of the binding of the “rose molecules” to the
3.6 · How to Smell: About Molecular Doormen and Ushers
71 3
receptors is sent to the brain in individual brain already gets a first scent impression,
electrical impulses before it can be recog- in this case the one of a rose. As we have
nized there as the scent of a rose. This in- already discussed, our visual sense sup-
formation transmission takes place via ports the expectation of smell via the piri-
nerve fibers (axons) of the sensory cells, form cortex, but some molecules give such
which are bundled together through the a characteristic signal that the brain al-
ethmoid bone (porous bone of the skull) ready gets a hint of the whole scent before
into the skull to the olfactory bulb. How- it becomes a pattern. This can happen very
ever, the signal cascade is interrupted after quickly, because, as mentioned above, a first
a while in order to prevent an overload of scent recognition can already take place in
stimuli. This means that although the odor- the area of less than 500 milliseconds, and
ants are still present, they are no longer or a scent differentiation takes no longer than
hardly perceived; adaptation takes place. one to two seconds. To stay with the exam-
Aldehydes, as they occur, for example, in ple of roses: The lead molecule or the lead
“Chanel No. 5”, are particularly affected by substance for rose scent is geraniol. Who-
this, because one gets used to them particu- ever smells geraniol usually associates this
larly easily. scent immediately with roses. Although the
The olfactory bulb is considered an out- scent of a rose can contain up to 500 indi-
growth of the brain and part of the ol- vidual substances, the smell of this sub-
factory cortex, from which central nerv- stance is enough to recognize it for the first
ous processing of olfactory stimuli be- time. Even if the smelling person quickly
gins in other brain regions. The olfactory realizes with and without visual support
bulb itself works like a computing and re- that something is still missing for a real
lay center, in which a switching of the in- rose, as we have stored its scent in our ol-
coming information takes place. It collects factory memory.
the individual electrical impulses, which
can originate from 100 or even 1000 differ- z One of the greatest wonders of nature
ent molecules, and puts them together. He The “chemoelectrical transduction” during
does this with so-called glomeruli in the ol- smelling is a miracle of nature—perhaps
factory bulbs, about 2000 in number, which one of its greatest. It is the speciality of
are also referred to as microregions in the many chemists and biologists. For example,
olfactory cortex. From these microregions, Stephan Frings from the Department of
the incoming stimuli are then forwarded Molecular Physiology at the Heidelberg In-
to various regions in the cortex via pyra- stitute of Zoology and his colleague Clem-
mid-shaped mitral cells. Different Glomer- ens Prinz zu Waldeck have made it one
uli work together, just like the olfactory of their research priorities (Waldeck and
cells, and generate a specific excitation pat- Frings 2005). The molecular basis of olfac-
tern or the scent impression as a whole for tory perception—that is, how we smell what
the incoming electrical impulses. This is we smell—has led in recent years to such a
then compared with other sensory stimuli, wealth of individual knowledge at national
such as visual stimuli, by further regions and international level (Reisert and Rein-
of the olfactory cortex, initially by the piri- gruber 2019) that I will only describe the
form cortex. However, the incoming infor- process of transduction at the olfactory
mation of the receptors is also significantly cells in very general terms here.
reduced by the mitral cells. So if only part In “chemoelectrical transduction” at the
of the excitation pattern and the lead mol- olfactory cells, as with all cells in the body,
ecule for the rose scent are evaluated, the the primary focus is on one function: they
 72 Chapter 3 · Psychology of Perfume Choice

must communicate, and this is done via sig- started the process is now sent as an electri-
nals. cal one to the olfactory bulb. It should be
As I said, at the olfactory cells, that is, noted, however, that a single fragrance mol-
at their olfactory receptors, the information ecule is not enough to generate an electrical
from chemical signals, based on their chem- stimulus in the olfactory cells. There must
ical composition or surface structure, size, be enough fragrance molecules flowing in
3 weight and thus the shape of the molecules the air so that they can dock at the olfac-
of a fragrance, is converted into electrical tory cells or the olfactory receptors. If the
signals. However, the reaction of the olfac- olfactory cells catch enough fragrance mol-
tory receptors not only depends on the type ecules, the transduction generates such an
of fragrance, but also on its concentration. electrical voltage that the fragrance stimu-
With increasing concentration, the range lus is even amplified.
of fragrances that trigger a reaction in-
creases—the olfactory impression becomes
more tangible and alive. 3.7 The Maître Des Parfums in the
If a fragrance molecule now binds to Brain or the Struggle for the
its docking site (olfactory receptor), a so-
Scent in the Head
called G-protein is activated or a so-called
G-protein / adenylyl cyclase mechanism
With the transformation of the fragrance
is triggered. G-proteins are a heterogene- stimulus into an electrical signal, it be-
ous group of proteins within cells and the comes really exciting for every fragrance
most important biochemical function carri-
psychologist, because now it is about the
ers. They act, inter alia, as catalysts, trans- actual sense of smell. Psychophysiolog-
mit nerve impulses and thus enable move- ically speaking, it begins, as mentioned,
ment and thus also smelling.
with the olfactory bulb, the first station in
Which molecular reactions now occur the olfactory cortex, the so-called. primary
in succession in “chemoelectric transduc- olfactory areas or the primary olfactory
tion” of olfactory perception? If biochemis-
brain. Here is the origin of central nervous
try is not one of your strengths, it will now processing.
admittedly become somewhat complex in But even with the importance of the ol-
the next few lines. First of all, a G-protein
factory bulb for smelling, the last word
is activated on the inside of a receptor cell. has not yet been said. Current research
This G-protein then stimulates the enzyme concludes that smelling also works with-
Adenylyl cyclase. This enzyme is respon- out an olfactory bulb (Weiss et al. 2019),
sible for the forwarding of olfactory stim- which astonished the experts and for which
uli. This is achieved by the conversion of no proper explanation has been found so
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) into Aden- far. Whatever the final outcome will be—
osine monophosphate(cAMP). cAMP is a it will be particularly exciting for the fur-
messenger molecule that can open the ion ther processing of the fragrance stimulus,
channels of the olfactory cell. This leads psychologically speaking, for neuroscien-
to depolarization: Positively charged so- tists as well as for perfumers and fragrance
dium and calcium ions flow into the cell consulting in the perfume shop. If the fra-
interior, negatively charged chloride ions grance stimulus acts on our emotional
flow out. This changes the electrical prop- center, an initial unconscious olfactory per-
erties of the cell. The chemical stimulus be- ception is created, which can then develop
comes an electrical one. An action potential into conscious emotions, memories, and he-
is generated, and the chemical signal that donic judgments or be perceived and artic-
3.7 · The Maître Des Parfums in the Brain or the Struggle …
73 3
ulated as such. However, the majority of us operate. Often they are relatively far apart,
remain unaware of the effect of fragrance independent areas that take on tasks for the
stimuli. same or similar senses. In the processing of
It becomes really fascinating when smell visual information supplied by the eye, for
stimuli reach higher brain areas such as the example, there are 30 different areas, some
orbitofrontal cortex in the prefrontal cor- of which are spatially far apart.
tex—a brain region whose importance for You can now find the same thing more
smelling was discovered by research not too and more often with smell. It doesn’t just
long ago and which is also the seat of our happen in the smell brain, but—anatomi-
self and essential for our personality. This cally speaking—much further away. Even
region plays a particularly important role in more, as I said: When making a decision—
the search and evaluation of a new scent. In for example, for a new perfume—the smell
other words: it is not the nose that decides, brain may be involved, but a further away
but the brain. control authority then approves the de-
The orbitofrontal cortex with its spe- cision. At least it tries. Welcome, there-
cial role in olfactory experience is located fore, to the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and
directly behind the eyes in the front brain, the struggle in our heads about who gets
which is responsible for higher cognitive to decide what and how much about smell
processes and belongs to the so-called fron- and perfume! The main players are, as re-
tal lobe in the cerebrum. The sense of smell ported, the OFC and the amygdala—espe-
itself, in which the scent impression is per- cially when choosing a scent at the perfume
ceived, mainly belongs to the lower tempo- counter, at the so-called point of sale. Be-
ral lobe (temporal lobe). This is also where cause very often the two are at odds. To re-
the olfactory tract ends. A large part of the solve this conflict in practice, later in this
olfactory brain overlaps with the limbic sys- book you will find tips on how to stimulate
tem, a phylogenetically very old part of the various brain regions and evoke enthusiasm
brain that has traditionally been consid- when selecting a scent for a new perfume.
ered the original seat of emotions. “Tempo-
ral lobe” is anatomically the region just in z Why is there discord in the brain when it
front of and directly above the ears. So the comes to smell?
scent impression is developed on the way The orbitofrontal cortex, which is not
between the nose and the regions that are counted as part of the smell brain, is today
located above the ears. considered to be the maître des parfums in
Since the auditory center is also located the brain due to its final decision-making
in the temporal lobe, in which sounds are power. You read that correctly: Our maî-
processed, and which is therefore respon- tre des parfums is not located in the smell
sible for the sensory quality of hearing, brain or the emotional center. He basically
one would actually also expect a connec- controls smell from his home office in the
tion between smell and hearing—if only be- cerebrum, that is, from outside. Of course,
cause smell is motion and thus also vibra- you can imagine that there are regions in
tion. Maybe we could hear scents with a the smell brain like the amygdala that have
very finely tuned ear. In fact, there are lan- their own agenda and that the orbitofron-
guages and cultures—for example Russian tal cortex can hardly or only barely control.
and Chinese—in which one hears smells I’ll come back to that later. But you can al-
or in which one says that one hears a scent ready guess that smell has its own rules and
(Geiger 2019). that regions in the cerebrum only receive
Anatomical proximity in the brain does olfactory information that the seemingly
not necessarily mean that these regions co- “lower” ones also release.
 74 Chapter 3 · Psychology of Perfume Choice

But what makes the orbitofrontal cor- ships that are confirmed by the latest find-
tex so special when it comes to smell? Why ings from neuroscience and personality psy-
is it considered the maître des parfums? It is chology (Müller 2019). Since the turn of
the OFC that not only creates multisensory the millennium, it has become increasingly
links, that is, it sensually couples the scent possible for scientists to use neuroimaging
with other sensory modalities, but also de- or, more precisely, functional magnetic res-
3 termines the value assessment of a perfume onance imaging (fMRI), to literally watch
and its bottle. If you have previously hoped the brain smell and choose a fragrance.
to find the seat for a better smell, that is, the Some spectacular things came to light: in-
place of olfactory enjoyment, somewhere dividual brain regions seem to have certain
in the smell brain and thus in our olfac- fragrance preferences.
tory center or in the temporal lobe, we must
now say that it is only created through the z Programmed for Vitamin C?
interaction of various areas. Ultimately, ol- For example, the orbitofrontal cortex is
factory enjoyment is controlled by the fore- particularly responsive to citrus notes (Ro-
brain—at least it is tried. moli et al. 2012). Actually, one would have
expected him to be a Maître des Parfums
with a certain olfactory neutrality. In gen-
3.8 Scent and Personality: eral, citrus notes rank fourth on the univer-
How Brain and Personality sal popularity scale of aromas—right after
chocolate,vanilla and milk, which in turn
Influence Olfactory
fascinate other brain regions. This raises
Enjoyment the suspicion that fragrance preferences
also have a genetic anchoring. Perhaps na-
Increasingly, breathtaking findings from the ture has also programmed us for citrus aro-
psychology of scent and from neuroscience mas because the corresponding fruits con-
are showing how our brains or the person- tain the immune-supporting vitamin C that
ality structures inherent in us first influence is so important for the immune system. Na-
our sense of smell and then our choice of ture has gone one step further. The practice
fragrance and our experience of fragrance. of perfumery has long been aware that cit-
The role played by scent socialization— rus aromas attract fragrance users with ex-
what we learn, for example, smells good— traverted experience desires and that they
and olfactory memory—the associations we behave accordingly or want to behave—ac-
make with certain fragrances—is great. But tive, dynamic and open. In fact, the orbitof-
humans also have innate preferences for
rontal cortex is also associated with the seat
fragrances that are sometimes associated of the personality dimension extraversion.
with the development of personality traits. One might even argue that the personality
In magazines you often read that the
traits associated with extraversion require
choice of fragrance allows certain conclu- a higher need for vitamin C and that our
sions to be drawn about the wearer. Behind Maître des Parfums is programmed for it.
the classic questions such as “Which per-
In addition, the invigorating effect of
fume are you wearing today? A warm fra- fresh, green, citrusy scents does not only
grance, perhaps with woody notes, suita- have a positive effect on extroverts who
ble for the season? Or something floral? Or want to keep a cool head. In aromather-
were you in the mood for something cit- apy many of these fragrance notes are con-
rusy and fresh today?” (Müller 2019) are sidered mood-enhancing and even con-
mainly olfactory psychological relation-
centration-promoting. Traditionally, they
3.8 · Scent and Personality: How Brain and Personality …
75 3
were applied to the body as a light cologne ary perfumer Pierre Bourdon. With a top
or poured into a handkerchief, for exam- note that suggests a combination of sea-
ple, to dab the forehead—the part of the water, mandarin, lavender, mint and other
head behind which the orbitofrontal cor- green notes, this fragrance particularly ap-
tex is located. In the perfume industry, this peals to a personality trait and desire for
was mainly done using the most invigor- experience in men that corresponds to the
ating, but also the most ugly of all citrus attributes mentioned above and is socially
fruits, the wrinkled bergamot. The smell of desirable in our culture. Fresh aquatic fra-
this fruit is probably known to many from grances, in which unobtrusive, aromatic
the sparkling Dior citrus men’s fragrance “ fougère notes—a green, for example, plant
Eau Sauvage ” (Eau de Toilette) or the Ma- smell reminiscent of the barely smelling
lin+Goetz unisex fragrance “bergamot”. fern—also play a role, are not by chance for
In the latter, bergamot is supported in decades one of the most popular themes
the top note by other citrus fruits such as in men’s perfumery. This is certainly also
mandarin, lime and grapefruit as well as due to the fact that women influence the
ginger and spicy mint in the heart note. fragrance decision of their partners to a
This fragrance not only describes olfac- greater extent. Because they especially ap-
tory extroverted experience desires, but preciate the personality trait of conscien-
also evokes memories of light, sun, sum- tiousness in men.
mer and the south, where such desires may
have been more experienced. Our olfactory z Edible vs. floral fragrances
memory, which is located in the hippocam- Currently, fragrance research in neurosci-
pus, the so-called seahorse, and thus in the ence, which I call neuroperfumery, is still
emotional center, works here for the Maî- focused primarily on the effect of individ-
tre des Parfums and intensifies the olfactory ual fragrances and chords on the brain.
impression or the fragrance experience. These include, for example, those of choc-
Another personality trait, namely con- olate, vanilla, cinnamon, peach, strawberry,
scientiousness, has its seat in the prefron- orange, mango, and citrus (group 1) as well
tal cortex, that is, in the immediate area of as jasmine, lily of the valley, lavender, and
the orbitofrontal cortex. Characteristics of rose (group 2). In general, it has already
high conscientiousness are goal-oriented been established with imaging methods
behavior, controlled-planned and struc- that the brain reacts differently to the of-
tured approach. In fragrance psychology fer of food fragrances, that is, smells of ed-
and accordingly in the practice of perfum- ible (group 1) and floral fragrances (group
ery, a connection is known that must cer- 2). There are also studies on the effect of
tainly be investigated more intensively em- fragrance mixtures, that is, partial compo-
pirically. In particular, male customers with sitions of a perfume, on the brain. As one
high values on the personality scale with re- would expect, fragrance mixtures stimulate
gard to conscientiousness—that is, those certain brain regions more than pure fra-
who describe themselves as particularly grances (Boyle et al. 2009).
well-organized, reliable, forward-looking, However, the young neuroperfumery
planning and structured—seem to have an still faces many challenges that have an im-
affinity for so-called fresh-aromatic, aquatic pact on the investigation of fragrance ef-
notes as well as for the fragrance direction fects on the brain. I will only mention a few
“Fougère”, which I will discuss later. here. The length of the fragrance presenta-
This is particularly evident in the clas- tion seems to have an influence on the stim-
sic fragrance “Cool Water” by the legend- ulation of the brain. Interestingly, imaging
 76 Chapter 3 · Psychology of Perfume Choice

methods (fMRI) suggest that fragrances influence of individual fragrance experi-

that are offered to smell at shorter inter- ences. What has also been shown in corre-
vals stimulate the brain (e.g. the OFC and sponding studies is that the excitement of-
other regions) more than those that are ten only occurs in areas of one hemisphere,
smelled over a longer period of time (Han so that, for example, only parts of the right
et al. 2019b). This is a good tip from neu- amygdala are activated. Accordingly, very
3 roperfumery for fragrance advice. Af- precise descriptions are given in specialist
ter only a few minutes, the brain is signifi- articles as to where exactly the excitement
cantly less stimulated by a fragrance. This takes place. Brain areas such as the amyg-
has also been shown in practice in the per- dala or the OFC are distinguished much
fume shop, that the fragrance presented more precisely according to their areas (e.g.
first has an advantage over the following front, middle, rear) with hemisphere loca-
ones. So the first decision for a perfume of- tion (right/left) and involvement of other
ten already takes place within seconds af- areas and networks with corresponding
ter smelling. Not surprisingly, fragrance re- specification than I can show here for an
search also comes to the conclusion that the overview.
best effect on the brain can be seen within Above all, research using fMRI meth-
six seconds with a short repetition of the ods allows very selected insights into pos-
fragrance stimulation using fMRI methods sible stimulation of individual brain areas,
(Georgiopoulos et al. 2018). as described by anatomy. With the prefron-
The influence on the extent and speed tal cortex, a distinction is made between the
of neuronal processing also depends on discussed orbitofrontal (located above the
whether the fragrance can be associated orbit of the eye), but also between a me-
with something edible (Schoen 2018). This dial (in the middle) and lateral (slightly to
interests—as I will describe in more de- the outside of the body) portion. For smell,
tail using the example of chocolate fra- the medial and lateral orbitofrontal re-
grances—certain brain regions and net- gion is of particular interest according to
works in particular. The processing in the current state. The lateral prefrontal cor-
brain is correspondingly even faster. Fur- tex is divided into dorsolateral (back lat-
thermore, hunger and satiety have an ef- erally towards the back) and ventrolateral
fect on the neuronal activity of a fragrance. (front laterally towards the stomach) areas.
They lead to reduced activity at a satiety This then leads to abbreviations in special-
level, but also to a change in localization ist articles, where only short forms such as
in the brain (Small et al. 2001). However, VLPFC (ventrolateral prefrontal cortex)
there are also individual brain regions—or are communicated. With an r or l in front,
rather brain areas—that are relatively stable it is then specified whether the correspond-
in terms of gustatory experiences. They are ing area is in the right or left brain hemi-
largely independent of the current experi- sphere.
ence or the current need for stimulation and Even more demanding are fMRI studies
do not show any change in signal strength. of the relatively small, almond-shaped and
However, there are still a whole range deep-seated amygdala. It is a paired area
of other influencing factors that need to in the right and left hemisphere. Anatomy
be controlled by brain research or neurop- sees it as consisting of 13 individual nuclei,
erfumery. The localization of brain activity some of which are still divided into subu-
also depends on right- or left-handedness, nits. For better differentiation, three differ-
there are gender differences and further the ent areas are determined:
3.9 · Olfactory Soothers of the Soul: Why Perfumes Do So Much Good
77 3
1. the centromedial nucleus group, includ- 3.9 Olfactory Soothers of the
ing the central and medial nuclei, Soul: Why Perfumes Do
2. the basolateral complex with the lateral, So Much Good
basal and basolateral nuclei and
3. the cortical nucleus group with the cor- z Can chocolate scents activate our ad-
tical nucleus. diction centre? Are milk or milk mousse
notes soul comforters?
The mere differentiation into right and left An example of a specific olfactory stimula-
amygdala already shows a different speciali- tion is the network of the Insula, as I have
zation, i.e. responsibility, for example in the already introduced it. It is its own brain re-
type of emotions and memories processed, gion and works as a network mainly with
with gender differences also emerging. For the amygdala, the orbitofrontal Cortex, the
smell, according to current state, the medial thalamus and the Hypothalamus. It is now
nucleus located in the centromedial nucleus assumed that the insula is involved in the
group (MeA) is of particular interest. It is processing of emotions and arousal, includ-
a central node in the olfactory neuronal ing the awareness of one’s own body states
network and is also associated with phero- such as pain. In addition, one of its centers
mone perception. plays a major role in addiction. For exam-
Almost all of the areas involved in ple, imaging methods show that the insula
smell are therefore divided into various, of- and its network are particularly stimulated
ten very specialized areas. In order to pre- and activated by the scent of chocolate and
vent losing sight of the details, I usually re- sweet aromas, olfactorily and gustatorily
fer to the area as a whole in the following. delivered (Han et al. 2019a). It can there-
However, those who would like to deal with fore be said that the insula is by nature not
an area in individual areas and functions averse to a certain “addiction” to sweet aro-
in more detail will find information in the mas, as we know them in perfumery, from
following sources that keeps me up to date Gourmand notes.
with the latest research: Even more: Studies with imaging meth-
5 PNAS (Proceedings of the National ods not only show an increased activation
Academy of Sciences), 7 www.pnas.org of the insula network during the intake
5 PMC (U.S. National Institutes of of drugs such as cocaine, but already dur-
Health’s and National Library of Med- ing the desire for it (Risinger et al. 2005). It
icine), 7 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ is quite obvious that we have a network in
pmc/ the brain, in which evolution has decided
for us humans that a scent—even if mild—
So far, four regions or areas with net- can have an effect on us like a drug. Even
works in the brain that have an affinity for more: The olfactory anticipation of specific
certain scents or, better said, fragrance di- scents triggers an effect in a brain region
rections have been known from neuroper- that can even increase to a slight craving.
fumery and fragrance psychology. I will dis- In summary, it can be said: Specific scents
cuss them in more detail. Simply put, these have the potential to act specifically in our
specific brain regions want to smell cer- brain. They are even able to address and ac-
tain scents first in order to be stimulated tivate the addiction center specifically. This
by them. Of course, the current state of ex- gives my initial statement “Perfumes—the
perience (e.g. hunger or craving for sweets) most beautiful of all drugs” a deeper mean-
and thus the current need for stimulation ing than one could have initially assumed.
play a role.
 78 Chapter 3 · Psychology of Perfume Choice

For the neuroperfumery the most excit- cause through eye contact with the mother,
ing discovery at the moment is that there are the smell of mother’s milk and the moth-
brain regions or areas and networks with an er’s breast, babies learn to relax. And now
affinity for certain scents—that can act as it gets really interesting: In recent studies it
neuroscents especially targeting emotional has been found that these relatively sweet
responses -, to which they react with a spe- skin milk smells can also have a calming ef-
3 cific arousal or effect. This olfactory affinity fect on adults and often still provide almost
seems, as already mentioned, to be situational childlike well-being.
in many cases, that is, dependent on the cur- In perfumery, these are the so-called
rent experience or the current need for stimu- milk or milk mousse fragrance notes. They
lation. With the choice of a certain perfume, smell like perfumes, but do not contain
we therefore not only want to underline our milk and are currently enjoying increasing
personality, but also fulfill our experience, popularity. Because more and more peo-
that is, stimulation desires. One can there- ple who are heavily burdened professionally
fore look forward to further findings of the or privately consciously or unconsciously
neuroperfumery, which show how, when and choose a fragrance that offers them a jour-
where something is liked to be smelled in the ney back in time to their carefree child-
brain and what effect this has in each case. hood; in a time with caring parents, and
The regions of the brain responsible for in which life was much simpler. So milk or
certain scent affinities, according to current milk mousse fragrance notes with their of-
research, are mainly located in the limbic ten light sweetness can be real soul comfort.
system. This is our emotional center with a The amygdala responds to these smells.
branching network that controls emotions. It is olfactorily calmed by a composition
The latest research results on the amygdala, reminiscent of mother’s milk, consisting of
our deepest core in the emotional center, skin- and milk-warm scents with vanilla-
offer amazing insights into the world of and white musk-notes. For perfumers, en-
smell. It has long been known that the riching women’s perfumes with vanilla and
Amygdala has a direct connection to our white musk has therefore become a quick
nose. Since it smells the fastest of all brain way to increase the attractiveness of the
areas, the aforementioned hypothesis has fragrance. This is especially true for the af-
arisen that we might smell everything twice. ter-smell on the skin. The perfumers are
For this, the Israeli-American psychologist counting on a genetically programmed fra-
Daniel Kahneman, who was awarded the grance preference that is further reinforced
Nobel Prize in 2002, provides good argu- by early childhood fragrance experience.
ments, as I will show later. Now there is the entire fragrance direc-
tion of milk or milk foam in the most di-
z The effect of milk or milk mousse fra- verse variants—from less to quite sweet,
grance notes which of course is relative for fragrance
The amygdala has its own olfactory inter- noses, but olfactorically ideal to address a
ests and fragrance preferences and seems to larger group of users. An example of rel-
be looking for more sweetness in perfumes atively less sweet is the perfume “Signo-
than we are aware of. However, the con- rina Misteriosa” by Salvatore Ferragamo.
scious fragrance perception in the prefron- Milk foam and black vanilla pod provide a
tal cortex is rather rejected because it is per- warm, soothing fragrance impression. Even
ceived as not suitable for oneself. The feel- less sweet is the fragrance “Sweet Milk” by
ings of the amygdala are mainly built up Jo Malone, which both men and women
between mother and child during breast- can wear as a balm for the loss of carefree
feeding. Here a basic trust is created. Be- days gone by. Clearer and therefore sweeter
References
79 3
is the milk foam impression in the perfume were presented. Finally, it was shown
“Vanilla Caramel” by Tutti Délices. Here, with two fragrance examples that certain
the warm smell impression is supported, fragrances—even if mild—can act like a
among other things, by coconut. drug.
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 81 4

Welcome to the
Neuroperfumery
Types of Wellbeing and How Fragrance Can Help

Contents

4.1 Latent Basic Expectations of Perfumes – 82

4.2 Olfactory Stimulation Needs of the Brain – 83

4.3 Well-Being Consultation: Fragrance Preferences

of Individual Brain Regions and Their Networks – 88

4.4 Neuro-Perfume Therapy: Findings for Fragrance-

Supported Applications – 90

4.5 On the Dynamics of the Olfactory Experience:

Wandering with Olfactory Preferences – 91
4.5.1 Smelling Better: Perfume as a Medium or the Transformation
of the “Self” – 93

4.6 Smell Open: How Evolution Promotes Certain Types

of Smelling – 94

References – 97

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023
J. Mensing, Beautiful SCENT,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67259-4_4
 82 Chapter 4 · Welcome to the Neuroperfumery

how you want to feel at the moment. Most

of the time, however, one is not aware that
with changing needs for well-being, olfactory
needs also change and that the brain is then
more open to specific olfactory stimuli at
certain times, even actively seeking them out.

4 4.1 Latent Basic Expectations

of Perfumes
Emotions, basic emotions and slowly build-
ing moods can be triggered by smelling.
But it also works the other way around:
Genetics, personality, olfactory socializa-
tion, learning experiences, physical and
mental experiences, and the associated
wishes influence olfactory perception and
thus the choice of fragrance.
What latent basic expectations of per-
fumes arise from the mix of these factors?
I would like to explain this using a study
on the attraction of the shopping destina-
tion perfume shop. Most of the reasons for
this may not always be fully aware of when
What does “feeling good” mean? entering a perfume shop. In a BRIGITTE-
Seemingly simple questions are often not communication analysis, (Brigitte is a bi-
easy to answer. This also applies to personal weekly women’s magazine in Germany),
well-being, which everyone defines differ- women between the ages of 14 and 70 were
ently for themselves and can also change ac- asked about large shopping destinations.
cording to need. Sometimes you feel good The result: specific experience wishes are
when you sit quietly by yourself, for example clearly in the foreground for perfume cus-
with a cup of tea and a book, on the couch, tomers. This also applies—but to a much
at other times you look for the happy com- lesser extent—to other shopping destina-
pany of friends. In general, one can say that tions. When visiting a perfume shop, wishes
one is filled with good feelings at the mo- for increased well-being, greater beauty and
ment when one feels comfortable and does attractiveness are in the foreground due to
not think of fears, problems, or worries. the brands and products offered there. Of
But this raises a follow-up question. How course, perfume customers also have other
does one know what makes one feel good needs: competent advice, good brands,
at the moment? This is a particularly cen- quality and/or a lot of shopping fun. But
tral question in perfume advice in a perfume this is also offered by other shopping desti-
shop. You want to feel comfortable in your nations—and sometimes even better.
skin, and the perfume you wear or choose The attainment of attractiveness and
should also contribute to this. Accordingly, beauty as well as the increase of wellbe-
you also choose your perfume according to ing are therefore the essential and at least
4.2 · Olfactory Stimulation Needs of the Brain
83 4
conscious, latent basic expectations that 4.2 Olfactory Stimulation Needs
one has of wearing a perfume. In other of the Brain
words: these basic expectations must also
be the basic goal of a personal scent con- As a psychologist who works in the per-
sultation. This sounds simple, but is any- fume industry and often advises perfume
thing but easy in practice. So, for exam- seekers, I know four essential basic types
ple, every scent consultant in the shopping of wellbeing wishes that are divided into
center perfume store has the goal that his four further subgroups. Behind each well-
customers feel comfortable during the con- being wish is an affinity for specific fra-
sultation and also later with the new per- grance directions/fragrance families, which
fume. It is tacitly assumed that the expec- the perfume industry uses for the classifica-
tations of wellbeing are relatively the same tion of perfumes and which is also known
for all customers. The scent consultation to the neuroperfumery. According to cur-
should therefore be friendly and accommo- rent knowledge, the following areas of the
dating, the customer should ideally be able brain or brain regions located in and out-
to sit comfortably on a couch, for example, side the emotion center and equipped with
and perhaps a drink should be served to in- their own “needs” are responsible for well-
crease the relaxed atmosphere. Psychology being. They work as a network or within
knows of various other means of increasing the framework of three essential control
wellbeing—even standing. I will come back loops, which we will discuss later, and play,
to this later. as already mentioned, a great role in smell-
But psychology also knows of another ing and experiencing scent and thus in per-
aspect: there is not just one type of wellbe- fume advice. To put it simply, they are:
ing, but different types that people seek at 5 Hypothalamus with a large network that
different times. This means that the same extends from the Insula to the frontal
customer can quickly have a different need cortex, among other things involved in
for wellbeing depending on the form of the the experience of enjoyment, reward as-
day or based on current experience and ex- sociations, but also in addiction;
perience desires. Because everyone feels dif- 5 orbitofrontal cortex located in the pre-
ferently depending on the time of day and frontal cortex, among other things re-
season, day of the week, and personal ex- sponsible for the personality traits of
periences. Sometimes you want more stimu- extraversion and conscientiousness in
lation and entertainment, sometimes peace the network;
and quiet. Of course, there are also cus- 5 Hippocampus (seahorse), among other
tomers with particularly stable personalities things responsible for our stress-prone
who are only slightly influenced by the form long-term memory in the network;
of the day. 5 Amygdala, among other things active
Seminars on sales psychology of per- as an emotional test center. It has di-
fumes teach how to recognize the expe- rect access to the olfactory bulb (Bul-
rience desire of a customer and which bus olfactorius”) via the piriform cor-
scent is good for him in the current form tex, the main gate to the world of our
of the day. The customer already gives sense of smell—main gate because we
the first hint when he enters the store also “smell” with the skin (. Fig. 4.1).
through his non-verbal behavior. How to
specifically match a perfume to it, I will Let me now go into the findings of brain re-
explain later. search on the areas and networks concerned
 84 Chapter 4 · Welcome to the Neuroperfumery

Orbitofrontal cortex
Hypothalamus

Amygdala

Olfactory bulb

4
Hippocampus

Piriform cortex

. Fig. 4.1 Brain regions

with the four directions of well-being and This way, brain research, i.e. neuroper-
scent. I deliberately do not distinguish be- fumery, can offer perfumers completely new
tween the terms brain area Gehirnareal and insights and possibilities to create perfumes
brain region Gehirnregion because it is diffi- specifically for the stimulation needs of in-
cult to show a spatially delimited area of the dividual brain regions. For example, we can
brain, as one rather associates the term with expect that the raspberry chocolate note
the word “brain area”, specifically for smell. of a fruity gourmand fragrance acts in our
Imaging methods in brain research pleasure center, the hypothalamus as well as
make it visible how and where, or rather, in the extended reward network, which in-
where a fragrance stimulates brain regions. cludes the insula as well as the frontal cortex
In this way, we can quasi watch the brain (forebrain). The gourmand scents associ-
smell and better understand which fra- ated with “edible” act like a reward and thus
grance fits the state of excitement of which address the widely networked reward center.
brain region or is even welcomed. Via the Imaging methods show that the frontal cor-
olfactory preferences of a certain brain re- tex is involved in the fragrance stimulation
gion and its network, neuroperfumery gains with the “edible” (Schoen 2018). It is, inter
more and more direct and indirect insights alia, responsible for the linking of reward
into the psychophysical relationships asso- associations and ultimately controls the be-
ciated with the sense of smell—for exam- havior to get a reward.
ple, which scents are ideal for well-being, The hypothalamus is located in the lim-
but also what well-being means for a cer- bic system of our emotional center and is re-
tain brain region and its network. sponsible for the perception and processing
4.2 · Olfactory Stimulation Needs of the Brain
85 4
of odors, but also part of the reward center 5 To feel more active and dynamic.
or, better said, the reward centers. 5 To be relaxed and stress-free.
Important role in this also play the so- 5 To feel more sensual and cared for.
called happiness hormones Serotonin as 5 To discover more creativity and power wi-
well as especially Dopamine with their thin oneself.
positive psychological effect. Serotonin is 5 To experience more success and recogni-
known for its contribution to normal brain tion.
function as a mood regulator. As research- 5 To have more pleasure, fun, and joie de
ers at Baylor College of Medicine found, vivre.
olfactory stimulation seems to have a very
positive effect here. It causes an increase in Dopamine also plays a big role in mood
a serotonin transporter (Slc22a3—a pro- modulation for another reason: The neuro-
tein) in astrocytes (a type of brain cell), al- transmitter is, as mentioned, part of a net-
lowing serotonin to be transported into the work, the dopaminergic system, which ex-
cells. The dopamine release is controlled tends into the entire limbic system and can
in our brain, inter alia, via the hypothala- thus further increase its positive effect. I
mus and its network, which is also decisive will explain below how to achieve the fast-
for libido and communicates closely with est possible optimum increase in dopamine
the olfactory memory. Motivation, mood levels. For this purpose, a specific desire is
swings, and self-doubt, such as a low self-es- literally fused with coordinated sensory
teem, are often associated with a low do- impressions. This is the case, for example,
pamine level. Neuroperfumery now shows when the desire for more pleasure, fun, and
how we can keep our dopamine level high joie de vivre is supported by correspond-
(at least support it) in a very natural and ing colors and music as well as tactile, gus-
healthy way with scents that are tailored to tatory and above all olfactory with selected
our needs—in combination with other sen- fragrance notes. Almost everyone has a lit-
sory stimuli, which I will discuss in more tle “synesthete” in them who can use the fu-
detail. Taking this a step further, in the fu- sion of the senses very well for themselves.
ture, “smelling better” could mean that cer- Back to the Hypothalamus. For him,
tain perfumes as active fragrances or neu- feeling good through scent apparently takes
roscents, for example, specifically address place primarily by smelling pleasure. This is
the hypothalamus and its network in a pos- shown by its special affinity for imaginative,
itive way. These would be perfumes that invigorating fruity-pleasure, edible-smell-
bring the wearer closer to emotional wishes ing gourmand notes. These are fragrance
for experience through ingredients and fra- notes that usually smell like sweets and that
grance development and provide for a de- the hypothalamus, like the Insula, associ-
monstrably increased dopamine level. Of ates with a delicious snack or dessert. The
course, a “hormonal effect” of perfumes is two most popular flavors in the world are
legally prohibited in many countries (e.g. chocolate and vanilla. Their effect on the
EU countries), but this does not exclude a brain has been discussed many times, with
slightly mood-enhancing effect. chocolate in particular said to make peo-
As a scent psychologist one knows a ple happy. Whether the good-mood maker
whole range of wishes for experience that acts primarily through its components such
perfume lovers would like to experience as theobromine or tryptophan or also—
as “mood modulation”, so to speak as an like many other pleasures—through sugar
emotional additional benefit, in addition to and fat is not a central question for fra-
a wonderful smell through their perfume. grance research. People have an extremely
These include, for example: good sense of smell, in which many posi-
 86 Chapter 4 · Welcome to the Neuroperfumery

tive memories from childhood are stored. observe these processes. Many conclusions
This also includes the effect of choco- are still rather indirect, but there are numer-
late, especially if it was experienced as a re- ous findings on which research can build.
ward. Even in adult chocolate lovers, the re- For example, differences can be seen in
ward center in the brain is already activated brain processing, depending on whether a
at the sight and smell of the sweet delicacy, stimulus, i.e. a sensory impression, becomes
which in turn can lead to dopamine release. conscious or not. The American neuro-
According to the latest findings, the most biologist and cognitive scientist Bernard
4 intense dopamine release takes place when Baars was one of the first to draw atten-
the neurotransmitter rises slowly. This is the tion to this: “If a stimulus is presented un-
case when the feeling of well-being increases consciously, it activates areas in the cortex
step by step and turns out to be unexpect- that are involved in the analysis of colors,
edly pleasant, as when one unexpectedly sounds, faces, and the like. But if the iden-
smells something nice. For the hypothalamus tical stimulus is shown consciously, it also
and its network, feeling good is especially recruits regions far beyond the sensory cor-
unexpected pleasure with reward. A perfume tex” (Baars 2003, p. 4).
with this effect has the chance to become a This amazing observation of the sense
lucky scent and to be able to do much more experience also applies to smell. Green-cit-
than just smell good. In fragrance consult- rusy notes are, as mentioned before, con-
ing, feeling good is an unexpected, invigor- sciously experienced by a brain region that
ating-imaginative pleasure with reward—one does not belong to the smell brain as fresh,
of four types of well-being that is linked to a cool, and invigorating, for example. The
specific fragrance direction. Of course, these conscious smell impression thus arises out-
connections must be investigated in more side the olfactory brain.
detail above all by means of brain imaging With the help of imaging methods, one
studies with simultaneous interviews/assess- can learn a lot indirectly and, conversely,
ments by the subjects. conclude from this that our center for ex-
Neuroimaging is another important term traversion with its properties is particularly
in this context. This procedure, which has fond of the cool and invigorating freshness
been increasingly used and further devel- of green-citrusy notes. This fits in with the
oped since the turn of the millennium, has fact that extraverts also need free space to
led to a major turning point in psychology. feel comfortable and appreciate targeted
While behavior was increasingly in the fo- advice. As the seat of this personality trait,
cus of research after the First World War, the orbitofrontal cortex at the forehead
researchers have now moved away from the of the brain could be localized, as men-
models of the behaviorists and are focusing tioned before. It is stimulated, although not
on consciousness. Basic discoveries about alone, by green-citrusy, especially by berga-
conscious perception have been made for mot-scented notes. In combination with ex-
over 200 years. This is because perceived traversion, the personality dimension “con-
colors, sounds, and smells are created in the scientiousness” often plays a role. Here, the
head. Even if we are not all conscious of emphasis is more on planning, competence,
them or recognize them, the consciously ex- striving for performance and thoughtful ac-
perienced perceptions contribute to our con- tion. This personality trait is assigned to
sciousness. But even the stimuli that are not the prefrontal cortex, in which the orbitof-
consciously perceived have an effect on us. rontal cortex is also located.
With the imaging methods, which do Conscientiousness also has a tendency
not interfere with brain processes, one can towards a fragrance direction: “fresh-
now look at the living brain at work and aquatic” with aromatic fougère notes. Of
4.2 · Olfactory Stimulation Needs of the Brain
87 4
course, the relationships between person- (Schneider 2015). But an increase in olfac-
ality, brain area, and fragrance preferences tory sensitivity was also observed, for ex-
still need to be investigated in more de- ample for rose scents like phenylethyl alco-
tail. But there are already a number of ref- hol, a rose-like odorant. It can be perceived
erences that point to these relationships. by people in a sad mood at low concentra-
These relationships are currently still pre- tions (Schneider 2015). The practice of fra-
dominantly from the practice of fragrance grance psychology can confirm this. It also
psychology, but there are also first imag- knows the preference for sweet, vanilla-fla-
ing studies on the relationship between per- vored flower and gourmand notes, as I have
sonality traits and their location in specific already shown in connection with the Hy-
brain areas (De Young et al. 2010). pothalamus. We can look forward to future
Here is another example that shows the fMRI studies that, for example, investigate
fragrance preferences of a brain area and the odor acceptance and effect of sweet rose
its network when experiencing a specific honey or vanilla Rose on the “stress net-
feeling, namely increasing stress and sad work” in different moods such as sadness.
mood: Clinical studies have long been able If stress and sad mood escalate to an
to use fMRI methods to show that the hip- irritable mood or even to depression, ol-
pocampus shrinks as a result of chronic factory perception is reduced, but also
stress—as with other major psychological taste perception. Studies have shown that
stressors (e.g. depression). Important brain compared to non-depressed patients, de-
regions with which the hippocampus works pressed patients have a reduced perception
as a network when experiencing stress in- of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter taste sub-
clude the amygdala, the hypothalamus as stances (Canbeyli 2010; Rosenthal-Zifroni
well as the orbitofrontal and prefrontal cor- and Edelstein 1969). Obviously, this state
tex. As already partly shown above, the in- has a negative effect on the prefrontal cor-
dividual brain areas involved in the “stress tex, especially on the orbitofrontal cortex
network” have fragrance preferences. These Kortex, which creates sensory impressions
increase with increasing stress. If this finally as the maître of perfumes and associates
takes over completely, the fragrance experi- scents with our self-image.
ence collapses. Back to the first stress symptoms, when
From the practice of fragrance psychol- all you want to do is relax and let your soul
ogy it is known that even mild stress af- dangle. Memory research shows that flo-
fects the customer’s choice of fragrance. ral-flowery notes in particular invite fanta-
Apparently the brain is trying to protect it- sies and daydreams during stress. This re-
self from overstimulation. The stress-prone laxes the hippocampus and its network
hippocampus, seat of our long-term mem- and stimulates it positively. Feeling good
ory in the emotional center, seems to set seems to be associated with relaxation for
its sights on the calming effect of floral, the hippocampus. This is also confirmed
non-opulent flower notes like white flow- by aromatherapy. It knows different flower
ers, clear roses, and gentle tea notes at first, blossoms like Jasmine, roses or lavender,
when the stress level rises. The resulting as- which—as they say in the perfume indus-
sociations according to the motto “That re- try—olfactorily interpreted round, light
minds me of something” relax this brain and harmonious, create a comfortable, and
area. You probably know this from your relaxing feeling for many.
own experience. But when stress turns into A network, the so-called “fear network”
a sad mood and the amygdala is more in- in the brain, regulates—as the name sug-
volved, the preference for sweetness, as gests—fear and anxiety. To relax, you need
shown by the example of sucrose, increases a feeling of trust. The main actor here is
 88 Chapter 4 · Welcome to the Neuroperfumery

the amygdala, which is strongly focused when smelling. In other words, it is eval-
on facial expressions and has stored nega- uated whether a certain scent really suits
tive but also positive experiences and asso- you, is not associated with danger, but also
ciations. Other important actors in the fear what you want to smell more strongly in or-
network are the so-called “Midline Thala- der to feel trust or a sense of well-being, for
mus Group” or the “Midline Thalamic Nu- example.
clei”. They are a core area of the thalamus, For the skittish amygdala, the small, al-
which is located exactly in the middle be- mond-shaped structure and the early warn-
4 tween our hemispheres and is considered ing system for dangers anchored deep in the
the gateway to consciousness. The thalamus emotion center, feeling good represents a
generally has the task of forwarding infor- feeling of trust experienced within the con-
mation from the body and the sense or- text of human affection. This is supported
gans to the cortex (cerebral cortex) as a re- by scents that remind us on the one hand
lay station; specific thalamic nuclei play a of warm-sweet, human skin scents, and on
role here. It is particularly the nuclei located the other hand by the mother’s own scent,
around the so-called midline of the thal- her diet, sometimes sweaty skin and of
amus that are responsible for forwarding course the vanilla-scented scent of mother’s
the fear memory and experience. They bun- milk—a very personal, complex, and pos-
dle information about the body’s mood and itive olfactory experience for every baby, if
emotional state and convey the stress level breastfeeding is experienced gently and pro-
to higher brain regions, so that it becomes tected. I will show later that this mixture
aware. This allows us to take the necessary of scents can not only have a psychologi-
measures to correct our mood—for exam- cally calming, but even a psychophysically
ple, to experience a relaxing feel-good scent. pain-relieving effect on adults. This primal
Originally it was believed that—unlike olfactory experience is best reproduced in
hearing and vision—stimuli of the sense perfumery with two fragrance directions:
of smell are forwarded without detour via with lighter amber-florals or so-called flori-
the relay station thalamus. However, recent ental notes that smell warm and empathetic,
studies conclude that the thalamus plays for example, sandalwood, and with the men-
a significant role as an amplifier, corrector, tioned milk mousse notes that often, thanks
and forwarder of olfactory information, to vanilla and white musk, radiate a simi-
even if the thalamus is bypassed for much larly human warmth, attractive sweetness,
of what is smelled. Even more: There is first and thus affection and emotional attraction.
anatomical evidence that the thalamus (spe- . Figure 4.2 provides a simplified over-
cifically the mediodorsal nucleus) receives view of the basic fragrance preferences of
direct olfactory information from primary individual brain regions.
olfactory areas including the piriform cor-
tex and maintains dense reciprocal connec-
tions with the orbitofrontal cortex (Courtiol 4.3 Well-Being Consultation:
and Wilson 2015)—even if the thalamus is Fragrance Preferences
bypassed for much of what is smelled.
of Individual Brain Regions
It is reasonable to assume that smell
only passes through the thalamus if at the and Their Networks
same time discomfort, fear, or anxiety is ex-
perienced by the amygdala and its network. Young neuroperfumery is certainly only at
This also provides an additional control in- the beginning of its findings. But, simply
stance from nature for olfactory stimuli, put, it already knows four—actually five—
which makes an olfactory check possible essential well-being needs for perfumery,
4.3 · Well-Being Consultation: Fragrance Preferences of Individual …
89 4

Hypothalamus
Network

Chocolate

Orbitofrontal cortex
Vanilla - edible
Amygdala
Network

Network
Skin notes Bergamot
Milk - Mousse Citrus

Flowers
Flowers - Rose

Hippocampus
Network

. Fig. 4.2 Basic fragrance preferences of individual brain regions

which correspond to certain basic fragrance as part of an efficient, target-oriented

directions and involved brain regions, as consultation. The orbitofrontal cortex
suggested by fragrance psychology: is mainly involved. Base fragrance direc-
1. Feeling good as an invigorating-fan- tion: green-citrus, “fresh-invigorating”.
tasy pleasure and reward as part of a In addition, the prefrontal cortex with
consultation with lots of shopping fun the personality dimension “conscien-
and surprise. The hypothalamus and tiousness” plays a role in this type of
its network, the dopaminergic “reward feeling good. Here, the need for feeling
and addiction system”, are involved. good is based more on experienced,
Base fragrance direction: Gourmand, systematic planning, good organi-
“fruity-enjoyable”. zation, thoughtful action, foresight,
2. Feeling good as relaxation in the form and responsibility. It can be referred
of harmony, anti-stress, peace, and re- to as feeling good through competence
charge as part of a pampering consul- in contrast. Base fragrance direction:
tation. The hippocampus and its “stress “fresh-aquatic” with aromatic Fougère
network” are mainly involved. Base fra- notes.
grance direction: floral, “flowery-light”. 4. Feeling good as trust and friendly affec-
3. Feeling good as enthusiasm in the form of tion as part of a consultation tailored to
extraverted freedom and unrestrictedness individual needs. The amygdala and its
 90 Chapter 4 · Welcome to the Neuroperfumery

“fear network” are involved. Base fra- 4.4 Neuro-Perfume Therapy:

grance direction: slightly amber- florals Findings for Fragrance-
(“floriental”), skin notes “warm-soft”, Supported Applications
with a certain sweetness playing a role.
The above statements about scent prefer-
The assignment of base-scent directions to ences of certain brain regions and their
different types of well-being certainly does networks can be a huge step forward for
not cover the wide range of perfume notes neuro-perfumery and “neuro-perfume
4 or scent directions in perfumery. There are therapy”, especially the discovery and devel-
other types of well-being with correspond- opment of neuroscents (active fragrances),
ing scent directions. Nevertheless, sub- on which, in particular, aromatherapy can
groups can be formed from these base scent build with further studies. Below I present
directions alone, which I will introduce be- some areas for neuroscent—or rather for
low. aromatherapeutic oriented measures with
Here is a simplified overview of the four neuroscents—supported therapy goals:
types of well-being with associated base 5 Neuroscent aromatherapeutic measures for
scent preferences and involved brain re- the treatment of the “fear network”: The
gions (. Fig. 4.3). above-mentioned findings suggest that
sweet-warm-soft scents experienced, which

Well-being as invigorating -
imaginative enjoyment
Hypothalamic network

Fragrance:
Wellbeing as enthusiasm

Gourmand
Orbitofrontal cortex network
Wellbeing as trust
Amygdala Network

Fragrance: Fragrance:
skin notes green-citrus

Fragrance:
floral

Wellbeing as relaxation
Hippocampal Network

. Fig. 4.3 Types of well-being with associated base scent preferences and involved brain regions
4.5 · On the Dynamics of the Olfactory Experience: Wandering …
91 4
are also similar to the smell of human ample, with chocolate scents. They could
skin, have a favorable effect on the amyg- even serve as ideal diet companions be-
dala and the thalamus in particular. They cause they have no effect on weight.
address a primal trust and can be used to- The mood-enhancing effect of other
gether with other therapy approaches in food-smelling fragrances and thus many
fear and anxiety states. Of course, there gourmand notes must of course be re-
are still no specific indications from brain searched in more detail by research.
research as to which scent notes contribute Nevertheless, it is becoming clear that an
particularly to the calming of the amyg- aromatherapy-supported therapy with
dala. In 7 Chap. 10 I will introduce a fra- edible fragrances could play a positive
grance-supported self-therapy with which role in the so-called mood modulation.
I have had very good experiences in prac- 5 Neuroscent aromatherapeutic measu-
tice and which you can create and use for res for the “self-assertion”: Low values
yourself according to your own needs. of extraversion are associated with with-
5 Neuroscent aromatherapeutic measures for drawal, loneliness, or the desire to stay in
the treatment of the “stress network”: Im- a small group. This can extend to the in-
aging studies of olfactory perception pro- ability and motivation for self-assertion,
vide first indications that preferences for such as the defense of one’s own bounda-
and sensitivity to odors change with in- ries and rights. It is known that green-cit-
creasing stress. When first stress symp- rus notes address extraverts in the orb-
toms occur, floral scents like clear rose itofrontal cortex with freshness, activ-
notes can offer some relaxation to the ity and dynamism. The question arises as
hippocampus and its network, also be- to whether an aromatherapy-supported
cause they are able to trigger positive ol- therapy with these notes would be bene-
factory memories and associations. If ficial, for example, as part of a self-asser-
stress increases and a sad mood sets in, tion training. Probably yes, because these
the brain seeks out more sweet fragrance notes have an activating broadband effect
notes. They can be used as part of an aro- on the brain. There are also successes in
matherapy-supported therapy in com- the context of psychological techniques
bination with other therapy approaches such as the scent-supported power-pos-
and act mood-modulating in this combi- ing. I will invite you to a self-experiment
nation. If there is a real depression, fra- at a later point and present other possible
grance can be an indication and a sign of uses of scents in self-therapy.
healing progress. Since fragrance and taste
impressions are experienced to a lesser ex- . Figure 4.4 gives a simplified overview of
tent in this disease, an aromatherapy-sup- neuroscentaromatherapeutic measures or
ported therapy can be used as part of ex- objectives to be discussed.
ercises to regain sensory experience.
5 Neuroscent aromatherapeutic measures
for mood enhancement through activa- 4.5 On the Dynamics of the
tion of the “reward network”: The brain Olfactory Experience:
knows fragrance notes—especially those
Wandering with Olfactory
that smell like food—that can also serve
to lighten the mood, even make them al- Preferences
most addictive. Interestingly, the brain
does not make a big difference in these The need for well-being and fragrance
notes for a positive stimulation between preference also depend on genetic dispo-
taste and smell. This was shown, for ex- sition as well as on the current need for
 92 Chapter 4 · Welcome to the Neuroperfumery

Hypothalamus
Mood elevation through
activation of the
"Reward Network"

Gourmand, like
4 chocolate notes
Calming down or favorable

Gaining self-asser!on by
increasing extraversion

Orbitofrontal cortex
influence on the
"Fear Network"
Amygdala

Milk Mousse, Green-citrus, like

like warm so"
skin notes
bergamot notes

Floral
like rose notes

Hippocampus
Calming and relaxa!on of
the "stress network

. Fig. 4.4 Scent-supported applications and therapeutic objectives

experience and stimulation or on corre- experience wishes can be more stable or

sponding wishes. They are therefore de- situational.
pendent on both situation and personal- You can also imagine the target direc-
ity. Psychologists therefore distinguish be- tion of well-being and fragrance needs pic-
tween the current, changing state, and torially like a compass needle. It shows in
need of a person, the so-called “state”, which direction one wants to experience
and the behavior across different situa- oneself—or the customer from the perspec-
tions, that is, the enduring personal prop- tive of the perfume seller—more or less
erty or disposition, the so-called “trait”. consciously; what one longs for; what at-
This differentiation can be well transferred tracts one magnetically; what one expects
to the choice of fragrance and the associ- as a feeling of well-being; but also what one
ated feeling of well-being over time. So we is now more likely to respond to as a per-
can be fascinated by perfumes or fragrance fume or fragrance direction.
directions that we would usually not Psychology knows four basic experience
choose, but which fit our current mood or directions, better said: an experience space
the desired occasion and experience wish. with four directions, which plays a role
Then we feel a certain situation-dependent here. It consists of the dimensions relaxed/
need that we actually do not know in this calm vs. stimulated/excited and introspec-
form. Accordingly, the experience and the tive/inner vs. open/outward (. Fig. 4.5).
4.5 · On the Dynamics of the Olfactory Experience: Wandering …
93 4
Stimulates 4.5.1 Smelling Better: Perfume
Excited as a Medium or the
Transformation of the “Self”
Introspective Open To Experience desires can be quite complex. In
Internal The Outside order to describe olfactory experience and
to better understand consumers in their fra-
grance choices, perfume marketing often
Relaxed uses eight experience directions or—desires
Calm
presented in . Fig. 4.6 instead of four ba-
sic experience directions.
. Fig. 4.5 Four basic directions of experience Each of these eight experience direc-
tions is associated with fragrance directions
that I will discuss in 7 Chap. 5. This means
Like the magnetic North Pole, one can that these eight directions have a particu-
be on constant wanderings in this experi- larly strong influence on fragrance choice in
ence space with one’s well-being needs, that terms of experience desires.
is, fragrance needs, but also quite stable due You can feel attracted to different ex-
to one’s personality. Unlike its geographi- periences at the same time. This also ap-
cal counterpart, the magnetic North Pole plies to fragrance directions and their per-
changes position with the magnetic South fumes. Later on, I will explain how you
Pole faster or slower and sometimes not at can mix fragrances for yourself using per-
all. The last reversal of the poles took place fume layering if you feel attracted to differ-
about 780,000 years ago. With humans, ent experience directions. You combine fra-
however, a change in mood takes place grances from different fragrance directions
within seconds and minutes. and create a very complex mood or feeling.
But personality can also change. Al- This is what makes creating with fragrances
though around half of the personality traits so unique. You can use them to accentuate
are apparently inherited, numerous factors your own olfactory needs and desires that
influence us throughout our lives. Never- contribute to a desired feeling of well-being
theless, life course researchers today assume
that our essence changes only to a limited
extent and gradually and slowly over time.
Stimulates
This also applies to preferences for fra- Excited
grances. The practice of perfumery knows, Strongly Energetic
for example, that certain fragrance direc- self-determined Active
tions such as the fine-herbal chypre notes
increase in popularity with female fragrance Introspective Open To
Internal The Outside
users as they age. This is certainly also due
to various physical factors such as changes
Secured Serene
in nutrition and thus also in skin odor. Nev-
Trusted Lighthearted
ertheless, a change in self-experience with Relaxed
new experience desires leads to greater ac- Calm
ceptance of fragrance directions for which
one was less interested in younger years. . Fig. 4.6 Eight basic experience directions
 94 Chapter 4 · Welcome to the Neuroperfumery

or desired well-being and bring you subjec- 4.6 Smell Open: How Evolution
tively closer to your desired experience. Promotes Certain Types
Psychologically speaking, a process of of Smelling
transformation takes place. Fragrances tai-
lored to your own needs become an offer of In personality research, the number 5 has
transformation to your own self. The “cur- been popular for almost 30 years. So hu-
rent self” (how I experience myself at the man behavior is often described with the
moment) should be brought closer to the “Big Five Personality Test”, which ana-
4 “ideal self” or the ideal experience (how lyzes a corresponding number of personal-
I would like to experience myself and be ity traits. These are extraversion, agreeable-
more). Regardless of whether this goal is ness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and
achieved, this movement, this process to- openness to new experiences.
wards the desired ideal state is experienced Neuropsychology has been increas-
by our self as pleasant and attractive. It is ingly interested in recent years in mapping
the beginning of “smelling better”. Against the “Big Five” to specific brain regions us-
this background, the promise in the title of ing imaging methods, i.e. functional mag-
this book can be better understood. Beauti- netic resonance imaging (fMRI). This can
ful SCENT as “smelling better” always leads already be shown quite well for some per-
to an increase in one’s own self, because in sonality traits. For neuroperfumery, these
the ideal self, the self of a higher self is al- discoveries are particularly exciting. As al-
ways already contained—who one actually ready mentioned, the orbitofrontal cor-
is, where one belongs, what one is entitled to, tex (OFC) and its network seem to have
but also how one wants to be seen by others. specific preferences for smells, as we know
A perfume consultation should there- from neuroperfumery. Imaging methods
fore fulfill the following latent basic expec- have shown that citrus notes (aromas) stim-
tation: When entering a perfume shop and ulate this brain region in particular. The
looking for a perfume, one expects more or connection between extraversion and the
less consciously that the current, personal preference for these fragrance notes has
needs for well-being will be taken into ac- long been noticed in the practice of per-
count. Even more: One expects that one fumery. The history of perfumery also has
feels more attractive through the fragrance evidence for this.
and the associated feeling of well-being, Fresh-green-citrus notes like the smell
and experiences the ideal self. In the per- of bergamot are and were particularly ap-
fect fragrance experience, this is particu- preciated by extraverted personalities,
larly supported by the fragrance experience. for example the composer Richard Wag-
The perfume plays the role of a medium. It ner (1813–1883). The conductor Herbert
offers the “current self ” a transformation von Karajan (1908–1989) is said to have
offer that is to lead it towards the ideal ex- been almost addicted to it. So it is said that
perience and thus into the near future. If he, the lover of fast cars, was always sur-
the perfume succeeds and one experiences rounded by a fine citrus cloud during his
an increase in experience through the fra- races on racetracks. The fragrance direc-
grance, “smelling better” occurs. You feel tion was apparently discovered by his third
more attractive through the perfume, at wife, the former Dior mannequin Eliette
least for yourself. Mouret, during his time as musical advisor
4.6 · Smell Open: How Evolution Promotes Certain Types of Smelling
95 4
to the Orchestre de Paris in the years 1969 more space. This space was needed for
to 1971. In 1966, Dior had brought the higher brain functions such as self-aware-
men’s fragrance “Eau de Sauvage” from the ness and certain personality traits. The ex-
fragrance family “Citrus-aromatic” onto tra space could only be created by the brain
the market. It had been created by Edmond becoming more folded and thinner in areas
Roudnitska, one of the great perfumers where more processing power was required.
of the time and, according to contempo- The scientists actually found such re-
rary witnesses, a decisive, extraverted per- lationships. They found that the brain had
sonality. As early as 1955, he had created evolved the most space for the personality
the Dior women’s fragrance “Eau Fraîche” trait of “openness” in terms of openness
with an extraverted citrus note. to new experiences in the prefrontal cor-
How the preferences for certain areas or tex, which as I showed earlier, is also im-
regions of the brain come about and, above portant for smell. This area was found to
all, how individual differences can be ex- be larger in surface area and more folded
plained, is still unknown. So as a fragrance with a thinner cortex. Therefore, the evolu-
psychologist one can possibly attribute the tion had a particular interest in the devel-
preference of extraverts for fresh-green-cit- opment of openness, which is associated
rus notes to the influence of early childhood with the following characteristics: enjoying
experiences and the associated fragrance so- collecting new experiences as well as being
cialization. But then they would have to be curious, imaginative, and inventive. People
similar for all extraverts. Ultimately, one with these traits also seek a certain amount
comes to the conclusion that preferences of excitement and variety. They also enjoy
for fragrances must also be inherited, so to exploring other cultures without prejudice.
speak, genetically determined in us. In contrast, people who have this trait less
The same problem arises for neuropsy- developed tend to prefer conventions. They
chology when it comes to the question of are more one-sided in their interests and
why personality traits vary in their intensity. rely on what is tried and tested.
Despite all the environmental influences In contrast, evolution seems to have less
that certainly play a major role in the devel- interest in the further development of ex-
opment, this must be due to genetic roots. traversion. The researchers conclude that
Are you still reading eagerly? Because the corresponding area is smaller in relation
now it’s really exciting! to openness and has a thicker cortex. This
A recent study by an international re- could be because extraversion has a number
search team from the UK, USA, and It- of highly branched networks that extend
aly (Riccelli et al. 2017) has looked at in- into the visual cortex at the back of the
teresting differences in cortical brain anat- head. However, previous studies have also
omy—the outer layer of the brain. They found that cortical thickness in the orbitof-
focused on measuring three things: the sur- rontal cortex is correlated with extraversion
face area of the cortex, the thickness, and (Rauch et al. 2005).
the amount of folding in the cortex. They Can we now draw conclusions about
compared these measurements with the lev- smell from the observations that evolution
els of the Big Five Personality Traits. This favors properties with increasing size of the
is based on the theory of “Cortical Stretch- surface of the area, less thickness and more
ing”. This theory suggests that the brain folding in the cortex? In the form that evo-
evolved faster than the skull and needed lution supports certain types of smell more
 96 Chapter 4 · Welcome to the Neuroperfumery

in humans than others? Based on the the- but also to other skin smells—they might
ory of “Cortical Stretching” one must at even find them attractive.
least say that evolution sets certain features I think you agree with me: Nobody
in humans that are particularly worthy of should miss this chapter. The research results
promotion. And these include special types on “Cortical Stretching” are simply specta-
of smell, which I would like to describe as cular. Just like the findings of brain research,
smell openness. i.e. neuroperfumery, for personal well-being.
It was in the interest of evolution to fur- Insights that fascinate every perfume lover!
4 ther develop the smell brain in humans—
and this especially outside the original ar- Summary
eas. Only in this way could the Maître des In this chapter, we first looked at the ex-
Parfums, which is located in the orbitofron- pectations of consumers who enter a per-
tal cortex and thus in the prefrontal cor- fume store for a fragrance consultation.
tex coordinating all other senses, develop We saw that it is the acquisition of at-
out of the actual “olfactory brain”. With tractiveness and beauty as well as the
this, evolution certainly also wanted to increase in well-being that play a role.
create an openness to smell in order to be Building on this, findings from neuroper-
able to merge smells with other senses for fumery on the relationship between fra-
an increased and intense experience. Fur- grance directions, well-being, brain re-
thermore, it must also have been impor- gions and their networks for neuro-ol-
tant for personality development and thus factory or rather for aromatherapeutic
for self-preservation that open smell is sup- measures with neuroscents (active fra-
ported by favored personality traits. In this grances) for the treatment of anxiety and
case, evolution seems to have been less in- stress as well as for reward and increase
terested in supporting individual fragrance in self-assertion were presented.
directions with smell openness than in mak- We saw that when smelling, especially
ing them available to all fragrance direc- when “smelling good” with perfumes, a
tions and types of smell. more or less conscious transformation
Smell openness promotes the imagina- takes place. At the end of the chapter, a
tion and curiosity of humans and contrib- spectacular theory for smelling was dis-
utes to approaching foreign cultures with- cussed: “Cortical Stretching”. It states
out prejudice. Especially the smell of one’s that the brain evolved faster than the
own group, the familiar barn smell, was skull and therefore needed space. The
and is not only a means of differentiation only way it could do this was by folding
in the animal kingdom. Nature apparently the brain over itself to create more space,
wanted to counteract the associated focus and by becoming thinner in areas with
on one’s own living space and one’s own corresponding performance. More space
group and open up for other impressions. was needed for higher brain performance
Because it has always been in the interest such as self-image and certain personal-
of nature that different genetic material is ity traits. One of these favoured person-
mixed, just to promote the immune system ality traits is “openness” in the sense of
of the offspring. But openness was also im- openness to new experiences. If we trans-
portant to her, so that new experiences and fer this observation to smelling, we can
ideas could be adopted from others. For conclude that evolution is interested in
this, people had to be open to other foods, our “smell openness”.
References
97 4
References Riccelli R et al (2017) Surface-based morphometry re-
veals the neuroanatomical basis of the five-factor
Baars B (2003) How brain reveals mind. Neural stud- model of personality. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci
ies support the fundamental role of conscious ex- 2017:671–684
perience. J Conscious Stud 10:9–10 Schneider S (2015) Der Einfluss von trauriger
Bremner JD et al (2000) Hippocampal volume reduction Stimmungsinduktion auf die Riech- und
in major depression. Am J Psychiatr 157(1):115–118 Schmeckschwellen gesunder Frauen. Dissertation
Canbeyli R (2010) Sensorimotor modulation of mood der Medizinischen Fakultät der Friedrich-Schil-
and depression: an integrative review. Behav Brain ler-Universität Jena
Res 207(2):249–264 Schoen K (2018) Gegenüberstellung von Essensdüf-
Courtiol E, Wilson DA (2015) The olfactory thalamus: ten und Blumendüften im Hinblick auf ihre Ver-
unanswered questions about the role of the medi- arbeitung im mesolimbischen System – eine fM-
odorsal thalamic nucleus in olfaction. Front Neu- RT-Studie. Dissertationsschrift der Medizinischen
ral Circuits 9:49 Fakultät Carl Gustav Carus der Technischen Uni-
De Young CG et al (2010) Testing predictions from versität Dresden
personality neuroscience. Brain structure and the Steiner JE, Rosenthal-Zifroni A, Edelstein EL (1969)
big five. Psychol Sci 21(6):820–828 Taste perception in depressive illness. Israel Ann
Rauch SL et al (2005) Orbitofrontal thickness, reten- Psychiatr Relat Discipl 7(2):223–232
tion of fear extinction, and extraversion. Cogn
Neurosci Neuropsychol 16(17):1909–1912
 99 5

Insider Knowledge
Perfumery
How to Smell Your Way Through the Perfume Jungle, What we
Know About the Effects of certain Ingredients, Fragrances and
the Psychology of Perfume Users and Their Experience, How
Perfumes are Remembered by Consumers, and Much More

Contents

5.1 Odorless … or 10,000 Smells Smell – 101

5.2 Perfumery is Not Additive and There Is No Room

for Argument – 102

5.3 Perfume Jungle: How to Smell Your Way In – 103

5.4 Psychology of Perfume—The Fragrance Families From

the Perspective of a Fragrance Psychologist – 113
5.4.1 Feminine fragrance directions – 114
5.4.2 “Masculine” fragrance families – 122
5.4.3 Not So Easy: Determining Target Groups in Marketing – 125

5.5 Perfume Makers—The Teams in the Perfume

Industry – 126

5.6 Fragrance Evaluation—A Creativity Killer? How

to Discover Perfumes With High Potential – 128

5.7 Perfume Flankers: Entertainment for Impatient

Noses – 130

5.8 Perfume Recipe: Successful Ingredients of Fine

Perfumery – 132

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023
J. Mensing, Beautiful SCENT,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67259-4_5
5.9 Scent Secrets of Ingredients—Smelling Exercise for a
Better Smell – 133

5.10 Perfumers: The Perfume Industry Owes Almost

Everything to Women – 135

References – 137
5.1 · Odorless … or 10,000 Smells Smell
101 5
suffer from anosmia and therefore not per-
ceive any or only very weak smells. In Ger-
many, about 3 to 5% of the population are
affected by this. These figures apply if there
are no increased infectious diseases. There
are indications, for example, that a loss or
reduced sense of smell and a loss of taste,
for example with Covid-19, were observed
more frequently. Therefore, anosmia is a
valuable indication for the early detection
of a health condition.
The absence of the sense of smell is
very stressful because the enjoyment of eat-
ing and drinking is restricted. Joy and sen-
suality also arise through smell. However,
the sense of smell can gradually return.
Because olfactory cells have the ability of
cell division, which is an exception among
nerve cells. They renew themselves every 60
days or so.
Many men are convinced that they can
smell worse than women, have a restricted
sense of smell, or simply often smell
wrong. The former is called hyposmia,
the latter dysomia, which rather means
One might think that creating a perfume
a distortion of the sense of smell. There
is basically smelling good ingredients and
are reasons for this. Women can usually
merging them. That is certainly also true, but
smell better, but men often have an ol-
perfume is also an industry that is very stra-
factory expertise, for example when tast-
tegically oriented. With around 2,000 new
ing wine. Actually, one only associates this
fragrances every year, it takes a lot of insider
with the sense of taste, but recent studies
knowledge to conquer the market with a per-
have shown that—as already mentioned—
fume or to attract the attention of fragrance
there are even olfactory receptors on the
users. Often consumers are not aware that,
tongue. So we also smell with the tongue,
like in the gangster movie Ocean’s Eleven,
even though it is not yet completely clear
specialists with different talents are behind
how far this is possible. If this should be
a new fragrance, who have been hired for a
the case, this also applies to men who de-
“perfume coup”, i.e. for the development
scribe their beer.
and successful market launch of a perfume.
The sense of smell can be trained like
hardly any other sense. Optimists speak of
5,000 to 10,000 smells that can be distin-
5.1 Odorless … or 10,000 Smells guished. That also explains why one quickly
Smell becomes “speechless” when smelling. The
approximately 200 adjectives that e.g. the
Certainly not everyone has the same ac- German language has to describe emotions,
cess to smell and does not react equally to basic emotions, and moods are not enough
certain smells and situations. You can also for the olfactory experience.
 102 Chapter 5 · Insider Knowledge Perfumery

z Taxonomy of the Invisible called top note, which shows itself after
Describing scents for oneself and oth- half to one hour in the heart note and fi-
ers has certainly been a need since the be- nally in the base note, which can sometimes
ginnings of perfumery over 9,000 years still be smelled for days. Even with per-
ago. But it quickly became a problem be- fumes that are created more linearly, with
cause our ancestors lacked the words for it. a powerful top note running through to the
To this day, it is a challenge to communi- base, there is movement. By the way, per-
cate smells in detail. This is shown in the at- fumes always become faster. So there is a
tempts of perfumers to classify scents. For trend in perfumery that is made for impa-
over 200 years, the fragrance industry has tient noses. You want the top note to de-
5 been working on a Taxonomy of the Invis-
ible. For example, there is the suggestion to
velop faster, have a clear character, then
stay that way for as long as possible and, in
distinguish between 44 fragrance classes, for a transferred sense, become the “earworm”.
example in fruity, aromatic, almond-like, Perfumes have always been created for
minty, citrus-like, sweet, vanilla-like, soap- the zeitgeist. In the perfume world, there
like, metallic, animal-like or floral. have also been quieter times when more
In order to achieve a quick and easy ori- time was given for the top note to develop.
entation in the perfume industry, creative The legendary perfume “Parure” by Guer-
noses like to categorize their fragrance cre- lain is an example. It came out in 1975, in
ations, i.e. perfumes, according to fragrance a decade that was less hectic in comparison
families or fragrance directions. Floral, ori- to today. It took about 20 minutes for the
ental, chypre or fresh-green-citrus notes combination of plum, rose and citrus fruits
are common subdivisions. Usually 8 to 16 to fully develop in the top note. Patience
fragrance directions are distinguished for was required with this perfume. When first
women’s notes and 6 to 12 for men’s notes. applied, it smelled dark and blurry, until fi-
These will be introduced in more detail and nally a gentle wave was released that be-
with their olfactory psychological meaning came a sensual and elegant masterpiece
in this chapter. that was then difficult to classify into one
The assignment of perfumes to fra- fragrance category. In such cases, the fra-
grance families is based on ingredients and grance category is determined by the ingre-
fragrance character. But that doesn’t make dients. For “Parure”, most noses agreed on
it any easier, because alone in the fragrance the fragrance category “chypre”.
family “Floral” there are over 10,000 per-
fumes on the market, some of which would
have to belong to two or more fragrance 5.2 Perfumery is Not Additive
families because of their originality. There- and There Is No Room
fore, the individual fragrance families are for Argument
further subdivided, e.g. into “floral-pow-
dery”, which makes it even more compli- The assignment of perfumes to groups is
cated. This is especially true for some fra- also difficult because fragrance concentra-
grance families, which are subdivided into tion plays a role. Depending on the con-
seven and more subgroups. centration, the same fragrance can be ex-
When assigning perfumes to groups, an- perienced differently, although there is an
other difficulty becomes apparent: Scent— amazing phenomenon: Higher concentra-
and above all perfume—are also always tion, that is, more fragrance oil mixed with
in motion and therefore not easy to clas- alcohol, does not necessarily mean better,
sify. The scent develops from the initial im- heavier or more intense. Perfumery is not
pression of about 10 to 15 minutes, the so- additive. So the higher concentrated per-
5.3 · Perfume Jungle: How to Smell Your Way In
103 5
fume can smell lighter than the same fra- 5 Eau de Parfum (EDP) in a concentra-
grance with less concentration. Also, the tion with 10 to 14% fragrance oil (in al-
more concentrated perfume can collapse, or cohol with some water) and
it does not breathe anymore, or certain in- 5 Parfum in a concentration with often
gredients suddenly come to the fore. They 15 to 40% fragrance oil (in alcohol with
can change the smell so that it gives the im- some water).
pression that the fragrance now belongs to
another fragrance family. There are actually no legal regulations for
Perfumes are willful. But that’s what the concentration indications of perfumes
makes them so interesting. You should not such as EDP or EDT, because—as already
argue about them. The legendary “Cool said—a lot of fragrance oil does not neces-
Water” by Davidoff with only 16 ingredi- sarily mean a lot of smell. So don’t be sur-
ents smelled unfinished to many when it prised if a fragrance with a concentration
was introduced. It was thought that this of 8% fragrance oil is already offered as an
“summer fragrance” for men would not Eau de Parfum.
survive the first winter on the market. But
in the perfume world, too, the saying goes:
The dead live longer. No wonder, because 5.3 Perfume Jungle: How to Smell
there was never agreement in the perfume Your Way In
world. Often, creations are judged like the
work of a dentist. “Who made that?” it is z Classification systems, fragrance families,
then said. Even rather simple topics, such or fragrance directions
as what concentration is considered an There are now apps for mobile devices that
eau de parfum or perfume, can cause ar- provide an overview of fragrance fami-
guments. Nevertheless, in the following, I lies and are therefore good for systemat-
try to create some clarity on this subject— ically getting to know the respective per-
which I have already dealt with in detail in fumes in a perfume shop. One example is
7 Chap. 2: the app “Symrise—Genealogy of Fine Fra-
5 Fresh-green-citrus notes are often found grances”, which provides an overview of
as so-called Eau de Toilette (EDT) in the most popular perfumes—both from to-
lighter concentration with 6 to 8% fra- day and the past four decades. Fragrance
grance oil (in alcohol with some water), lovers can quickly and easily find extensive
but there are also Eau de Parfum (EDP) information by grouping into feminine and
versions with around 10 to 14%. masculine perfumes divided into fragrance
5 For Eau de Cologne, the concentration families with subgroups, for example under
is only 3 to 5% fragrance oil (in alcohol 7 https://www.symrise.com/newsroom/ar-
with some water). ticle/the-symrise-genealogy-of-fine-fragran-
5 The Body Mist is particularly light with ces-is-going-digital/.
a concentration of around 3% fragrance Very detailed information on fragrance
oil (in alcohol with some water). groups and divisions can be found, for ex-
ample, in the “Fragrance Wheel” of the well-
The fresh-green-citrus fragrance, especially known Australian perfume collector Michael
in lighter concentration, develops quickly Edwards, as well as in detailed fragrance
but does not last long if the base is not re- families under 7 www.fragrantica.com and
inforced, for example, by woods. 7 www.fragrantica.de. The English and Ger-
In contrast, there are the richer and man-language websites of Fragrantica have
most popular fragrance concentrations in become an online encyclopedia of perfumes,
Germany:
 104 Chapter 5 · Insider Knowledge Perfumery

a perfume magazine and a community of Fragrances

perfume lovers. For years, Fragrantica has Female notes:
offered so-called user-oriented classification 1. Chypre—leathery
systems (“user-driven classification systems”), 2. Fresh-green-citrus/Aqua- & Ozone
in which consumers can also rate perfumes notes
based on their olfactory experience. The 3. Gourmand-fruity
Fragrantica website, founded in 2007, cap- 4. Floral-powdery
tures over 80,000 perfumes (2023). The Eng- 5. Floral-aldehyde
lish-language system of Fragrantica distin- 6. Floriental (Amber floral)
guishes seven “Olfactory Groups” (Aromatic, 7. Amber-oriental
5 Chypre, Citrus, Floral, Leather, Amber, and
Woody), i.e. fragrance families, which are di-
8. Woody-aromatic

vided into up to seven subgroups. In addition, Male notes:

the year of market launch is given for the per- 1. Fougère
fume examples. This information is also given 2. Fresh green citrus/Aqua- & Ozone notes
by other classification systems, such as that of 3. Gourmand-fruity
Symrise. 4. Leathery
At Fragrantica you can classify a lit- 5. Amber-oriental
tle more in detail and see which perfumes 6. Woody-spicy
and when they came to which market; to
which categories (designers, colors) the cre-
ations belong; which brands or personali- In order to better describe individual per-
ties are behind them; whether the scents are fumes within the fragrance directions/
created for women, men, or both; for which groups in terms of their experience and their
season and which occasion they are recom- effect, a distinction is made between the ten-
mended by other fragrance lovers. The user dencies “lighter” and “richer” or “intense”.
of the Fragrantica website can call up the Certainly, the eight fragrance directions
bottle and packaging as well as a fragrance for women’s notes and the six for men’s are
description as a visualized “fragrance pyr- quite broadly divided. Only the fragrance
amid” with pictures of ingredients of the direction “Chypre” knows perfumes that, in
top, middle, and base note by clicking on addition to the clear Chypre notes, one of
individual perfume names several times. the following subgroups could be assigned
The entire system is open to consumers. to for a more detailed determination:
They can rate the perfumes and post their
own comments. Whether it is always only
about company-independent persons, how- Subgroups of “Chypre”
ever, is left open. 5 Chypre-fruity
User-oriented classification systems of- 5 Chypre-amber
fer manufacturers and consumers a direct 5 Chypre-floral
and quick access to the world of scents. 5 Chypre-woody
However, the danger is that with a very de- 5 Chypre-leathery
tailed classification with many subgroups 5 Chypre-aromatic
you will quickly lose overview. 5 Chypre-Fougère
In my perfume & perfume insider work- 5 Chypre-Gourmand
shops I discuss perfumes and their meaning
in different perfume markets, as I will show
in 7 Chap. 14. Here is a first overview of However, such a detailed classification
the fragrance directions/groups fragrances: quickly loses overview—especially if you
5.3 · Perfume Jungle: How to Smell Your Way In
105 5
want to study the importance of a fragrance ther differentiate “Gourmand” from “fruity”
family in a fragrance market. The fragrance in order to, for example, distinguish between
family “Chypre” is the smallest segment in the fragrance families “Fruity-floral” and
many markets with relatively few new re- “Fruity-Gourmand”.
leases each year, and the subgroups would Similarly, one would also have to further
then be sparsely populated for an overview differentiate citrus and divide it into fra-
of a fragrance market. grance families such as “Citrus-aromatic”
For floral notes with many new releases and “Citrus-Gourmand”.
each year, however, a detailed classification
makes sense. z The three-level model of perfume diag-
For this fragrance direction, one could nostics
further subdivide as follows, creating new In the following, I show a fragrance classifi-
fragrance families in the process: cation system scent space with 16 fragrance
families or directions before we discuss the
most important ones in detail below:
Subgroups of “Floral”
5 Floral-powdery
5 Floral-aldehydic A fragrance classification system with
5 Floral-fresh 16 fragrance families
5 Floral-aquatic 1. Gourmand-fruity
5 Floral-Gourmand 2. Aromatic-fruity
5 Floral-warm 3. Aromatic-fresh
5 Floral-amber or woody/musky 4. Aquatic-fresh
5. Citrus-fresh
6. Aquatic-flowery
Another subdivision is also useful for the 7. Floral-fresh
“Amber” (also called “Oriental” or “am- 8. Floral-aldehyde-clear
ber-oriental”) fragrance family, which also 9. Floral-powdery-balsamic
inspires new fragrance families: 10. Floral-aldehyde-rich
11. Floral-oriental/floral-amber or fl-
oriental (floral sensual)
Subgroups of “Amber” 12. Milk/milk mousse -musk
5 Amber-woody 13. Amber-Oriental-warm
5 Amber-spicy 14. Woody-earthy
5 Amber-Gourmand, Amber Floral, 15. Chypre-leathery
Amber Fougere, Amber Vanilla, and 16. Chypre-fruity
even Amber Citrus. Why do we use
the term amber or amber-oriental in
this book and not oriental? “Oriental” In this fragrance classification system with
has become an outdated fragrance 16 fragrance directions, ladies’ and men’s
term on its own. More and more fra- perfumes can be sorted together. It is mul-
grance houses are replacing it with tidimensional with three levels, and I would
“amber” or adapting the term “am- therefore like to introduce it to you as a
bery” to modrnize the language. Three-Level Model for perfume diagnostics.
To say it right away: Perfumes can only be
on one level or have characteristics of two
For a detailed analysis of perfumes or a fra- or three levels in this model.
grance market, one would also have to fur-
 106 Chapter 5 · Insider Knowledge Perfumery

The base level (first level) is based on the 5 aquatic-flowery,

four basic fragrance directions: 5 flowery-aldehydic-clear,
5 Gourmand-fruity, 5 flowery-aldehydic-rich,
5 floral-powdery-balsamic, 5 Milk/milk mousse-musk,
5 amber-oriental-warmand 5 woody-earthy and
5 citrus-fresh. 5 chypre-fruity.

The base level is called that because many This level is particularly beneficial for
current perfumes in our cultural space can flower notes that can only be described on
be mapped on this level, and also because this level or that have characteristics of the
5 our olfactory brain knows these four basic
fragrance directions and they are associated
first and/or second level due to their com-
plexity. The third level is ideal for the de-
with specific neuronal stimulation needs of scription of fragrance, especially for many
individual brain regions and their networks. niche perfumes that, for example, combine
There are perfumes that have charac- “woody-earthy” with other fragrance char-
teristics of two fragrance directions on acteristics.
this level, e.g. Gourmand-fruity with cit- This fragrance classification system with
rus-fresh. In general, the fragrance direc- a total of 16 fragrance directions make it
tion “Gourmand-fruity” has gained impor- possible to describe a very complex perfume
tance in many fragrance markets (such as in its fragrance development or impression
the German or the US) in recent years and in quite a precise way. Often, only two fra-
is now one of the pillars of the perfume in- grance directions on one level are enough to
dustry. “map” a new perfume creation, for example,
Above that (second level) is the fra- or to position or compare it with existing
grance space with the four directions: creations on the market according to its fra-
5 aromatic-fresh, grance character. This means that this clas-
5 floral-fresh, sification system can be used to particularly
5 floral-oriental/floral-amber or floriental well describe perfumes that fall into two or
(floral sensual) and more fragrance families at the same time as
5 Chypre-leathery. so-called “crossovers” and thus capture their
fragrance development or fragrance dynam-
On this level, above all, the large fragrance ics. It turns out that the third and second
family “flowery” can be further differenti- level do not necessarily have to reflect the
ated (fresh vs. warm). Here, too, new fra- top note of a perfume. Modern perfumery
grance directions are introduced with “ar- also loves surprises, and thus complex cross-
omatic-fresh” and “chypre-leathery”, which overs can be captured in a creation that is,
are particularly typical for individual fra- for example, assigned to the basic fragrance
grance markets. However, the first and sec- direction “Gourmand-fruity”, but in which
ond level in combination also show fra- fragrance facets from the “Chypre-leathery”
grance trends, for example with the partly as well as from the “aromatic-fruity” area
increasingly complex chypre notes, where also play a role after a certain time.
“chypre-leathery” is combined with “gour- . Fig. 5.1 shows the visualization of
mand-fruity”. a self-created crossover perfume, as one
On the third level, perfumes can then be of the participants in my perfume insider
further specified. The eight fragrance direc- workshops experienced his scent. The ex-
tions of the third level are: ample makes it clear why one describes a
5 aromatic-fruity, complex perfume in a systematic fragrance
5 aquatic-fresh, description, i.e. “perfume diagnostics”, bet-
5.3 · Perfume Jungle: How to Smell Your Way In
107 5

Gourmand
Fruity

Aromatic
Fruity

Chypre
Fruity

Chypre
Leathery

. Fig. 5.1 Crossover perfume

ter on different levels in order to recognize grance can only be approximately repre-
its uniqueness. sented by a fragrance pyramid. The claim
A good example of a complex crosso- of fine perfumery has always been to cre-
ver is “Virgin Island Water” by Creed. The ate new olfactory impressions for noses and
perfume, which smells like an iced coconut thus to provide olfactory surprises. If you
swimming in a rushing stream, has other ask perfume lovers to design a fragrance
facets, including a light white rum and a as a sculpture (e.g. using modeling clay sets
milk note. The perfume has basic charac- with different colors; see also 7 Sect. 12.4,
teristics of the fragrance family “Gour- “Experience Perfumery”), often very un-
mand-fruity” as well as “Aquatic-fresh” with usual different-colored shapes arise. Here
clear citrus chords, to which the mentioned are three examples: In the perfume “Angel
rum and milk note join to the surprise. Share” by Kilian, a gourmand fragrance,
. Fig. 5.2 shows the visualization of it is a cognac note that presents itself as a
how “Virgin Island Water” can be po- spherical headnote with cinnamon and
sitioned on the first level. But it is also melts into the base note with praline, milky
clear that the scent can only be described vanilla, and sandalwood. With the alco-
in its richness on the third level (which is hol-free creamy gourmand fragrance “San-
not shown here) with “aquatic-fresh” and dalsun” by Hermetica, you can describe
“milk/milk mousse musk”. the perfume in the form of a foamed “latte
To be even more precise, one can use the macchiato” consisting of two to three dif-
numbering of the directions, that is, the ol- ferent layers; the layers of hazelnut and va-
factory impression, to additionally describe nilla rotate comfortably over a “wooden”
the temporal course of a perfume. This will layer. The heart of the gourmand perfume
also do justice to the division into top, mid- “Lune Féline” by Atelier des Ors, in whose
dle, and base notes, as it is traditionally vis- bottle small pieces of 24-karat gold leaf
ualized as a perfume pyramid. float, smells green and associates a leaf that
grows from an imaginary “cinnamon-vanil-
z Perfume as a sculpture la-cardamom plant”.
Many perfume lovers will agree that the dy- Perfumers are also brave and quite in-
namics, novelty, and uniqueness of a fra- novative with many creations, which is dif-
 108 Chapter 5 · Insider Knowledge Perfumery

Chypre Gourmand Aromatic

Fruity Fruity Fruity

Woody Chypre Aromatic Aquatic

Earthy Leathery Fresh Fresh

Amber - Creed Virgin

Island Water
Citrus
5 Oriental
Warm
Fresh

Milk Floral Floral Aquatic

Milk - Mousse Floriental Fresh Floral

Floral Floral
Floral Powdery-
Aldehydic - Aldehydic -
Balsamic
rich clear

. Fig. 5.2 “Virgin Island Water” by Creed in the fragrance classification system with 16 fragrance directions

ficult to express with a fragrance pyramid, fume lover, one would therefore wish that
but a 3D fragrance sculpture can visualize— new scents were also presented as a sculp-
especially when familiar fragrance notes are ture graphic to make users even more curi-
used. Here are three examples: Rose scents ous about the fragrance experience and vis-
are rarely created for men. With “L’Homme ualize the perfumer’s idea.
À la Rose” by Maison Francis Kurkdjian,
Damascus roses and grapefruit create such z Olfactory psychological mapping in mar-
a bright impression in the top note that keting
you want to modulate it as a green-glowing As you can see, it quickly becomes complex
comet’s tail. With the perfume “Body Paint” with the 16 fragrance directions described
by Vilhelm, you experience a real hot-cold above, and it is easy to lose sight of the fra-
contrast through cleverly coordinated, but grance if you do not have the knowledge
familiar, vegetative notes that offer a lot of and nose of a perfumer—especially if you
inspiration for a perfume sculpture to visu- then still distinguish between “lighter” and
alize the energy of “Body Paint”. “Colonia richer (“intense”).
Futura” by Acqua di Parma offers a simi- Therefore, marketing uses short descrip-
lar large contrast. The lemon, bergamot and tions of the individual fragrance directions
grapefruit used, for example, are expected to to position perfumes in a fragrance classifi-
be a refreshing tonic. But pink pepper also cation system.
causes real waves of heat to arise, which Furthermore, the descriptions of the
are wonderfully unexpected in our brains. fragrance directions can be further illus-
This creates a double sculpture that winds trated by the basic experience directions
around itself in different colors. As a per- visualized in Fig. 4.6. This creates a fra-
5.3 · Perfume Jungle: How to Smell Your Way In
109 5
grance psychological space with 16 fra- In marketing, one sometimes wishes for
grance directions (. Fig. 5.3). a quick overview of a fragrance classifica-
. Fig. 5.4 shows an example of how tion with only a few basic directions—es-
individual niche perfumes (e.g. “Tann- pecially when comparing perfumes from
häuser” by Drops Barcelona, “Enigma” one or a few brands with each other. Here
by Roja, “Tuberose in Blue” by Altaia, is an example of a fragrance classification
“Rose trombone” by L’Orchestre Parfum, with only four fragrance directions, which
“Leather forever” by DE Gabor, “Sublime can also be assigned to women’s and men’s
Balkiss” by The Different Company, “Mi- perfumes. This fragrance classification also
mosa Tanneron” by Perris Monte Carlo, allows the representation of crossover fra-
“1A-33” by Schwarzlose Berlin, “Voyage grances Crossover-Düften, which com-
Onirique du Papillon” by Salvador Dali, bine characteristics of two fragrance direc-
“Sweet Rose” by Rosendo Mateau or “Car- tions. Furthermore, one can position per-
dinal” by James Heelay) can be positioned fumes rather lightly or richer or typical or
or mapped in this olfactory psychological less typical for a fragrance direction by po-
space. A two-dimensional space is shown, sitioning typical representatives of a fra-
which is based on the three fragrance levels, grance direction more to the outside (to
which would visualize (here only indicated) the end of the scale). An example would be
the differences between the individual per- “New York Nights” by Bond No. 9, which
fumes even more clearly. has more characteristics of a gourmand
note and would therefore be positioned

a
Gourmand Aromatic
Chypre Fruity Fruity Fruity
Opulent Delightful Tropical
Substantial Exuberant Berry
Tempting Edible Spicy
Aromatic Aquatic
Woody Earthy Chypre Leathery Fresh Fresh
Stable Powerful Active Invigorating
Warm Fine Tart Dynamic Aqueous
Natural Mossy Energetic Ozone

Amber - Citrus
Oriental warm Fresh
Profound Refreshing
Individual Liberating
Exotic Sparkling
Milk Floral Floral Aquatic
Milk - Mousse Floriental Fresh Floral
Familiar Sensual Cheerful Easily
Secure Emotional Relaxed Solved
Cuddly Private Unforced Liberating
Floral Floral Powdery Floral
Aldehydic - rich Balsamic Aldehydic - clear
Radiant Soft Bright
Complex Fluffy Cool
Content Harmonious Metallic

. Fig. 5.3 a, b Fragrance psychological space with 16 fragrance directions

 110 Chapter 5 · Insider Knowledge Perfumery

b
Gourmand Aromatic
Chypre Fruity
Fruity Fruity
Opulent
Delightful Tropical
Content
Exuberant Berry
Tempting
Edible Spicy

Aromatic Aquatic
Woody Earthy Chypre Leathery Fresh Fresh
Stable Powerful Active Invigorating
Warm Fine tart Stimulates Dynamic
Excited
Aqueous
Natural Mossy Strongly Energetic Energetic Ozone
self-determined Active

Amber - Citrus
Oriental warm Introspective Open Fresh
5 Profound
Individual
Internal To The Outside Refreshing
Liberating
Exotic Lively
Secured Serene
Milk Floral Familiar Lighthearted Floral Aquatic
Relaxed
Milk - Mousse Floriental Fresh Floral
Calm
Familiar Cheerful Light
Sensual
Secure Relaxed Solved
Emotional
Cuddly Unforced Liberating
Private
Floral Floral Powdery- Floral
Aldehydic - rich Balsamic Aldehydic - clear
Soft Luminous
Radiant
Fluffy Cool
Complex
Harmonious Metallic
Content

. Fig. 5.3 (continued)

Chypre Gourmand Aromatic

Fruity Fruity Fruity

Perris Monte Carlo L'Orchestre Perfume

Aromatic Aquatic
Woody Earthy Chypre Leathery Vanilla de Tahiti Rose trombone
Fresh Fresh
Roja
DE Gabor Vetiver
Leather forever
The Different Company
Roja Rosendo Mateau Sublime Balkiss
Enigma Incense wood Drops Barcelona
Perris Monte Carlo
Tannhäuser
Amber - Lavande Romaine Citrus
DE Gabor Altaia
Oriental warm James Heelay Perris Monte Carlo
Genders Don't cry for me
Perris Monte Carlo Fresh
Cardinal Rose de Taif Bergamotto di Calabria

Rosendo Mateau Schwarzlose Berlin

Sweet rose 1A-33
Salvador Dali
Perris Monte Carlo Voyage Onirique
Mimosa Tanneron du Papillon
Milk Floral Floral Aquatic
Milk - Mousse Floriental Fresh Floral
Altaia
Tuberose in Blue

Floral Floral Powdery- Floral

Aldehydic - rich Balsamic Aldehydic - clear

. Fig. 5.4 Olfactory psychological space with 16 fragrance directions and niche perfume assignments
5.3 · Perfume Jungle: How to Smell Your Way In
111 5
further outside than “Nolita” from the detail below and name the different fra-
same perfume house which has also typical grance directions with concrete perfume ex-
notes of the floral-powdery-balsamic fra- amples, I would like to give you some tips
grance family (. Fig. 5.5). on how to sniff them.
However, as you can see for yourself,
four basic directions are a minimum in order z Tips for buying perfume—how to sniff
to be able to position perfumes meaning- the best and get to know fragrance fami-
fully. In particular, large fragrance families lies and their perfumes
such as “flowery” are no longer adequately For each fragrance family, you should dis-
represented. Let us agree on a classification cover three to four scents for yourself that
of eight fragrance directions for women and you can smell in every specialty store. Some
six for men’s fragrances for a more detailed perfume stores now offer up to 1000 per-
discussion of fragrance families. fumes, with a trend towards more. About
At my perfume workshops I present the 30% of them are new.
individual fragrance directions with certain Even if you have a preference for a par-
women’s and men’s perfumes. I deliberately ticular fragrance family, it can happen that
show more established, but also trend per- you do not like a perfume belonging to it.
fumes. I also concentrate more on individ- This is because it has one or more ingredi-
ual brands when it comes to examples in ents that are not positively associated with
order to show their strategy or that of their you personally. Perfumes should there-
portfolio within the framework of a fra- fore always be tested first on the scent strip
grance mapping. But before I go into more and only then on the skin. It is also recom-

Fragrance
Gourmand
Fruity
Aromatic
Delicious - berry - edible

Fragrance Fragrance
Amber/Oriental Aquatic
Woody Citrus
Warm Fresh
Profound - individual - exotic Refreshing - liberating - invigorating

Fragrance

Floral
Aldehydic
Balsamic
Radiant - complex - harmonious

. Fig. 5.5 Fragrance classification with four basic directions

 112 Chapter 5 · Insider Knowledge Perfumery

mended to take a walk with the scent—if promised. And the base note only shows its
time permits. Nothing beats fresh air to get true character after two to three hours.
to know scents.
Since you can only smell a limited num- z Perfumes behind fragrance families
ber of scents one after the other, the rule Here is an overview of the fragrance fami-
of thumb is: test a maximum of four to six lies with perfume examples, whereby I dis-
scents and then ideally take a break of 15 cuss the eight fragrance families for wom-
to 20 minutes. Of course, a trained nose en’s notes and the six for men’s notes in
can smell more scents in a row than an un- their respective fragrance characteristics in
trained one. There are also days when you section 5.4 in detail.
5 can smell worse due to stress and fatigue.
In addition, the length of the break also
depends on the olfactory environment. In Women’s fragrances
some perfume stores, the air is literally full 1. CHYPRE-LEATHERY
of fragrance. Basically, it helps to smell cof- Typical examples:
fee beans in between. Then you can usually – Tendency lighter: “Blackout” by
distinguish the next scent better after a few Derek Lam, “212 Splash” by Caro-
minutes. In addition, you should first sniff lina Herrera
the perfume before smelling it. This way – Tendency more intense: “Bleeker
you can sort out the scents that are not an Street” by Bond No. 9, “Royal Eng-
option in advance. lish Leather” by Creed
However, one should not forget: Smell- 2. FRESH-GREEN-CITRUS/AQUA- &
ing is also strenuous for the brain, which OZONE NOTES
is why the first scent always has an advan- Typical examples:
tage. Experience shows that you can quickly – Tendency lighter: “Millésime Im-
get over-smelling yourself with four to perial” by Creed, “Sag Harbor” by
eight scents—depending on how intensely Bond No. 9
you smell them—despite the break. At – Tendency more intense: “Mint &
the latest from the sixth smelled scent, the Tonic” by Atkinsons, “High Line”
smell brain/olfactory brain starts to be re- by Bond No. 9
ally overwhelmed. After all, it has to run a 3. GOURMAND-FRUITY
small film more or less consciously for each Typical examples:
scent. The result: you get impatient. As a – Tendency lighter: “Something
rule, a feeling of hunger also sets in, and Wild” by Derek Lam, “Virgin Is-
the enjoyment of the scent finally turns into land Water” by Creed (already dis-
the opposite. cussed as more of a crossover scent)
To enjoy the top, heart, and base of a – Tendency more intense: “New York
perfume properly, you should not test more Nights” by Bond No. 9, “Obscure
than one or two scents per day and per Oud” by Phuong Dang
arm on the skin—a total of four perfumes 4. FLORAL-POWDERY-BALSAMIC
on both arms (in the armpit and on the Typical examples:
wrist)—and preferably at the weekend when – Tendency lighter: “Warm Cotton”
the head is freer. by Clean, “Très Chère” by Mizensir
If you want to avoid wrong purchases, – Tendency more intense: “Nolita”
you should take your time when choosing a by Bond No. 9, “Rive Gauche” by
perfume. Often a scent develops in a different Yves Saint Laurent
direction after 20 minutes than the top note
5.4 · sychology of Perfume—The Fragrance Families From the Perspective …
113 5

5. FLORAL-ALDEHYDE-RADIANT – Tendency more intense: “Allure by

Typical examples: Chanel, “Himalaya” by Creed
– Tendency lighter: “Paris” by Yves 3. GOURMAND-FRUITY
Saint Laurent, “Vicolo Fiori” by Etro Typical examples:
– Tendency more intense: “Trésor” by – Tendency lighter: “Remix” by Em-
Lancôme, “Stockholm” by Vilhelm porio Armani, “Jump” by Joop!
6. FLORIENTAL (Floral sensual) – Tendency more intense: “Pirates’
Typical examples: Grand Reserve” by Atkinsons, “Fleur
– Tendency lighter: “2am Kiss” by du Male” by Jean Paul Gaultier
Derek Lam, “Narcisse” by Chloé 4. LEDRIG
– Tendency more intense: “Helio- Typical examples:
trope” by Etro, “Oscar de la Renta” – Tendency lighter: “Pure for Men ”by
by Oscar de la Renta Jil Sander, “Aventus” by Creed
7. AMBER-ORIENTAL – Tendency more intense: “Knize
Typical examples: Ten” by Knize, “Avant-Garde” by
– Tendency lighter: “Casmir” by Yohji Yamamoto
Chopard, “Ambre D’Alexandrie” 5. AMBER-ORIENTAL
by Boucheron Typical examples:
– Tendency more intense: “Untamed – Tendency lighter: “For Him” by
Oud” by Phuong Dang, “Oud Save Narciso Rodriguez Musc, “Indivi-
the Queen” by Atkinsons duel” by Montblanc
8. WOODY-SPICY – Tendency more intense: “Le Male”
Typical examples: by Jean Paul Gaultier, “Colonia
– Tendency lighter: “Juniper Sling” Ambra” by Acqua di Parma
by Penhaligon’s, “Ideal Oud” by 6. WOODY-SPICY
Mizensir Typical examples:
– Tendency more intense: “Santal de – Tendency lighter: “Chrome” by Az-
Mysore” by Serge Lutens zaro, “Bois du Portugal” by Creed
– Tendency more intense: “Dav-
idoff Classic” by Davidoff, “Yohji
Homme” by Yohji Yamamoto
Men’s fragrances
1. FOUGÈRE
Typical examples:
– Tendency lighter: “Weekend” by 5.4 Psychology of Perfume—
Burberry, “Silver Shadow Altitude”
The Fragrance Families From
by Davidoff
– Tendency more intense: “Icon” by
the Perspective of a Fragrance
Alfred Dunhill, “Viking” by Creed Psychologist
2. FRESH-GREEN-CITRUS/AQUA- &
OZONE NOTES In the following, I will show what makes
Typical examples: fragrance families or fragrance directions
– Tendency lighter: “212 Men special from a psychological, sociological,
Splash” by Carolina Herrera, “Icon and marketing perspective. In order to un-
Racing” by Alfred Dunhill derstand the fascination of the individ-
ual fragrance directions in their essence, I
 114 Chapter 5 · Insider Knowledge Perfumery

will describe them ideally. An analysis us- fered by niche perfume brands (mostly
ing ideal types is a common means of the- small fragrance brands with a limited num-
ory formation in the social sciences. Ideal ber of sales outlets), which are based on
types do not necessarily reflect reality, but classics such as “Royal English Leather”
they are closer to a phenomenon. In this by Creed (1781), “Tabac Blond” by Ca-
context, I name perfume classics, but also ron (1919) or “Cuir de Russie” by Chanel
fragrances from the above overview. They (1924) and offer further developments, such
express the typical psychology behind the as Rose & Cuir by Frederic Malle (2019).
fragrance experience for the respective fra- Today’s leather notes come in olfactory
grance direction. I start with the “feminine” facets, which remind of velour over suede
5 fragrance directions. to exotic leather and are enriched by fresh-
spicy as well as aromatic, woody, smoky,
floral, and fruity, but also tobacco notes.
5.4.1 Feminine fragrance Often leather scents still have a hint of ar-
directions istocracy, thus betraying their origin in the
glove perfume of the 16th century, which
z Fragrance direction: CHYPRE-LEATHER could only be afforded by the rich as a fra-
Traditionally, Chypre notes are fine-herb- grant fashion item.
al-fresh-aromatic interpreted fragrance From the glove perfume and the per-
notes with woody, partly quite amber-ori- fume of other leather products, their own
ental (warm-sensual) echoes in the base. nuances or directions of fragrance have
Modern interpretations have many increas- arisen. For example, the “Spanish leather”,
ingly leathery (often reminiscent of soft which smells leathery-floral or leath-
unisex leather gloves as well as leather seats ery-fruity (for example, “Spanish Leather”
of a brand new sports car, but also some- by Truefitt & Hill, 1814), as well as the
thing of juniper and thus of gin), as well as “Russian leather”, which rather reminds
floral (especially rose or jasmine chords), one of the somewhat leathery-smoky smell
but more and more often also gourmand of military uniforms in combination with
chords, e.g. with apricot or forest straw- leathery-spicy-woody to untamed nature
berry, which give the fragrance direction (such as in Knize Ten by Knize, available
next to fine-herbal also something fruity. since 1925).
They have been spreading independent In 2020, there were 50 women’s fra-
femininity, verve and self-confidence since grances from the “leathery” fragrance fam-
1917, when Francois Coty created a whole ily on the market, another 500 unisex fra-
fragrance family with his Chypre perfume grances and just under 300 men’s fra-
inspired by men’s perfumery, and are con- grances. The “chypre” fragrance family
sidered the fragrance direction of emanci- named about 160 fragrances for women,
pation. 180 for men, and 270 as unisex fragrances
Leather perfumes have been enjoying at the same time.
more popularity for years and one should It only makes limited sense to distinguish
actually lead them as their own fragrance chypre fragrances from leather fragrances as
direction. Olfactory psychology, how- feminine and masculine, because many of
ever, can compare them with classic Chy- them can smell more feminine or more mas-
pre notes because of their character. They culine when smelled on the skin. Both fra-
share with them a certain “I-strength” and grance families became attractive for women
an aura of female independence. Mean- in particular with the emancipation move-
while, leather perfumes are especially of- ment in the first half of the 20th century.
5.4 · sychology of Perfume—The Fragrance Families From the Perspective …
115 5
Women no longer wanted to smell only after as well as with the Eau de Parfum (2011)
the classic feminine floral notes, and one be- of the same brand as well as with “Gucci
gan to orient oneself also on the men’s per- Guilty Absolute pour Femme” by Gucci
fume, which then influenced the women’s (2018).
perfume from the early 20th century. In terms of fragrance psychology or
Typical classic chypre fragrance exam- rather: fragrance sociology, the modern
ples are: Chypre notes reflect the complex success
5 Tendency lighter: “Alliage” by “Estée claims of a modern woman in terms of pro-
Lauder” fessional and family life as well as her desire
5 Tendency more intense: “Miss Dior” by for more sensuality and attractiveness.
Dior, “Mitsouko” by Guerlain
z Fragrance direction: FRESH-GREEN-CIT-
Psychologically speaking, the often al- RUS/AQUA- & OZONE NOTES
ready fine-herbal Chypre notes for women This refers to two different, but closely re-
are successful scents. More or less con- lated fragrance directions. These lively, in-
sciously, their wearer seeks success and is vigorating, and refreshing notes have
willing to take things concretely and with been an integral part of modern perfum-
vigor. Thanks to their self-confident, per- ery since 1670, when the inedible citrus
formance-oriented and competent aura, fruit bergamot was introduced from Cal-
Chypre notes are popular in job and career abria. The scent was obtained by pressing
interviews. Chypre is particularly trendy the peel of the green fruit. This work used
with women when they are asked in an or- to be done by large families, as the peels
ganization about economic problems and had to be pressed by hand. Today, this fra-
should radiate cohesion and stability. Men grance family has branches in many differ-
have traditionally never been big fans of ent directions. Various fruits such as grape-
classic Chypre notes on women because fruit,orange,lemon, or tangerine are com-
they then smelled too masculine to them. bined with leaves, grasses, and aqua or
But the more a woman wants or has to ozone notes.
feel and the more she has to lead and im- Aqua or ozone notes remind us of sea
plement her own claims, the more she finds water and sea breeze and often bring an ar-
Chypre scents attractive, especially in com- omatic component to the scent through
bination with leather chords. plants such as sage,rosemary, or lavender
In the past 15 to 20 years, Chypre notes combined with other spicy notes, creating
have been appearing on the market again a new fragrance family: “aromatic”. This is
in Europe and America. What is interest- especially the case with men’s, but also with
ing is that the strength and expressiveness women’s perfumes, where the aromatic is
of modern Chypre perfumes for women combined with fresh, green, citrus, or aqua
are somewhat slowed down or more hid- & ozone notes, such as “Scilly Neroli” by
den. Today’s notes have become more so- Atkinsons (2016) or “Wall Street” by Bond
phisticated, subtler, and sexier. So now No. 9 (2004).
they also please men. This was achieved As pure aromatic scents, in 2020 there
through crossovers, a combination of Chy- were over 180 perfumes for women avail-
pre with Gourmand fruit notes or with vel- able on the market. Over 450 more were
vety leather chords as well as a combination listed as unisex, such as “Blue Mediterra-
with sensual, sweet-spicy and amber-ori- neo Foglie di Basilico” by Acqua di Parma
ental notes—for example with “Miss Dior (1999) or “Eau Parfumée au Thé Bleu” by
Chérie” (EDT) by Christian Dior (2005) Bvlgari (2015).
 116 Chapter 5 · Insider Knowledge Perfumery

In the category of fresh, green, citrus women, 670 for men and just under 1000
scents, in 2020 there were around 250 per- unisex fragrances could already be assigned
fumes for women on the market, and just to this fragrance family, e.g. “Cactus Gar-
under 500 unisex scents. If we include the den” by Louis Vuitton (2019), “Mugler Co-
unisex scents of the aqua & ozone notes in- logne Fly Away” by Mugler (2018), “4711
cluding the aromatic notes, we get a veritable Acqua Colonia Green Tea & Bergamot”
large fragrance family for women and men. (2020) and “Orangerie Venise” by Giorgio
Typical examples of “fresh, green, cit- Armani (2019) or “Orange De Bahia” by
rus” or aqua & ozone scents are: Boucheron (2019) as well as “CK one Sum-
5 Tendency lighter: “Aqua Allegoria Herba mer 2020” by Calvin Klein (2020), which
5 Fresca” by Guerlain, “O-Zone” by Sergio
Tacchini, “Eau Fraîche” by Bvlgari
additionally has a salty Aqua note.

5 Tendency more richer: “Concentré z Fragrance: GOURMAND-FRUITY

d’Orange Verte” and “Hermès Eau de These are also two different, but closely
Citron Noir” by Hermès related fragrance directions. Pure gour-
mand perfumes are newcomers to the per-
Psychologically speaking, Aqua- & Ozone fume industry. They are now offered in a
notes stand for taking a deep breath, hav- wide range of variants—from amber-ori-
ing less stress and getting your head free. ental-gourmand to gourmand-fruity-light.
The fresh-green-citrus notes are appreciated In many gourmand perfumes, familiar fra-
as invigorating. You want to feel fit, sporty, grance aromas of classic desserts predomi-
and dynamic. At the same time, you want nate. Although there have been vanilla fra-
to refuel with new energy, as you quickly grances since the 1970s, the “chocolate-un-
get exhausted. The light perfumes of this derlaid and pineapple-scented” Angel by
double fragrance direction correspond es- “Thierry Mugler” from 1992 is considered
pecially to the need for freedom and inde- the first example of gourmand perfumes.
pendence as well as the desire to feel re- The second genre of perfume is character-
freshed, alive, active, and open. This more ized as “fruity” and is interpreted primarily
extraverted Unisex fragrance direction in the variants “fruity-flowery”, “fruity-cu-
mainly attracts somewhat impatient people, linary” and “fruity-exotic”. It is particularly
which is especially true for men. Carriers popular in Germany and the USA. How-
of this fragrance direction would rather act ever, in classic French perfume, ”fruity“ is
than wait. They don’t want to unnecessarily assigned to other fragrance families. But
lose time and momentum. People who of- the success of this fragrance, which began
ten experience this mood and for whom it is in the late 1970s with ”Valentino” and has
part of their personality take their life more continued since the 1980s with “Liz Clai-
forcefully into their own hands, they would borne”, “Calyx” and “Fruit Cake” by Dem-
rather be drivers than passengers, love free- eter, justifies classifying “fruity” on its own,
dom and independence. but also in connection with “Gourmand” in
This desire for experience is particu- its own fragrance family.
larly evident in the aromatic citrus fra- In total, 1400 perfumes fell into the trend
grance notes, which are increasingly estab- fragrance spectrum “Gourmand-fruity” for
lishing themselves as a large, independent women in 2020, with this fragrance direction
fragrance family from the crossover of both also overlapping somewhat with the floral or
fragrance directions and have been particu- floral-fruity. Some fragrances, as we will see,
larly trendy since Corona as a pick-me-up are already available for men, and over 300
in home office. In 2020, 280 perfumes for can be classified as unisex.
5.4 · sychology of Perfume—The Fragrance Families From the Perspective …
117 5
Typical examples of “Gourmand-fruity” “floral-warm”. This makes “Floral” a large
fragrances are: fragrance family. In total, there were about
5 Tendency lighter: “Envy Me” by Gucci, 5200 floral perfumes for women on the mar-
“Ralph” by Ralph Lauren, DKNY by ket in 2020. Just under 40 floral fragrances
Donna Karan were addressed to men, and over 1500 can
5 Tendency more richer: “L’Eau Cheap be classified as unisex fragrances.
and Chic” by Moschino, “L’Eau Jolie” In order to do justice to the countless
by Lolita Lempicka compositions, they should at least be di-
vided into two fragrance families for wom-
Psychologically speaking, especially the new en’s notes. This also makes it easier to un-
fruity fragrances such as Osmanthe Liu derstand the different floral preferences
Yuan by Le Jardin Retrouve for women and from a psychological point of view.
men (2023) stand above all for fun, pleasure,
spontaneity, and the more or less conscious z z Fragrance direction: FLORAL-POWDERY-
desire to break out of routine and every- BALSAMIC
day life as well as to live out fantasies. You These are timeless, modern, rather warm
want to enjoy them to put yourself in a good and soft floral notes. Despite their rich and
mood, spread joie de vivre, and not have to somewhat narcotic expression, they do not
commit to anything. In this mood you are appear too opulent. Classics of this fra-
open to new experiences, sometimes even a grance are the perfume flower children
little reckless, because the world without joy of the late 1960s and early 1970s, because
would seem dull and sad to you. For this you something flower power can be smelled in
spray yourself above all with the rich, fruity all of them. The new perfumes of this fra-
gourmand notes of this fragrance direc- grance are extremely likeable.
tion. So you want to raise your mood and re- Typical examples of fragrances are:
duce stress. People who often experience this 5 Tendency lighter: “Climat” by Lancôme,
mood and for whom it is part of their per- “Skin” by Clean
sonality are always up for a surprise. They 5 Tendency more intense: “Chamade” by
should live where there is a lot going on—as Guerlain, “Warm Cotton” by Clean
long as there is no boredom. Often the name
of the perfume already reveals where the fra- One might think that flowers are peace-
grance journey is going, e.g. with “Amor ful and stand for friendly affection. Psy-
Amor Love Festival” by Cacharel (2020), a chologically, however, this fragrance direc-
fragrance with blackcurrant, Coca Cola, and tion is about a hidden or very quiet rebel-
vanilla. With “Red Cherry” by Castelbajac lion. You want to feel good, be yourself, be
(2020) red berries, cherry, vanilla, and praline with yourself, set yourself apart, live your
promise a lot of fragrance pleasure. “Clean own style individually and not swim in the
Classic Summer Day” by Clean (2020) prom- wake of others. For people for whom this
ises to enjoy olfactory coconut water. “La mood is often experienced and for whom it
Petite Robe Noire Intense So Frenchy” by is part of their personality, there is actually
Guerlain (2020) focuses on the olfactory se- the need to do exactly the opposite of what
duction of candy floss, raspberries, and rose. is expected. They oppose constraints and
regulations. In the depths of their hearts,
z Fragrance direction: FLORAL they reject a rational, performance-based
The floral theme is the heart of perfumery. view of the world. Your own perfume thus
As mentioned above, the range extends from becomes a self-protection and buffer be-
“floral-fresh-fruity” to “floral-aldehydic” tween your own world and that of others—
to “floral-powdery-balsamic” and finally to like a protective cuddly jacket, in which
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you snuggle into the soft lining. It is the Perfumers love the diversity of alde-
powdery, typically white musk in this fam- hydes. They come in countless fragrance
ily of fragrances and their perfumes that variants or in the most different shimmer-
evokes these feelings above all in the af- ing colours, like those in a well-stocked
ter-smell. In “Ancestry in Paris” by Amway paint box. With them, as in the scent of
(2018), for example, the fragrance consists Chanel No 5, you can almost create an icy
of a symphony of tuberose, which merges fragrance impression that is reminiscent of
with amber and white musk. Powderiness snow and melting snow, to which, for ex-
that makes the skin smell human-sym- ample, sensuality in contrast is then set
pathetic for the wearer herself is also with jasmine. But you can also let the fra-
5 richly smelling in “White Musk Flora” by
The Body Shop (2019). “Delina” by Par-
grance building block melonal (a fragrance
ingredient of the perfume oil manufacturer
fums de Marly (2017) gives the skin smell Givaudan) create the association of green
with musk, cashmeran and frankincense melon and cucumber. If fragrance build-
warmth, well-being and more depth— ing blocks such as adoxal (Givaudan) or
ideal to hide in yourself. A classic of the farenal (Symrise) are used in the creation,
floral-powdery originates from the year suddenly floral-marine notes are in the air.
1954. The 1950s were the years of the clas- With citronellal, a plant-derived fragrance
sic women’s role and thus the silent revolu- ingredient, it smells of lemongrass with a
tion, before it became louder again in later little rose mixed in, and with triplal, a fra-
decades. The time of the silent revolution grance ingredient of the perfume oil manu-
includes the launch of “White Rose Natu- facturer IFF, the association of green grass
ral” by Shiseido (1954). Rose, ylang-ylang, is created. And then there are aldehydes
and musk form the shield here to the out- that smell, for example, of mandarin, cin-
side world. namon, anise, wax, or even metal. So it’s no
wonder that perfumers love the palette of
z z Fragrance direction: FLORAL-ALDEHYDE- idiosyncratic aldehydes so much.
RADIANT Typical classic fragrance examples for
It was an old dream of perfumery to make “flowery-aldehydic” women’s notes are:
flowers shine even more than in the sun- 5 Tendency lighter: “Paris” by Yves Saint
shine. With the discovery of aldehydes Laurent, “Super” by Estée Lauder
this became possible. The history of per- 5 Tendency more intense: “Trésor” by
fume names the perfumer Pierre Armigeant Lancôme, “Madame Rochas” by Rochas
as the first to use aldehydes in a perfume.
“Rêve D’Or”L.T. Piver in the edition of Psychologically speaking, this fragrance
1905 should have been the beginning of the is about self-esteem and recognition. You
aldehydes’ triumphal march in fragrances. want to feel more elegant, exclusive and
One of the first great perfumes with the ra- stylish. It is the desire to surround yourself
diance of aldehydes was created by Ernest with small treasures, the details of which
Beaux for Chanel and presented by him others easily overlook. You want to cele-
as the fifth variant. Whether the high dose brate yourself and the moment.
of aldehydes in “Chanel No 5” is due to a People who often experience this mood
mixing error, as has been rumoured again and for whom it is part of their personal-
and again, is difficult to prove. The fact is: ity are particularly attracted to things that
In 2020 there were approximately 350 al- embody timeless beauty and high quality.
dehyde perfumes for women and about 70 Everything loud and short-lived is rejected.
unisex fragrances on the market. Accordingly, both in private and in profes-
5.4 · sychology of Perfume—The Fragrance Families From the Perspective …
119 5
sional life, particular value is placed on suc- Typical examples of “Floriental” for
cess, respect, and what is achieved through women are:
one’s own efforts. 5 Tendency lighter: “Ombre Rose” by Jean-
The house of Chanel has recognized Charles Brosseau, “Narcisse” by Chloé
this need for lovers of Chanel No 5. In 5 Tendency more intense: “Loulou” by
2018, for the first time since its launch in Cacharel, “Oscar” by Oscar de la Renta
1921, the perfume was filled in a new bot-
tle as “Chanel No 5 Parfum Red Edition”. Psychologically speaking, the Florientals,
The red bottle came as a limited edition i.e. the combination of “floral” and “am-
from luxurious Baccarat crystal. Other per- ber-oriental” or the floral-warm perfumes
fume houses also like to bring out limited as well as the milk-based or milk-mousse
perfume editions for the floral-aldehyde fra- notes mentioned above, which with their of-
grance, e.g. “Iris Poudree Limited Edition ten light sweetness are also true soul com-
2018” by Frederic Malle. As early as 2015, fort (I will discuss this in the context of
Lancôme came out with its version: “Cli- self-therapy with scent), are about sensual
mat L’Edition Mythique”. A collector’s indulgence. The perfume should caress soul
item is also the collection “Armani Prive and senses and radiate a beneficial, gener-
Laque” by Giorgio Armani (2019)—also a ous warmth that exudes inner peace and
perfume of the fragrance “Floral-aldehyde” balance. It is the desire to feel cared for at
for women and men. the same time and to live out unrestrained
dreams and romantic fantasies.
z Fragrance: FLORIENTAL People who experience this mood often
A primal theme of perfumery is the seduc- and for whom it is part of their personality
tion of the senses—one’s own senses as well usually have a keen sense for people and sit-
as those of others. Seduction knows light- uations. This is usually manifested in their
ness, tenderness, imagination, and has its love for animals, environmental awareness,
own sensual secret. For this, perfumes were and social thinking, as well as in their rejec-
created that—as the name says—are lo- tion of a purely sober and rational stand-
cated in the border area between “floral” point.
and “amber-oriental”. The olfactory experience that the fl-
It is not a small fragrance direction. In orientals trigger can be further enhanced
2020, 3400 women’s perfumes of the fra- and is then paired with a touch of nostal-
grance direction “floral-oriental” could be gia and gentle melancholy, with a hint of
assigned, in addition there were about 60 world-weariness in the air. The secret of
men’s fragrances and just under 1500 notes many ladies’ perfumes of the floriental fra-
that can be called unisex. All of these fra- grance family lies mainly in the merging
grances are characterized by a rather sweet, scent impression of three ingredients: va-
sensually warm and powdery base that con- nilla,ambra, and tonka bean—which al-
veys emotional impressions of smell and most every perfumer has at their disposal as
acts accordingly on the senses. a basic, so to speak, as a ready-made per-
Since the seduction of the senses prob- fume ingredient, in order to use it in their
ably only began in the late afternoon in the perfumes as a great sensualizer. At least the
past, the name of one of the first great and flattering bases smell of this triumvirate
still available perfumes from this fragrance or have it as a model, even if today many
direction was no coincidence: “L’Heure other and more ingredients are used for the
Bleue” by Guerlain from 1912. scent impression. “Casmir” by Chopard
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(1992) is a good example. The base note z Scent direction: AMBER-ORIENTAL

consists of a lot of vanilla with tonka bean As said above, “oriental” has become an
and ambra, which was further reinforced by outdated fragrance term on its own. More
the perfumer Michel Almairac with musk, and more fragrance houses are replacing it
patchouli, and sandalwood for additional with “amber” or adapting the term “am-
warmth and more depth. bery” to modernize the language. Still, let’s
I will discuss the scents of vanilla and call this scent direction “amber-oriental”
amber in more detail later on. Here is some since the Orient, the birthplace of mod-
background information on the tonka ern perfumery, has repeatedly influenced
bean. What makes tonka such an attrac- the world of fashion and scent in differ-
5 tive scent enhancer is a powdery-sweet, bal-
samic, warm scent impression. Tonka, the
ent waves. In 1910 it was the famous Paris-
ian designer Paul Poiret (1879–1944) who
tree with the black fruit of the tonka bean, brought the Oriental style back into fash-
grows mainly in South America and came ion. He was inspired by the Ballets Russes,
to France in 1793, where it was cultivated. an innovative dance group from St. Peters-
The tonka bean is not entirely innocent. It burg, which performed the play Kleopatra
contains the dangerous coumarin, which is in Paris in 1909. The sensually fantastic
harmful to health if taken in large quanti- costumes of the dancers fascinated. Every
ties and is now only used synthetically. The theater evening was a sold-out event, and
processing of the tonka bean is also not en- the Parisian ladies began to dress “à l’ori-
tirely without: In the classical processing, entale”, with turbans, feathers and darkly
the beans lie in rum for 24 hours. This also made-up complexion. Stars of the dance
makes the bean irresistible, especially as an group were Ida Rubinstein and the “god
aroma it not only entices gourmets to en- of dance”, Vaslav Nijinsky, who enchanted
thusiastic cries. The combination of va- women as well as men long before Jose-
nilla taste and something flowery-spicy rum phine Baker took the stage in Paris in 1925.
aroma also results in a super smell com- As is typical for fashion designers, for
position. No wonder that tonka exudes a Paul Poiret fashion was the same as per-
pleasantly sweet sensuality with a hint of fume trend. So his perfume “Chez Poiret”
eroticism as an absolute in perfumes. In the was the final crowning of his collection.
1980s, the aforementioned “tonkaresierte” The perfume itself was influenced by Guer-
“Loulou” by Cacharel came onto the mar- lain’s oldest and still available fragrance
ket. The packaging still shows a red flower “Jicky” from 1889, one of the first women’s
today, which would like to lure the viewer perfumes (originally created for male noses)
into a deep tropical forest before smelling with synthetic ingredients.
it. Something forbidden and dangerous is in In 2020 there were just under 650 am-
the air, which one can hardly resist, just like ber-oriental perfumes for women, about
the forbidden fruit. That is the secret of the 330 for men and over 1800 unisex fra-
Florientals. What begins dreamily sensual grances.
develops, like the octagonal bottle of “Lou- Typical examples of “amber-oriental”
lou”, which reminds of Aladdin’s lamp, for female notes are:
complex, profound and—as already said— 5 Tendency lighter: “Poison Girl” by
not without danger. In the fairy tale, the Christian Dior, “Allure Sensuelle Par-
princess ordered Aladdin to look at her on fum” by Chanel
a whim, but this was strictly forbidden and 5 Tendency more intense: “Cinnabar” by
he only barely escaped. Estée Lauder, “Opium” by Yves Saint
Laurent
5.4 · sychology of Perfume—The Fragrance Families From the Perspective …
121 5
Psychologically speaking, this fragrance US dollars per week. She also had her very
is about extravagance, individualism, and own ideas about love and marriage and was
inwardness. You are looking for a rich, ex- married six times in total.
otic, and deep world that challenges you Swanson was one of the most glamor-
to demonstrate a distinctive personal style ous women and style icons of the 1920s. Fe-
and to express your artistic potential. Peo- male viewers in particular were fascinated
ple who often experience this mood and for by Swanson’s elaborate dresses. With Ru-
whom it is part of their personality, reflect dolph Valentino, the epitome of the south-
a lot, deal with things in depth and there- ern lover, she played in the 1924 silent film
fore also often set themselves apart. They drama “Beyond the Rocks”. The German ti-
need privacy and above all freedom. They tle was “You shall not covet your neighbor’s
actually only want to share their own world wife”, which summed up the plot. Swan-
with a few good friends. son is recognized in the drama by the nar-
Typical for amber-oriental perfumes is cissus scent of her perfume. The name “nar-
their deep warmth. Accordingly, fragrances cissus” comes from the Greek (“narcao”)
with a warm scent like sandalwood are of- and means “narcotic”, which refers to love,
ten combined with other woods, whereby even self-love. There are hundreds of types
the scent, like the classic “Shalimar” by of narcissi. They also play an important ol-
Guerlain (1925), appears as a great con- factory seduction role in various amber-ori-
trast. In “Shalimar” you can smell some- ental perfumes, such as “Must de Cartier”
thing citrusy and fresh at first, and the sur- by Cartier (1981), “Samsara Eau de Par-
prise is all the greater when, in the course fum” by Guerlain (1989), “Classique Eau de
of the fragrance, it becomes increasingly Parfum” by Jean Paul Gaultier (1996) and
deep in the direction of warmth and mys- “Boudoir” by Vivienne Westwood (1998) as
tery with a scent of incense. But that is pre- well as in “Coco Noir” by Chanel (2012).
cisely the nature of amber-oriental per- As the saying goes: You have to love your-
fumes. They want to surprise and fascinate self before you can love someone else. Am-
and therefore play on many chords. From ber-oriental perfumes help with that.
the contrast of “fresh” and “warm” some-
thing passionate, unique and therefore z Scent: WOODY-SPICY
strong arises, a “femme fatale”. She has al- “Soft and pleasant scents of exotic woods
ways existed and always offered women a harmonize with warm, slightly bitter spices
second or one of the multiple “I”s of trans- like pepper, cloves, nutmeg, or cinna-
formation, for example into the demonic mon”. This statement sounds very tempt-
seductress, as we know her from mythology, ing to many perfume-lovers. They love nat-
for example Delia, Pandora, Helena, or the ural smells and perfumes with few ingre-
sirens. Diminished and more subtle, but dients. The trend originally comes from
with fascinating eye contact and modern aromatherapy. But one could also say that
female self-confidence, this type of female “woody-spicy” is a permanent trend in per-
staging was particularly “en vogue” in the fumery since its beginning about 9000 years
silent film era of the 1920s, a time to which ago.
“Shalimar” also belongs and which was in- In modern perfumery, the fragrance
spired by women like Gloria Swanson. “woody-spicy” was originally reserved for
Swanson was an American actress of men’s perfumery—until women discov-
the silent film era, very self-confident and ered it during World War II with the launch
successful. At the beginning of her film ca- of the naturally fresh-woody smelling fra-
reer she earned 13.50 US dollars per week grance “Replique” by Raphael in 1944.
and then negotiated her salary to 22,500 It was a commitment to clear reality and
 122 Chapter 5 · Insider Knowledge Perfumery

thus the opposite of dreamy floral notes. In psychological profiles of the women’s and
1976, the harmonious and uncomplicated men’s fragrance markets are becoming
fragrance “Jovan Woman” by Jovan came more and more similar. However, some fra-
onto the market with deep woody-spicy grance families are still typical for the men’s
warmth—fair in price and somewhat sexy fragrance market, such as the fragrance di-
and elegant in effect. Because wood was rection “Fougère”. But even in this fra-
“in” during the 1970s, not only in furniture. grance direction, more and more perfumes
Meanwhile, this fragrance has cult status. are coming onto the market that very spe-
Women today wear men’s fragrances quite cifically address female fragrance users.
naturally, which smell particularly fascinat-
5 ing and extraordinary on female skin.
There were 60 fragrances for women from
z Fragrance direction: FOUGÈRE
These are aromatic, spicy, slightly mossy,
the “woody-spicy” fragrance family in 2020, and herbaceous scents that traditionally de-
about 400 for men and over 560 for unisex. rive from the olfactory impression of ferns,
Typical examples of “woody-spicy” fra- which actually hardly smell. Most of these
grances for women with unisex character are: notes radiate determination and clarity and
5 Tendency lighter: “Juniper Sling” by convey a well-groomed, masculine impres-
Penhaligon’s, “Nutmeg & Ginger” by Jo sion. They are often associated with suc-
Malone cess, motivation, and stability.
5 Tendency more intense: “Santal de Mys- Typical fragrance examples are:
ore” by Serge Lutens, “Sandalwood Ab- 5 Tendency lighter: “Weekend” by Burberry,
solute Oil” by Clive Christian “Silver Shadow Altitude” by Davidoff
5 Tendency more intense: “Nightflight” by
Psychologically speaking, this fragrance di- Joop!, “Polo” by Ralph Lauren
rection is about cleansing the senses, start-
ing over and focusing. Its fascination lies in In fragrance development, marketing and
a subtle strengthening, behind which more sales, it is common to work with target
or less consciously the desire stands to find groups that are defined by various socio-de-
its own power place. You were stressed and mographic characteristics, but also by their
feel a little burned out. Those who experi- self-experience and their experience desires.
ence this more often rely on inner strength These are, as already mentioned, ideal types
and stability, want to grow in their own that do not necessarily reflect reality, but
rhythm without many promises. Or to put come closer to a phenomenon. The phe-
it another way: “There isn’t anything wrong nomenon of fougère notes is that they have
with being uncomplicated.” been dominating men’s perfumery in Ger-
many for years—even if they are occasion-
ally overtaken by the Amber-Oriental fra-
5.4.2 “Masculine” fragrance grance family, for example.
families Fougère fragrances are of course avail-
able in perfumeries, but often also at other
What characterizes the fragrance families points of sale such as men’s fashion stores.
for men’s fragrances? One example is the ZARA fragrance “Mid-
There were over 60,000 perfumes on the summer Collection Deep Fougère” for men,
market in 2020. They are increasingly over- which has been available since 2017.
lapping in terms of the division into wom- What scents men use is strongly influ-
en’s and men’s notes. This is also reflected enced by women. Therefore, the fragrance
in the fragrance families. Accordingly, the direction “Fougère” must express a mascu-
5.4 · sychology of Perfume—The Fragrance Families From the Perspective …
123 5
linity that—in our case—is considered at- fruit areas, whose lively, cheerful, refresh-
tractive by women (and not only). So you ing aura I have already described in the la-
can also assign certain type descriptions of dies’ perfumes. As fresh-green-citrus men’s
their carriers to the individual men’s fra- or unisex fragrances, however, they radiate
grance directions. So you can character- even more dynamism, fitness, and activity.
ize many lovers of Fougère notes as capable Typical examples of scents are:
pragmatists. They like to see themselves and 5 Tendency lighter: “212 Men Splash” by
their ideal self-image as responsible, prac- Carolina Herrera, “Connect for Us” by
tical, organized, systematic, efficient, and Esprit
solution-oriented. Psychology would de- 5 Tendency more substantial: “Allure
scribe this personality trait as high conscien- Homme Sport Cologne” by Chanel,
tiousness. “Himalaya” by Creed.
In an ideal user of Fougère notes, at
least the willingness to succeed and perform The ideal type that goes with it in men’s
is dormant. He likes to approach tasks con- perfumery is the sporting dynamo, who
cretely, correctly, and systematically, with- overlaps in some personality traits with the
out hiding. And he directly tells his environ- capable pragmatist. In his self and ideal
ment what he expects from him to achieve self, however, the sporting dynamo is even
a common goal. Men in this group are usu- more goal-oriented, active and risk-taking
ally very family-oriented, maintain friend- as well as more interested in outdoor and
ships and also club life. They work without performance. This is particularly evident in
asking for a long time and work reliably, the aura of the aromatic citrus notes men-
persistently, and disciplined. Career choice tioned above, which have already estab-
and hobbies are mainly in the areas of con- lished themselves as a separate fragrance
struction, technology, planning, and admin- family in men’s perfumery with around 670
istration. His environment would describe fragrances in 2020.
such a man as follows: “He is capable, prac-
tical, and organized. He likes to make plans z Scent direction: GOURMAND-FRUITY
that he implements efficiently and systemat- These are lively, spontaneous, enjoyable fra-
ically, he likes to work quickly, but tends to grance notes from the “Fruity-Gourmand”
overload himself. If he has a goal in mind, spectrum. As an independent fragrance di-
it is not easy to dissuade him. ” rection, these notes are relatively new on
Sensory, this type of man is particu- the men’s fragrance market and are usually
larly attracted to quality, functionality, intended. Their translucent fruitiness, for
good solution, or handling. It is important example, is reminiscent of tangerines, but
to him that something feels solid and com- with an edible component such as hints of
pact, durable and resistant, and enriches a dessert. But there have been intense gour-
his own experience in a beneficial way. He mand notes for men for a few years, often
especially likes things with double benefit in combination with Amber-Oriental wood
that offer a good price-performance ratio. notes. This includes, for example, the fra-
Overall, this is the ideal type of many men grance “Pirates’ Grand Reserve” by Atkin-
worldwide. sons, which surprises with a rum chord. It
is reminiscent of the ring-shaped, French
z Scent direction: FRESH-GREEN-CITRUS/ yeast pastry “Baba au Rhum”. Strictly
AQUA- & OZONE NOTES speaking, the creation of enjoyable fra-
These are stimulating, invigorating notes, grance notes is an ancient theme of per-
mainly from the green-vegetable and citrus fumery. So the attractiveness of the first
 124 Chapter 5 · Insider Knowledge Perfumery

perfume creations was already increased 5 Tendency more intense: “Le Male”
with sweet resin and honey notes. Not a few by Jean Paul Gaultier, “Obsession for
top perfumers of our time have taken this Men” by Calvin Klein
over and like to use something sweet honey
tobacco in their creations to increase the at- The ideal type that goes with men’s per-
traction for both male and female noses— fume is the creative individualist. In his
in other words brains. self-image, he sees himself as innovative,
Typical fragrance examples are: unconventional, style-conscious, and artis-
5 Tendency lighter: “Remix” by Emporio tically oriented.
Armani, “Jump” by Joop!
5 Tendency more intense: “Pirates’ Grand
5 Reserve” by Atkinsons, “Fleur du Male”
z Scent direction: WOODY-SPICY
This is about cultivated, distinguished, pri-
by Jean Paul Gaultier vate, classically oriented notes mainly from
the woody fragrance spectrum.
The ideal type of man who goes with it in Typical fragrance examples are:
men’s perfumery is the spontaneous multita- 5 Tendency lighter: “Chrome” by Azzaro,
sker. In his self and ideal self, he is modern, “Bois du Portugal” by Creed
spontaneous and experimental, and ori- 5 Tendency more intense: “Davidoff Clas-
ented towards trends and new products. sic” by Davidoff, “Yohji Homme” by
Yohji Yamamoto
z Scent direction: LEATHERY
These are expressive compositions that are Wood is a classic theme of men’s perfum-
predominantly dominated by leather notes ery. It is associated with men in a differ-
with a spicy-ambry base. ent way than with women who wear this
Typical examples of scents are: fragrance. The perfumery knows a whole
5 Tendency lighter: “Pure for Men” by Jil range of woody notes such as sandalwood,
Sander, “Polo Black” by Ralph Lauren rosewood, agarwood or guaiac wood. They
5 Tendency more intense: “Knize Ten” give a perfume depth, but also warmth.
by Knize, “Avant Garde” by Yohji As a rule, woody notes, if they are not in-
Yamamoto terpreted too spicy and not too fresh, give
a men’s fragrance a certain calm, harmony,
The ideal type that goes with men’s per- and balance—almost one would like to say:
fume is the latent freedom fighter. In his inner sovereignty. An example is the fra-
ideal self, he is self-determined, ego-strong grance classic “Habit Rouge” by Guerlain
and self-confident with a desire for more as an eau de toilette for men. In addition to
freedom and independence. You could im- a fresh chord, the fragrance has rosewood
agine him on a motorcycle on Route 66 in the top note. In the heart note, sandal-
with a black leather jacket. wood with a little spiciness comes into play,
which further harmoniously combines with
z Scent direction: AMBER-ORIENTAL resins and moss impressions in the base.
These are extravagant, erotic, deep, indi- The fragrance, which is overall warm, light,
vidualistic notes that are rounded off with and a little spicy and has sweetness, is con-
warm and sensual noble woods and unfold sidered elegant and unobtrusive.
particularly when worn on the skin. The ideal type that one could associate
Typical examples of scents are: with it is the sensitive protector - an elegant,
5 Tendency lighter: “Musc for Him” by unobtrusive gentleman who is helpful, fair
Narciso Rodriguez, “Individuel” by and considerate, but also socially and envi-
Montblanc ronmentally conscious.
5.4 · sychology of Perfume—The Fragrance Families From the Perspective …
125 5
5.4.3 Not So Easy: Determining then categorized or “clustered” consumers,
Target Groups in Marketing that is, assigned groups. This method has so
far mostly only brought mixed success. So
However, with ideal types you quickly reach quickly target groups emerged such as, for
your limits in marketing. Insiders of the example, the Sporty, who are said to prefer
perfume industry are therefore intensively particularly fresh-green-citrus or Aqua- &
concerned with the following topics: Ozone notes as perfumes—an understand-
5 How can marketing determine target able approach for the theory formation and
groups? the work with ideal types. The only prob-
5 How can one gain knowledge about fra- lem is that most fragrance users—even the
grance users that helps in the develop- so-called Sporty—usually have eight to
ment of a new, fascinating perfume? twelve fragrances at home in their fragrance
bar, which belong to different fragrance di-
In order to be able to plan, develop, and rections. Of course, you can always ask for
optimize, marketing in the perfume indus- the current favorite perfume and thus de-
try—as in any industry—wants to under- rive the membership in a target group. Of-
stand users better first. As a rule, there are ten, however, this assignment turns out to
more questions than answers. Typical ques- be unstable. Because there are both fra-
tions of perfume marketing not only relate grance users who wear a certain fragrance
to the reasons for the choice of fragrance— and thus a fragrance direction over a long
that is, who the users of certain perfumes period of time exclusively, and more and
are and what characteristics they have—but more fragrance lovers who change their
also to how they can be addressed specifi- perfume and thus the fragrance direction
cally. These insights are particularly inter- like music depending on their mood. This
esting for perfume re-development in order makes the determination of target groups
to position a fragrance in such a way that in marketing more complex than initially
a brand can win new target groups. Often, thought and was initially underestimated
however, one also wants to revive a perfume by many marketing managers who came
that is already on the market and thus fas- from other areas.
cinate existing target groups and win new Clustering by gender has not always
ones. In both cases, it is not enough to only proven to be helpful in understanding fra-
determine socio-demographic character- grance choice or in determining target
istics such as age and other typical char- groups. While this does influence—just
acteristics of users. Of course, one knows, as age and income—the fragrance choice
for example, that age correlates with certain and is suitable for initial approaches to
fragrance preferences. But from this no fra- target group determination, the relation-
grance concept can be derived that could be ships remain also blurred—solely because
implemented in advertising. Marketing can women have always worn men’s fragrances
not collect enough knowledge about us- as well. In addition, it is no longer possible
ers for the development of a new fragrance to clearly distinguish what is supposed to
concept. With this knowledge, the perfum- smell masculine or feminine. An increasing
ers will also be briefed in the creation of a number of fragrance users now find such
new perfume to fascinate the noses, that is, assignments outdated.
brains, of potential target groups. Clustering by income group does not
In the past, marketing has traditionally necessarily bring one any closer to the de-
focused on lifestyle preferences when gain- sired information. Certainly, stationary per-
ing knowledge about fragrance users and fume shops have more financially strong
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customers with an average age of “45+”. often play with the themes of elite, wealth,
However, the statistical evaluation of these and separation. In particular, the wealth
criteria is difficult because the customers of does not correspond to the identity of to-
traditional family-run perfume shops form day’s millennials. Maybe it’s something you
a rather large, homogeneous target group. aspire to, but as a fragrance it’s not what
This means that they are about 10% of the you need to be, for example, happy, sponta-
population, usually the slightly better-off neous, or carefree and to share this feeling
people of a city in the age group “40+”. of life with others.
An analysis of target groups based on gen- The luxury aspect of more and more
der, age and income is therefore likely to be perfume brands is increasingly being rela-
5 more worthwhile for larger chains such as
Douglas, Sephora or dm, where customers
tivized by expanding their distribution. So
the same perfumes can be found not only in
are on average more heterogeneous. the noble environment of a stationary per-
Even in the luxury perfume segment, it fumery, but also as special sizes in the local
is becoming increasingly difficult to cluster drugstore, even in the grocery store. Also,
by lifestyle and user preferences—not only brands cannot do much about legally pre-
because many luxury brands make pre- scribed non-binding selling prices of their
mium perfumes affordable with perfume perfumes if authorized dealers with corre-
special sizes of only 10 milliliters, but also sponding depot contracts offer their prod-
because the understanding of luxury has ucts 20 to 30% or even cheaper in online
changed for some customers in the perfume stores.
shop. Certainly there are customer groups
who choose niche perfumes in the upper
price segment. But this does not say any- 5.5 Perfume Makers—The Teams
thing essential about the specific fragrance in the Perfume Industry
choice. Maybe there could be a certain con-
nection derived from the fact that in recent When consumers sometimes decide in sec-
years many niche perfumes with the fra- onds whether they like or dislike a new per-
grance “woody” have come onto the mar- fume based on the top note, they are usu-
ket. So one could assume that the prefer- ally not aware that behind every fragrance
ence for such premium perfumes from the development is a small armada of experts
fragrance “woody” is correlated with a tar- who usually work on the fragrance and its
get group that is no longer quite young and launch for 8 to 16 months. With the larger
has a higher income. However, these results brand manufacturers, it is usually a team of
would hardly be suitable to provide market- the following members:
ing with a deeper understanding of target 5 Perfumer: Usually two to three perfum-
groups. ers are briefed for each fragrance devel-
Lifestyle and user preferences also opment. There are an estimated 2000
change. Not only millennials increasingly trained perfumers worldwide, of which
assess a new perfume according to what e.g. about 50 work in Germany. As a rule,
it can do for them, how it works for them. they are employees of fragrance suppliers
With this they expect more or less con- or perfume houses/-manufacturers.
sciously an active perfume, to which one 5 Bottle designer: Mostly independent
develops a loyalty, because it offers an expe- companies design the bottle with cap in
rience that one can share with others. This 2-D and 3-D with technical dimensions
has the effect that fragrance users rather and provide a “mockup”, a life-size pro-
buy this type of perfume than established totype for presentation purposes or
and often expensive luxury brands, which product samples.
5.5 · Perfume Makers—The Teams in the Perfume Industry
127 5
5 Glass and cap manufacturer: They de- for positioning, launch, and rollout strat-
velop the technical data for the tooling egy, briefing of suppliers including fra-
or tool. The focus is on glass, i.e. the bot- grance houses that provide the fragrance
tle production, which is suitable for fully oils, as well as for the development of mar-
automatic or at least semi-automatic fill- keting materials such as displays, giftsets
ing of the fragrance into the bottle. or samples, coordination and agreement
5 Packaging designer: They develop the with management and the licensor, for ex-
outer and inner packaging of a perfume ample a celebrity and their team.
with a printing company. The correct re- 5 PR orPR agency: Development of
production of color gradients is checked press material, implementation of press
using test prints, as well as the appear- events.
ance of the packaging under different 5 Media agency: Together with marketing,
lighting conditions. This is followed by it develops on- and offline communica-
print approval. tion and advertising strategies such as
5 R&D(Research & Development): This print ads and plans their placement.
is about fragrance stability and devel- 5 Promotion Department/Agency: Devel-
opment of formulations for additional opment and coordination of special
products of a perfume such as shower events and promotion activities with the
gel or body lotion. Formulations for de- trade.
odorants are usually taken over by inde- 5 Sales/Distribution: These departments
pendent companies. are responsible for the presentation of
5 Evaluation: This is often a two- to a new fragrance to the trade, for discus-
six-person team of experts for specific sions about conditions and bonus agree-
fragrance markets that advises mainly ments. For well-known perfume brands
on the international launch of a per- and in larger countries, this is a team
fume. They are responsible for the eval- within a team. It consists of sales man-
uation and assessment of a fragrance, agers and area managers, supported by
suggests together with the perfumer local travel assistants.
how a new fragrance is to be created—in 5 Trainer: They train employees in the
other words, smell—in order to address trade about the characteristics of a per-
consumers of different markets and re- fume as well as its ingredients and ex-
gions, and stimulates fragrance optimi- plain the corresponding additional
zations based on results from market re- products. This is often also taken over
search tests. by travel assistants.
5 Market research: This is about concept
and fragrance tests, product and adver- In addition, teams from production, store
tising acceptance or optimization, pur- design and decoration, material purchas-
chase intention, brand image, target ing, logistics, warehousing and finance, cus-
group determination as well as celebrity tomer service, from the legal department
tracking—that is, whether and how a for registration and protection of trade-
prominent person can support or make mark rights, as well as independent consult-
a perfume attractive to their fans and ants for the various areas mentioned above
other fragrance users. are needed.
5 Marketing: This department is responsible In addition, as is the case with most
for the concept and business plan as well companies, of course, with such a large
as for the control of development and pro- number of employees, a complete infra-
duction costs (so-called “Cost of Goods”), structure including management, human
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resources, receptionists, and not least clean- know exactly. Possibly because they smell fa-
ing staff is required. miliar and known in a blind test, are already
It is no wonder, then, that the develop- popular, evoke learned associations and/or
ment costs for perfumes of larger brands correspond to the current taste. If you want
reach millions—and that only a fraction of to bring a new perfume to the market, it is
the new launches can be kept on the mar- often compared with a benchmark from a
ket in the next few years. In order to mini- certain fragrance direction. Large perfume
mize the risk, the brand manufacturers have manufacturers have secret lists of the cur-
developed a number of methods and strat- rent benchmarks against which their per-
egies. fumers have to compete with new creations.
5 Perfume consumer market research is a
science in itself and requires a lot of finesse.
5.6 Fragrance Evaluation—A Because you always have to be careful that
Creativity Killer? How the comparison of scent acceptances does
not restrict the creativity and individuality
to Discover Perfumes With
of a new perfume. On the other hand, for
High Potential large perfume brands, international per-
fume introductions are investments of sev-
How would you proceed if you wanted to eral million euros. In order to obtain the
launch a perfume on the market and your
most meaningful results when testing a
perfumers presented three very interesting scent, various methods are constantly being
fragrances to choose from? developed.
To answer this question, you could of
A popular method of scent evalua-
course follow your personal taste and gut tion is the Top-2-Box analysis. It does not
feeling or ask friends and colleagues. How- aim at the average opinion of all test per-
ever, it is better to use a scent evaluation— sons on a scent. Rather, it wants to find out
especially if you want to keep the risk low, how many people rate the scent in a blind
a lot of money is at stake and the final per- test as “I absolutely love it” or “I like it
fume should be very well received in dif- very much” or “I love it very much” or “I
ferent markets and countries. You would like it very much” For example, on a sev-
then carry out a regular perfume market re- en-point scale as the two highest possi-
search survey / consumer market research ble positive statements. For this purpose,
for your three perfume candidates in order the perfume is smelled on scent strips and
to increase the decision-making certainty on the skin for a certain period of time. As
for all those involved in the project. For this
a rule, four, sometimes even more than six
you need another perfume: a benchmark. evaluations take place: the first impression
A benchmark is a comparison and ref- when spraying and after 5 to 10 minutes on
erence value. When benchmarking, compa-
scent strips, then the same on the skin and
nies compare their performance with that then the evaluation of the heart note after
of their best competitors. A typical com- 20 minutes on the skin. This is followed by
parison is the acceptance of one’s own new
the evaluation of the base note on the skin
products with already available products after about 60 minutes. The next day, the
that sell well. memory of the perfume is evaluated during
For this reason, benchmarks are particu-
a telephone conversation. This time-con-
larly interesting scents in perfume market re-
suming process is usually only carried out if
search. When smelled in a blind test, they
three or four perfume candidates were neck
achieve a very high acceptance with con-
and neck in a previous screening.
sumers—why, one actually does not always
5.6 · Fragrance Evaluation—A Creativity Killer? How to Discover …
129 5
When top-2-box scores of about 12% of techniques can better recognize and evalu-
the test persons are given for a fragrance, ate emotions off- and online. For this there
which were pre-selected according to cer- are already promising approaches such as
tain criteria as perfume users (target group), the recognition of emotions and moods
and one ideally still beats the benchmark via the type of mouse movement, the eye
in a blind test, one is already very satisfied movement, the facial expression or the
with the tested perfume. So it doesn’t mat- speech melody as well as the determination
ter if other consumers reject the same fra- of speech speeds and pitch and their devi-
grance at the same time. You are particu- ations. For some time now, attempts have
larly satisfied with a test candidate when the been made to infer the state of mind from
fragrance already shows up very well on the physiological test methods, for example,
scent strip, but then gets better and better which measure brain waves.
for the test persons in development. To dis- The most promising are currently the
cover this, you need a fragrance rating scale imaging methods such as magnetic reso-
that measures something finer. Therefore, a nance imaging, which is leading to new in-
nine-point scale is often used in fragrance sights in neuroperfumery. All this will open
evaluations in the USA. up new possibilities for fragrance market
There are many other techniques of fra- research. She is, like the whole perfume in-
grance evaluation, with each responsible dustry, on the eve of a revolution.
person in market research having his own But is the fragrance evaluation a cre-
proven methods. In addition to fragrance ativity killer? And does fragrance mar-
rating on a scale, I also like to use so-called ket research work at all? For premium per-
projective test methods—just because in in- fumery, these are really legitimate ques-
ternational fragrance tests, Americans find tions. Despite all market research methods,
it easier to say “I love it” than Germans say many perfumes fail with the users. The flop
“Ich liebe es” or “I like it very much”. rate has not decreased significantly, espe-
Projective test methods are usually more cially with new introductions. For most pre-
speechless, or less dependent on the language mium perfume launches, a variety of fra-
skills of the test persons. Fragrances are for grances are usually screened, but in-depth
example currently assigned to momentary fa- fragrance evaluations are often only car-
vorite colors and corresponding mood pic- ried out to a limited extent due to time,
tures, which in turn say something about the cost, and other reasons. Market research is
test participants’ wishes for experience. also suspected of being a creativity killer or
Personally, I also appreciate the digi- at least limiting creativity in relation to in-
tal conjoint analysis. Here, test persons can novative perfumery. This often leads to cu-
work creatively online with their new fa- rious situations. So perfumers often do not
vorite fragrance, which they have smelled pass on the fragrance they believe to be the
blind and then selected. They are offered to most creative to the evaluation, but the one
choose a bottle for the perfume and deter- from which they expect the best test result.
mine its color. The same applies to the pack- Therefore, many perfumers often have true
aging including design and name. Often it is fragrance treasures in their drawers as for-
less about the artistic performance achieved, mulations that they only release or mix for
but about the degree of passion with which someone when they know that their fra-
a test person approaches his new fragrance. grance is being used for a project as it is.
The market research on fragrance In the past, testing was only done on a
choice will be enriched even more as soon small scale—if at all. Consumer tests were
as emotion-recognizing computers and even considered to be creativity killers. I
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still remember my early days at the com- 5.7 Perfume Flankers:

pany Coty/Lancaster. Officially, fragrances Entertainment for Impatient
from Davidoff,Chopard,Jil Sander and Noses
Joop! were never allowed to be tested us-
ing market research methods. Nevertheless, Every year, about 2000 perfumes come onto
it was secretly fully supported to evaluate the market in the German-speaking world.
and optimize the acceptance of the respec- Of these, about 3 to 5% manage to establish
tive fragrance proposals in different mar- themselves over the years. This is not nec-
kets. So I had a “backstage” huge influence. essarily due to market research, but to vari-
Of course, it was also my top priority not ous other reasons—such as the brand itself
5 to restrict perfume creativity.
So I had to mediate between the partic-
or the launch strategy. Often, too long (dis-
tance between two fragrance launches), but
ipants, but also between the fragrance pref- mostly too closely timed new fragrance in-
erences of the markets, with a lot of sensi- troductions negatively affect the interest of
tivity. This was not always easy because, for consumers. This is especially true for closely
example, fresh does not mean fresh. So I timed so-called flankers. For a new fra-
found four to five different types of fresh- grance, the bottle design of a fragrance al-
ness in the markets where a fragrance was ready on the market is used. This only dif-
to be launched. Only depicting the under- fers from its predecessor in part in color,
standing of freshness in Germany in a per- decoration, packaging, name, and fra-
fume would have meant losing potential grance—sometimes only by other fragrance
Spanish fragrance users. nuances and a new name.
The whole thing was further compli- Many fragrance brands don’t even plan
cated by the fact that different types of for all new launches to last long on the
freshness in different markets are also asso- market. Flankers are typical of this. They
ciated with different associations of colors, are designed as part of a brand strategy to
moods, and desired experiences. That was offer a limited, temporary olfactory enjoy-
and is of particular interest to advertising ment to certain target groups with a limited
agencies for perfume advertising. development budget and accordingly small
In addition to the evaluation methods market research budget. In this way, flank-
explained above, a more depth-psycholog- ers can successfully revive perfume brands.
ically oriented market research and prod- These include summer editions of big per-
uct development method has developed fume classics. The best example of this is
over the years—that is, a psychological the fragrance classic “Angel” by the per-
method for perfume consulting in the per- fume house Mugler with its limited summer
fume industry, which above all offers in- fragrance “Angel Eau Croisière” inspired by
sights into the experience desires of cus- summer cruises and fruity cocktail aromas
tomers such as consumer groups and the for the 2019 season. Often, the nose-enter-
associated aesthetic preferences such as fra- taining editions surprise with their will to
grance, color, and shape. This method is live and even survive further seasons.
known as the “Color Rosette Test” and the Flankers also offer the opportunity to
“Moodform Test”. I will come back to this adapt classics to the zeitgeist, changed fra-
method, which also reveals a lot about in- grance preferences and new uses, such as
dividual fragrance choice as a psychological a lighter perfume. In doing so, one hopes
fragrance test, later on and will ask you to and plans that they will establish them-
do a psychological self-test so that you can selves as a complementary, permanent part
check the individual relationships for your- of the fragrance range. Mugler also offers
self.
5.7 · Perfume Flankers: Entertainment for Impatient Noses
131 5
a good example of this. In summer 2019, a new launches are too far apart. You don’t
new “Angel Eau de Toilette” was also pre- want to lose shelf space or shelf presence
sented, replacing the 2011 version. This is a with the dealer, i.e. in the stationary per-
younger, fresher, and fruitier interpretation fume shop, and ideally stay decorated on
of the legendary Angel perfume from 1992, an equal footing for customers. Also, the
which made a name for itself worldwide, es- sales team knows: If it has nothing new to
pecially in the concentration as an Eau de offer the dealer, another brand will do it.
Parfum. Because the dealer himself lives from fra-
The image of a flanker is associated grance novelties, which on average make up
with the risk that the new perfume will be 30% of his sales. And flankers are also part
deprived of personality and uniqueness. of this.
Younger consumers usually don’t mind But you have to be careful. Too many
this—and others less and less. Because they launches in quick succession can water
also expect their favorite fragrance brands down a perfume brand—a downward spi-
to come up with something new on a regu- ral that takes on a momentum of its own,
lar basis. For this reason, brand managers as big brands like Hugo Boss know. It is
will continue to set flankers—and certainly difficult to get out of it again because new
even intensify them—for purely economic things are quickly overlooked by the con-
reasons. The production costs for flankers sumer. On the other hand, quick succes-
are usually considerably lower than for a sive launches can also be part of an ongo-
new fragrance. You don’t have to develop a ing success story of scents. “ Bond No. 9”
new bottle, the five-digit euro costs for de- has shown this: the same bottle is decorated
sign and glass production tools are elimi- again and again to match the current scent
nated, the existing bottle is usually “only” theme. A bottle design collector’s edition is
decorated with a new name and graphic created, from which true fans of the brand
for a flanker, and the new perfume is differ- do not want to miss any of the many per-
ently colored. So the financial loss of a flop fumes in their collection.
can be more easily accepted if it should oc- The launch of a new perfume therefore
cur. requires a sense of touch, but also talent
Flankers that do not damage the clas- and ability to be self-critical. A new per-
sic in terms of sales, but rather draw at- fume must also really offer something new.
tention to it again, are ideal for keeping a This is quickly overlooked in the hectic
brand in the consumer’s mind and attract- pace of entertainment marketing. 30 years
ing new customers. This is especially true ago it could take three to four years for a
for younger target groups. For example, you big brand to launch a new perfume. To-
want to bring them closer to a classic that day we often have the impression that the
they only know from the big sister or the perfume industry has turned into an en-
mother. tertainment industry. Teams working on
Regular, relatively timely perfume a new perfume have to become faster and
launches have therefore become a tried and faster. Only a few years ago, 18 months
tested strategy to keep the brand up to date. from the start to the delivery of a new per-
This is especially true if you have impatient fume were considered ambitious. Today,
consumers as your target group—but also a development is only allowed to take 12
because you want to re-inspire the fan club or even less months. The reason for this is
of a perfume classic with scent and brand. also the short-lived attraction of celebri-
The sales team or field service of a ties, with whom brands conclude licensing
brand also love flankers. Often one fears agreements to market perfumes under their
disadvantages for one’s own brand if names.
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5.8 Perfume Recipe: Successful copy your fragrance. Perfume fakes, that is,
Ingredients of Fine Perfumery counterfeits, now also pose a major prob-
lem for the perfume industry through Inter-
Perfumery, better understood as fine per- net trading. The trade in perfume counter-
fumery, understood as the creation of per- feits is constantly increasing. In Germany
fumes, is the art of combining different alone, it is said to be worth several hundred
fragrant ingredients and combining them million. Often the ingredients used are also
into a harmonious whole—sometimes even questionable from a health point of view.
deliberately to their opposite. The pure en- So a perfume that looks like one by Chris-
joyment of fragrance, usually without any tian Dior can contain a very high propor-
5 additional benefits or functional applica- tion of methanol. This not only leads to
skin irritation, but can also damage eyes
tions, is in the foreground. However, this
does not mean that other areas of perfum- and nervous system.
ery, such as functional perfumery, for ex- In order to ensure that it is an origi-
ample in the scenting of shampoos and nal, perfumers or fragrance manufacturers
cleaning agents, are not creative. On the also use invisible markers in their perfumes,
contrary: Sometimes it is even more diffi- which are hardly perceptible. With special
cult to create an attractive scent for some- methods they can then be made visible as a
thing that does not smell good in its orig- fragrant copyright. More and more often,
inal state. fragrance brands also equip their perfume
Mostly, in fine perfumery, for Eau de packaging with invisible codes that are
Parfums (EDP) is created. They make up as invisible as possible in order to protect
just over 50% of all fine fragrances on the them from the so-called grey market and
market. Each perfumer has his own hand- thus from distribution through unauthor-
writing when creating. Typically, you can ised sales channels. The code can be used
recognize it by which ingredients he likes to identify which official dealer supplies or
to use. They are often used in whole bases, distributes the goods via such a sales chan-
so compositions of different ingredients, nel, for example Amazon.
as it were, as a perfumery finished prod- Newcomers to perfumery always ask
uct in perfumes. The experience of the re- which ingredients they should get to know
spective perfumer, his previous success and first. Almost every perfumer has their own
what comes across to target groups, but preferences. So it can quickly add up to
also what other perfumers think, as well 1,000 recommendations. However, find-
as the current trend play a role. Each per- ings from fragrance research show which
fumer hopes that research will provide him ingredients, fragrance notes or complex
with new fragrance building blocks that he structures, so-called fragrance chords, one
can use exclusively for as long as possible. should become familiar with or smell for
The latter often caused completely new fra- oneself. These include fragrance building
grance impressions and great fame for the blocks that are partly responsible for the
perfumers throughout the industry. But success of international perfumes (Vasiliau-
chance also plays a role in the use of ingre- skaite 2019). For these findings, fragrance
dients. Suddenly a fragrance that has arisen notes that can be found in thousands of
through accidental mixing smells surpris- perfumes were examined in a veritable Sis-
ingly good. yphean task. A total of 1047 different notes
But perfumers also like to use certain in- were examined in 10,599 perfumes by fra-
gredients for another reason. You want to grance users in terms of their attractiveness.
make it as difficult as possible for others to However, no account was taken of factors
5.9 · Scent Secrets of Ingredients—Smelling Exercise for a Better Smell
133 5
such as age, gender, origin, etc., which influ- Nevertheless, subjective consumer impres-
ence the choice of fragrance. sions are very informative, and fragrance
The focus of the study was on fragrance professionals also read the comments on
notes of popular women’s perfumes such perfumes with interest, for example on
as “Light Blue” (D&G), “J’adore” (Dior), 7 fragrantica.com or in blogs.
“Euphoria” (Calvin Klein), “Chanel No
5” (Chanel) and “Chloé” (Chloé). What
was found at first is no surprise. The ten 20 ingredients that the Central Euro-
most used and popular ingredients are no pean fragrance market loves
strangers in the perfume industry. In order At my perfume and perfume insider
of decreasing importance, they are: musk, workshops we smell 20 ingredients that
jasmine, bergamot, sandalwood, amber, rose, form the DNA of many women’s and
vanilla, cedar, patchouli, mandarin/orange. men’s perfumes, especially for the Ger-
It is certainly an art to distinguish one- man fragrance market:
self from other scents on the market with 1. Chocolate
these ingredients alone. That is why it is in- 2. Vanilla
teresting to find out which ingredients can 3. Milk note (caramelized with/without
make a particularly big difference in the white Musk)
fragrance character. This is indeed possible 4. Bergamot (furthermore Grapefruit,
with many, but five are used internationally: Mandarin, Lemon, Orange, Lime)
anise, iris, orchid, bamboo and clove. 5. Rose
It is also interesting how individual in- 6. Jasmine
gredients are experienced in combination 7. Ylang-Ylang
with others as fragrance chords. Particular 8. Lily of the Valley
favorites include: 9. Aldehyde
5 Vanilla,Oak moss (or the aftersmell of 10. Ambroxan
oak moss) 11. Oud
5 Ylang-Ylang, aldehyde, jasmine 12. Lavendel
5 Amber,Musk, jasmine 13. Vetiver
5 Lily of the valley,Musk, jasmine 14. Zimtrindenöl
15. Cumarin (Tonkabohne)
But also the combination of jasmine/mint 16. Patschuli
and musk/vetiver/vanilla have a very posi- 17. Eichenmoos (the simulated smell of
tive effect on perfume evaluations. In other oakmoss
words, it is worth smelling the listed ingre- 18. Myrrh
dients alone and in combination to get to 19. Heliotrope
know the basic DNA of many perfumes in 20. Cashmeran
a first step.
Of course, these results from consumer
research would have to be evaluated by
chemical fragrance analysis with a gas chro- 5.9 Scent Secrets of Ingredients—
matograph. Because whether a fragrance Smelling Exercise for a Better
really contains the indicated ingredients Smell
can only be finally clarified by means of a
gas chromatogram. It provides information In my workshops we not only smell the
about the ingredients of the used essential 20 ingredients listed in the overview, but
oils both in terms of quality and quantity. we also explore their secrets from differ-
 134 Chapter 5 · Insider Knowledge Perfumery

ent perspectives. In fact, every ingredient tians believed in and prepared for in this
comes with a small secret, and it’s fun to life (Nazis et al. 2018).
smell it from different angles—in other Now for the smell test: Try to “smell”
words, smell angles. For this reason, I Oud from the following six perspectives. I’ll
would like to encourage you with an ex- start with the description of the fragrance
ample, Oud, to do a smelling exercise— character. Then we’ll smell synesthetic as-
which of course you can also do with sociations. This is followed by a description
the other ingredients mentioned above— of how the ingredient might work on gen-
to get to know their different effects on der, then what it might be best mixed with,
yourself and others. Oud as an ingredi- and finally when it might be best worn, e.g.
5 ent can be obtained in different qualities
from the stationary trade as well as from
in the evening. Have fun with this way of
smelling better!
the Internet. 5 Fragrance character:
Woody-sweet, with a slightly burnt-cara-
z Oud melised note that can have a light honey
The rare fragrance ingredient derived from tobacco undertone depending on the
an agarwood tree infested with fungi or quality. Attention: Those who smell too
from its wood was first mentioned in India quickly, who do not give the fragrance
in the Hindu Vedas, one of the oldest sur- time to develop, can feel a sharp impres-
viving texts in the world. The wood of the sion at first.
tree was referred to as “wood of the gods”. 5 Synesthetic association:
The fragrance ingredient derived from it, A piece of dark wood that is square and
Oud, is the secret of many exquisite Am- slightly weathered, soaked in the sun,
ber-Oriental perfumes and has been a trend with dark green, violet, and gold Arabic
fragrance in our culture since the 1970s. engravings set with small points.
Depending on the quality, the price per litre 5 How does it affect me (as a woman)?
for the natural oil derived from the infested Rich, complex and warm. Already when
trees ranges from 50,000 to 80,000 US dol- applying, you can feel how the day, so to
lars (2 ml of pure essential oil for getting to speak, turns into an exotic night. An ad-
know it is already offered on the market for venture is in the air that you have and
around 60 US dollars). There are special control yourself. The longer you smell,
“Agarwood” conferences attended by Bud- the more sensual fantasies arise that you
dhist monks, perfumers, biologists, and col- want to live out spontaneously and un-
lectors, which attract lovers of the wood conventionally.
from more than 30 countries. Today, Indo- 5 How does it affect my counterpart (man)?
nesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thai- At first masculine or unisex, it associates
land, Laos and Papua New Guinea are the strength and independence. But when
main production countries of Oud, and men smell Oud on female skin, the as-
Singapore is the main trading centre. Orig- sociations turn around: a mysteriously
inally, it was probably the ancient Egyp- erotic woman is described who decides
tians who were the main customers and what she wants. Oud almost turns into
who obtained it directly from Arabia, pos- an elixir under body heat. For many it
sibly already from India. It is believed that smells latently like “love unwashed”,
the fragrance ingredient or essential oil was which flutters fantasies.
already used more than 3000 years ago, es- 5 What is the best combination?
pecially in death rituals for a continued ex- With Rose Absolute, it becomes femi-
istence after death, which the ancient Egyp- nine-elegant and gets even more class.
5.10 · Perfumers: The Perfume Industry Owes Almost Everything to Women
135 5
5 When is the best time to wear it (as a wo- other sensory impressions (Wnuk and Ma-
man)? jid 2014). There are many reasons why there
In summer, even better in winter, in the is little interest in developing a language of
late afternoon or evening. To seduce, be- scents in our cultural area. Certainly, one
cause there is a subtle-attractive power reason is that already in antiquity male
in Oud. If a woman wants to show in opinion leaders underestimated the impor-
her application for creative jobs that tance of smell for our experience and our
there is some artistic potential in her quality of life. The sense of smell was seen
and she also has the stuff for “art direc- as a lower, less valuable sense. So research
tor”, she can also use an Oud perfume was rather left behind. In addition, the fact
in the morning. For example, applied in that perfumes always had something dubi-
the hollow of the knee, a sophisticated ous for the great philosophers, who were all
aura develops over the day through male, added to it. The scholars oriented to-
body heat. wards Greek philosophy and culture for a
5 Typical perfumes with the ingredient long time took over the views of Plato, Aris-
Oud: totle and Co. without modification.
“Midnight Oud” by Juliette has a Gun,
“Black Rose Oud” by Trish McEvoy,
“Armani Privé Oud Royal” by Giorgio 5.10 Perfumers: The Perfume
Armani, “Oud Save The Queen” by At- Industry Owes Almost
kinsons. Everything to Women
z Smelling quickly makes you speechless For a long time the opinion of women, the
If you found it not quite easy to describe main target group of perfumes, remained
the scent in the exercise above, that is com- almost unregarded. And that, although the
pletely normal. The problem, why smells perfume industry and also the greatest suc-
are so subjective with perfumes, remain per- cesses in its history are due to them. Be-
sonal impressions of each one and some- cause it is widely unknown that the per-
times simply make you speechless, has a fume industry has been and is still being
special reason: We had and have in our cul- run by women. So ten female noses have
ture and our language area often no or too created or co-created 700 global perfume
little interest to develop our own language hits in recent years:
world for smells. Descriptions of scents can 5 Ann Gottlieb has created or co-created
hardly be derived from the term for a sin- 38 very successful perfumes, including
gle concrete object, such as ”lemon“. Per- “CK one”.
fumers rather use a wide range of expres- 5 Calice Becker created over 100 top per-
sions such as animalic, green or amber-ori- fumes, e.g. “DKNY Delicious Ripe
ental. They stand for a smell that can come Raspberry”.
from several sources. To be honest, our lan- 5 Nathalie Feisthauer can look back on
guage of scents, measured by 10,000 smells over 45 of her created perfume hits, in-
that could be distinguished, is rather trivial. cluding “Versace Blonde”.
In fact, there are cultures that are fur- 5 Nathalie Lorson has created over 166
ther along in their language of scents than fragrances, e.g. “Cool Water Deep”.
we are. Like the Maniq, a people of hunt- 5 Mathilde Laurent created over 40 per-
ers and gatherers in southern Thailand, fumes, such as “Aqua Allegoria Herba
who describe smells with abstract expres- Fresca”.
sions, which however are not suitable for
 136 Chapter 5 · Insider Knowledge Perfumery

5 Marie Salamagne: Almost 50 perfumes gloves from her homeland of Tuscany. The
bear her signature, e.g. “Amo Ferrag- perfume used for this purpose covered the
amo”. unpleasant smell of tanned leather much
5 Juliette Karagueuzoglou: Over 35 per- better than anything else on the market at
fumes, e.g. for Coach or Jimmy Choo, that time. To keep this secret, Catherine
have already been created by her. brought her own Florentine perfumer Re-
5 Honorine Blanc has created 70 perfumes, nato Bianco or Rene de Florentin, as he
e.g. “Black Opium”. was also called, and her glove maker with
5 Christine Nagel gave over 120 top per- her to France. Her personal perfumer also
fumes her fragrant life, e.g. “Sì” by had the privilege of being able to open his
5 Giorgio Armani. own shop in Paris—unlike many of his col-
leagues who still offered their scents from a
5 Sophia Grojsman has created over 35
world-famous perfumes, e.g. Trésor by handcart.
Lancôme. Katherina’s glove maker was able to
brilliantly conceal the persistent smell of
Even a look back at the history of per- tanning with a new perfume. The business
fume—as I will show with the first re- of Rene de Florentin developed rapidly in
corded perfumer and the Egyptian rulers’ Paris, even though he and Katharina were
obsession with scent—reveals the enor- not the only ones driving the art of glove
mous influence women have had. Without perfumery forward. In addition to the Ital-
their skilled influence, France would never ian, there was also a Spanish way to per-
have become the olfactory superpower it fume gloves. Individual cities in Italy, such
is today. Instead, Italy would have become as Venice, also had their own techniques
the sole perfume power in the Western for leather scenting. Nevertheless, Paris be-
world as early as the 16th century. The came the center of functional perfumery
shift from Italy to France as the epicenter for gloves. Their ideal perfumery is prob-
of the perfume industry was due to a wise ably due to Marquis Muzio Frangipani or
marriage from the French perspective. Don Cesare Frangipani, both descendants
The reason for the change was that the fu- of an old Roman family, who developed a
ture King Henry II married 14-year-old perfume based on bitter almonds during
Catherine de’ Medici in 1533. Until then, their stay in Paris, with which gloves could
enjoying scent in France was often in the be perfumed even better.
form of small scented bags, called ”couss- The story goes on. The perfumed gloves
ines“, or in shaped clay bottles, known as must have smelled so good that pastry chefs
”Ölselets“. were stimulated and created cream desserts
Few could have guessed what would with this wonderful almond smell. Thus
happen next and how incredibly lucrative probably the popular Frangipani cream
it would become for the perfume industry: (frz. “Crème Frangipane”) was created,
Catherine de’ Medici introduced functional which is still used today as a filling for al-
perfumery to France, which began with the mond-based baked goods. Normally, the
scenting of gloves. This made her one of perfume industry is inspired by trends from
the first in Central and Northern Europe to the flavor industry, e.g. by ice cream with
economically invest in this art in Europe— iced almonds or iced salty caramel, which
even before the then newly born Elizabeth then comes onto the market as a perfume,
I., who led England to become a world e.g. “Salt Caramel” by Shay & Blue as a
power, introduced it there some 30 years pure olfactory pleasure. In this case, how-
later. For this, Catherine brought scented ever, it was the other way around.
References
137 5
As a result, in the 16th century it also dustrial side. Someone who is not an in-
became possible to perfume other everyday sider of the industry may think that a
objects with a strong own smell, which were fragrance success is only due to a per
more difficult to take on a scent. In 1656, fumer. This is certainly true in some
the Society of Glove and Perfume Mas- cases. But most of the time, perfumers
ters (”Maître Gantiers et Parfumeurs“) was work in a team, and for example, valua-
founded in France, and with it the first as- ble suggestions from evaluation or mar-
sociation for functional perfumery. keting are often used to create a new fra-
grance. In this context, we have discussed
» And? Do you already feel like a perfume
the strategy of a specific type of per-
insider and aspiring fragrance psychologist
fume—the flanker. This type of perfume
after this chapter? Yes! You are on your
is gaining market importance, and hardly
way, and the following chapter will take you
any perfume brand believes that it can do
one step further.
without it.
At the end of the chapter we went into
Summary the role of women who have made the
We first looked at the psychology behind perfume what it is today. So ten female
fragrance families or fragrance directions noses have created over 700 global per-
in this chapter. In this context, different fume hits in recent years.
fragrance classifications were presented
for the positioning of perfumes or for the
“fragrance mapping” with 4, 8, and 16 References
fragrance directions. To give examples of
how to map fragrances in perfume mar- Nazis PS et al (2018) The scent of stress: evidence
from the unique fragrance of agarwood. Front
keting, the fragrance classifications were Plant Sci 2019 10:840
visualized with brand and product exam- Vasiliauskaite VE (2019) Social success of perfumes.
ples. PLoS ONE 14(7):e0218664
Furthermore, occupational groups were Wnuk E, Majid A (2014) Revisiting the limits of lan-
introduced which work on the develop- guage: the odor lexicon of Maniq. Cognition
131:125–138
ment and launch of a perfume on the in-
 139 6

Insider Knowledge Perfume

Industry and Trade
What Opportunities the Perfume Industry Offers and What
You Should Know Before Launching a Perfume

Contents

6.1 The Makers of the Industry – 140

6.2 How a New Perfume is Calculated in Industry and

Trade – 141

6.3 Areas of Perfumery: Haute Couture (Fine Perfumery),

Functional Perfumery, Aromatherapy – 148

6.4 On the Situation of the Perfume Specialty Trade – 151

6.5 You as a Perfumer – 152

References – 155

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023
J. Mensing, Beautiful SCENT,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67259-4_6
 140 Chapter 6 · Insider Knowledge Perfume Industry and Trade

around 2000 professionally trained perfum-

ers worldwide who have studied, for exam-
ple, at the ISIPCA (Institut supérieur in-
ternational du parfum, de la cosmétique et
de l’aromatique alimentaire), a vocational
training institution on the campus of the
University of Versailles and member of the
Université Paris-Seine Higher Education
Association, (7 https://www.isipca-school.
com) or one of the schools or training
courses of well-known perfume manufac-
turers such as Symrise or the Swiss com-
pany Givaudan—both of which are among
6 the world’s largest producers of flavors and
fragrances—have visited. In particular, the
Ecole Givaudan in Paris is considered one
of the most demanding perfume schools.
Every year, only a very few of the hundreds
of applicants are selected for the four-year
training (7 www.givaudan.com/fragrances/
perfumery-school).

z The training to become a perfumer

The beginning of every training to become
a perfumer is often compared to learning
Maybe you’ve already thought about creat- how to write. In the first months, the aspir-
ing and marketing your own perfume? ing perfumers have to learn about 500 raw
Even if you don’t have that in mind, this materials, like an alphabet, usually 150 nat-
chapter, like the next one, is a treasure trove ural and 350 synthetic substances. They
of insights from practice. Social media plat- then know the chemical composition of the
forms today offer innovative ways to mar- raw materials, and the aspiring noses can
ket a perfume as a perfume influencer. To then describe with their own words and pic-
promote his scent excitingly, one can learn tures how and what they smell. In the same
a lot from the most successful influencers. step, they also learn to mix raw materials,
This chapter will first reveal who the mak- first two, then three, four and more, un-
ers in the perfume industry are, what condi- til they can create an entire recipe, i.e. per-
tions the trade expects for listing a perfume, fume, that can contain anywhere from 30 to
and how a perfumer can find his niche with 60, but also like “L’Air du Temps” 120 in-
his scent. gredients. In parallel, they learn which fra-
grance preferences certain markets have
and how classic fragrances, but also new
6.1 The Makers of the Industry perfumes are parfumistically constructed.
Part of the training is also chromatogra-
Surprisingly, the job title “perfumer” is not phy (a process for the chemical separation
legally protected. Therefore, hundreds of of substance mixtures) for the analysis and
thousands call themselves that—rightfully production of scents with their quality con-
or not. However, there are probably only trol.
6.2 · How a New Perfume is Calculated in Industry and Trade
141 6
Details about training to become a per- This group of perfume manufacturers
fumer are also given by the German As- significantly influences current fragrance
sociation of Raw Material Manufacturers trends. In their large research facilities,
(DVHR, 7 http://duftstoffverband.de). The they are constantly looking for new ingre-
DVRH is a member of the International dients, techniques and processes for per-
Fragrance Association (IFRA, 7 http:// fume production. Often, smaller fragrance
www.ifraorg.org/), which is a true treas- manufacturers are their customers and
ure trove for perfume lovers. The IFRA buy ingredients from them that they can-
also offers training positions. In addition, not produce themselves for this price and
there are other associations that provide in- in this quality.
formation on training, such as Cosmetics With their market dominance, the “Big
Europe—The Personal Care Association 4” often also regulate access to the raw ma-
(7 https://www.cosmeticseurope.eu/) and terials needed for perfume production and
the International Association of the Soap, thus directly or indirectly decide on the
Detergent and Maintenance Product Indus- price of the ingredients. Entire cultivation
tries (AISE, 7 https://www.aise.eu/). areas for certain rose varieties work ex-
In addition to Symrise and Givaudan, clusively for them. The perfume creations
a whole range of other companies (per- based on about 30 ingredients are then of-
fume or fragrance manufacturers) offer fered for sale to fashion and lifestyle brands
high-quality training to become a perfumer. such as Hugo Boss or fragrance licensees as
Here are just a few: Firmenich, IFF, Mane, perfume oil. The price for 1 kg perfume oil
Bell Flavors & Fragrances, Robertet Group for a premium fragrance starts at around
and Takasago. 100 euros and can even reach 300 euros and
more.
z Perfume manufacturers It is usually independent bottling com-
Professionally trained perfumers mainly panies that set the perfume oil in alco-
work in Paris, Grasse, New York or Geneva hol with some water to the desired con-
for one of the following fragrance suppli- centration for fragrance production, fill
ers, which are also referred to as a fragrance it into bottles, pack it, and cellophane it.
house or better as fragrance manufacturer After that, the finished perfume is ready
or perfume manufacturer, but also as flavor for pick-up in outer cartons in the ware-
manufacturer. In short, they are the manu- house.
facturers of fragrances and food additives.
The “Big 4” from this group together
have a almost oligopolistic world market 6.2 How a New Perfume is
share of no less than 63% (2022). These are Calculated in Industry
the companies Givaudan (18%), IFF(22%),
and Trade
Firmenich (11%) and Symrise (12%)
(7 https://www.statista.com). Together with Typically, most perfume brands operat-
another five fragrance manufacturers, even ing in the international market develop a
close to 75% of the world’s perfume pro- launch and market strategy with different
duction is in their hands. Almost all top business scenarios for the launch of a new
perfumers in the world are employed by fragrance. These include a so-called “worst-
them. These are internationally operating case and break-even plan”, but also various
companies that dominate the world of fra- calculations of how a perfume could de-
grances mainly from their offices in Paris, velop over three years in a market.
Geneva and New York.
 142 Chapter 6 · Insider Knowledge Perfume Industry and Trade

Even if passion for a certain fragrance of Pierre Bourdon and the requests of the
may be in the foreground at the beginning Lancaster marketing responsible, the fra-
of perfume development, there comes a grance “Cool Water” would probably have
moment when calculation and planning for gone to another manufacturer.
different market situations is necessary. Per- Other suppliers are also expecting larger
fume and perfumery are very strategic busi- orders. For example, bottle, i.e. glass, as
nesses, a fact that is often underestimated well as pump and cap suppliers are happy
by outsiders and newcomers to this indus- to calculate with an order in the range of
try—in particular celebrities who want to 30,000 to 50,000 pieces and upwards. Mo-
bring their own fragrance to the market. tivation is also needed when agreeing on de-
On the other hand, without passion for per- livery times for orders and reorders, as well
fumes and for this industry, there can only as for the punctual delivery of perfume to
be accidental successes. But even if some- the filler, often an independent company.
6 one has been successful once, they will The fragrance oil is delivered earlier, for ex-
learn that the same strategy is very unlikely ample, because it still has to be diluted for
to work a second time. the filling of an eau de parfum. However,
The first phase of perfume development negotiation skills are also required because
includes the creation of a concept with po- not only do many suppliers require certain
sitioning and a profit and loss plan (P&L), minimum quantities, but also larger quan-
which is based on administrative, market- tities have to be bought in stock to get a
ing, and other costs as well as individual good price. This often results in additional
product costs (COGs), i.e. the production storage costs, which also flow into the cal-
costs for the perfume itself. culation.
The production costs include individual
parts of the perfume such as the price for z Service partners
fragrance oil, pump, cap, bottle, decoration, At the beginning of a new perfume devel-
and packaging as well as all costs from fill- opment, a brand perfume manufacturer
ing to the finished, repackaged perfume also has to decide whether to afford a new
that is ready for pick-up in the warehouse. bottle of their own or to fall back on an
The correct calculation of the production existing standard bottle. If you decide on
costs of a perfume, which consists of nu- your own new bottle, not only design, but
merous individual parts and employs differ- also tool costs for glass production will
ent suppliers, is time-consuming, requires arise. The tool costs can quickly reach a
experience and also a certain amount of in- five-digit amount, are charged by the glass
tuition—with the search for suitable suppli- manufacturer in addition to the bottle piece
ers being particularly complicated. They of- price and flow into the production price.
ten have to be motivated for a project with If you want to save time and money,
initially smaller quantities of planned per- you can choose a standard bottle that can
fume pieces. be individually adapted to the new per-
The initial order for the fragrance oil fume, for example by color and other sur-
of “Cool Water”, the eau de toilette clas- face treatments. For this purpose, bottle
sic, consisted of just 300 kg. Takasago, the manufacturers such as Heinz Glas in Ba-
fragrance house for which the perfumer varian Tettau, Verescence in France, Bormi-
and “Cool Water” creator Pierre Bour- oli Luigi in Italy or Stoelzle Glas in Austria
don worked at the time, was not even sure have their own catalogs. These bottle manu-
whether its customer, the perfume brand facturers, like Coverpla in France, also offer
Lancaster / Coty, had the potential to mar- a complete service package, which also in-
ket the perfume. Without the intervention cludes the procurement of perfume pumps
6.2 · How a New Perfume is Calculated in Industry and Trade
143 6
and caps. In many cases, they work closely fume to the end consumer would have to
with packaging manufacturers such as be, and can calculate the amount of per-
Edelman and contract fillers for perfumes, fume to be sold in order to cover not only
so that the individual development steps further costs but also to generate a profit.
can be efficiently coordinated for the client. However, in order to be able to do this, a
brand perfume manufacturer must know
z Measuring for Development and Trade how the perfume trade, e.g. the stationary,
One of the best trade fairs in Europe for owner-managed perfume store, calculates
building your own supplier network for and what additional marketing and promo-
perfume production is the annual Luxe tion support is expected.
Pack Monaco, which takes place in the au- Most brand perfume manufactur-
tumn. It aims to bring together manufac- ers, such as COTY, are in a middle posi-
turers of packaging and packaging mate- tion between suppliers and trading part-
rials from all over the world, with a focus ners. COTY has its suppliers, such as the
on the perfume and cosmetics industry. The perfume houses or perfume manufactur-
fair usually takes place at the same time ers or glass manufacturers, to develop its
as the TFWA Cannes, a trade fair special- products and then delivers its finished per-
izing in duty-free and travel retail. It at- fumes to the perfume trade, i.e. to the per-
tracts retailers from all over the world who fume stores that advise end consumers and
are looking for new perfume and cosmetic sell fragrances and cosmetic products.
products for their markets. So what is being If the purchase prices of the suppli-
developed as a perfume can also be offered ers change or the trade wants more sup-
for international sale right away. If time is port for the launch of a new perfume, the
too tight for a perfume brand to present its whole budget calculation can quickly get
products to retailers in the same week, the out of hand for a brand perfume manufac-
Exsence in Milan and the Pitti Fraganze turer. There is certainly a growing trend for
in Florence are recommended. Both trade brand perfume manufacturers to sell their
fairs mainly attract retailers who are inter- fragrance products directly to end consum-
ested in the distribution of new niche per- ers, for example via their own online shops.
fumes. Some manufacturers also operate their own
stationary perfume stores. An example of
z Manufacturing costs this is Estée Lauder with its perfume brand
How do industry and trade calculate? The Jo Malone, which is offered in its own bou-
pure manufacturing costs of a perfume of tiques.
large brand perfume manufacturers are 8
to 15% of the selling price to the end con- z Distribution partners
sumer or are planned accordingly. So if a In Germany, perfume is usually sold
perfume costs 100 euros in the store, its to- by independent retailers such as Doug-
tal manufacturing costs should not exceed las,Müller,dm,Rossmann, or department
8 to 15 euros depending on the execution. stores. But the traditional family-run per-
The manufacturing costs for a perfume may fume shop still plays a big role in Germany,
not be more, since further costs for market- Austria, and Switzerland, as well as in It-
ing, promotion, distribution, and other ar- aly. So there are different distribution chan-
eas arise. nels through which a perfume can be mar-
If you have determined the pure man- keted—provided that a perfume is not only
ufacturing costs, you also know in reverse offered through family-run perfume shops
what the minimum selling price of a per- or their individual stores/doors. Many
 144 Chapter 6 · Insider Knowledge Perfume Industry and Trade

family-run perfume shops such as Wiede- ily-run perfume shops that have joined
mann, Stephan, Cebulla, Becker, Pieper, Al- forces under the name “first in beauty” of-
brecht or Schuback, which together have ten offer a new perfume, from a small
about 2000 doors in Germany, are mem- brand, a chance to enter the market.
bers of buying groups. The largest German
group of this kind is the Beauty Alliance z Conditions, bonuses, discounts, advertising
(YBPN) in Bielefeld with 1100 doors and subsidies …
242 members (2020), followed by the Wir- What conditions does an owner-operated
für-Sie group in Mülheim-Kärlich. perfume shop, an internationally operat-
Every family-run perfume shop, even if ing perfume chain such as Douglas, and a
it belongs to a buying group, has its own wholesaler, ie distributor, like the Nobi-
expectations and experiences for the suc- lis Group, when a branded perfume man-
cessful launch of a new perfume. Even if ufacturer wants to distribute its products
6 a buying group prescribes certain condi- through them? An owner-operated per-
tions uniformly for its members, perfume fume shop and a perfume chain with cus-
brands, and distributors have to negoti- tomer advice are often offered a 40 per-
ate individually with the family-run per- cent margin for listing the products. In Ger-
fume shops. This also applies to the Nobi- many, this corresponds to a factor of 1.99
lis Group in Wiesbaden, Germany’s largest at 19% VAT, which divides the selling price
perfume wholesaler, which offers perfume (SP) by the end consumer. So if a premium
brands from different manufacturers. Only perfume costs 149.00 euros in the store,
large groups like Douglas or Müller have a the perfume shop buys it from the manu-
central purchasing department. facturer for 74.87 euros. In order to make
The perfume landscape in this country is this margin attractive for the retailer, the
somewhat reminiscent of the Holy Roman industry often offers a sales-oriented an-
Empire in the 17th century, then a patch- nual bonus based on the purchase value
work of 300 German states. For example, (EK) to the retailer. Retailers like Douglas
if a trader set out from Cologne to Königs- and large, well-known perfume shops then
berg in the 19th century, he had to pass 80 expect up to 25% bonus from the annual
customs stations. The approximately 2000 turnover without VAT, which the manufac-
family-run perfume shops, which are un- turer has generated through the retailer. In
fortunately becoming fewer and fewer and many cases, especially with smaller perfume
are increasingly being bought up by large shops, a bonus is only paid out from a min-
groups for reasons of age, have contrib- imum turnover.
uted a lot to the enrichment of the per- A typical bonus scale starts at an annual
fume world. This includes, for example, the turnover of 7500 euros and is remunerated
spread of niche perfumes. They also offer with 3 or 5% bonus. Some perfume shops
small perfume brands a chance to enter the like the Beauty Alliance (YBPN) also ex-
market with their scents. The Bundesver- pect a discount on the invoice value of the
band Parfümerien e.V., trade association for order. This can be up to 10% in addition to
the retail trade with perfumes and cosmet- the usual 3% discount in Germany. In the
ics, supports this additionally. so-called annual meetings between retail-
On the occasion of the annual perfume ers and manufacturers, the entire package
conference, which usually takes place in of conditions is re-established each time.
spring, a perfume niche trade fair opens its It plays a role whether a perfume is newly
doors in Düsseldorf. The focus is on inno- launched or is already in the market. The
vative perfume novelties. A group of fam- following conditions are not uncommon:
6.2 · How a New Perfume is Calculated in Industry and Trade
145 6
5 Payment terms: 14 days 2% discount, 28 ver. He picks up the products directly from
days net the manufacturer or his company, bears the
5 Invoice discount: 5 to 10% of the order transport costs and keeps them in his own
value warehouse for resale to perfume shops. For
5 Test sample/free samples (“Vial on this service, a factor of 5 from the retail
card”): 5 to 15% of the order value price is not unusual.
5 Decorations: Twice a year per perfume The perfume trade and its industry act
shop/door with an invoicing rate de- extremely strategically, because the success
pending on the size of the shop window of a perfume also depends on the decision
between 70 and 120 euros for the right distribution channel, partner
5 Advertising cost subsidy (WKZ) for ex- and its conditions. Especially with new per-
ample for mailings or advertisements: fume introductions, the trade expects ad-
10% of the turnover with the dealer ditional investments in the first year, a so-
5 Margin: 40% called overinvestment. This can quickly
5 Bonus: 20% on the achieved EK sales lead to a cost dynamics underestimated by
5 Minimum order value: 400 euros per order new perfume manufacturers. Here is an ex-
ample of some of the resulting costs:
If a perfume manufacturer can afford it— If the retail price including value-added
also to position itself more attractively vis- tax in Germany for a premium perfume
à-vis competitors—it offers the trade a 50 is 149 euros, the stationary perfume shop
percent margin. Even this is not considered buys it with a 50 margin, i.e. for a cost price
excessively high in comparison to other sec- of 62.61 euros (factor 2.38), from a brand
tors such as fashion or accessories. That is perfume manufacturer. The perfume brand
why stationary perfume shops often also of- calculates 10% manufacturing costs itself,
fer fashionable items and hair accessories. i.e. in our example with 14.90 euros from
Here a margin of 100% and more is often the retail price (149 euros) for the finished,
calculated. Including value added tax, a 50 filled and stored perfume ready for collec-
percent margin results in a factor of 2.38 in tion. The costs of the perfume oil of the
Germany. fragrance supplier and the costs for the
Wholesalers, i.e. distributors, calculate bottle with packaging are included in this
with an even higher margin. Their custom- price. One-time extra costs such as tools
ers are the individual perfume shops in a re- for bottle development are usually also in-
gion or different countries with which they cluded. In our case, the perfume brand has
each make conditions agreements and then 47.71 euros (62.61 euros minus 14.90 euros)
take over logistics, shipping, and invoic- left per perfume to cover further costs for
ing for the products of a perfume manufac- PR, advertising, administration, marketing
turer. They carry out various other services and promotion materials such as free sam-
for the brand and products of a manufac- ples and testers.
turer. These include, for example, PR and Perfume shops expect a brand new per-
Influencer Marketing as well as the devel- fume to deliver about 12 to 15% free sam-
opment of advertising and promotion ma- ples from the cost price. These are deliv-
terials. In addition, wholesalers have their ered free of charge with the first order and
own sales team that can carry out assign- then with each order or each order. If the
ments and training in individual perfume perfume is introduced to the market, the
shops/doors. free samples are certainly reduced. Usually
As a rule, a distributor guarantees the about 5% of the cost price are delivered free
manufacturer a minimum annual turno- of charge with each order. A perfume shop
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also always has the opportunity to buy ad- of the EK price to pay for its own, inter-
ditional samples and testers from the per- nal costs, let alone to generate a profit. As a
fume brand at a special price (usually the rule of thumb, therefore, it can be said that
cost price plus processing fee). In Germany, in the first one to two years after a perfume
perfume shops expect a payment term of launch, a black zero cannot be achieved.
28 days with 3% discount. However, large Perfume brands calculate according to
retailers such as Douglas often demand a the above-mentioned costs how many per-
payment term of 90 days, which puts pres- fumes they have to sell to the trade in order
sure on the cash flow of a manufacturer. to achieve a black zero in the planning at
Large perfume shops often expect dis- least. In order to justify the costs for a new
counts on each order, which are often 10% perfume, large perfume brands therefore
plus success bonus at the end of the finan- expect a minimum order quantity if a per-
cial year. The bonus demanded by the re- fume shop wants to carry this new perfume.
6 tailer can be up to 25% of the cost price Typical for an initial order or the first order
after deduction of the discount. In other are six and twelve perfumes for smaller per-
words: Of the cost price of our example of fume shops and upwards in a size, for ex-
62.61 euros, a total of 32.5% are deducted ample 50 ml for larger sales outlets.
for a discount of 10% and a 25% bonus. To-
gether with the 10% manufacturing costs, z Number of sales outlets or doors
this makes a total of over 40% additional An exclusive premium perfume is carried
costs. Advertising subsidies (WKZ) are in Germany in about 500 to 1000 perfume
not yet included, for example for advertise- shops. If it is an exclusive niche perfume,
ments. the distribution is even below 200 at the be-
Some shopping communities like the ginning, sometimes just 50 sales outlets in
Beauty Alliance conclude marketing agree- the first year. It is therefore almost impos-
ments with the manufacturer for a perfume sible for a newly launched niche perfume to
launch. They stipulate that advertisements cover the operating costs of the brand per-
must be placed in their own customer mag- fume manufacturer in the first years. In my
azines and online portals for an amount experience, in addition to luck, the right
oriented towards the sales target. In addi- hand, good negotiation and of course an
tion, the manufacturer must pay a basic bo- innovative perfume concept with the corre-
nus (usually 2 to 3% of annual sales), often sponding scent, a six-figure amount in the
combined with a bonus for the shopping middle range is needed to be able to posi-
community’s service performance. tion oneself professionally in the market.
Window decorations are mainly de- Of course, you can build a perfume and
cided by a perfume shop itself and car- cosmetics empire from your backpack like
ried out by independent decorators who in- Estée Lauder once did. But for that you
voice the manufacturer for their service. need friends, patrons, and benefactors who
Most perfume shops want to decorate their stand behind a new brand as business an-
shops at least twice a year with the brand gels—and who actually exist in our fasci-
and of course with a large-scale launch of nating industry.
a new perfume. For decoration materials Germany is a particularly interest-
such as exhibits, posters, i.e. window pan- ing market for a new perfume, although
els showing the perfume, an additional 40 not without risk. A total of about 2.2 bil-
to 60 euros can be estimated. With, for ex- lion euros are spent on scents every year
ample, 300 perfume doors in which a per- through all channels—from mass market
fume is launched, this adds up to a substan- to premium perfume. At first glance this
tial amount. A perfume brand has little left looks very good, but you have to keep in
6.2 · How a New Perfume is Calculated in Industry and Trade
147 6
mind that about 2000 new perfumes fight 2008. He has made a name for himself with
for their survival every year. Only up to 5% “Hypnosis” by Lancôme and created the
make it to the next year. A large part of the fragrance “La Petite Robe Noire” for Guer-
new scents therefore, as markt intern, the lain. In 2019, Olivier Polge manages to be-
trade information sheet for the perfume come the nose at Chanel. He has docu-
and cosmetics industry, reports, does not mented his experience with perfume poeti-
even cover the launch costs. These 95% of cally in the Youtube video “I Am A Nose”.
the new scents are not immediately taken Anyone employed as an in-house per-
off the market, but no further investment is fumer by a major brand such as Chanel,Di-
made in them, they are hardly ever shown or,Guerlain,Hermès, or L’Oreal has won
and therefore not reordered by the trade. the big prize.
They have lost the war of scents and wan- At Chanel the workplace is in Grasse,
der around like perfume zombies without with regular visits to the Paris headquarters
will. The perfume business is subject to a in Paris. The tasks also include managing the
cruel survival of the fittest. approximately 50 existing Chanel perfumes.
However, this does not mean that those Every other year, a new perfume or some ad-
scents that lose the fight are bad—on the ditional products are added to the collection.
contrary, often the opposite is the case. Of course, it also enhances the image of the
They are unique, but they do not find their perfumer that the fragrance “Chanel No 5”
way to their noses in the jungle of scents. is sold worldwide every 30 seconds.
It is therefore understandable that in the In 1910, fashion designer Coco Chanel
ranks of most perfume brands—such as (1883–1971) founded the Chanel fash-
COTY—there are no in-house perfumers ion empire. In 1921 she brought the per-
for cost reasons alone and that they cannot fume “Chanel No 5” to the market. To-
afford a department in which perfumes are day (2023) the company Chanel S.A.S.
created from scratch. They usually brief— is owned by brothers Alain and Gérard
for example for their brands Jil Sander and Wertheimer. They are the grandchildren of
Chopard—mostly three of the above-men- Pierre Wertheimer, a former business part-
tioned fragrance suppliers and let them ner of Coco Chanel. According to the
submit perfume suggestions. The marketing American Forbes Magazine, each of the two
departments of Jil Sander and Chopard, to Wertheimer brothers has a private fortune
stay with the example, usually ask for some of 12.7 billion US dollars (as of November
revisions of the proposed fragrance candi- 2017). Forbes estimates that Chanel CEO
dates. After all, the final scent must please Alain Wertheimer alone now has a net worth
the licensee of the brand, fit the image, but of $30.5 billion as of May 2023. This makes
also the portfolio of existing perfumes. Af- them among the richest people in France.
ter all, you don’t want to create internal The in-house perfumer of the brand Guer-
competition for the well-selling perfumes of lain has his workplace in Paris. Guerlain is
your own brands. one of the oldest perfume houses in the world.
From 1828 to 1994, the company was run by
z In-House Perfumers the family of the same name. After that it was
Of course, there are also brands that con- sold to the LVMH Group (Moet Hennessy—
sciously afford their own perfumer—some- Louis Vuitton SE), the world’s largest luxury
times even several. Often these are the stars conglomerate, owned by the Frenchman Ber-
of the industry who have made a name for nard Arnault. In the list of the world’s rich-
themselves with various perfume creations. est people published by the economic jour-
This includes Thierry Wasser, who was ap- nal Forbes Magazine, his net worth fortune is
pointed in-house perfumer of Guerlain in given as about 222.5 billion US dollars (2023),
 148 Chapter 6 · Insider Knowledge Perfume Industry and Trade

which puts him in a top place. The turnover perfumer must also take this into account.
of the corporate empire with around 196,000 This is especially the case with the increasing
employees is around 79 billion US dollars an- number of perfumes for large and small ce-
nually (2022). Since the company holds the lebrities. The fans of celebrities want to feel
rights to over 75 different brands, its in-house closer to their stars. In order for this to work
perfumer is generally also responsible for the olfactorily, perfumers must have a detailed
scents of Christian Dior,Givenchy,Acqua di briefing on how the respective celebrity is
Parma,Kenzo and Fendi. seen and experienced. So they really have
to be able to immerse themselves in another
person in order to olfactorily describe them
6.3 Areas of Perfumery: Haute attractively for themselves and the fans. This
Couture (Fine Perfumery), in turn requires knowledge of what the fans
as target group find attractive as perfume
6 Functional Perfumery,
themselves. After all, the new celebrity per-
Aromatherapy fume is supposed to be a hit on the market.
Therefore, a perfumer is expected to
The spectrum of perfumery comprises three
have a lot of reciprocal empathy, but also
large application areas. About 21% of all strategic work, in order to meet different ol-
fragrance products sold fall into the cate- factory requirements. In addition, the per-
gory of haute couture/fine perfumery This
fumer must also take into account fra-
includes perfumes, eau de parfums and eau grance trends and typical fragrance pref-
de toilettes. erences of individual markets in which the
The classic claim of haute couture / fine
perfume is to be launched.
perfumery is the creation of a perfume for However, the biggest challenge for fine
the personal enjoyment of a wearer, but perfumery is to create a fragrance that ar-
also for its positive effect on his or her so- rives in different countries at the same time.
cial environment. One might think that fine This is becoming increasingly difficult.
perfumery is an olfactory “l’art pour l’art” Within a few years, the market has changed
and can only satisfy itself. But that is not fundamentally. Between 1999 and 2003, a
the case. Fine perfumery is strategic per- movement took place that characterizes the
fume creation that must meet the needs of fragrance markets today. In 1999 there were
different individuals, self-claims, and mar- still global fragrance preferences. For each
ket mentalities in order to be successful. country there were four to five fragrances,
Therefore, perfumers must not only be the such as Allure,Trésor, or CK one, which
much-praised noses, but they must also
were presented as global perfumes in the top
have a high degree of emotional and social charts across the markets. But between 1999
intelligence combined with creativity, imag- and 2003, national fragrance individuality
ination, and sound knowledge of perfum-
increased significantly. Since 2003, there are
ery, trends, consumers and markets—even usually only one or two fragrances—such
for different fragrance markets, if a per- as Chanel No 5—that remain at the top in
fumer wants to work internationally.
European countries for a longer period of
Certainly, most perfumes are created to time. Today one can say that the large coun-
accentuate the personality and individuality tries can no longer be optimally served with-
of the wearer. But in fine perfumery, wishes
out their own specialized fine perfumery.
and moods that the wearer would like to
Within Europe, three very distinct na-
experience also play a role. Psychologists
tional women’s fragrance markets have de-
speak in this context of the ideal self—just
veloped with France, Spain, and Germany.
as one would like to experience oneself. The
6.3 · Areas of Perfumery: Haute Couture, (Fine Perfumery) …
149 6
In Germany, “national” fragrance prefer- by 2032. In its effect, aromatherapy aims at
ences have been ruling since 2003—at least health, change or increase in well-being as
with regard to new fragrance introductions. I well as therapy and healing of certain dis-
will go into this in more detail in 7 Chap. 15. eases and conditions. It is about the fra-
Thefunctional perfumery overlaps in grance effect on the user, with psychoso-
many ways with fine perfumery, but has a matic factors in the foreground.
larger market share. It includes the scenting While research has traditionally dealt
of two large areas: with the dimensions of “relaxed vs. active”,
1. Personal Care or beauty care such as new olfactory therapeutic goals have been
facial care and decorative cosmetics added, as already mentioned. True to the
(make-up), hair care (e.g. shampoo), or motto “Everything seen begins in a place that
body care (e.g. deodorant, shower gel), was first unseen” (Ralph Waldo Emerson),
with e.g. shampoo and shower gel being aromatherapy is being researched as an ad-
the most used care products not only of juvant treatment for weight loss, depression,
German women. stress, burn-out, inner restlessness, and pain
2. Home Care or household care such as relief. In addition, the diagnosis and treat-
Fabric Care or detergents (e.g. fabric ment of clinical symptoms such as Alzheim-
softener) or dishwashing detergent (e.g. er’s disease as well as sleep, libido, and con-
dishwashing detergent). Furthermore, centration disorders are being investigated.
e.g. car care products, household clean- Furthermore, aromatherapy is being used to
ers, and room fragrances; even leather increase and improve resilience, mindfulness,
care products are listed as a separate as well as happiness and creativity.
subgroup. The industrial associations With all of its application goals, aro-
of the individual countries, such as the matherapy has not yet been able to break
IKW in Germany, provide current in- through in clinical everyday life. One reason
formation on the market importance for this may be that the topic of aromather-
of individual categories of beauty and apy, especially the therapeutic approach, is
household care at retail prices on their only mentioned in passing in medical train-
websites (7 IKW). ing. Although students of medicine and
nursing trainees often have a positive atti-
From a fragrance psychological point of tude towards complementary and alternative
view, functional perfumery is more focused medicine (CAM), there is still little infor-
on psychophysical effects. Its main concern mation about aromatherapy in their curric-
is to increase body feeling, self- and prod- ula (Pearson et al. 2019). This is also due to
uct experience, motivation in combination the fact that, as we have already discussed,
with simple/better/more satisfied applica- the effect has now been confirmed for many
tion as well as higher acceptance and avoid- therapy goals, but the effectiveness of aro-
ance of displeasure, for example by mask- matherapy compared to classical medical
ing or covering odors. interventions is still met with skepticism by
The aromatherapy with the smallest most physicians. This also applies to other
market share of the three application areas forms of therapy such as massage. They like
of perfumery is a sleeping giant. Insiders to refer to comparative nursing studies that
assume that the global market volume of currently come to the conclusion: “In com-
US$ 5.9 Billion in 2022 could be around 12 parison to usual care … the evidence for the
billion US dollars in 2032. In comparison, efficacy of massage and aromatherapy in re-
the total global essential oils market was al- ducing anxiety, pain and improving qual-
ready valued at US$ 21.79 billion in 2022 ity of life was not conclusive”, for example
and is projected to reach US$ 27.5 billion Bridget Candy (Candy et al. 2019).
 150 Chapter 6 · Insider Knowledge Perfume Industry and Trade

Aromatherapists will certainly read this end of the 19th century it almost fell into
with mixed feelings, because many stud- oblivion. In 1930 it reappeared briefly, was
ies that document the effect of aromather- even included in some pharmacopoeias,
apeutic treatments do not or not sufficiently then disappeared again in many new edi-
orient themselves to scientific standards. tions until it reappeared again at the end of
And this is demanded in medicine. In scien- the 1970s and has been listed, for example,
tific studies, test subjects are randomly as- in the German Pharmacopoeia since then.
signed to so-called experimental and con- St. John’s wort is now well documented
trol groups, i.e. the subjects do not know as an antidepressant for mild and moder-
whether they will receive the treatment or ate depression. A recent comparative study
a placebo. Another step further are the so- by Heidemarie Haller from the University
called double-blind studies, in which the of Duisburg-Essen comes to the following
test leader also does not know during the conclusion: “In patients with mild to mod-
6 study which test subject belongs to which erate depression, moderate evidence sug-
group in order not to unintentionally influ- gested that St. John’s wort was more effec-
ence the study result verbally or non-ver- tive than placebo and its efficacy compared
bally and thus distort it. to standard antidepressants in terms of the
Nevertheless, plants such as the real severity and response rates of depression,
St. John’s wort (St. John’s Wort) have long while St. John’s wort caused significantly
been known in medicine for their antide- fewer adverse events” (Haller et al. 2019).
pressant and mood-enhancing effects. It is The study also suggests that the combina-
recommended for use, among other things, tion with a mindfulness-based cognitive
as an essential oil for inhalation. The relief therapy, which I will discuss later, is par-
of depression is a focus of aromatherapy. ticularly effective in preventing a relapse of
Worldwide, depression is one of the larg- depression. The combination of mindful-
est health problems or the most common ness therapy with standard antidepressants
mental disorder. According to estimates, seems to be very effective. We can look for-
350 million people are affected worldwide. ward to further studies that combine cog-
About 25% of women and 12% of men suf- nitive therapy approaches with aromather-
fer from at least one depressive phase dur- apy or supportive scent therapy. Certainly,
ing their lifetime (Haller et al. 2019). If aro- the effect of talk therapy in combination
matherapy succeeds in establishing itself as with supportive scent therapy will have to
a treatment approach, this would also be its be investigated. Cognitive therapies always
breakthrough in clinical everyday life. The run the risk of downplaying justified exter-
chances of the essential oil industry, which nal conditions of psychological stress, as
is worth billions of dollars, are not bad for is often the case with depression. This can
mild to moderate depression. This is mainly lead to external prevailing conditions being
due to St. John’s wort. quickly legitimized, where actually personal
The ancient Greeks and Romans used outrage would be more appropriate.
St. John’s wort as a remedy, and in the Mid- This raises the question for aromather-
dle Ages its positive effects on the psyche apy or fragrance-supported therapy which
were already recognized. St. John’s wort— health problem which psychotherapy or
the popular name was devil’s or witch’s meditation is particularly effective in com-
herb—helped “against the dizziness and bination. A recent study, for example, finds
against the terrible melancholic thoughts” that the combination of aromatherapy with
(Johann Hieronymus Kniphof—1704- music therapy is associated with a signif-
1763—a German doctor and botanist, in icant decrease in anxiety and stress (Son
Botanica in originali, 18th century). At the et al. 2019).
6.4 · On the Situation of the Perfume Specialty Trade
151 6
I have discussed further promising ap- joram, mandarin, neroli, oregano, sandal-
proaches in 7 Chap. 1 (aromatherapy— wood, grapefruit, thyme, ylang-ylang, ce-
how essential oils work). The confirmation dar, lemongrass, juniper, wintergreen, and
of their effect will also decide which role cinnamon are also processed into essential
aromatherapy or fragrance-supported ther- oils.
apy will play in psychotherapeutic practice Actually, one should still go into a
(Zimmermann 2017). neighboring area of the perfume indus-
In the past, it was small companies that try, the application area oral and dental
supplied the essential oils. This has long care and thus on aromas such as mint fla-
since changed. Industrial giants like Cargill vors, as they are used there. Because most
(USA), DSM (Holland), doTERRA (USA) flavorings or food flavor and additive fla-
and Young Living Essential Oils (USA) vors are also smelled. But that would go be-
now dominate the market. yond the scope of this book. Just so much:
Even large fragrance suppliers like The turnover of fragrances and flavorings
Givaudan (Switzerland) or Mane SA is almost equally strong with only a slight
(France) are already playing a significant product dominance of food flavors and ad-
role in this market and have their own plan- ditives over fragrances. Worldwide, the to-
tations, for example for lavender. With the tal market grows on average (2017 to 2020)
increasing market importance of aroma- by about 5% (to reach USD 37.3 billion by
therapy, the “Big 4” of fragrance suppliers 2026), that of essential oils by about 8%.
like Givaudan, but also IFF (the American Surprisingly, the growth in fragrances
company has merged with the food divi- and flavors is almost five times greater than
sion of US giant DuPont in 2019), Firmen- the annual increase in the world popula-
ich (Switzerland) and Symrise (Germany) tion. Scents like flavors arouse enormous
will have a say in this application area of desire and apparently have something of a
perfumery and take appropriate influence drug. This means for the individual: Scent
on trends. Firmenich and Givaudan are al- and aroma are becoming increasingly im-
ready among the top 5 manufacturers of es- portant.
sential oils. Here are a few examples that
are not only used in aromatherapy, but also
in fine perfumery, functional perfumery 6.4 On the Situation of the
(cleaning and laundry products) as well as Perfume Specialty Trade
in food and beverage production:
5 Orange oil Actually, one would have to assume that all
5 Lemon oil sales channels of perfumes to end consum-
5 Lime oil ers would benefit from the positive develop-
5 Peppermint oil ment of the large perfume suppliers. Let’s
5 Eucalyptus oil take a closer look at this for Germany here,
5 Jasmine oil even though I will go into it in more detail
5 Sage oil in 7 Sect. 13.1.
5 Tea tree oil Perfume premium brands such as Dior
5 Rosemary oil are mainly offered in the perfume specialty
5 Lavender oil trade, for example at Douglas. This also ap-
5 Rose oil plies to cosmetics such as care and make-up.
Within the large main sales channels for
But anise, basil, bergamot, ginger, mint, such products at end consumer prices, the
pine, cardamom, cypress, chamomile, mar- perfume specialty trade (Parfümerie-Fach-
 152 Chapter 6 · Insider Knowledge Perfume Industry and Trade

handel) in Germany had a market share of The customers are advised there, sniff the
around 19% in 2022. The Beauty Alliance new perfumes, but then buy online—often
Group, an association of independent per- even 30% cheaper. The same is true of the
fume retailers with over 1100 sales outlets, price-competitive make-up market, which
is the market leader in Germany and one the stationary perfume shops have to share
of the largest providers. Drugstores such as with newly created make-up-only chains
market leader dm or Rossmann recorded a such as Inglot, Kiko or Mac Cosmetics. In
market share of around 51% in the field of addition, there are the other distribution
beauty care products (statista 2022). They channels already mentioned.
have mainly specialized in the middle price Smaller stationary perfume shops are
segment in the lifestyle and celebrity per- only visited by 20 customers a day. If
fume market. Here, small Eau-de-Parfum the average selling price for a perfume or
sizes from 10 to 40 ml are in the foreground. beauty product is 70 euros, the business
6 Consumer markets (Verbrauchermärkte) costs can no longer be covered. Even the
without elaborate store design and product typical perfume shop customers are not
presentation as well as with only minimal getting any younger. The classic perfume
advice have a market share of around 7%. shop customer is over 45 years old, female
Discount stores with their relatively narrow and belongs to the upper middle class.
and flat range of goods have a market share The situation is similar in other Central
of around 8%, E-Commerce (typically with- European countries. Here too, it is the cus-
out brick and mortar retail—at least one tomer in the “45+” age group who wants to
physical location that customers can visit) invest in her own well-being. This benefits
with 6% and pharmacies with a market not only exclusive care brands, but also the
share of around 4%, which are increasingly fragrance market.
discovering aromatherapy brands and med- In France, around 7 million liters of fine
ical skin care for themselves. Department fragrances are sold every year. Alone a third
stores with around 5% and the food retail of this is consumed by the target group “45+”.
trade with only around 1%. Among the classics of noble fragrances, their
In the past 10 to 15 years, the perfume share is even much higher. Some of the top
trade in Germany has changed more than 10 prestige brands sell more than 65% of
many people would like. Many smaller, their fragrances to this age group—and this is
family-run perfume shops have disappeared true for both women and men. Statistics also
or been taken over by large perfume chains. show that this group perfumes more often,
The fear of the future is spreading. The even several times a day. Actually, this should
drugstore around the corner has long since be a reason for joy for stationary perfume re-
overtaken many perfume shops in terms of tailing. Because with an ever-aging popula-
range and is getting closer and closer to the tion, the proportion of people over 45 also in-
classic perfume range. creases. The question is only whether station-
But the fear has other reasons as well. ary perfume retailing will succeed in winning
Competence in skin care has shifted more the daughters of these women for their place
and more from perfume specialty stores to of sale. I will come back to this later.
dermatologists and plastic surgeons, phar-
macies, drugstore chains, and health food
stores, or has to be shared with them. Com- 6.5 You as a Perfumer
petence in fragrance went to niche per-
fume shops, perfume chains and above all If you were working as a perfumer, would you
to Internet providers. The latter pose a spe- rather work in the so-called.Fine fragranceor
cial problem for stationary perfume shops. in functional fragrance oraromatherapy?
6.5 · You as a Perfumer
153 6
If it’s purely about revenue, functional which the most expensive perfume oils are
fragrance offers the greatest income. If per- used and sold. Functional fragrance, on the
sonal image and name recognition as well other hand, calculates with fragrance oil
as the prestige of the company are impor- prices that are sometimes below EUR 10
tant to you, your choice is likely to be the per kilo. But quantity is what counts.
fine fragrance. But if you value independ- Let’s take another quick look at
ence, I have a completely different idea for L’Oréal, the world’s leading beauty care
you further down. manufacturer and provider. With fine fra-
There are companies where a per- grance brands such as YSL, Giorgio Arm-
fumer can work both in fine fragrance and ani and functional perfumed products such
in functional fragrance. This is the case as hair care, the group has a net worth of
with an in-house perfumer of the company well over 240 billion US dollars (2023).
L’Oréal in the north of Paris. Here, within The group is still partly owned by the Bet-
fine fragrance, we are talking about brands tencourt-Meyers family. Françoise Betten-
such as Lancôme and within functional court-Meyers is the world’s richest woman
fragrance, for example, the fragrance of with a net worth of about 81 billion dollars
hair care products. Almost all beauty care (2023)
products are perfumed. According to IKW Another possibility is to work as an in-
2022, consumers in Germany alone spend dependent perfumer. The classic heart of
just over EUR 14.3 billion on this annually French perfumery is still the small town of
7 IKW. In the USA it is over 90 billion dol- Grasse with its region. More than 60 per-
lars (statista 2022)—and rising (after the fume companies and about 120 profession-
Corona crisis). In Germany, skin, facial, ally trained perfumers are based here, but I
and hair care products are at the top of am not aware of a single unemployed per-
the beauty care market. In 2022, consum- fumer.
ers spent EUR 6.4 billion on this. In pro- An alternative to Grasse is the US state
portion to the market importance of these of Florida with numerous small fragrance
segments, the large fragrance suppliers have companies that have partly specialized in
their own departments in which perfum- the functional perfuming of other prod-
ers work on the fragrance of correspond- uct categories and also supply to South
ing products. For decorative cosmetics, i.e. America and the Caribbean. Perfumers
make-up, German consumers spent EUR who work from Florida for different mar-
1.7 billion in 2022. The fragrance, for exam- kets must have a great deal of knowledge
ple in lipsticks, plays a big role here too. and empathy for different ethnic groups
In relation to this, the market share and market mentalities with their “likes”
of women’s and men’s fragrances is rela- and “dislikes”. This gives the opportunity
tively small in Germany. In 2022 it was just to first internationalize gradually starting
about EUR 1.7 billion, which is only just from the local market.
over 10%, with two thirds going to wom- For example, there are companies in the
en’s fragrances. In France, the share of Miami area that have specialized in the fa-
women’s and men’s fragrances in the total vorite fragrance memories of exiled Cu-
beauty care market is around 20%. How- bans. In 1993, especially many Cubans
ever, no further increase in the share of fine came to Florida—although not always en-
fragrance is to be expected in the next few tirely voluntarily. As a result, the nose was
years. It is the functional fragrance that also afflicted with homesickness, and one
works for the largest segments of beauty longed for scents from one’s own child-
care. Of course it is the fine fragrance in hood. “Royal Violets” is such a fragrance
 154 Chapter 6 · Insider Knowledge Perfume Industry and Trade

that has existed in Cuba since 1927. Reyes, ter. In Victorian etiquette books, “Flor-
Augustin, great-grandson of the then per- ida Water” was recommended as a support
fumer, has given this creation back to the for chastity, while at the same time warn-
exiled Cubans. “Royal Violets” has a spe- ing against the dubious effects of heavy
cial secret: it is almost a spiritual baby fra- perfumes. In the end, it developed into a
grance, with which even the laundry of the pleasantly protective mother-child scent.
little ones is perfumed. In the tropical cli- The attractive, slightly sweet smell of or-
mate it is also said to keep vermin and mis- anges, for example, combined with a shot
fortune at bay. of lavender—two fragrance notes that are
Often underestimated, but a very great known from aromatherapy—was help-
opportunity for perfumers is the scent- ful. The effect was supported by the trans-
ing of household products. These include, parent bottle, which resembled a vial more
as mentioned above, first and foremost than a perfume container and through
6 washing, cleaning and dishwashing deter- which the delicate aqua-green colored scent
gents, but also room scents, fabric soften- shimmered.
ers, and even car and leather care prod- Household care products with a spiritual
ucts. In Europe there are over 36 billion connotation, aromatherapeutic additional
washing machine loads annually, which benefits and retro scents, supplemented by
corresponds to 1130 washes per sec- the telling of stories, can therefore be mar-
ond. In Germany alone, consumers spent keted in a modern and exciting way. Why
around 5.1 billion euros on household do I mention this example? Often trends in
care products in 2022. If you add beauty fine perfumery come from functional per-
care, this market even achieved a turnover fumery, but also from other areas such as
of over 19.5 billion euros. the flavor industry. Because perfumery loves
Let’s take a look at what options a per- trends and needs them like fashion. That’s
fumer would have if, for example, they why there are always more than one trend in
wanted to enter this market in Florida. It perfumery, and they also like to revive past
should be noted that organic and vegan trends. In addition, there are anti-trends
products are on the rise worldwide. A per- that also have their target groups. Perfum-
fumer could therefore create scents for an ery is also never boring because, almost nat-
organic detergent or, as a friend of mine urally, new trends and fragrance preferences
who is a perfumer did, for vegan floor arise with the new seasons. In the next sec-
cleaners. They could smell like “ Florida tion I will go into more detail on the topic
Water ”, an eau de cologne created in 1808 of “Trends in Perfumery”.
by Robert I. Murray, which is shrouded in However, one thing is certain: insiders of
countless myths. For example, it is said that the fragrance industry are smiling. Perfum-
the scent goes back to a legendary fountain ery has always been very creative, sometimes
of youth in Florida. There would therefore even a little cheeky. So she crowns as a trend
be a lot of material for a so-called and par- also well-known, which she brings back into
ticularly popular storytelling. It has been the spotlight as new. This only works be-
recognized that in our age of digital mar- cause in perfumery you have a short mem-
keting, products with emotional, fascinat- ory (or want to have one) and quickly for-
ing stories can be marketed and sold par- gives pseudo-innovations and trends that
ticularly well. “Florida Water” is a good were not. However, there are also perma-
example of this, because it also offers var- nent trends or, better said, permanent retro
ious additional benefits. The miracle stories trends such as “Royal Violets”. Perfumes
that have been associated with the scent for of this trend remind of or refer to nostalgic
years have almost equated it with holy wa- fragrance formulations or aromas that are
References
155 6
presented anew for each generation. Violet 5 the market dominance of the large
notes are a wonderful example. perfume manufacturers and their con-
Even if you, as mentioned at the begin- sequences,
ning, do not intend to become a perfumer 5 how a new perfume is calculated in in-
or bring your own perfume to market—the dustry and trade,
current insider information from the per- 5 the areas of perfumery: fine perfum-
fume industry and trade is still highly inter- ery, functional perfumery, and aroma-
esting, right? But if you do intend to, then therapy,
7 Chap. 7 is exactly what you need, be- 5 the situation of the perfume specialist
cause here you will learn “step by step” how trade and
it works modern, i.e. digitally. In addition, 5 you as a perfumer and the potential
there are plenty of tips from practice and opportunities in this profession.
perfume history on how to market yourself
and your perfume wisely.
References
Summary
Candy B et al (2019) The effectiveness of aromather-
Even if one does not have the intention apy, massage and reflexology in people with palli-
of becoming a perfumer or working in ative care needs: a systematic review. Palliat Med
the fascinating but also very strategically 4(2):179–194
Haller H et al (2019) Complementary therapies for
oriented perfume industry and, for ex-
clinical depression: an overview of systematic re-
ample, successfully launching one’s own views. BMJ Open 9(8):1
perfume on the market, this chapter has Pearson ACS et al (2019) Perspectives on the use of
shared a lot of current insider informa- aromatherapy from clinicians attending an in-
tion from the perfume industry and trade tegrative medicine continuing education event.
BMC Complement Altern Med 19:174
with the reader, which should be quite
Son HK et al (2019) Effects of aromatherapy com-
exciting for everyone who uses perfumes. bined with music therapy on anxiety, stress, and
In particular, how calculations and mar- fundamental nursing skills in nursing students:
gins are made in the industry and trade a randomized controlled trial. Int J Environ Res
and what one needs to be prepared for in Public Health 16(21):4185
Zimmermann E (2017) Aromapflege für Sie: Mit
negotiations with industry and trade is a
ätherischen Ölen begleiten, trösten und stärken.
well-kept secret. Specifically, this chapter Thieme, Trias
dealt with five major topic areas:
 157 7

Scent Online: Storytelling

and Digital Marketing
of Perfumes
Inspiration from the History of Perfumery for Fragrance
Promotion and Modern Infuencer Marketing

Contents

7.1 Retro-Fragrance Trends: Why Violets are Immortal – 158

7.2 Beginning of the Perfume Industry: Scent With

Additional Benefits – 160

7.3 The First Fragrance Revolution: How Discoveries

Changed the Perfume Industry – 166

7.4 Digital Perfume Marketing: Tips From the Most

Successful Influencers – 167

References – 173

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023
J. Mensing, Beautiful SCENT,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67259-4_7
 158 Chapter 7 · Scent Online: Storytelling and Digital Marketing of Perfumes

7.1 Retro-Fragrance Trends: Why

Violets are Immortal
Perfumes and perfumery live from storytell-
ing. In fact, they are, as said, emotional sto-
ries that are particularly inspiring. Ideal for
storytelling and thus for perfume influencer
marketing are ingredients of perfumes such
as their trends, if they are communicated
emotionally. The story of the introverted,
innocent and shy-looking violet is a good
example for this.
Plants seem more sympathetic to us
when we anthropomorphize them, that is,
attribute our feelings to them. The Swiss
7 developmental psychologist Jean Pia-
get (1896–1980) referred to this as “ani-
mism”. Young children often still believe
until the age of seven that things like plants
feel just like they do themselves. This per-
spective often evokes sympathy and smiles
in adults. So when we talk about the intro-
verted violet, we are assuming with a wink
that this plant experiences human emo-
tions and in this case even a personality
The history of perfumery already knows the trait. This makes it possible to establish a
influencer marketing and good storytelling. personal connection more quickly, and the
In general, one can learn a lot from the his- plant is seen more emotionally. By the way:
tory of perfumery. So it was not enough for The distinction between extroverted and in-
the fragrance users of old days just to smell troverted people goes back to Carl Gustav
good and thus did not guarantee the suc- Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist. Introverted peo-
cess of perfumes. They expected more from ple tend to focus more on a often rich inner
their fragrance—at least one additional ben- life. They appear calm and reserved. They
efit. But it is also true that some perfumes, also prefer to spend their time alone in quiet
which were apparently created with quite environments. Extroverted people, on the
normal and often inconspicuous plant fra- other hand, are more outwardly oriented
grances, triggered great trends and brought and usually do well in an active social envi-
their perfumers plenty of commercial suc- ronment.
cess and luck. How was that possible? This When the rich inner life of introverts is
chapter wants to show you that perfume top- still combined with “shy” and “innocent”,
ics of long past days not only address histo- as in our example with the violet, the com-
ry-interested fragrance lovers, they also give bination triggers additional associations of
suggestions for the digital marketing of per- need for protection, which is often still as-
fumes today. sociated with involuntary isolated, lonely
7.1 · Retro-Fragrance Trends: Why Violets are Immortal
159 7
and needy. Vulnerable plants are the ideal set. The Greek doctor and father of medi-
emotional template for storytelling. The vi- cine Hippocrates (460 BC to 370 BC) used
olet also surprises with various health-pro- violets to treat headaches and visual impair-
moting effects, which also makes it the si- ments. In addition, the sight of the first vi-
lent trend plant of the perfume industry. olet in spring was a sign of good luck. In
Already in antiquity, wine was aroma- honor of him, ancient Greeks and Romans
tized with violet root. As a flower, the vio- celebrated wild parties. In pre-Christian
let was used very early on for various occa- times, the violet flower was associated with
sions as decoration in the form of garlands, the awakening of nature and thus with fer-
wreaths or bouquets. Mostly female experi- tility and femininity. Perhaps that is why the
ence or the protection of women and fem- violet became the symbol of the city of Ath-
ininity was in the foreground. Already in ens. A thousand years later, Hildegard von
Greek mythology one meets the violet. Zeus, Bingen (1098–1179) also recommends the
who was very inventive in his side steps, violet against visual impairments and cloud-
turned the beautiful nymph Io into a cow iness of the eyes. Another thousand years
and laid her on a fragrant violet meadow. later, the plant received its last accolade: in
He turned another beauty, the daughter of 2007 it was named medicinal plant of the
the god Atlas, into a violet to hide her from year.
the sun god Helios. Since then she has lived Violets also achieved great things in the
protected from his rays in the thicket of the perfume industry. One could write an en-
forest. Also in poetry, the modest violet, of- tire book about it, but I will limit myself
ten as a symbol of young love and feminin- to a few examples: In 1709, “Farina”, an
ity, was quoted and sung countless times, for eau de cologne for women and men, came
example in the poem written in 1774 by Jo- on the market. The scent, which apparently
hann Wolfgang von Goethe: came from Italy, more precisely from Ven-
ice to Cologne, is said to have also inspired
Goethe. This was already a very modern vi-
The Violet olet scent, as the plant was combined with
A violet on the meadow stood, bent in others. “The first hint of refreshing berga-
itself and unknown; it was a lovely vio- mot is accompanied by a delicate jasmine
let. (Ein Veilchen auf der Wiese stand, and violet scent, rounded off by warm san-
gebückt in sich und unbekannt; es war dalwood and frankincense,” was the scent
ein herzigs Veilchen). description of “Farina”. As a result, a ver-
itable violet trend broke out. The main ben-
eficiaries were soap and candle makers, the
Botany lists over 500 species of violets, the predecessors of perfumers and perfumer-
most important with flowers of roman- ies. So Germany’s probably oldest perfume
tic-nostalgic, slightly bluish to intense pur- shop, Boos in Andernach, was founded
ple. From the history of colors one knows more than 300 years ago from a candle fac-
that these were originally both masculine tory and soap factory. The legendary vio-
and feminine colors, which were later in- let soap, which was developed into an in-
creasingly associated with femininity. dependent violet perfume, was already fa-
As a flower, the violet is only surpassed mous at the beginning of the company. The
in popularity by the Rose. The most fra- famous American writer Charles Bukowski
grant is the March violet, which after long (1920–1994), born in Andernach, and his
winter days olfactorily prepares the soul for mother were among the lovers of this scent.
spring. The plant is also said to be good for Another great violet trend goes back to
the eyes, against bronchitis and stomach up- the scent “Violetta di Parma”. Violets were
 160 Chapter 7 · Scent Online: Storytelling and Digital Marketing of Perfumes

interpreted here—as was en vogue in the 19th eas of its history and see if we can gain in-
century—still tender and lovely. The perfume sights from the early days of perfume cre-
by Borsari is said to have been on the mar- ation for today’s marketing of perfumes.
ket around 1870. The rediscovered fragrance At least I want to inspire you with stories
formula is still considered a classic among from the beginnings of creating beautiful
violet scents today. That one can create scents for your own storytelling. The amaz-
great perfumes with violets not only for our ing thing is, to say it right at this point: In its
great-grandmothers, but also for today’s time, early days, perfume was important for beau-
showed Guerlain. In 1906, “Après L’Ondée”, tiful smelling, but something else even more.
an eau de toilette for women, came on Certainly much from the beginnings of
the market. It interprets violets lightly flo- the perfume industry is in the dark, but ar-
ral-powdery and gives the scent impression chaeology has become increasingly inter-
“After the rain shower” again, as the name of ested in the topics of smell, scent and per-
the perfume says. “Après L’Ondée” inspired fume in recent years and has collected some
other perfumers to dedicate themselves to the interesting findings that I would like to
7 topic “violet”. This is how the above-men- present here.
tioned scent “Royal Violets” came about. First of all: Whenever the perfumery
Are violets immortal? Yes, absolutely! Now started, it was probably interested in more
the scent of this plant is even being rediscov- than just an olfactory pleasure. In its early
ered by men. “A Kiss from Violet” is one of days, it was rather a form of functional
the latest examples. Gucci brought the per- perfumery, in which the beginnings of fine
fume to the market for women and men in perfumery were integrated. Thanks to ar-
2019. It was created by none other than Al- chaeology, we are finding more and more
berto Morillas, who had already hit the pulse evidence that early perfumery already dis-
of the times with “Acqua di Giò” by Arm- covered multiple uses of fragrances for dif-
ani. Another example is Hermessence Violette ferent needs of people and that this aspect
Volynka by Hermès a fragrance for women was probably the most important for them
and men. It was launched in 2022. The nose in perfumes. This means that in early times
behind this fragrance is Christine Nagel. Vio- as well as in antiquity, fragrances such as
lets are, next to roses, the most celebrated retro incense were probably never just limited to,
scent or retro scent trend in the perfume indus- for example, fumigations for the worship of
try. Because the seemingly innocent, cute violet the gods. People had quite different uses for
always attracts the very big perfumers again. their favorite fragrances—for example, as
Goethe’s poem describes a violet that wishes to aromatic substances with which they per-
be picked. A somewhat masochistic wish, one fumed dishes and drinks or different pri-
could think. But apparently the violet feels this vate and public spaces, but especially med-
way above all with perfumers. There it has the ical and hygienic applications. Incense is a
chance to become the trendiest plant again. good example of this. Even the Roman up-
per class used the expensive incense with its
anti-inflammatory effect for dental care. It
7.2 Beginning of the Perfume was chewed and was probably the first lux-
Industry: Scent With urious chewing gum that was then swal-
lowed because it also had an anti-inflam-
Additional Benefits
matory and infection-reducing effect in the
The history of the perfume industry is a stomach area.
goldmine for modern storytelling. Let’s Of course, people have always loved
therefore take a closer look at individual ar- good smells, but we can assume that the
7.2 · Beginning of the Perfume Industry: Scent With Additional …
161 7
first perfumers let their perfumes prom- the German Archaeological Institute in
ise additional effects that, as I said, also Tayma, an oasis inhabited as early as 3000
lay in the medical and hygienic application BC at the old frankincense route in today’s
area. Perfumes like “Opium” or “Shalimar” Saudi Arabia, provide interesting clues. Ap-
of our days, which aim at pure olfactory parently, different areas such as temples,
pleasure, would have been possible as per- houses, public buildings, and graves were
fumes in the old days, but they would have perfumed differently—in the spirit of mod-
only been sold well over a promised addi- ern room fragrance. Frankincense or frank-
tional benefit such as against rheumatism incense was probably used more for the fra-
and gout. Of course, perfumes, as I will dis- grance of luxurious living rooms and tem-
cuss in 7 Chap. 15, were a prestigious com- ples. Myrrh was probably the smell of
modity, the enjoyment of which was mostly public buildings and facilities. More and
reserved for a selected circle of people who more clues are emerging from archaeol-
lived mainly in and around a palace or tem- ogy about how fragrances were used and
ple. Perfume or wearing such as well as fu- what importance they had not only in an-
migations were olfactory expression of cient civilizations. For example, Dora Gold-
power, divinity, wealth and luxury and smith, an Egyptologist at the Free Univer-
therefore offered next to the pure olfactory sity of Berlin, and her colleague, Robyn
pleasure already a social, but also a medical Price from the University of California, as-
and hygienic multiple benefit. sume that the sense of smell was deliber-
In fact, functional perfumery is still of- ately addressed not only to distinguish the
ten a real masterpiece today. An exam- king or queen from the rest of society and
ple would be a current hair perfume for to emphasize their special position, but that
women, which combines different require- specific areas and facilities such as the royal
ments: a currently trendy fragrance direc- court were also given a specific aura by fra-
tion in a light concentration from the envi- grance, even if not everyone in society had
ronment of elegant ladies’ notes, a natural access to all fragrances such as the pre-
protection against UV rays as well as a hair cious-divine frankincense.
and scalp repair complex. The latter two So viewed, perfume was deliberately
functions should also be associated with used functional perfume from the begin-
the smell—all alcohol-free. Here, functional ning. It probably started with the first ap-
perfumery becomes an art because it is sup- proaches in the Stone Age from the knowl-
posed to express olfactory different types of edge of plants. As already mentioned, in
multiple benefits. South Africa 77,000 year old beds made
As already mentioned, since the begin- of plants were found, on which aromatic
ning of perfumery, a multiple or additional leaves were strewn. On closer inspection,
benefit has been expected from a fragrance. it turned out that these leaves were very
So pure olfactory enjoyment, as we know rich in insecticidal chemicals, i.e. poison-
it today, was not the only goal of the first ous to insects and their larvae. For these
noses. Because fine and functional perfum- beds, reed and leaves of the quince were
ery as well as aromatherapy were still one used as basic materials. The latter belongs
back then. So it was quite understandable to the family of the laurels, with which one
that fragrance creations had a broad-spec- tried in the Middle Ages due to their wide
trum effect for as many areas of applica- range of medical applications to fight the
tion as possible, even if specific fragrance plague. The beds were apparently main-
notes were often used for specific places tained and renewed regularly, i.e. old beds
and occasions. Excavations by a team from were burned. Perfumery thus probably also
 162 Chapter 7 · Scent Online: Storytelling and Digital Marketing of Perfumes

started as a form of self-help to make liv- special fascination. Since these were some-
ing conditions more bearable, especially times difficult and expensive to obtain,
with regard to small pests such as fleas and only a small part of the population such as
lice. With the first approaches to functional kings, pharaohs, high-ranking officials, and
perfumery, one probably wanted to relieve priests could afford them.
more or less intense and widespread itch- An example of this is the costly tradi-
ing, avoid scratching and skin rashes, and tional evening fumigation in ancient Egypt,
support the immune system. called Kyphi. With this, the gods were hon-
ored with an offering incense consisting of
z A first renaissance in art in pre-Christian 10 to 30 fragrant ingredients, which already
times—triggered by perfume? comes very close to a modern perfume for-
Hieroglyphs in Egyptian tombs and finds mulation. Frankincense is an air-dried resin
testify that Egyptians, but also Mesopo- from the tree of the same name and was
tamians and Indians, began to create per- difficult to obtain even for Egyptian aristo-
fumes on a larger scale between 6000 and crats. The ancient Egyptians loved the resin
7 3000 BC. One reason for this may have beads of frankincense so much that they
been the growing population in the cities. called them the “sweat of the gods”.
As mentioned above, archaeologists have Incense not only smelled good, they
discovered first settlements that date back were also used by the residents of Mesopo-
to 10,000 BC. Living together in close quar- tamia, especially near the river, as cleans-
ters, medical-hygienic reasons, the forma- ing, preservative, and health remedies. This
tion of a self-contained and pleasure-seek- way, insects such as mosquitoes, wasps,
ing affluent ruling class as well as con- flies, and moths could be repelled. In ad-
stantly growing knowledge through trade dition, incense was supposed to support
relations favored this development. As early health, for example as dental care, and
as 3000 BC, there was a lively trade, above help against inflammatory conditions of all
all, between Mesopotamia and Egypt. The kinds and infections. It was not only val-
land of two rivers had a great influence on ued by the ancient Egyptians, but equally
Egyptian culture and certainly also on their by traditional Indian, Persian, and Chinese
taste for scent. medicine. So the offering to the gods served
So far it has been assumed that the first an additional purpose. Probably the use of
perfumers were priests who used aromatic certain fragrances in holy rituals goes back
woods and especially resins for divine of- to personally experienced fragrance enjoy-
ferings or for fumigation or smoking dur- ment, but certainly to already known effects
ing holy rituals. However, it is now more and benefits. The same applies to care prod-
likely that women drove the perfume in- ucts of the time, which, from today’s point
dustry. These were often housewives who of view, creatively combined fragrance and
both gustatorically and olfactorily enriched care in ointments and oils.
dishes with aromas and used botany for A special lover of fine fragrances and
medical treatment. In addition, aromatic care was the Egyptian Pharaoh Hatshepsut
substances from the environment were al- (around 1495–1459 BC), one of the most
ready used early on for smoke, rubs, oils, powerful women in world history. So af-
and ointments to protect against mosqui- ter about 3500 years, a bottle that once be-
toes and other pests such as fleas and lice. longed to her and was closed with a small
In this context, spices and fragrances that lump of clay was found with remnants of a
came through expeditions and trade into dried liquid. At first it was assumed that it
their own region and smelled and worked was a perfume with a larger proportion of
even better than the local aromas exerted a incense, the favorite fragrance of the ruler.
7.2 · Beginning of the Perfume Industry: Scent With Additional …
163 7
But it was a care product against skin dis- metic containers in China in the foreseeable
eases with fragrant palm oil, nutmeg oil, future, which could give the history of per-
and tar as essential ingredients. However, fume an interesting twist.
one should have foregone tar. Because it In contrast to clay, glass was discov-
contains benzopyrene, a highly carcino- ered much later. The first glass beads found
genic substance. When the mummy of the in Egypt and the eastern part of Mesopo-
Pharaoh was discovered in 1903, it was tamia are therefore assigned to the time
found that she had suffered from cancer— around 3500 BC. Around 3000 BC, a glassy
probably a side effect of her care product. layer was developed in Central Mesopo-
The Egyptians, also made possible by tamia for pots, vases and other containers.
expeditions commissioned by Pharaoh Sa- The first glass bottles appeared in Egypt
hure (around 2500 BC), imported incense around 1500 BC, which were possibly al-
as early as the 3rd millennium BC. like ready used as flacons. The International
other treasures for example from the Gold- Perfume Museum also assumes that around
land Punt, which is probably located near 4000 BC people began to use mainly resins
the Horn of Africa. This was a fascinat- for ritual incense in smoke barrels or cen-
ing trading place at the often branching in- sers. However, fragrances were always pre-
cense route, one of the oldest trade routes sented—after all, there is a hint of the fa-
in the world. Incense lovers like Hatshep- vorite fragrance notes of the time, which
sut even undertook their own expeditions still play a role in perfume today.
to Punt. By ship and caravan, the Pharaoh Even the first recorded perfumer Tap-
brought back numerous incense trees from puti used resins. She created perfumes in
the journey, which she had planted around Babylon around 1200 BC. Myrrh and cal-
her temple. Heaven and earth should over- amus in combination with resins were her
flow with the fragrance of incense. Being preferred ingredients. Tapputi was a lover,
able to produce one’s own incense was not supervisor, chemist and perfumer of the
only a luxury, but also an expression of di- harem at the royal palace. So she was al-
vinity, which Hatshepsut, like all Pharaohs, ready a modern woman with different
claimed for herself. How well she succeeded tasks and duties back then. Her perfumes
in producing her own incense perfume dur- are said to have been true works of art. Of
ing her 20-year reign is unfortunately not course, the techniques for capturing scents
handed down. The journey of the ruler is were still limited at the time, after all, one
the first evidence in the history of perfum- knew nothing about distillation.
ery of the efforts that fragrance lovers have At the beginning of perfume mak-
to make to achieve their olfactory pleas- ing, scents were probably won in fat or by
ures. means of cold maceration (maceration
As said: The International Perfume Mu- from Latin macerare = soaking) in water,
seum in Cannes dates the birth of perfume but also by hot boiling, certainly at the be-
to 7000 BC based on found containers ginning as essential oils by simply pressing
and names the Middle East as the place of plants for the production of scent. These
birth. But one does not know exactly, since olfactory impressions were very popular,
the containers could also be used for other even if they were far from the fragrance
things. The oldest containers were made of strength and brilliance of today’s perfumes.
clay, with pottery originally coming from In addition, the range of ingredients avail-
China. In the Chinese province of Hunan, able for perfume creation at that time was
a clay vessel was discovered that was fired very limited. Nevertheless, Tapputi—like
18,000 years ago. So it could well be that her present-day colleagues—was always on
one will find the oldest perfume and cos- the lookout for new olfactory impressions
 164 Chapter 7 · Scent Online: Storytelling and Digital Marketing of Perfumes

or fragrance creations for different target Maybe we humans were able to recog-
groups and their needs. nize, express, and experience individual-
According to today’s understanding, ity as art on an olfactory level much ear-
Tapputi was already a master in the field lier than in painting. At least a first un-
of functional perfumery. Her perfumes had derstanding of collective and personal
to smell good, but also work. Probably she individuality exists. You wanted to create
can even be called the first fine perfumer. something noble, valuable, and fragrant for
After all, she had an excellent nose and the group, but also for very specific people,
great imagination when it came to combin- in order to express their aura. But, as men-
ing fragrance ingredients for her creations. tioned above, one had to satisfy primary
She probably gave her clientele an extraor- expectations of health and hygiene above
dinary olfactory pleasure for the time be- all by means of perfumes. These functions
ing, otherwise she would not have been were in the foreground during the crea-
handed down to us as a perfumer. She must tion. Nevertheless, when creating the fra-
also have had the necessary strategic and grance, special account was taken of the
7 reflexive thinking as well as enough empa- king or the higher-ups as individuals in or-
thy to be able to serve different individuals der to set them apart from others. Probably
with their experience, desires, and needs. there were already fragrances that were cre-
This raises an exciting question of art ated specifically with a view to identity, that
history. In this way, a certain level of ar- is to say the uniqueness of a being. At least
tistic achievement is also explained by the one can assume that the perfumes created
change in consciousness towards one’s own for them had something special and were
individuality. This can also be transferred an expression of their person and position.
to fine perfumery. Perhaps the discovery of My thesis is therefore: The Renaissance
“individuality”, which is often associated in art, especially in painting from the 14th
with the Renaissance in art history, took century onwards, had its precursor in the
place in perfumery history as early as 1200 art of olfaction. Even contemporaries knew
BC. After all, the creation of a successful this. So, for example, Crusaders from the
perfume requires the corresponding level Second Crusade (1147–1149) brought per-
of reflection, self-confidence, knowledge, fumes, perfume ingredients, and creation
and interest in experimentation. Certainly, techniques from Arabia to Europe, which
with the change in consciousness in the Re- were far superior to those used in Europe at
naissance, a certain degree of separation of the time and inspired them from the ground
man from the absolute claim of God was up.
also associated. Nevertheless, if one were to The use of myrrh—not only one of Tap-
set aside divine separation, as it could cer- puti’s favorite ingredients—reveals the se-
tainly not be thought of around 1200 BC, cret and essence of the perfume of that
one would have to postulate: The hour of time and why it became so attractive as it
birth of perfumery, especially of fine per- is today. Traditionally, myrrh was also used
fumery, is at least since Tapputi also the as an aphrodisiac. Women and men wore it
hour of birth of the development of con- as perfume, and beds were sprinkled with it
sciousness for one’s own and other people’s before sexual intercourse. At the same time,
individuality and their representation. And myrrh offered another benefit: it disinfects
that would mean that there was already a the skin and prevents inflammation. cal-
certain form of Renaissance in art through amus brings another twist to the perfume.
perfumery in pre-Christian times. It has a wonderfully refreshing, soft, spicy
7.2 · Beginning of the Perfume Industry: Scent With Additional …
165 7
note. But Tapputi also appreciated it for in ancient times, perfume was an offer of
another reason: its root extract was popu- transformation. Psychologically speaking,
lar for its mood-enhancing effect, which in one tried to get closer to one’s ideal self,
slightly higher doses even caused hallucina- one’s ideal experience, or the desired expe-
tions. So perfumes were already the most rience with the perfume, i.e. how one would
beautiful of all drugs back then. And they like to feel now, or to contact the divine or
combined multiple effects: they smelled a higher self. And this must have succeeded
good, served to increase sensual pleasure, subjectively quite often.
were disinfectants, offered mood enhance- Thus, perfume has always had a psy-
ment, and sensory intoxication and were chotherapeutic function. Because psychol-
used as tribute to the gods because of their ogy knows: People are happier the closer
value, often in a state of intoxication. This they experience the distance to their ideal
made them valuable gifts for everyone who self or between how they feel at the mo-
was important to you and with whom you ment and how they would like to feel. With
wanted to share the experience. a greater perceived distance, people feel
Perfume creations in the New World more stressed and less happy. That explains
also had these reasons and also offered ad- why I became a clinical psychologist and
ditional benefits. For example, the Indi- fragrance psychologist. It has always been
ans healed with plant decoctions. Freshly the aim of the perfume industry that peo-
crushed leaves served as wound dressings. ple feel better and more beautiful through
Tobacco juice helped against ticks and was fragrance.
also used to disinfect wounds. Various aro- Myrrh and Calamus have retained their
mas not only served medical healing, they attractiveness up to modern times. Cala-
were also used as an aphrodisiac. mus can be found, for example, in the uni-
Fragrant creams made of beeswax were sex fragrances “Extrait d’Atelier Maître
used as ointment for burns and insect bites. Chausseur” and “Comme des Garçons Se-
Sweet Leaf, an Aztec sweet herb, served to ries 1 Leaves: Calamus”, myrrh in the uni-
increase sensual pleasure with its very sweet sex perfumes “La Myrrhe” by Serge Lutens
and slightly musky aroma and was at the and “Myrrhe Ardente” by Annick Goutal,
same time the preferred universal remedy which can still be found in the market here
of many Indian tribes in Central America. and there. All myrrh lovers can consider
The indigenous people of America also themselves lucky when they hold “Etro”
practiced smoke-supported, aromathera- “Messe de Minuit” in their hands. In the
peutic applications with smoke bowl bless- base note, myrrh, but also Frankincense
ing rituals. The goal was not only regen- and honey, the oldest perfume ingredients
eration, but also the cleansing of nega- in the world, dominate.
tive energy—both emotional and mental The art of perfume in Grasse has been
and physical. For this purpose, a bundle of rightly declared a UNESCO World Her-
special dried herbs, including sage, was set itage Site. Even if the preferences for fra-
on fire, so that an aromatic smoke devel- grance have changed over the millennia,
oped, which was blown into the area to be the ingredients have remained largely the
cleansed or to the person concerned. same. That is why the protection of fields
All effects of a perfume, i.e. a fragrance, on which valuable fragrance plants or flow-
are based on the possibility of change, of ers and plants grow is important—even if
transformation. This is the main reason for some of them should not be so en vogue at
the success of the perfume industry. Even the moment.
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7.3 The First Fragrance cinating art, and perfumers became true
Revolution: How Discoveries artists. Because the effect of the fragrance
Changed the Perfume molecules, which evaporate faster, more
brilliantly, and finer through alcohol, was
Industry breathtakingly new for the sense of smell.
Flowers and plants were never smelled so
The perfume industry has so far experi-
pure and pure before—like a mood-en-
enced two revolutions, the third one is just
hancing, olfactory symphony. From now
beginning. In this section I would like to re-
on, perfume creation itself took precedence
port on the first revolution: the discovery of
over all additional benefits.
alcoholic perfume.
Although the alcohol can rise unpleas-
The first creations of perfumery in the
antly in the nose and head too quickly,
world consisted of beautiful smelling, but
nothing else lets a flower smell so much.
rather solid and resinous-waxy products. At
The Persian doctor Avicenna (980–1037)
the same time there were already fragrant
is said to have been the first to master the
essential oils, which were pressed from the
7 oil of the plant, the essence. It was not until
distillation of roses. He was thus proba-
bly the first true master of beautiful smell,
much later that it was extracted by distilla-
who could enchant the souls of people with
tion, as is often still done with steam today.
his creations. Surely there were already un-
Although archaeological research dates the
known Maîtres de Parfum before, but the
discovery of distillation to pre-Christian
apparently rediscovered alcoholic perfum-
times, the Andalusian botanist and physi-
ery (the Egyptians already knew it in 400
cian Ibn al-Bayér (1197–1248 AD) is men-
BC) created a new dimension of smell,
tioned in documents as the first in connec-
which was immediately experienced by
tion with this method for the production of
everyone: the most fascinating of all olfac-
essential oils. Surely she was already used
tory pleasures, which one could have cre-
earlier for the distillation of rose petals by
ated as a personal favorite perfume—pro-
a Persian doctor. Meanwhile, the use of es-
vided one could afford it.
sential or essential oils has developed into
It was Italians who experimented with
a common therapeutic practice and pro-
different types of alcohol in the 12th to 14th
duction into an industry. Essential oils are
centuries to create the most beautiful per-
used by both doctors and alternative prac-
fumes. It was quickly recognized that the
titioners to strengthen health (Zimmerman
type of alcohol plays a major role in the fra-
2017). This requires a sound knowledge of
grance experience. In Germany, perfume
application, for example with regard to the
makers had to work with alcohol made
purity of the oils. Improper use can cause
from sugar beets from 1807 onwards, which
damage such as allergic reactions and skin
sometimes stung the nose. Although per-
irritation. In doubt, essential oils should
fume makers here developed various tech-
therefore not be applied undiluted directly
niques to make it softer, noses and perfume
to the skin. I recommend applying them to
lovers still recognized which alcohol was
a scent, i.e. paper strip (coffee filter paper
used for a creation, which is not surprising
also works) before touching the skin.
given the large alcohol content in perfumes.
The first great olfactory revolution in
In addition, the alcohol made from sugar
perfumery took place through the combi-
beets did not evaporate so quickly. The rea-
nation of fragrance oils with alcohol and
son for the triumph of the sugar beet in our
a little water. This was the hour of the dis-
latitudes was Napoleon’s Continental Block-
covery of the perfumes as we know them
ade from 1807 to 1813. It caused a boom in
today. Alcoholic perfumery became a fas-
7.4 · Digital Perfume Marketing: Tips From the Most Successful Influencers
167 7
the sugar beet sugar industry, which after growing perfume industry. For them, the
the lifting of the blockade through the im- best fragrance experience was in the fore-
port of cheaper cane sugar from the colo- ground. They were inspired by perfume cre-
nies first collapsed and then was supported ation techniques and ingredients that the
by the state. This created the world’s first crusaders brought back from Arabia after
sugar beet sugar factory in Silesia. the Second Crusade (1147–1149).
In Germany, agricultural alcohol has In the 14th century, the time finally came.
been produced under state supervision in Thanks to an Italian invention for the pro-
agricultural distilleries for a long time, but duction of perfume, a perfume came onto
initially without the idea of using it in per- the market that dominated the market for
fumes. France, on the other hand, always over 400 years until the loss of its recipe
had the better alcohol for perfumes. It came and is still the longest-selling perfume to-
from cane sugar, wheat, or grapes, or was day: “Aqua Reginae Hungariae”, “Hun-
used in L’Eau de Vie quality from fruit. garian Queen’s water of life” or in German
This alcohol smelled rounder and was more “Ungarisches Wasser”, as it is still called to-
flattering to the nose. day (Strassmann 2012). It was the first per-
Ethanol, that is, alcohol, obtained, for ex- fume to be sold internationally that olfacto-
ample, by distilling grapes, was probably al- rily dominated all royal houses in Europe. It
ready used in Arab perfumery between the had a particularly clear alcoholic solution of
7th and 9th centuries. But in the eyes of 95% alcohol, which was used specifically for
some, alcohol is more of a curse than a bless- the perfume. Today we would say that it was
ing. So there are already very good alco- an eau de cologne or a very light eau de toi-
hol-free perfume carriers, for example from lette. This fit well with the trend of the time
the Swiss biochemistry giant Lonza. How- because it could be given on handkerchiefs
ever, fine noses do not want to do without al- and pocket handkerchiefs and delighted
cohol when perfume, even if it is said to be both sexes with its scent. This creation is due
at risk of olfactory sensitivity or respiratory to the main ingredient rosemary, the plant
reaction. The Swedish scientist Eva Millqvist of eternal fidelity, and was launched by Eliz-
believes that ethanol as a solvent can amplify abeth of Poland, Queen of Hungary (1326–
the respiratory reaction in sensitive people, 1361). Unfortunately, the exact perfume rec-
which can lead to allergic reactions. ipe was lost in the 18th century.
You should therefore always apply per-
fume to a scent strip and always sniff be-
fore you smell more intensely. Smelling also 7.4 Digital Perfume Marketing:
takes some patience and distance from the Tips From the Most Successful
nose. Wait about 30 seconds to a minute be-
Influencers
fore you smell a freshly applied scent on a
scent strip so that the alcohol evaporates a z The first documented perfume influ-
little. Sniff the scent from a distance of 30 encer marketing
centimeters from your nose before you let Elizabeth of Poland is not only the most
it get closer to you. I also recommend that successful perfumer of all time with her
you only smell scents on scent strips during long-lasting perfume, she was also a master
fragrance-supported therapies. of a different kind: she was the first to use
Back to the Italians experimenting with influencer marketing as a conscious sales
alcohol and other solutions. They wanted strategy in the perfume industry.
to find the most suitable perfume carriers French kings were the official opin-
and creation techniques for the constantly ion leaders or influencers of their time. But
 168 Chapter 7 · Scent Online: Storytelling and Digital Marketing of Perfumes

true masters in this field were the ladies at yone coming too close to the king. A mar-
and around the court who knew how to riage opened the way to the monarch: Eliz-
win over the respective king for something. abeth of Poland married her daughter to
Nowadays, almost all trends are launched the brother of Charles V.’s mother, the Ro-
and spread through digital word-of-mouth man-German Emperor Charles IV. Eliza-
or opinion leaders in social media. In the- beth of Pomerania thus came into the vicin-
ory, everyone has the chance to become an ity of Charles V., and the plan worked. The
influencer. Originally, however, this influ- fragrance-loving monarch made the fam-
ence was reserved primarily for successful ily creation “Aqua Reginae Hungariae” the
kings and queens, to which French mon- biggest perfume success in Europe so far
archs in particular belonged. Among them (Schwedt 2008). The scent was developed
was the influential Charles V (1338–1380), a little further from time to time—also by
also called the Wise. He is considered the Charles V. himself. Although the original
first known modern French fragrance lover. formulation was lost, the scent can still be
He also believed all his life that he had dis- bought today in different versions that refer
7 covered a perfume that triggered a meg- to the original perfume, for example from
atrend in the perfume industry. But it was Crabtree & Evelyn, where it is offered as
probably something else: Elizabeth of Po- “Hungary Water Eau de Cologne”.
land did everything she could to make
Charles discover her perfume, and she suc- z Techniques and methods of modern in-
ceeded so well that he believed he had dis- fluencers
covered this scent himself. The history of today’s successful influ-
Elisabeth’s perfume was based on an encers in the perfume and cosmetic indus-
unusually attractive perfume formula- try began with Michelle Phan on Youtube
tion. It not only smelled extraordinarily in May 2007 (Phan 2014). She had applied
good, which is why everyone wanted it an- for a position as an advisor at a Lancôme
yway, but it was also said to have rejuve- counter in Florida and was rejected. After
nating and healing effects on pest and gout that she started to share her love and pas-
by a friendly monk. Nevertheless, the mon- sion for make-up with others on Youtube.
arch was not able to successfully market her As a so-called “beauty vlogger” (combina-
family perfume. Because there was a power- tion of video and blogging) she reached 8
ful competitor: the perfume “Carmelite Wa- million beauty fans in a few years. Michelle
ter” created especially for Charles V., which was sponsored by the French L’Oreal group
attracted all the attention at the French very early on and, like all beauty and fash-
court. Elizabeth of Poland had to develop ion bloggers, presented her latest purchases
a plan to get her perfume into the orbit in so-called hauls, advised her followers and
of the ruler and make him find her scent crowned her personal favorite products.
more suitable and attractive—preferably so This developed into a profession that com-
that he would feel like the discoverer of the bines journalism and marketing.
scent himself. For this purpose, her daugh- A person who is referred to as an in-
ter Elizabeth of Pomerania (1347–1393), fluencer today is someone who, due to
pretty, tall for her time, and well-propor- their trustworthiness, knowledge, and me-
tioned, was to help. She had to get access dia presence, acts as an opinion leader, pri-
to Charles V.’s immediate environment so marily via the Internet or digital marketing,
that he would supposedly randomly smell and thus influences other people’s purchase
the perfume and find it much more suitable decisions. This helps brands, products, and
and attractive. The main obstacle here were services to break through more quickly. In
the ladies at court who were jealous of an- addition, they reach multipliers and achieve
7.4 · Digital Perfume Marketing: Tips From the Most Successful …
169 7
greater willingness to test offers (Backaler ing fantasies. The typical message of the
2018; Prahl 2019). first influencers was accordingly: “Be-
The first generation of perfume influ- come the person you want to be. Life is
encers who made a name for themselves too short to have just one look, experi-
as beauty vloggers, such as Bethany Mota, ment! Find all sides of yourself!” On
Zoe Sugg, and Ingrid Nilson, primarily rec- Thursdays and Fridays, perfume cus-
ommended their favorite make-up products. tomers are much more likely to try new
But they also made discoveries that could fragrances. It is no coincidence that
be applied immediately in perfume advice. many perfume launches take place on
Top beauty vloggers publish an average of Thursdays, the day when new films usu-
two posts per week on Youtube. They rec- ally come to the cinema.
ognized—perhaps initially purely intui-
tively—the DNA of the perfume indus- The first modern influencers made an-
try. Here, in the first instance, it is all about other discovery with their mostly three-min-
the topics of beauty, attractiveness, and in- ute short videos: You can fascinate others
creased well-being. In the second step, they best when you turn the advice upside down,
realized that they had to address their fol- or start from the back to advise custom-
lowers differently depending on the day ers. Starting from the desired use and antic-
of the week, because, for example, the de- ipated experience, the conclusion is drawn
sire for well-being looks different at the be- to the ideal brand or the ideal product. In
ginning of the week than at the weekend. other words, it is advised from the future
In other words, depending on the day of into the present, or, psychologically speak-
the week, you need different things to feel ing, from the ideal self to the current self. In
good, because you expect a different benefit the concrete case, for example, the skin feel-
from beauty care more or less consciously. ing on the upcoming vacation is concluded
5 Feeling good on Monday and Tuesday from the current skin feeling. This would be
means having more security and know- the case if someone is interested in sun pro-
ing that you have the right do-it-your- tection or a sun fragrance, but actually looks
self beauty tools to start the week off forward to a party with friends under the
right. In addition, the follower is built open sky at the weekend. This anticipated
up and encouraged, for example, with well-being is initially in the foreground—a
the following statement: “I want you all finding that has changed advertising. While
to see how beautiful you are—with and the classic brand video still focused on the
without make-up.” product, is now the desired experience.
Beauty vlogger videos are also not based on
It is known from perfume practice that the the usual commercials, but rather look like
day of the week also influences the choice recommendations from friends who can be
of fragrance. Customers are more open bought on linked websites as “must-haves”.
to fine-herbal chypre or leather notes at The first wave of perfume influencers,
the beginning of the week. They act like a who mainly came from the USA and Great
shield, convey an aura of self-confidence Britain, only reached Germany a little later.
and competence, exactly what you need for The best-known influencers of the early
employee meetings that take place in many hours included Daaruum, Ischtar Isik, Bi-
companies on Mondays. anca “Bibi” Heinicke, and Sami Slimani,
5 Feeling good on Thursday and Friday one of the first men in the industry.
means having do-it-yourself tools with More and more influencers like Chris-
which you can try something new or tophe Cervasel,Sylvie Ganter from Atel-
transform yourself to indulge in promis- ier Cologne or Bibi then created their own
 170 Chapter 7 · Scent Online: Storytelling and Digital Marketing of Perfumes

perfume and beauty brands. Many have opinion leaders. They should act as local in-
also become sought-after brand makers be- fluencers outside the business, initially digi-
cause they reach specific target groups, es- tally, later in personal conversations, for exam-
pecially new customers, with a relatively ple in a café. This idea is not entirely new. Just
small number of followers. Influencer fame think of the many Avon consultants of yester-
Bean (@beansiie), a teenager from San year who invited themselves to house parties
Diego with 75,000 followers on Instagram and thus made direct sales a success. Direct
and Tumblr, managed to turn Willa, a so- selling has now developed into a social com-
cial commerce start-up, into a sought-after merce or social sales network with Influenc-
cosmetics brand in 2015. er-Marketing in which the influencer acts as
an independent business partner of a provider
z Trends in influencer marketing in the and his environment or his followers benefit
perfume sector from his compensation, in line with the motto
At first, brands, companies, and perfume “Who shares or recommends, earns with”.
stores such as Sephora or the Wiedemann
7 perfume store in Bavaria used their own z How to market yourself as a brand: Tips
employees on Instagram or Youtube as in- for perfume vlogging
fluencers as part of “Instore Beauty Vlog- Short videos on Youtube, for example, can
ging”, for example under the name “Bavar- quickly and relatively easily achieve a cer-
ian Beauty Gang”. At the same time, ex- tain degree of popularity as a beauty vlog-
ternal influencers who were employed by ger. Short videos of three to five minutes are
advertising agencies were obliged. Mean- ideal for introducing perfumes. An exciting
while, influencer marketing and the num- introduction helps to keep even impatient
ber of influencers have increased explo- viewers longer. In 2019, around 30,000 new
sively, and mostly influencers are paid by beauty videos were uploaded monthly, with
companies to present their products (Knost a trend towards increasing. 98% of them
& Seeger 2020). The compensation was par- come from independent filmmakers. It is es-
ticularly good if they had a large number timated that by 2022 there will be over 1,000
of followers. As a result, the so-called Mi- beauty influencers on Instagram and You-
cro-Influencer-Marketing was supposed to Tube. As of February 2023, Latina influ-
counteract the suspicion of purchase. Here, encer Sandra Cires Art was the most sub-
the focus is no longer on the number of fol- scribed beauty content creator on the video
lowers, but on authentic expertise in a cer- platform, with over 16 million subscribers to
tain area (Schach & Lommatzsch 2018). the channel. One of the most popular per-
It is advantageous if the opinion maker fume influencers is 33-year-old German co-
is locally networked. Stationary perfume logne connoisseur Jeremy Fragrance. He has
stores count between 20 and 200 custom- almost 2 million YouTube subscribers and
ers daily, small perfume stores often only almost 6 million TikTok followers (2022).
around 20—trend falling. Every customer A picture is worth a thousand words,
who can be advertised by an influencer even in a perfume video. Pictures are snap-
helps the business. In order to generate a shots for the brain, they overcome language
larger number of customers, many station- barriers, create greater virality, are com-
ary perfume stores now rely on an addi- mented on and shared more often. Videos
tional online shop. For many of them, this are even shared twelve times more often
now accounts for a third of sales. than pure text posts in connection with a
For some years now, more and more link. That is why influencer marketing with
brands and retailers have been offering part- beauty vlogging is ideal for the online pres-
nerships to customers they consider to be entation of perfumes.
7.4 · Digital Perfume Marketing: Tips From the Most Successful …
171 7
Brand managers and advertising agen- end, as the noise level from the street is
cies are often amazed at how simple it is to then lower. Also think about different for-
produce videos for YouTube, for example, mats. This means that your video should
and become a beauty vlogger. Facebook, look and work equally well on all devices
Pinterest, and Instagram are suitable for of all sizes and types. Therefore, you should
announcing and promoting videos. choose a camera setting that is more fo-
Basically, all you need to create a video is cused on close-ups, but still shows some
5 a tablet or smartphone that also serves background/depth. This also makes the
as a video camera, perfume you are talking about each time
5 a YouTube account, clearly visible. When recording short vid-
5 Capture, a software program for video eos, the old rule also applies: “Don’t zoom,
production and don’t shake, don’t swing”. Suitable music
5 basic knowledge of the programs iM- can be found under 7 www.incompetech.
ovie (Apple) or Movie Maker (Win- com and 7 www.danosongs.com.
dows) for video editing. The finished videos can be shared with
friends using corresponding links, e.g. on
A video about perfumes should not look Facebook. Together you can quickly get to
as perfect as a big brand’s commercial. It is 1000 contacts. Short versions of the videos
important that the vlogger is not only seen, up to 15 seconds long are also suitable as
but also heard well. In addition, a perfume announcements. Remember that when film-
vlogger must appear authentic and compe- ing the videos, pictures should also be taken
tent and surprise the follower. behind the scenes and of the perfumes with
To start as a perfume vlogger, you should decoration—ideally 30–50 pictures with
first produce twelve videos of no more than which you can then generate additional in-
three to five minutes, which are posted twice terest in your perfume vlogging on Insta-
a week as a continuing series on the net. Af- gram, Facebook, & Co.
ter six weeks, the feedback usually shows how The title of a video is also important for
the new influencer is received by the audience. its success. He may be emotional—provided
A short script should be recorded for he has a relationship with the vlogger him-
each video, which specifies which perfumes self. So a series of short videos could be ti-
are shown and which explanations are tled “Perfumes for Introverts”. One of the
given. In addition, the background decora- individual episodes might then have the
tion and the clothing of the vlogger should subtitle “Welcome to the innocent world of
be determined. Often, a family member violets”.
or someone from the circle of friends can
be won over for the camera work and the
lighting. Perfect for this are a digital cam- Tips
era with HD video recording and a tripod. How to successfully develop into a brand
You should definitely invest in a good exter- and create your own perfume video so
nal microphone. The cameraman or camer- that it is exciting for viewers
awoman should also always check whether Here are five essential components that I
the vlogger is looking into the camera and would like to mention to you for the suc-
making eye contact with the viewers at the cess of your beauty vlogging:
decisive moment. This is especially impor- 1. First of all, after the welcome, ad-
tant when something positive is said about dress the current occasion, the reason
a perfume. It increases credibility. or the why for your video. This can be
All episodes should be filmed directly aligned with a certain day (Monday /
one after the other—preferably at the week-
 172 Chapter 7 · Scent Online: Storytelling and Digital Marketing of Perfumes

Tuesday vs. Thursday / Friday) that video are no problem. That makes
immediately reveals the connection to you sympathetic and authentic.
the topic. Ideally, you do this in the 3. Now is the moment when you pas-
first 10 to 20 seconds, so that everyone sionately, but not excessively, demon-
stays tuned to see how your video con- strate your perfume as a personal
tinues. That is, in this time span, your gain and enjoyment to your viewers.
viewers should already have an idea of For this, you smell, on behalf of your
what will happen in the next few min- viewers, the perfume that you spray
utes and why it is told. Eye contact is on a scent strip. Discuss the tactile
very important in the welcome. experience by touching the bottle or
As an occasion or why, for example, taking it in your hand. Furthermore,
you could take the week in which the show the name and packaging of the
“Plant a Flower Day” is celebrated. It perfume. Now you can also name a
always takes place in March, when the few other ingredients of the perfume.
7 violet also blooms. Ideally, you would 4. Now comes perhaps the most impor-
then also be surrounded by blue-vio- tant scene in your perfume video: If
let violets, which, by the way, comes the viewer begins to anticipate how
across very well on the web as a color, the video might continue, make and
like all reddish tones. If the video is show something unexpected. You in-
posted on Monday / Tuesday, you tegrate a surprise into the video that
could explain what the violet scent remains in memory and thus pro-
can do at the beginning of the week. motes the digital mouth-to-mouth
If the video is posted on Thursday / propaganda for your video, so that
Friday, you could, for example, talk the consulting experience is verbally
about the transformation that can be shared with others. For example, let
experienced with a violet scent. something or someone else decide
Ideally, you would show a total of on the scent that has not been in the
two to three perfumes from differ- video so far. It could be your cat or
ent brands (you have them in front of another quadruped.
you). But you can also only introduce 5. Of course, everyone who likes your
one perfume, but immediately say that perfume video wants to see you again.
you will also talk about other per- Therefore, announce your next show
fumes in the next video. when you post the video online and
2. To convey authenticity and trust in what you will report.
the viewer, it is recommended to in-
clude your own personal “why” in the If you can now implement your script as
address: how you came to the scent a video in three to five minutes, optimally
and why you love it so much. Ideally, in two minutes, and also make eye con-
if you communicate friendliness, eye tact with your audience, you have noth-
contact, and personal experience, you ing to stop you from being a perfume
will also communicate competence vlogger.
and trust. For example, you could re- One last thing: Choose the perfumes you
port how you found personal happi- want to show wisely. For influencer mar-
ness with this violet scent and why keting, for example, these are ideal:
you want to share this experience with 5 Trendy perfumes
others. By the way: Mistakes in the 5 Innovative perfumes
References
173 7
Summary
5 Fragrant discoveries, e.g. on a trip The dead live longer, that also applies in
5 Rediscoveries or fragrances that were the perfume industry.
long thought to be forgotten In this chapter, the dynamics of trends, in
5 No mainstream products particular the retro trends in perfume in-
5 Private labels, exclusive brands that gredients were presented using the exam-
are not found in every perfume shop ple of the violet. Then it was about the
5 Good entry price. Premium per- first revolution in the perfume industry:
fumes are naturally not cheap. Expe- the discovery of alcoholic perfume—all
rience shows that for these perfumes with the aim of collecting a lot of inter-
you need special or travel sizes for less esting material for one’s own storytelling
than 50 euros or to fascinate as a perfume influencer.
5 The availability of samples and sam- In the second part of the chapter we then
ples (for the products promoted by discussed how the perfume industry has
the influencer), which can be picked developed in digital marketing of per-
up by new customers in the store, but fumes in recent years and reported on re-
which can be ordered like the perfume markable findings of today’s influencers
itself on a website on how to successfully market a brand or
5 Finally, the most important thing. its perfume especially through short vid-
Make sure that the perfume you are eos played on social media channels. For
showing also has a good “conversion this, very concrete ideas and tips for the
rate” with your target group. This is creation and dramaturgy of short vid-
the number of samples, for exam- eos were given. Furthermore, the chapter
ple, that you have to give for the per- gave indications of which perfumes are
fume before a customer decides on particularly suitable for online marketing.
the scent. A perfume sample costs the
trade about 0.35 euros. Now you can
calculate for yourself how many free References
samples you can afford at what mar-
gin so that it still pays off. Probably Backaler J (2018) Digital influence: unleash the power
you will then come to the same re- of influencer marketing to accelerate your global
sult as many in fragrance marketing: business. Springer, Cham
Knost J, Seeger C (2020) Influencer-Marketing – Grund-
Unless you want to make an “over- lagen, Strategie und Management. UVK, München
investment” for a perfume to make it Phan M (2014) Make up: your life guide to beauty,
known, it is about twelve given free style, and success – online and off. Harmony
samples per sold perfume, which you Books, New York
can still afford. Prahl J (2019) Influencer – wie Online-Verkäufer das
Internetshopping beeinflussen. Das Erste, (w) wie
Wissen. Das Erste (NDR). Video verfügbar bis
11.11.2022
Have I sparked your curiosity to explore the Schach A, Lommatzsch T (2018) Influencer Relations:
possibility of trying it out yourself as an in- Marketing und PR mit digitalen Meinungsführ-
ern. Springer Gabler, Wiesbaden
fluencer or perfume vlogger? I would be very
Schwedt G (2008) Betörende Düfte, sinnliche Aromen.
happy about that, because our industry lives Wiley, Weinheim
from new topics and views. And to all new- Strassmann R (2012) Duftheilkunde—Der Weg, Düf-
comers: Just be brave! Often knowledge from ten zu begegnen. Kräuterwissen—Klangreise—
different industries can be combined creati- Wegzeichen. Hofstetten, St. Peterzell/SG
Zimmermann E (2017) Aromapflege für Sie: Mit
vely.
ätherischen Ölen begleiten, trösten und stärken.
Thieme, Trias
 175 8

Big and Small Moments

of Modern Perfumery
From the Search for the Blue Flower and the Atlantis of
Perfumery—How Perfumery Became What It is Today

Contents

8.1 Scent & Eroticism with Charles Baudelaire or: The

Change in Thinking – 176

8.2 The Godfather of Perfumery Or: Are Perfumes

Immoral? – 179

8.3 Perfume & Poetry: The German Soul of Scent – 181

8.4 Perfume & Image: The Ups and Downs of

Perfumery – 183

8.5 Pheromones Or: The Current State of the Search

for the Atlantis of Perfumery – 186

8.6 The Second Fragrance Revolution: How Discoveries Led

to a Better Smell – 190

8.7 Perfume & Self—Effects on the Ego or: The Most

Beautiful of All Drugs? – 194

References – 199

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023
J. Mensing, Beautiful SCENT,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67259-4_8
 176 Chapter 8 · Big and Small Moments of Modern Perfumery

8.1 Scent & Eroticism with Charles

Baudelaire or: The Change
in Thinking
It is known about Charles Baudelaire, who
lived in Paris and was very much influenced
by the urban life in his city in his poetry,
that he was also a fanatic of smells. Body
odors and sexual odors often played a cen-
tral role in his poems. His passion for scent
went so far that he wrote his famous poem
collection “Les Fleurs du Mal” (The Flow-
ers of Evil) on perfumed paper.
Many of his poems, scent impressions
and memories were inspired by Jeanne Du-
val, Baudelaire’s exotic lover and muse. She
was an actress, dancer and a Caribbean
8 beauty from Haiti, whom he called “Vénus
Noire”. Her influence can be seen, for ex-
ample, in the poem “Le Serpent qui danse”
(The Snake that Dances), which is part of
the poem collection “Les Fleurs du Mal”.
Of the over 100 poems, six were banned for
endangering morality with the publication
of the collection (around 1857).
I must begin this chapter with a thank you At that time, few people suspected that
to Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867). He was Charles Baudelaire with the “Flowers of
not only one of the greatest French lyricists, Evil” or his imaginations, which were not a
he also gave perfume and scent in literature copy of reality, but transformations of ap-
a completely different value from the middle pearances—based also on perverse scenes
of the 19th century. With him, after a long and provocative images of human imagina-
era of olfactory chastity, smell was again tion—would become one of the most im-
sought, experienced and enjoyed in multi- portant lyricists not only of the French lan-
faceted and pure eroticism. But with Baude- guage (Miertsch 2005). Victor Hugo, who
laire and his sinful-immoral and sensual-pro- wrote to Baudelaire in 1857, had an ink-
vocative imaginative poems, perfumers were ling of the unusual rank of the work: “Your
also inspired to create new scents that led to Fleurs du Mal shine and shimmer like
the second revolution in perfumery. People stars.”
began to experiment with artificial, i.e. syn- Even in our days, perfumers are still
thetic fragrances to create innovative scent stimulated by Baudelaire’s poetry for their
impressions that were previously unknown creations. So the olfactory interpretation of
in perfumery. his poem “Parfum Exotique” gave the Eau
8.1 · Scent & Eroticism with Charles Baudelaire or: The Change in Thinking
177 8
de Parfum “Baudelaire” by BYREDO a overview of the different approaches in lit-
fragrance character of wild-exotic and mys- erature to the world of smell (Rindisbacher
teriously-bewitching attraction. Leather 2015).
notes and black pepper drive each other on. The seductive power of certain scents
Even with the various settings of Baude- and perfumes was certainly already known
laire’s poems, there is still a strange erot- in ancient times and antiquity (Hurton
icism in the air. Here are two examples 1994). As reported in 7 Chap. 1, the prom-
by Georges Chelon and Michael Man- ised effects of myrrh as a fragrance were so
sour: 7 https://www.youtube.com/watch?- great that the attraction of the sexes was
v=BO-Pya5G3P4, 7 https://www.youtube. even said to increase to incest. In the liter-
com/watch?v=5yRyMUSA8qs. ature of the modern era, especially in the
“early romantic period”, that is, from 1789
with the beginning of romanticism, the per-
Parfum Exotique sonal experience of eroticism in connec-
When, with my eyes closed, on a warm tion with fragrance and perfume was only
autumn evening, I breathe in the scent of vaguely hinted at in literature. In the natu-
your warm breast, I see happy shores un- ral mysticism of the Romantics, as we will
fold, which are dazzlingly lit by the fires see below, fragrance and perfume are also
of a monotonous sun … only side effects. Scents are part of a rather
Quand, les deux yeux fermés, en un soir almost innocently experienced nature in ro-
chaud d’automne, Je respire l’odeur de mantic literature (Le Guérer 1992), whereas
ton sein chaleureux, Je vois se dérouler Baudelaire preferred the artificial, which
des rivages heureux, Qu’éblouissent les only existed in his imagination, to nature
feux d’un soleil monotone …1 (Flammersberger 2016).
With his break from a natural mysticism
of beauty and harmony as the highest goal
With Baudelaire, scent and perfume be- towards the imaginative artificial, which
came much more important in literature. can also play with dissonance and provoca-
Both were important, could be complex tion, Baudelaire was a pioneer of his time
and also clearly erotic and sinful and pro- with his art. The decline of romanticism
voking for the senses. Starting in the second was in the air, which was also supposed to
half of the 19th century, the topic was then lead to the break of modernity with the,
also picked up literarily by others in all its one could say: romantic, nature-oriented
facets. Until then, according to the French perfumery. Baudelaire was already part of
anthropologist Annick Le Guérer, scent a movement that now allowed other arts to
and perfume played no special role in lit- rethink.
erature (Le Guérer 1992). This, to say it at About ten years after the publication of
this point, has changed fundamentally since “Les Fleurs du Mal”, coumarin and then
then. Hans Rindisbacher offers a good vanillin were discovered and developed
as the first synthetic fragrances in 1868. It
should first be the end of the romantic per-
fumery, which until then had been oriented
1 Translated by the author from Guernes, 7 7 ht- towards the good smells of nature with its
tps://christian-0-guernes.blogspot.com. fragrances and had to. The use of synthetic
 178 Chapter 8 · Big and Small Moments of Modern Perfumery

fragrance ingredients in perfumes began in talk about it later), now had its own fra-
1881 and, as I will show, revolutionized per- grance for the first time. What was special
fumery. It was triggered by the perfumer was less that this perfume came from men’s
Paul Parquet (1856–1916). He created a perfume, but rather that it had a fragrance
completely new men’s perfume: “Fougère impression that existed in nature, but not to
Royale” (Royal Fern). For this perfume this extent and with this vehemence in ex-
he used a synthetic fragrance ingredient, pression. Just the awareness of wearing a
namely coumarin, for the first time. This perfume with synthetic fragrance compo-
created a scent impression that did not exist nents made the wearer feel modern. This fit
in nature, but was created solely by his im- the zeitgeist and thus a woman who could
agination. Paul Parquet knew what he was now also olfactorily shed her previously as-
doing. So he is said to have said: “If God cribed naturally feminine role.
had given ferns a smell, they would smell Other perfumes with the same or simi-
like Fougère Royale.” lar philosophy should follow “Jicky”, espe-
Even if the first artificial perfume or the cially with the discovery of synthetic alde-
first scent with synthetic fragrance compo- hydes. The fascination at the beginning of
nents, where also natural ones were used the 20th century for aldehydes then led to
in the creation, had nothing sinful-provoc- its own “artificial floral fragrance direction”
8 ative or even fantastic-erotic, the claim of (floral-aldehydic), for which the already
modernity was also postulated for the per- mentioned Chanel No 5 is an example, even
fume industry. With artificial means, one if it contains many natural ingredients. But
wanted to create a new olfactory stimu- then there were also purely synthetic fra-
lant and thus free oneself from the natural- grances that would certainly have pleased
ness. This was a revolutionary step, but ac- Charles Baudelaire. This is probably not
tually also an old human desire in search of easy to understand for some contempo-
more self-determination—for example, to rary fragrance lovers. At his time, how-
test a new sensuality, eroticism, attractive- ever, Baudelaire believed more in the mod-
ness or simply a different experience that ern and therefore preferred the artificial to
came from the free thought or imagination. nature. He found nature rather ugly with its
Through the changed thinking of the per- positive triviality, which he preferred to the
fumers and the possibilities of the new in- monster of his imagination, as he said. His
gredients, gender stereotypes could now inspiration was the world of plantless me-
also be overcome and fragrance, sensual- tropolises, which were ugly for him too, but
ity and eroticism could be redefined accord- with their asphalt, their artificial lighting,
ingly for both genders. their stone canyons, their loneliness in the
In 1889, the perfume industry was hustle and bustle of people and above all
then ready, even if Baudelaire did not live with their sins, the template for his art.
to see it. A perfume rich in artificial fra-
grance substances Coumarin and Vanillin z The relatively short triumph of modern
was brought to the market under the name perfumery
“Jicky” by Guerlain. The fragrance, which The triumph of the artificial, that is to say
was probably initially intended for mod- synthetic fragrances, in perfumery, should
ern and experimental young men, remained then go unquestioned for just over a hun-
unchanged in the recipe for the perfume dred years. Meanwhile, as we all know, a
of the “new woman”. A new female con- change has again taken place in the per-
sciousness, which fought for its emancipa- fumer’s way of thinking. Postmodern per-
tion in the first large demonstrations from fumery is again oriented towards nature,
the second half of the 19th century (I will but now in its pure and unadulterated form.
8.2 · The Godfather of Perfumery Or: Are Perfumes Immoral?
179 8
Even Romanticism had an influence on ”Femmes damnées“ in the collection ”Les
today’s postmodern experience of scent, Fleurs du Mal“ contributed to this. Even
which I will show using the example of the his publisher was not spared by the prose-
influence of German Romanticism on the cutor’s office and was forced to flee to Bel-
current German experience of scent. Let gium.
me say at this point: Even if Romanticism
did not yet know the olfactory eroticism
of a Baudelaire with his provocative imag- 8.2 The Godfather of Perfumery
inations, it was not asexual, because inno- Or: Are Perfumes Immoral?
cence also has its attraction. But Romanti-
cism was more of an intermediary stage for A number of famous philosophers have ex-
the experience and personal encounter with pressed themselves—albeit mostly dispar-
scent and perfume. First one had to break agingly—about the effect of scents. I am
away from the influence of many classical thinking primarily of Plato, Aristotle, Kant
philosophers and the strict moral guide- and Hegel. Their deliberations have led to
lines of the church in order to be able to ex- three important questions that were dis-
perience the full range of olfactory enjoy- cussed right up into modern times:
ment. The credit for this goes above all to 5 Are perfumes immoral?
Charles Baudelaire, because for a long time 5 Are scents coercion?
the sense of smell was considered the “low- 5 Is perfumery an art?
est” and “most archaic” of the five human
senses and was therefore suppressed and Even 30 years ago, a job in the fragrance
demonized like many things that did not industry did not receive the recognition it
conform to custom. Above all, the church deserved. Scent, beauty and intelligence
has held since the Middle Ages that smells seemed incompatible. Even my doctoral su-
and fragrances can quickly serve frivolity— pervisor was surprised when I told him that
although there has always been a double I was interested in perfumes and perfumery.
standard, because scents and perfumes were While he too was fascinated by the world of
often useful means of combating disease, beautiful scents, at the same time he consid-
and the despised sense of smell revealed the ered a job in this area to be little scientific.
state of health or illness. Probably he too still had the views of the
Only a few people broke with anti- great philosophers in his head.
quated ideas in public around the mid- Since Plato (428/427–348/347 BC) saw
dle of the 19th century and took disadvan- the exact classification of odors as impos-
tages for their art in the face of the prevail- sible, he divided them into the categories
ing opinion and custom. The bourgeoisie, “pleasant” and “unpleasant”. The latter in-
accustomed until then to the positive-ide- cluded scents and odors that aroused fleshly
alized poems of Romanticism, even though desires or animal instincts, and so perfumes
the aesthetics of ugliness was already repre- were often mistrusted. With this boundary
sented in this epoch, reacted angrily to the to the immoral, which certainly does not
break with the tradition of lyricism that apply to all perfumes, advertising still plays
Baudelaire initiated with his provocative today.
imaginations (Flammersberger 2016). As I The mistrust of everything animalis-
said: On July 7, 1857, the French prosecu- tic was reflected in the hierarchy of the
tor’s office initiated a criminal prosecution senses. Aristotle (384–322 BC) assessed the
for insulting public morality against Baude- five senses as essential for gaining knowl-
laire, and he was sentenced to a hefty fine. edge, giving sight and hearing priority over
Certainly other poems like ”Lesbos“ or smell. This view was long transferred to the
 180 Chapter 8 · Big and Small Moments of Modern Perfumery

assessment of scents. The contempt for the if it was guided by the mind and thereby re-
sense of smell was further reinforced by the lieved itself of its primary and natural func-
plague, which was experienced as a divine tion—that of smelling.
punishment. In the Middle Ages it was be-
lieved that it would also be transmitted by z Nietzsche—the godfather of perfumery
smell. With Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
With the beginning of the Enlighten- the turnaround came. Posthumously, one
ment in the 17th century, philosophical pre- would have to name him the “godfather of
occupation with the senses gradually lost perfumery”. The indirect question of phi-
its religious, moral and ethical impetus. But losophy, whether perfumery can be scien-
the reservations about smell and scents re- tific at all, receives more than one new di-
mained. This went so far that, for example, rection through him. The nose is discovered
in the 18th century in England the wearing as the most delicate scientific observation
of perfume was temporarily banned. After instrument, about which no philosopher
all, the perfume was indirectly said to have has spoken with such veneration and grat-
the ability to work. itude until Nietzsche. He even chooses the
The English mathematician, state the- nose as his sharpest scientific observation
orist and philosopher Thomas Hob- instrument: “It is still able to detect mini-
8 bes (1588–1679) was the first to plead for mal differences in movement that even the
the equalization of the senses. “We can- spectroscope does not detect” (The “Rea-
not think of anything if it was not cre- son” in Philosophy 2, KSA 6, p. 75 f.).
ated wholly or partly in one of our senses The sociologist Jürgen Raab summarises
beforehand” (Leviathan, 1st chap., p. 11). Nietzsche’s understanding of smell as fol-
Nevertheless, from a philosophical perspec- lows: “For Nietzsche, the sense of smell is
tive, even fine scents were largely excluded. the sense of truth because it does not draw
It is said of Kant (1724–1804) that for from the intellect, which is detached from
him the beautiful had no smell, and in his the physical affects and therefore deceptive,
aesthetics the smell—like with Hegel—is but from the secure sources of animal in-
not discussed. Scent is for him a symbol of stinct” (Raab 1998).
unfreedom. Thus he wrote: “Smell is like a Nietzsche endows the nose as an or-
taste at a distance, and others are forced to gan for intuitive knowledge of reality with
enjoy it, whether they want to or not, and its own power and magic, even the abil-
therefore it is less sociable than taste, where ity to create elementary, non-spiritual, true
the guest can choose from among many art. For Nietzsche, this art is far superior
dishes and bottles according to his com- to science. It is free and not controlled by
fort, without others being forced to enjoy the establishment. In this understanding of
it” (Anthropology in a Pragmatic Sense, p. art, there is actually no mistake, only a side
158). by side of the different works (Leistikow
Hegel’s (1770–1831) famous saying that 2019). This can also be applied to perfumes.
the sense of smell is incompatible with the Since they are created by noses and thus by
interests of art and spirit then hit the per- reliable and free sources without influence,
fume industry right in the core. As a man they have the right to be recognized as art.
of his time, he thereby denied it the possi-
bility of being an art. Nevertheless, he left a Accordingly, the perfume industry and its
little door open with the statement that the art, the perfume, would never have to jus-
nose could only adopt an aesthetic attitude tify itself according to Nietzsche. Even if
8.3 · Perfume & Poetry: The German Soul of Scent
181 8
there is sometimes passionate debate about 8.3 Perfume & Poetry: The
what is beautiful or what smells good and German Soul of Scent
what does not, in art as well as in the per-
fume industry it is not a question of be- It is little known what special meaning fra-
ing right or wrong (Leistikow 2019). The grance and smell have had in German-lan-
free perfume industry is thus the coun- guage literature, especially poetry, for cen-
terpart to the deceptive truth because it turies. German Romanticism of the 18th
does not claim science, in this case chem- and 19th centuries, with its focus on nature
istry, for itself. What smells good has been and longing, continues to influence our ol-
in the nose of the observer since Nietzsche. factory sense directly or indirectly to this
Even semblance, illusion and ambigu- day. The postmodern soul of scent, espe-
ity are therefore not negative things for cially that of the Germans, wants to be as
him if one wanted to attribute them to a close to and pure of nature as possible, ide-
perfume creation. These can also be ex- ally without any synthetic fragrances. The
pressions of beauty (Leistikow 2019). Of current big trend in perfumery, even though
course, Nietzsche makes a complete sweep the next trend is already emerging through
and provokes the sciences with his yearn- neuroperfumery, is in a way the rebirth of
ing for the “scrapping of the establishment” the nature romanticism of the 18th and
(Leistikow 2019). But after more than 2000 19th centuries and its further development.
years of suppression, which began in antiq- Postmodern perfumery is based on an in-
uity, smell, perfume and the entire perfume creased awareness that nature must be pro-
industry needed a powerful voice through tected and preserved by humans in order to
various male opinion leaders. secure its future and thus the future of all
There were voices for the recogni- living beings. This includes resource-saving
tion of the nose and fascination for olfac- production with economic, efficient and re-
tory worlds even before Nietzsche, only sponsible natural management. A demand-
they were less audible. A real image up- ing goal that must be constantly worked
grade came through romanticism and its on, also because the global demand for fra-
research on smells. It was the mystical in grances is increasing faster than the world
scents that attracted people. With them you population is growing. So the annual global
could create your own world. That fit well harvest of about 1000 tons of real vanilla
with an era that was attracted to world of can no longer cover the increasing demand.
sagas and myths and sought sensual expe- Postmodern perfumery has therefore long
riences in the intuitive, mysterious and di- since reached its limits and will continue to
vine. From the end of the 18th century to develop into “plant peptide perfumery” and
well into the 19th century, this was a central neuroperfumery, which are based primar-
theme in literature, especially in prose and ily on biologically and medically important
poetry. Above all, “lonely wanderers” such and effective molecules. I will discuss find-
as Byron, Goethe, Shelley and Joseph Con- ings from peptide research with examples
rad fascinated. Directly or indirectly, they from perfumery at a later stage.
spoke of scents and odors that could revive Romanticism with its works has signifi-
memories of past events, certain locations, cantly contributed to the image enhancement
people and the associated moods and emo- of perfume. This is pointed out by the Ital-
tions. In turn, this aroused the interest of ian Germanist Massimiliano De Villa (De
olfactory research. Villa 2017) and in this context he mentions
 182 Chapter 8 · Big and Small Moments of Modern Perfumery

Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock’s (1724–1803) Heinrich von Ofterdingen (1772–1801)

poem “The Summer Night” (Odes, Volume dreams in Novalis’ novel of a blue flower,
1, Leipzig 1798, pp. 233–234.) a nature-prais- the Sehnsuchtssymbol of the Romantics
ing, but in the mood melancholic, fragrance par excellence, and sets out in search of it:
poem, written even before the epoch of Ro-
manticism really began for the Germans. » “But what pulled him with full force was
a tall, light blue flower that first stood at
But it already touched the nature-romantic,
the source and touched him with its broad,
slightly melancholy soul of scent of the Ger-
shiny leaves. Countless flowers of all colors
mans at that time:
surrounded it, and the most delicious scent
filled the air” (Novalis 1978).

The summer night Romantic fantasy flower notes have re-

When the shimmer from the moon now mained a popular theme to this day. They
pours down usually fall into the fragrance direction “Fl-
Into the woods, and smells oriental” (Floral-amber or floral sensual),
With the scents of the linden tree second favorite fragrance direction of Ger-
In the coolings waft; man women. The already mentioned Flori-
entals are a permanent trend in Germany
8 So I am overshadowed by thoughts of
the grave and keep coming back to the fragrance
Of the beloved, and I see in the forest market in new transformation.
Only it dawn, and it blows me “O fresh scent, o new sound!” wrote
From the blossom not forth. Ludwig Uhland (1787–1862) in his poem
I once enjoyed, o ye dead, it with you! “Frühlingsglaube” from the year 1812,
How the fragrance and the cooling which sounds almost like a slogan of
wafted us around, the German perfume market. As I said:
How you were adorned by the moon, Around 2000 new fragrances come onto the
You o beautiful nature! German market every year, which loves the
new. About 30% of fragrance users discover
a new fragrance every year, mainly during
Goethe’s much quoted beginning of the the spring and autumn months.
Mignon song from his novel Wilhelm In the book Des Knaben Wunderhorn
Meister’s Apprenticeship (1795/96), “Do published between 1805 and 1808 by Clem-
you know the land where the lemon trees ens Brentano and Achim von Arnim, flow-
bloom …,” is a call from the south dream- ers are considered which will be mown away
ing of this epoch. The longing for the re- tomorrow—wonderful nature romanticism
gion beyond the Alps with its botany be- with an indirect steeplechase for the preser-
came the great basic theme in the Ger- vation of nature and for the value and rec-
man fragrance market. Over the years, the ognition of natural scents. The search for
longing of the Germans has shifted even an idyllic refuge, which quickly becomes the
further south into the tropics, reflected endangered habitat of plants in nature po-
in the great love for the fragrance direc- etry, is today, especially in Germany and
tion “Fruity”. Not surprisingly, “Fruity” more than ever, a permanent theme, not
has been shown over the years in different only in aromatherapy.
trends, mostly playing with the dream of The motif of the forest and the trees is
the south or the tropics, which can be seen in the center of nature poetry. The poem
particularly well in the so-called mass-mar- by Joseph von Eichendorff (1788–1857)
ket (mass and prestige). “Hörst du nicht die Bäume rauschen” is
8.4 · Perfume & Image: The Ups and Downs of Perfumery
183 8
one of the more famous ones. With Frie- time, it has developed into a silent power
drich Hölderlin (1770–1843) it are the oaks, in the German perfume landscape. Psycho-
which are mystified as sovereign individu- logically speaking, this fragrance direction
als: is about cleansing the senses, starting anew
and focusing. Their fascination lies in a
subtle strengthening, behind which more or
The Oak Trees less the conscious desire stands to find his
… But you, you magnificent ones! stand, power place ("Kraftort"). For the Germans
like a people of Titans this is in the forest.
In the tamer world and only belong to The success of niche perfumes with
you and the sky, woody notes has now led to larger pro-
Which nourishes and raised you, and to viders such as Penhaligon’s, Jo Malone,
the earth, which bore you. Montale, Credo, Le Labo, M. Micallef,
None of you has gone to the school of Amouage, Parfums de Rosine, Byredo,
humans yet, Frederic Malle, Kilian and Serge Lutens.
And you crowd happily and freely, from All offer the woody theme as modern fra-
the strong root, grance enjoyment.
Under each other up and seize, like the
eagle the prey,
With a powerful arm the space, and 8.4 Perfume & Image: The Ups
against the clouds … and Downs of Perfumery
Different disciplines devoted themselves to
The forest with the heartbeat of the trees the research of fragrance in the 17th and
has particularly appealed to the Germans. 18th centuries, partly with an almost po-
Bestselling author Peter Wohlleben (Wohl- lice-scientific interest, without smell being
leben 2019) speaks in his book The Hidden able to shake off its ambivalent nature and
Life of Trees of the hidden bond between being considered dangerous by many. So
man and nature. The writer Elias Canetti it was still discussed and researched in the
(1905–1994) once explained: “In no mod- 19th century whether and how smells would
ern country in the world has the feeling of transmit diseases. Above all, a connection
the forest remained as alive as in Germany” was seen between smell and cholera. Al-
(Canetti 1992, p. 202). though doctors finally ruled out a connec-
And how is it in German perfumery? Is tion between smells and diseases, the ma-
the scent of resin and forest in the air? Yes, jority of the population held on to the now
you have to say. He has become a trend and discarded view (Tullett 2019).
avant-garde through niche perfumery in re- In addition, when assessing a smell, a
cent years with the “woody” fragrance di- group-dynamic association could be ob-
rection. With niche perfumes it is about cre- served. Those who did not belong to the
ating fragrance personalities that are not in- group supposedly stank. Medicine, psychol-
tended for wide distribution, but are aimed ogy, anthropology, ethnology, and history
at a few connoisseurs. They are not adver- know numerous examples of smell stigma-
tised extensively in the media, but are in- tization. Smells serve the classification and
troduced as part of a fragrance consulta- definition of relationships. From the per-
tion. This “resin-wood-forest trend” was spective of 18th-century bourgeois society,
first picked up by small perfume boutiques the rabble stank, while the bourgeoisie per-
and specialist perfumeries. In the mean- fumed itself (Corbin 1984).
 184 Chapter 8 · Big and Small Moments of Modern Perfumery

The nose has always been used for in- and thus also the discussions of intellec-
terpersonal espionage. For example, histo- tuals. After the First World War, women
rian Jonathan Reinharz (Reinharz 2014) re- preferred innovative men’s perfumes, they
ports that European Christians once relied did not want to smell like “flowers” any-
on their noses to identify pagans. Odor stig- more. So, in line with the zeitgeist, the scent
matization also took place on a political “Chypre” by Coty came on the market in
level. For example, in the 18th century, An- 1917: a lively, powerful perfume with an ar-
glican Englishmen accused their Catholic omatic, fine-herbal green head note and al-
French enemies of smelling like garlic (Tul- most rough, today no longer used oak moss
lett 2019). for allergy reasons—a women’s perfume
With the beginning of the 20th century, with clear references to men’s perfume.
the then still young sociology also dealt with The increased interest in smell and per-
the topic of smell in a sporadic study. The fume was finally fertilized by discover-
thoughts of the philosopher and sociologist ies in neurobiological olfactory research
Georg Simmel (1858–1918) from the year in the 20th and 21st centuries. In addition
1908 are to be understood as part of this to purely professional books on applica-
movement (Simmel 1992). After that, the in- tions and methods of perfumery, popular
terest of research in smell, which was always cultural-historical treatises on the use of
8 unstable and hygiene-oriented, declined due scents and odors increasingly found their
to the outbreak of the First World War. It way around. In this context, great works
was not until 1968 that systematic, inde- were rediscovered, which contributed sig-
pendent and interdisciplinary research was nificantly to the image upgrade of the per-
carried out with the founding of the Monell fume. This includes, for example, The Book
Center in Philadelphia. It took another half of Perfume, a bibliophile work on the use
century for Simmel’s thoughts to be taken of different cultures with body cosmet-
up in the essay The Sociology of Odors by ics by Eugene Rimmel (1820–1887), a Brit-
Largey and Watson (Largey und Watson ish perfumer and co-founder of the cosmet-
1972) in sociology. More recent contribu- ics company of the same name. The book
tions to sociological olfactory research are virtually resurfaced and was reissued 120
the work of a group of American and Ca- years after its first appearance in 1985 sev-
nadian anthropologists and sociologists: eral times (Rimmel 1988).
Constance Classen, David Howes and An- Also required reading is the work The
thony Synnott (Classen et al. 1994). Foul and the Fragrant: Odour and the
French Social Imagination (Le miasme et
z The image change for the perfume in- la jonquille. L’odorat et l’imaginaire social.
dustry 18e - 19e siècles / Pesthauch und Blüten-
It is hardly possible to determine retrospec- duft. Eine Geschichte des Geruchs) by the
tively what exactly led to the image change French historian Alain Corbin, a both me-
for smell, perfume and perfumery in our ticulous and well-documented analysis and
cultural circle and when this change took description of the hygienic and olfactory sit-
place among the majority of the popula- uation and its change in Paris from the mid-
tion. Many things came together. Certainly, dle of the 18th to the end of the 19th cen-
publications and especially new scents of tury (Corbin 1984). Both Corbin’s much-no-
the second perfume revolution in the 19th ticed treatise and Simmel’s work served the
and early 20th centuries caused a rethink. German writer Patrik Süskind as a model
Only in the 20th century were scents for his historical novel The Perfume (Das
considered chic in our latitudes. They fit the Parfum), the story of a murderer from 1985
modern emancipation movement of women (Süskind 1985). This bestseller with about
8.4 · Perfume & Image: The Ups and Downs of Perfumery
185 8
20 million copies sold worldwide has been ther merges with the skin smell of the
translated into 49 languages. The book is wearer or masks it perfectly. Research-
about the crowning perfume that makes its ers have calculated it: such an attractive-
wearer look so attractive that everyone is ness scent would have to complement
blinded by him and he gets unlimited power or mask about 120 different skin smells
over people. Like no other perfume book, so that the wearer would have a safe ad-
the novel was discussed in public and raised vantage—for Patrick Süskind’s novel
many old questions of the perfume again: hero Grenouille a probably solvable task.
5 Do perfumes make us more attractive? The calculation is based on MHC com-
5 Is a perfume deceiving? plementarity (Major Histocompatibility
5 Does the use of perfume have advan- Complex) and includes a group of genes
tages? responsible for self-antigens on the sur-
5 What does a scent have to be like thatal- face of body cells and influencing immu-
most everyone lets you get very close? nological characteristics, which in turn
5 How does a fragrance affect the beauty are reflected in body odor.
and attractiveness of a person? 5 As already mentioned, the sense of
smell is the only sense directly connected
The last question falls into the area of psy- to the emotional center and there espe-
chological aesthetics research. Beauty ide- cially with the amygdala. It plays a cen-
als are subject to the change of taste and tral role in the emotional evaluation and
fashion. For about 50 years, human beauty recognition of situations, but also of
has been systematically researched. At the faces and the interpretation of facial ex-
beginning it was believed that beauty lies pressions. This gives it a decisive impor-
in the eye of the beholder, but soon studies tance in the visual assessment and per-
showed that different people do indeed re- ception of beauty. It is also indispen-
semble each other in their sense of beauty. sable for the perception of any form of
In addition to attractiveness of face, body arousal, that is, affect- or lust-related
and movement, social status, personal- sensations. If the area is additionally
ity and voice, body odor and perfume have stimulated by scents, it can act as a real
also been research topics in recent years. emotional amplifier and decide the de-
Two discoveries are of particular interest: gree of attractiveness, love, affection and
5 True, as long as it is not in the nosest- happiness. In combination with the Hy-
ings and there is no previous experi- pothalamus and its network, scent can
ence, it is almost exclusively learned what then additionally lead to the release of
smells bad. Disgust is learned, but the Dopamine and thus become the “smell-
basis for disgust is innate in every hu- ing happiness”. Which reaction a stim-
man being. There are, on the other hand, ulation leads to depends on the mood
plenty of innate aesthetic preferences for one is in and how one would like to ex-
smells. For example, it is genetically de- perience oneself. Since women’s amyg-
termined what is judged to be an attrac- dalas are more strongly interconnected
tive skin smell. Women naturally pre- than men’s, they usually smell better and
fer the skin smell of men whose immune a pleasant-attractive smell can be linked
system complements their own and thus to a feeling of well-being that reaches
differs from it. I will discuss it later. Since up to happiness, scents should actu-
scents smell differently on every skin, it is ally make them beautiful—at least for
the combination of skin smell and scent themselves. The actress Audrey Hep-
that makes them “smell good”. An ide- burn (1929–1993) is said to have once
ally beautiful smelling men’s perfume ei- said: “I believe that happy girls are the
 186 Chapter 8 · Big and Small Moments of Modern Perfumery

prettiest girls” (“Ich glaube, dass glück- unconsciously and influence reproduc-
liche Mädchen die schönsten Mädchen tion-related physiological processes or cor-
sind”). She certainly did not have the responding behavior. But this definition al-
media scent and perfume in mind. ready begins the problem. Many research-
ers avoid the term “pheromone” in favor of
Younger men in particular are interested “chemosignal” (chemical signal) with the
in the answer to the question: “What does argument that no general consensus can
a scent have to be like thatalmost everyone be reached as to what the term pheromone
lets you get very close?” There are many stands for in humans. This problem does
myths surrounding this topic, which have not exist in popular science articles. Phero-
contributed to the increased interest in mones are discussed here as triggers for sex-
smell and perfume. ual readiness, as can be observed in the an-
imal world. Whether we humans also com-
municate this readiness with pheromones
8.5 Pheromones Or: The Current has not yet been proven, but has triggered
State of the Search for the a feverish search with a large number of
studies and publications. Although the ex-
Atlantis of Perfumery
istence of pheromone receptors has now
8 been discovered in humans, which can be
In this section we set out in search of the
Atlantis of perfumery. We discuss the often activated by the fragrance Hedion, a syn-
controversial topic of “pheromones in hu- thetic fragrance with a floral scent, it is not
really certain whether the receptors are in-
mans“. I would like to ask you right at the
beginning: volved in sexual readiness. At least it was
found that Hedion has an influence on hu-
man sexual behavior, if not a direct, then
z Do you belong to the believers or unbe-
perhaps an indirect one. In the experiments
lievers in pheromones?
on this, people reacted with increased trust-
Smell affects our choice of partner, that is worthiness under the influence of the fra-
undisputed. I will discuss it later. Not only grance Hedion when others first trusted
body odor is discussed in this context, but them (Berger et al. 2017), according to the
also chemical signals that surprisingly re- motto: “As you do to me, so I do to you”.
duce sexual arousal in men. For example, In the animal world, pheromone rela-
it has been shown that the smell of tears tionships are often more direct. Often an
shed by women in sadness triggers this pro- animal cannot help but agree to mate when
cess in men (Berger et al. 2017)—a reac-
it perceives the dispatched messenger sub-
tion that is also reflected on a physiolog- stance. Of course, this behavior cannot be
ical level, e.g. in a lower testosterone level, transferred to humans, and for this reason,
but also in a reduction of the brain activity
according to the current state of research,
that controls sexual stimulation (Gelstein the existence of pheromones in humans is
et al. 2011). Cell physiologist Hanns Hatt doubted (Wyatt 2015). Pheromone believ-
from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum asks in
ers don’t like to hear that, because they ar-
this context whether one can conclude from gue that humans are mammals and it is
such studies that there could also be a phe- therefore possible, perhaps even likely, that
romonal effect in humans that differs from
we have pheromones. They don’t run as di-
classical olfaction.
rectly as often in the animal kingdom, but
In this context, Pheromones are also
chemical signals also have an effect on hu-
understood to be messenger substances
mans, for example, as we will see later, that
for information transfer that are perceived
women are perceived by men as happier
8.5 · Pheromones Or: The Current State of the Search for the Atlantis of Perfumery
187 8
and more relaxed and therefore more at- women. Androstenol has a slightly musky
tractive. smell. As “alpha-Androstenol” it is a sub-
The term “pheromone” has been around stance that smells faintly of sandalwood.
since 1959. It was introduced by a Ger- Pheromone believers assume that research
man-Swiss biochemist team. Of the three will identify Androstenol as a pheromone
skin glands (sweat, scent and sebaceous that promotes “friendliness” or “trust”.
glands), it is the scent glands, the so-called Androstadienone (AND) is a break-
apocrine glands, that the pheromone re- down product of testosterone and is found
search focuses on. Scent glands are not ac- in male sweat, but also in semen. So far,
tive from birth, they develop with puberty. no receptors have been discovered in hu-
They are located in the area of the arm- mans that can recognize AND. But phero-
pits, the nipples and in the groin area and mone believers do not give up hope because
secrete fragrance substances with phero- AND probably affects brain processes that,
mone-like effect, especially in reaction to among other things, control the perception
emotional stimuli such as desire or fear, but of faces. The influence on the amygdala is
also in reaction to sexual hormones. discussed.
The proof of the widely held belief that Estratetraenol (EST) was first discov-
there are human pheromones is mainly ered in the urine of pregnant women in
based on four steroid molecules (biologi- the late stages in the 1960s. EST as a com-
cal substances that convey a certain mes- pound resembles estrogens. Probably it is
sage or information to certain body cells): also present in armpit sweat. A whole range
Androstenone, Androstenol, Androstadi- of effects are attributed to the alleged hor-
enone (AND) and Estratetraenol (EST). mone, which are also shown in women
Whether and how these four steroid mole- themselves, including influences on psycho-
cules affect the sexual readiness of humans logical-emotional reactions. For example,
is a much-discussed question. I would like it has been found that EST increases the
to briefly discuss each substance before we mood in women.
turn to pheromone research.
Androstenone is an androgen (male z The mysterious organ
sex hormone) and is formed as a chemi- Originally it was thought that the potential
cal by-product during the breakdown of effect of the chemical signals that are sup-
androgens. It is said to have a masculiniz- posed to communicate sexual readiness, be-
ing effect and a masculine attractiveness as- gins with a almost mysterious organ, the
sociated with it. Androstenone is secreted vomeronasal organ (VON) or the Jacob-
mainly by the sweat glands of the armpits, son organ, which smells the messenger sub-
especially in men. It is directly related to stance. Even today, however, its function
the sex hormone testosterone. Pheromone is often questioned for humans. Neverthe-
believers assume that research will identify less, it exists in the form of tiny indentations
Androstenone as one of the strongest pher- on both sides of the nasal septum; more on
omones for “sexual attraction”. that in a moment. Meanwhile, it is becom-
Androstenol was first extracted from ing clear that sexual readiness can also be
boar testicles before it could be synthesized. communicated in the animal world without
It occurs in humans, like Androstenone, VON by chemical signals. You can see that
in the sweat glands, but also in urine and the topic of “pheromones” is more complex
other body fluids. Also, Androstenol re- in the animal world than previously thought.
sembles the male sex hormone testoster- For a long time it was believed that hu-
one in its chemical structure. Men produce mans lack the vomeronasal organ. In the
it on average two to three times more than scientific literature, this was therefore re-
 188 Chapter 8 · Big and Small Moments of Modern Perfumery

ferred to as a “olfactory devolution”. The scents, especially by women. This unexpect-

current research results contradict this. edly negative result of the pheromone effect
They do not assume that the sense of smell raised other fundamental questions: Can
has decreased during human evolution there be any objective studies on the topic
(Shepherd 2013). Ethnologists were among of pheromones or olfactory effects that
the first to notice the importance of the aim at sexual readiness at all? Do commer-
sense of smell in interpersonal relationships cial interests or personal fascinations play
that is still valid today. They pointed out, such a big role in this topic that research is
for example, that in some cultures, such continued until the desired data is availa-
as among the Inuit, people still smell each ble? With pheromone research, one can ac-
other’s hands, which has developed into a tually get this impression. Of course, the
handshake in Western civilizations. idea of finding scents or odors that can ac-
In the mid-1980s, olfactory research was tually manipulate one’s counterpart uncon-
in for a surprise. A team from the Univer- sciously is very tempting—to like someone,
sity of Utah in the USA proved the exist- to respect them, to do something for them
ence of the vomeronasal organ in adults or to think something specific about them.
and documented its function. Up to this Despite the negative results of the Na-
point, it had been assumed that it only ex- tional Geographic Society study, phero-
8 isted in infants and regressed during devel- mone believers did not want to give up.
opment. The stimulation of the VNO now They continued to research, and indeed cer-
showed an interesting effect: adult test sub- tain effects of androstene molecules could
jects reported not smelling anything, but be shown—for example, on mood, physio-
feeling a “warm, vague sense of well-be- logical arousal, visual perception, and brain
ing.” This discovery spurred the commer- activity (Savic und Berglund 2010).
cialization of pheromone perfumes, which As early as the early 1970s, Martha Mc-
did not necessarily contribute to the posi- Clintock, an American psychologist, pub-
tive image of the perfume industry, while lished an observation that was repeat-
pheromones became a research topic. Here, edly referred to. It is the description of the
attention was initially focused on the effect amazing phenomenon that, in women of
of androsterone (not to be confused with childbearing age living together, the men-
androstenone) on women in particular. In strual cycle approaches. The pheromone un-
the animal kingdom, the steroid andros- believers criticized these studies for statisti-
terone is known for its influence on sex- cal and methodological weaknesses. Even
ual behavior. Humans also excrete andros- a repeat of the 2009 study in a Polish stu-
terone, men much more than women. It is dent dormitory could not confirm the Mc-
similar to the male hormone testosterone Clintock results of Wellesley College in
and should work on women unconsciously Massachusetts. But the pheromone believ-
like an aphrodisiac, at least that was the hy- ers referred to a study by Geoffrey Miller
pothesis in the 1980s. A worldwide olfac- from 2007. In this study it was shown that
tory study conducted by the National Ge- “lap dancers” (women who dance in front
ographic Society in 1986 provided a first of customers in close proximity and on their
clarification of its effect on humans. Over laps in a bar), who did not use the pill, were
a million scent cards (“Scratch and Sniff,” given 50% more money just before ovula-
which release the scent when rubbed) were tion than a control group. Miller himself
distributed for evaluation in order to test admitted that the results could be explained
the scent of human androsterone in a blind in different ways: for example, by changes
test. The results were sobering. Androster- in their personality, their tone of voice or
one was rated as one of the least attractive other physical characteristics. For the pher-
8.5 · Pheromones Or: The Current State of the Search for the Atlantis of Perfumery
189 8
omone believers, this study was at least the goes through the vomeronasal organ. Ac-
confirmation of an ancient knowledge: men cordingly, the Vienna study, which is based
judge the self-smell of women most attrac- on a diploma thesis (Female Pheromones—
tive shortly before ovulation. Effect and role of synthetic copulins in the
hidden ovulation of humans), which was
z Why the pheromone believers also like submitted by Astrid Jütte in 1995, was re-
to refer to Napoleon Bonaparte ceived with mixed feelings in the academic
The research interest then focused, inter world. The results, which were published in
alia, on so-called copulins, which are ac- the same year in the journal Gynäkologische
tually not pheromones, but which women Geburtshilfliche Rundschau (Grammer und
emit in phases of the cycle. Their smell Jütte 1995), for example, were then so excit-
is said to have attracted men at all times, ing for the press that they were taken over
probably also Napoleon Bonaparte, who without much questioning and are still of-
wrote to his Joséphine: “Do not wash— ten quoted today. However, many still over-
come in three days.” look a study from 2017 by Megan Wil-
Chemically, copulins are a mixture of liams and her colleague Coren Apicella,
short-chain fatty acids. They are found in both from the University of Pennsylvania,
female vaginal secretions. There they occur which is based on Jütte’s study. Based on
more during ovulation. In a study already the study of 243 men, she comes to the con-
carried out in the mid-1990s at the Vienna clusion that copulins do not influence their
Ludwig Boltzmann Institute, whose meth- sexual behavior: “We found no evidence
odology and results are now being ques- that copulins influenced men’s sexual mo-
tioned, young men were asked to sniff cop- tivation, the willingness to engage in sex-
ulins. However, the mixture was so diluted ual adventures, … [or] the perception of fe-
that the test participants had no conscious male attractiveness …” (Williams und Api-
olfactory perception. During the smelling, cella 2017; Williams und Jacobson 2016). In
the men were asked to judge portrait pho- other words, the question of whether cop-
tos of different women. Before and after ulins can act like pheromones is—to put it
smelling, the test participants had to pro- cautiously—also postponed here.
vide a saliva sample for the measurement of Similarly, investigations into the effects
the testosterone level. An increase in testos- of two other potential human pheromones
terone was recorded in all 66 test persons, mentioned earlier, androstadienone (AND)
regardless of how attractive the respec- and estratetraenol (EST), have so far not
tive woman was rated on the photo. The yielded consistent results (Chakkarath und
men also perceived the attractiveness of Weidemann 2018). AND is discussed as a
the women to be equalized. Less attractive potential male pheromone, EST as a female
women now appeared more attractive. The one. AND and EST are said to at least
influence of copulins was thus attributed raise the mood in the opposite sex. How-
to a kind of chemical change of conscious- ever, studies have not yet yielded a clear re-
ness. It was not clarified how copulins are sult because the influence of the test leader
actually perceived and what role the vome- seemed to play a role. However, recent stud-
ronasal organ plays in this. Because accord- ies report that EST has an influence on
ing to recent research at the University of the perception of the emotional state of
Dresden, only two thirds of all people have women by men. Women are perceived as
this relic from the early days. Accordingly, happier and more relaxed (Ye et al. 2019).
one would have expected that not all men Furthermore, it was observed in one study
from the Vienna study could be stimulated that EST increases the perception of emo-
by copulins—at least not if the stimulation tional touch (Oren et al. 2019). In other
 190 Chapter 8 · Big and Small Moments of Modern Perfumery

words, the search for the Atlantis of per- women (100 students) in a blind test. The
fumery will continue. results spread quickly. Women judge the
body odor of men with different immune
z A Swiss scientist sheds light on the At- systems to be more attractive (“smells like
lantis of perfumery the boyfriend or the ex-lover”). However,
The use of sex pheromones as ingredients if the body odor was too strong, the effect
in pheromone perfumes has, as said, dam- was lost.
aged the image of modern perfumery. In In summary, one can say about pher-
particular, the promise of promised ef- omones: The connection between body
fects has always given the industry a touch odor and sexual attraction is now undis-
of charlatanism, especially because scents puted. Whether one can also use them as
came on the market that did not hold up corresponding fragrance ingredients in per-
in independent tests what they promised. fumes will remain a much-discussed and
Therefore, one cannot thank the biologist controversial topic. This takes me back to
and Swiss immunologist Claus Wedekind the question I asked at the beginning: After
enough that the topic has been discussed reading this section, do you now belong to
academically more complex since the turn the pheromone believers or unbelievers?
of the millennium. The confirmation of
8 the effect of scents on human sexual at-
traction has so far only been reliably pro- 8.6 The Second Fragrance
vided by immunology, more precisely by or- Revolution: How Discoveries
gan transplantation research. Our cells are
Led to a Better Smell
equipped with proteins that help the im-
mune system to identify itself as one self. Increasingly more fragrance users wish for
By chance, the following was discovered:
perfumes made from purely natural instead
Female laboratory staff were able to assign of synthetic ingredients. This trend has
mice to different immune system groups manifested itself in organic or vegan as well
based on their smell.
as in bio-perfumes. From the end of the
Claus Wedekind from the University 19th to well into the 20th century, it was ex-
of Bern and Lausanne went to the bottom actly the opposite: synthetic stood for pro-
of this in 1995 and 2005. If women could
gress, innovation and future. One reason for
smell differences in the immune system in this were the numerous chemical discover-
mice, shouldn’t that be possible in men too? ies in the second half of the 19th century,
This was an exciting question because it which changed world trade.
was already known for a long time that fer- For centuries, access to and trade in aro-
tility increases with different immune sys- mas and colors were strictly controlled. Too
tems of man and woman. Conversely, the much was at stake for the trading houses of
risk of pregnancy complications increases the countries that dominated the sea like
with similar immune systems of the part- Spain, Portugal and England. They had
ners. made a killing with the import monopoly.
Wedekind applied the typical T-shirt No wonder that solutions were sought in the
sniff test. The male test subjects were asked interior. Vanilla is a good example of this.
not to change a neutral white T-shirt for Originally, the spice vanilla came from
two days, to sleep in it, not to use perfume, Mexico and Central America. It was already
aftershave or deodorant, not to eat any- very popular with the native Mexicans, the
thing sharp, not to smoke, to drink only Aztecs, as a spice because of its aromatic in-
water and to abstain from sex. After that, gredient vanillin. Eventually, the Spanish
the T-shirt was sealed and presented to
8.6 · The Second Fragrance Revolution: How Discoveries Led to a Better Smell
191 8
conquerors brought it to Europe. Since it The second half of the 19th century
only grew in Mexico at first, the Spaniards also brought breakthroughs in other areas
held the monopoly on vanilla for a long of synthetic research. In 1856, the first syn-
time, which became the second most ex- thetic dye, Mauvein or Mauve, a weak red-
pensive spice in the world after saffron. Al- dish violet, was discovered. In 1878, per-
though there was a great demand from the haps the greatest success was achieved in
beginning, but time-consuming cultivation the field of color: the first full synthesis of
and processing stood in the way of a quick Indigo, the deep blue. This was followed
delivery. In addition, it was not possible to by a bitter competition between manufac-
grow vanilla in other areas, because a special turers of natural and synthetic Indigo. But
bee and hummingbird species that only oc- thanks to industrial synthesis processes, In-
curred in Mexico and Central America was digo could be produced more cheaply and
needed for pollination. Not until 1837 did a in even more spectacular blue, so that the
Belgian botanist and 1841 a plantation slave market for natural Indigo finally collapsed.
succeed in artificial pollination. The first synthetic production of a plant
But artificial pollination did not solve substance that was to revolutionize the
all problems. The long processing of vanilla perfume industry took place in 1868 with
remained. Its fruits had to be blanched, i.e. Coumarin. Like synthetic vanilla (vanil-
heated in water and then dried in the sun lin), coumarin could be marketed indus-
for weeks. After that they came to ripen in trially from 1876. The plant substance ob-
boxes before they acquired their character- tained from tonka beans smells highly aro-
istic aroma. matic and sweet and tastes like vanilla and
woodruff in flavor. Synthetic coumarin and
z Sensational news for the fragrance world vanilla were a wonder of modern chemistry
from a German small town—not from and were actually just waiting to be discov-
Paris ered in a perfume of the future.
In 1874, the sensation came from a place Nobody asked if the use of Coumarin
the world did not know. In the then only and Vanilla—in whatever form they were
6000-soul small town of Holzminden in obtained—would entail any health risks.
southern Lower Saxony, the German chem- Not until 1954 was coumarin banned as
ist team of Wilhelm Haarmann and Ferdi- a flavor in the USA because of toxic reac-
nand Tiemann succeeded in the synthetic tions and later also restricted on the other
production of Vanilla. In the same year, side of the Atlantic in its maximum content
the two founded Haarmann’s Vanillinfab- as an ingredient. But even the consumption
rik. In 1876, Karl Reimer joined as a third of vanilla, the world’s favorite flavor No. 1,
owner of the company. He had discovered is now discouraged in large quantities. Par-
how to produce vanillin even more effi- acelsus already put it in the early 16th cen-
ciently and cheaply. The company was now tury: “All things are poison, and nothing is
called Haarmann & Reimer. Another dis- without poison; only the dose makes it that
covery by Tiemann increased the profitabil- a thing is not poison.”
ity of vanilla production. Two years later, it
was even possible to produce violet aroma z The second revolution in the perfume in-
artificially. This gave them a real trend-fra- dustry by Paul Parquet
grance building block in their hands, be- The second perfume revolution began in
cause violet is rediscovered by almost every 1881 with the use of synthetic fragrance
generation. By the way, Haarmann & Re- molecules in perfumes. It was triggered by
imer was bought by Bayer AG in 1953 and the perfumer Paul Parquet (1856–1916),
merged into the company Symrise in 2003. co-owner of the perfume house Houbigant
 192 Chapter 8 · Big and Small Moments of Modern Perfumery

founded in Paris in 1775, which still de- any, but a fragrance that was to be imitated
lights olfactorily today with its perfumes. most often and represented a whole new
Monsieur Parquet was committed to the fragrance family. As mentioned above in
long tradition of his perfume house and the connection with Charles Baudelaire: Paul
French perfume industry. Already during a Parquet knew what he was doing. So he is
whole century before Parquet’s time, Hou- said to have said: “If God had given ferns
bigant had achieved everything that a per- a smell, they would smell like Fougère Roy-
fume house could wish for. His customers ale.”
are said to have included Marie-Antoinette Parquets Fougère Royale became the
(1755–1793), the later queen of France ex- founder of the fragrance family Fougère
ecuted on the guillotine. Napoleon is also perfumes, in which mainly lavender, ber-
said to have had a special perfume created gamot and geranium play together and
for Empress Joséphine at Houbigant. have become the DNA of men’s perfum-
At the time Parquets there was a great ery. Hardly any men’s fragrance was imi-
competition among the perfumers and fra- tated more often until it disappeared from
grance houses. Especially the relatively the market in the late 1960s. No wonder it
young, 1828 founded up-and-coming fra- was recently revived for younger noses.
grance house Guerlain developed more and However, Parquet did not live to see
8 more into a dynasty and threatened to over- how “Fougère Royale” also revolution-
take Houbigant. Parquet had to act. He ized women’s perfumes. It is doubtful
could no longer rely on classic French per- whether “Chypre” by Coty, which came on
fumery, but had to take a chance on some- the market in 1917, a year after his death,
thing new. He was aware that only a revo- was influenced by this. Although both per-
lutionary leap into the future of perfum- fumes share some ingredients such as ber-
ery could eliminate the dusty image of his gamot and oak moss, “Chypre” certainly
fragrance house. Parquet was not alone in also has other facets. Nevertheless, the fra-
these considerations. For a long time, per- grance philosophy of “Chypre” with its
fumers have been looking for new ingredi- liveliness and power or, expressed differ-
ents to create a completely new fragrance ently, with its “rough shell and soft core”
experience. reveals much of the fresh spiciness of
Parquets decision in this situation “Fougère Royale”. Meanwhile, more than
should make him one of the greatest in the one hundred years after Parquet’s death,
art of perfumery and a pioneer of modern the “Fougère” fragrance family is also well
perfumery in many ways. He created a com- represented for women and is currently be-
pletely new men’s perfume: “Fougère Roy- coming more and more popular. These in-
ale” (royal fern). For this perfume, he was clude fragrances such as “Acqua di Colo-
the first to use a synthetic fragrance ingre- nia Fougère” by O Boticário, “Fougère” by
dient, namely Cumarin, one. Actually, one L’acqua di Fioria, or “E for Women Green
would have expected this fragrance ingredi- Fougère” by Clive Christian.
ent—if at all—in a women’s perfume. But
Parquet went one step further: He gave the z The first fragrance of emancipation
almost odorless fern a smell. “Fougère Roy- However, Parquet saw how Guerlain took
ale” thus broke with the dominance of nat- over his idea of synthetic coumarin. So
ural scents as the first fragrance and intro- in 1889 the Guerlain perfume “Jicky”,
duced Fantasy Notes one. That was new about eight years after the introduction of
too. So far, perfumers had adhered to the “Fougère Royale”, was the first women’s
world of smells of nature. Parquet invented perfume with synthetic coumarin and van-
a smell for ”non-smelling nature“—not just illin. You can smell two intersecting fra-
8.6 · The Second Fragrance Revolution: How Discoveries Led to a Better Smell
193 8
grance families: “Amber-Oriental” and ily was set by Guerlain in 1925 with “Shal-
“Fougère”. Originally, “Jicky” was created imar”. Here, the heart and the base shine
and brought to market as a men’s perfume. with an oriental-fascinating, tempting mys-
But then emancipated French women dis- tery, to which synthetic vanilla (vanillin)
covered the perfume for themselves. After also contributes.
all, they were the first women in Europe to Sure, other perfumers would have even-
demand their rights in petitions, at assem- tually come up with the idea of using the
blies and also on the barricades. new synthetic aromas or brilliant wonders
The Paris Commune of 1871, when of the then chemical industry in their fra-
women stood on the barricades and de- grance creations. Because it has been an old
manded equality, is considered a high point dream of perfumery to make flowers shine
of the women’s movement. In 1880, Huber- even more than in the light of the sun. In
tine Auclert, founder of the women’s suf- 1921 it was finally time: for the first time,
frage movement, organized a tax boycott aldehydes, the newly discovered light am-
with her fellow women: We leave the priv- plifiers, could be used generously in a fra-
ilege of paying taxes to the men who vote grance. “Chanel No 5” was born. The most
on their amount in parliament and who gifted perfume in the world has influenced
claim the right to decide on state support. an entire fragrance family with its synthetic
“In addition, Hubertine Auclert organ- brilliance.
ized a census boycott with the motto:” If What outsiders may not be so aware of:
we don’t count, why count us? “Finally, the without the innovations of the chemical in-
women’s movement experienced another in- dustry, there would be no more great per-
crease with the radical suffragettes, who, fume classics. Thanks to synthetic fragrance
at the beginning of the 20th century, de- ingredients, it is today possible to recreate
manded universal suffrage for women with perfume masterpieces of past days without
passive resistance, disruptions of official animal ingredients. They were previously
events and hunger strikes. common in many perfumes, such as civet
With the increase of the women’s move- (gland of the civet cat), ambergris (the ex-
ment, the traditionally feminine fragrance cretion of the sperm whale—the possession
notes no longer fit the modern lifestyle of and trade of ambergris was banned in the
many women. They wanted to be differ- United States by the Endangered Species
ent from their mothers. This was also re- Act of 1973), musk (gland on the belly of
flected in the choice of perfumes, which, the musk deer) and castoreum (secret of the
like “Jicky”, were actually intended for beaver). They are fortunately mostly forbid-
the modern man. The perfume manufac- den today, but unfortunately they are still
turers quickly adapted to the new circum- partly used from breeding stocks. Animal
stances. For example, Jicky’s perfumer odors such as ambergris have also become
Aimé Guerlain changed the story of his fra- unaffordable.
grance: originally dedicated to his nephew, I do not want to deepen the discus-
he declared, in view of the changed circum- sion about natural or synthetic scents here.
stances, that he had created it in memory of There are good arguments for both sides.
his English girlfriend. However, with natural aromas, the limits
Guerlain owes a lot to Paul Parquet. of growth are often reached. So the world-
Unintentionally, he gave the starting signal wide harvest of about 1000 tons of real va-
for further great perfumes with synthetic nilla can no longer cover the increasing de-
fragrance ingredients. The milestone for mand. Here, the synthetic fragrance is the
the so-called amber-oriental fragrance fam- only solution.
 194 Chapter 8 · Big and Small Moments of Modern Perfumery

8.7 Perfume & Self—Effects with the current experience. For exam-
on the Ego or: The Most ple, you want to become more active, fit-
Beautiful of All Drugs? ter or more athletic and you also achieve
this.
Not only as a psychologist, one wonders
why modern people perfume themselves The “experience of being” and the “ideal
at all. Only “to cover unpleasant odors” experience” rarely overlap. The self-dis-
should hardly satisfy perfume lovers as an crepancy theory therefore does not claim
answer. What do you want to achieve with that the ideal state must be achieved in the
the use of your favorite perfume? There is “now”. Rather, for personal happiness it is
a variety of contributions from neighbor- enough if experience wishes become tangi-
ing disciplines such as sociology, aesthetics, ble and one experiences them as approach-
medicine, philosophy, anthropology, eth- ing. If you transfer this theory to perfum-
nology, history and of course literature that ery, you can in particular see favorite per-
try to answer these and similar questions. fumes and their fragrance directions as
The following areas of psychology deal transformation offers for the current expe-
with this topic: rience and self. One tries to get closer to a
desired ideal self or ideal experience more
8 5 Psychophysiology: It studies above all
or less consciously (. Fig. 8.1).
process sequences during smelling.
5 General Psychology: It deals with the The perfect choice of perfume is there-
meaning of olfactory perception for the fore both experience- and goal-oriented. It
quality of life, that is, for the general depends on the personal experience wish
well-being. and how one wants to appear to others or
5 Developmental Psychology: It is par- in a situation.
ticularly interested in olfactory sociali- In general, one can say: With perfumes
zation and in innate and learned olfac- one reduces the distance between how one
tory preferences. experiences oneself at the moment and how
5 Social Psychology: It focuses on the ef- one would like to experience oneself more
fect of scents on the social environment. now or in the near future. Simply put, the
5 Psychology of aesthetic perception: It use of perfumes is always about self-opti-
evaluates the factors of olfactory prefer- mization and -enhancement, about mood
ences. brightening, -change and -correction, com-
5 Clinical Psychology: It studies the ef- bined with the experience- and goal-ori-
fects of loss of smell and the use of aro- ented desire to become more attractive to
mas for therapeutic treatments. oneself and others. This can be shown in
5 Personality Psychology: It provides in- different ways, for example through the rec-
sights into the fascination of perfumes ognition one receives because one was the
and fragrance choice. Within this direc- first to find and wear a perfume; because
tion there are different schools and ap- it smells good; because one feels comfort-
proaches, including the already men-
tioned self-discrepancy theory by Hig-
gins (1987). According to this, people Current Ideal
are more satisfied, the smaller they ex- self self
perience the distance from their current How to experience How to experience
self to their ideal self. So you feel that at the moment more
you are getting closer to what you want.
Ideally, the experience wish overlaps . Fig. 8.1 Current self—ideal self
8.7 · Perfume & Self—Effects on the Ego or: The Most Beautiful of All Drugs?
195 8
able with the perfume; because it refreshes to one and how one experiences it. Or one
pleasant memories; because it brings happi- may not admit the true reason for a fra-
ness and success. The personal reasons are grance choice, possibly one simply does not
manifold. know which previous, unconscious olfac-
This does not contradict the general tory experience has influenced the choice.
view that a perfume should underline the To this day, it depends on the eloquence
personality of its wearer. Many fragrance of each individual fragrance lover, which is
experts even claim that they feel naked extremely brilliant with some, to describe
without their perfume. Even someone who his or her most beautiful of all drugs to
has used the same perfume for all situations others. Classification systems, the so-called
for a long time does this to complement fragrance families or fragrance directions,
his style, his aura or personality with a fi- as I have already introduced them, are help-
nal, still missing touch. With this one stages ful, but often too general to really make in-
oneself anew and comes closer to the de- dividual fragrance experience and the why
sired image of oneself of the personality. of wearing understandable. The history of
This is confirmed by modern psychology. perfumery has taken a long time to develop
Personality is always also a process. a language for describing scents. With taste,
From the perspective of neuroperfumery, people were always a little further ahead.
the choice of fragrance is still addition- So already Aristotle in addition to the four
ally influenced by the search for individ- basic taste directions sour, sweet, salty and
ual brain areas or regions for stimulation. bitter also called herb, sharp and hard, in
One could even say: perfumes are a wel- the sense of harsh or unpleasant. This re-
come over- or under-stimulation compen- sulted in seven basic directions. Transferred
sation for certain brain regions. But per- to the world of beautiful scents, this num-
fumes are—at least at the moment—not ber is of course not enough.
drugs that change consciousness or rede-
fine reality. But they can trigger processes in Carl von Linné (1707–1778), the great
the wearer and in the environment and are Swedish botanist and plant systematist,
therefore powerful. dealt with fragrance taxonomy in the 18th
century. As head of a large garden, he
z Why we “perfume” ourselves with a cer- found the time to work on his main work,
tain perfume the Systema naturae (System of Nature).
The question of why we “perfume” our- The result for the classification of smells
selves with a particular perfume, why this were seven classes: aromatic, floral, am-
fascinates us and we bought it, is much brosial (musk), leek-like (garlic), goat-like
more difficult to answer than the general (goat), repulsive (rotten), nauseating (bad).
question of perfuming. The final influence This classification was only partially appli-
of possible factors such as climate, season, cable in fine perfumery.
smell on the skin, current mood, price, time In 1895, the Dutch physiologist Hen-
of day, day of the week, bottle design, im- drik Zwaardemarker (1857–1930) under-
age of the brand, chance, influence of the took one of the most famous experiments
best friend etc. is almost uncalculatable, of the past 200 years, classifying invisible
and yet all these factors are closely inter- things. He developed 30 smell classes. Also
woven. Often, the explanation for the spe- worth mentioning is the smell prism devel-
cific choice of a perfume and its fascination oped by the German psychologist Hans
also fails due to the language. It is almost Henning (1885–1946) for the three-dimen-
impossible to express what a scent means sional representation of smells. The six cor-
 196 Chapter 8 · Big and Small Moments of Modern Perfumery

ners of the prism represent the following six which was traditionally very similar to figu-
smell classes: rotten, fruity, resinous, smoky rative expressions or comparisons.
(burnt), spicy and floral. According to Hen- English flavor researcher Roger Harper,
ning’s theory, each smell should occupy a to name just one, presented a total of 44
specific position in the prism. But this did fragrance classes in 1968. These include,
not impress the experts of later generations. for example, fruity, aromatic, almond-like,
More successful in the 1960s and minty, citrusy, sweet, Vanilla, soapy, metal-
1970s was the British biochemist John E. lic, animalistic and floral. They became an
Amoore. He proposed the distinction be- official language repertoire for perfumers in
tween base smells such as etheric, cam- order to describe ingredients and fragrance
phor-like and musk-like as well as floral, creations uniformly. Nevertheless, one is de-
minty and rotten. The discussion about the pendent on the eloquence of consumers for
number of base smells did not end there. the understanding of individual fragrance
How much the perfume industry wanted to fascinations. For example, on the website
postulate a scientific theory of smell, com- fragrantica.de you will find a successful fra-
parable to the visual perception and the grance description by the blogger Aquaria
qualities of the basic colors, from which for the perfume classic “Chypre” by Coty:
impressions can be derived systematically. “I have long hesitated to write a review
8 Contributions to the topic “base smells” of this fragrance for fear of not doing jus-
came earlier from the most diverse areas. tice to the fragrance. But what the heck,
For example, the ethnologist Claude Lé- I’m not a perfume expert, I’m just going to
vi-Strauss (1908–2009) reported in his book write about how I feel this fragrance. First
La Potière jalouse (The jealous potter) pub- of all, I am surprised by the liveliness and
lished in 1985 about the South American power of this fragrance. Already with the
Suya Indians, who divide people into four first spray I smell cool, rough oak moss,
smell groups: strong or wild game-like, which remains very prominent and pow-
sharp, bland and rotten. erful throughout the drydown. At first it
As early as 1927, the US chemists Char- forms the mossy background for aromatic
lton Crocker and Lloyd F. Henderson pos- green citrus notes. I smell a green, bit-
tulated four pure base smells: floral, sour, ter Bergamotte in combination with bitter
smoky and rancid. All other scents should, herbs. A very cool and green impression,
according to their theory, be derived as sometimes on the verge of bitter, but beau-
mixtures in different strengths (1–9). This tifully fresh and full of energy. I also believe
resulted in the number 6432 for the scent of that I can smell green, supple labdanum.
roses and the number 7683 for the scent of The fragrance is in this stage green, her-
coffee. baceous, with a cool, rough surface. I see
William McCartney reports in Olfaction craggy rocks in front of me, out of which
and Odours (McCartney 1968) that much mosses and aromatic grasses grow, over
earlier, around 1894, an attempt was made which a cool, rough wind blows. So far, so
to create a smell alphabet based on chemi- masculine. But in the heart the fragrance
cal formulas. For classification and also for also offers warmth. It becomes softer and
the creation of beautiful scents themselves, more floral under the moss layer. Sweeter
the restriction to a few base smells or for- and warmer tones of jasmine and rose
mulas quickly reached its limits. That is make themselves felt, based on an earthy
why the perfumers themselves became ac- and powdery iris. I also smell civet, not
tive. Also, in the long history of perfume obtrusive, but noticeable; it gives the fra-
culture, an internal jargon had developed, grance depth and animal warmth. And fi-
8.7 · Perfume & Self—Effects on the Ego or: The Most Beautiful of All Drugs?
197 8
nally, a slightly powdery-spicy garden car- the acceptance of the fragrance by others.
nation seems to play along. For me, the fra- In their own perfume cabinet, private per-
grance smells like a fairy tale scene. I see fumes are usually in the minority. After
an originally idyllic landscape with beau- their discovery, they are worn until they are
tiful, bright flowers that were enchanted consciously not used for a certain period of
by a grumpy sorcerer and then completely time. These are fragrances that one likes to
overgrown with cool moss. And there the re-purchase or receive as a gift. They have
sleeping flowers patiently wait for a nose become quasi-part of oneself. Such per-
to come along, to smell them and thus to fumes are defended against everything and
wake them up again. This magical process must never be changed. If they disappear
happened in the drydown; the rough sur- from the shelf, their lovers equate it to a
face and the soft core eventually resulted in world collapse.
a harmonious image. In short: an impres- These fragrances serve only the own self.
sive chypre, not pleasing at first and second Their secret: With them one lives out one’s
sniff, it requires some sniffing work, but ideal self. One enjoys the fragrance, even if
once you have discovered the beauty inside one is not really aware of who one actually
this fragrance, you understand why it be- is or should be—artist, fashion designer,
came a reference fragrance.” musician, film star, top athlete or entrepre-
To better understand individual fra- neur. Sometimes one even has the impres-
grance choices, one should still distinguish sion that the fragrance leads one back into
between “private fragrances”, which one one’s own past life, in which one could have
wears more for oneself and for one’s own been an Egyptian queen, princess, baron,
self, and “social fragrances”, which one adventurer or world explorer. Only then
wears on a special occasion, from a fra- can one understand the passion with which
grance psychological point of view. With perfume artists exchange fragrances on per-
the first group, the fragrance decision is fume blogs and pay tribute to certain fra-
often spontaneous and emotionally ori- grance preferences of celebrities and pow-
ented towards what one needs for oneself erful people from history. In the way they
and the current mood at the moment, what experience the fragrance, they define their
feels good, what one wants to experience own ideal self-requirements. These are usu-
and what gives one pleasure. With the sec- ally less oriented towards personalities from
ond group, the decision is more cognitive the past, but towards those from the pres-
in nature. One thinks more about how the ent, such as stars from fashion, film, music
fragrance is experienced by others, whether and entertainment.
it fits the occasion and arrives accordingly. The ideal self as an instance of expe-
Of course, a fragrance can be both a private rience desires is also olfactory in the case
and a social fragrance. Also, a private per- of wanderlust. So we associate the smell
fume life can overlap with the anticipation of perfume with travel experiences, dis-
of a social event. It’s just not always easy to tant places and situations—regardless of
distinguish between these two types of fra- whether we have already made or experi-
grances. enced them or whether we simply imagine
Fragrance psychology is particularly in- them. This became particularly clear in
terested in perfumes to which the wearer times of travel restrictions such as Corona.
feels a deep connection, which trigger What is fascinating is that perfume users of-
something in him, which touch him, which ten have similar or identical associations
he needs for himself before he thinks about with a perfume. Here are five examples:
 198 Chapter 8 · Big and Small Moments of Modern Perfumery

5 For example, the smell of tropical sea stones, diffusers or room sprays) can also
is smelled by many untrained noses in act as mood makers. They not only aim at
“Marble Sea” (Atelier Oblique). the olfactory improvement of the domestic
5 For example, the smell of the beach of aura, but also take you to distant worlds.
a city by the sea in the south is caught How do you like our shared scent jour-
by many perfume users in “California ney? Isn’t it highly exciting how controver-
Dream” (Louis Vuitton). sially the topic “pheromones in humans” is
5 For example, the smell of a Mediterra- discussed or how the first perfume of eman-
nean sailing trip is smelled by perfume cipation came about? The latter shows how
lovers in “Replica” (Martin Margiela). the perfume industry has adapted to social
5 For example, the smell of sunscreen by movements and thus to the zeitgeist or how
the pool is smelled by sun worshipers in it must constantly adapt. In 7 Chap. 15 I
“Huile Prodigieuse” (Nuxe). will give you further insights based on in-
5 For example, the smell of tropical for- teresting examples, especially with regard
ests, which one may only know from to the development opportunities perfume
visits to domestic greenhouses, is re- creators have today.
produced by “A Chant for the Nymph”
8 (Gucci).
Summary
Of course, the naming and mentioning of In this chapter we discussed the second
essential ingredients of a perfume support revolution of perfume and saw how it
the goal of an imaginary long-distance jour- came to the first scent of emancipation.
ney. For example, “Bal d’Afrique” (Byredo) We also examined the ups and downs
reveals where the journey is going. Neverthe- of perfume from different perspectives.
less, in a blind test, the scent, which smells of So we discussed the important role of
cedar wood and other exotic ingredients, cre- Charles Baudelaire for the development
ates impressions that many perfume lovers of modern perfume. But we also saw that
associate with the Sahara and North African not a few of the famous classical philos-
regions, especially when they want to travel ophers have expressed themselves dispar-
or see them again. In other words, scents not agingly about the sense of smell and the
only help the own self, but also the ideal self, effect of scents. I therefore introduced
especially in times when one has wishes and you to the “Godfather” of perfume—
needs but cannot live them out, for example Friedrich Nietzsche—who has contrib-
because the vacation is cancelled. Perfumes uted a great deal to the image enhance-
work, for example, against a need for wan- ment and fascination of the sense of
derlust (or better said “far-woe,” more fig- smell and smelling. The romantic period
uratively: A longing for distant places) be- also contributed a lot to the positive im-
cause the ideal self can at least travel on a age of perfume. But we also got to know
scent journey in their thoughts. another side of perfume, which stigma-
For the sake of fairness, it should be tizes, excludes and spies on the olfactory.
said that the ideal self can not only be sent Pheromones in humans are a controver-
on a scent journey with the smell of per- sial topic in research and have caused an
fume (for example with Eau de Parfums up and down of the perfume image with
or Eau de Toilettes), but also, for example, perfumes that did not keep their prom-
with the smell of scented candles. All other ises. Although the existence of phero-
types of room scents (such as fragrance dis- mone receptors has now been discovered
pensers, aromatherapy lamps, fragrance in humans, which can be activated by the
References
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fragrance Hedion (a synthetic fragrance con’ und ‘Parfum Exotique’ von C. Baudelaire
with a floral character), one is not really (Fleurs du Mal). Studienarbeit, GRIN
Novalis (1978–1987) Werke, Tagebücher und Briefe
sure whether the receptors are involved
Friedrich von Hardenberg, hrsg. von H. J. Mähl
in sexual readiness. After reading this und Richard Samuel, München: Carl Hanser Bd.
chapter, you can now weigh up good ar- 1, p. 240
guments for why you belong to the pher- Oren C et al (2019) A scent of romance: human puta-
omone believers or unbelievers. tive pheromone affects men’s sexual cognition. Soc
Cogn Affect Neurosci 14:719–726
Raab J (1998) Die soziale Konstruktion olfaktorischer
Wahrnehmung. Eine Soziologie des Geruchs. Dis-
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11:79 smell. University of Illinois Press, Urbana
Canetti E (1992) Masse und Macht. Claassen, Rimmel E (1988) Das Buch des Parfums. Die klas-
München sische Geschichte des Parfums und der Toilette.
Chakkarath P, Weidemann D (2018) Kulturpsycholo- Ullstein, Berlin
gische Gegenwartsdiagnosen: Bestandsaufnah- Rindisbacher H (2015) What’s this smell? Shifting
men zu Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft. Transcript, worlds of olfactory perception. KulturPoetik
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Classen C, Howes D, Synnott A (1994) Aroma: The Savic I, Berglund H (2010) Androstenol—A ster-
cultural history of smell. Routledge, New York oid derived odor activates the hypothalamus in
Corbin A (1984) Pesthauch und Blütenduft. Eine women. PLoS One 5(2):e8651
Geschichte des Geruchs. Wagenbach, Berlin Shepherd G (2013) Neurogastronomy: how the brain
De Villa M (2017) “Who are you, incomprehensi- creates flavor and why it matters. Columbia Uni-
ble you spirit” Perfume in nineteenth and twen- versity Press, New York
tieth-century German literature. In: Ciani Forza Simmel G (1992) Soziologie. Untersuchungen über
(Eds) Perfume and literature, the persistence of Formen der Vergesellschaftung. Suhrkamp,
the ephemeral. Linea edizioni, Padua pp. 179–198 Frankfurt/M
Flammersberger T (2016) Baudelaire und die Mod- Süskind P (1985) Das Parfum. Die Geschichte eines
erne—Charles Baudelaire. Der Dichter der Mo- Mörders. Diogenes, Zürich
dernität? Hausarbeit, Bayerische Julius-Maximil- Tullett W (2019) The past stinks: a brief history of
ians-Universität Würzburg (Romanistik) smells and social spaces: in the conversation news-
Gelstein S et al (2011) Human tears contain a chemo- letter (theconversation.com) published August 9,
signal. Science 331(6014):226–230 2019. Boston
Grammer K, Jütte A (1995) Der Krieg der Düfte—Be- Williams M, Apicella C (2017) Synthetic copulin does
deutung der Pheromone für die menschliche Re- not affect men’s sexual behavior. Adapt Hum Be-
produktion. Gynakol Geburtshilfliche Rundsch hav Physiol 4:121–137. (2018)
37(1997):149–153 Williams M, Jacobson A (2016) Effect of copulins on
Higgins ET (1987) Self-discrepancy: a theory relating rating of female attractiveness, mate-guarding,
self and affect. Psychol Rev 94:319–340 and self-perceived sexual desirability. Evol Psychol
Hurton A (1994) Erotik des Parfums. Fischer, Frankfurt 14(2):1–8
Largey GP, Watson DR (1972) The sociology of Wohlleben P (2019) Das geheime Band zwischen
odours. Am J Sociol 77(6):1021–1034 Mensch und Natur. Ludwig, München
Le Guérer A (1992) Die Macht der Gerüche. Eine Phi- Wyatt TD (2015) The search for human pher-
losophie der Nase. Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart omones: the lost decades and the necessity
Leistikow A (2019) Das Recht auf Schönheit—ein of returning to first principles. Proc Biol Sci
Plädoyer der Literatur. An Vio, Düsseldorf 282(1804):20142994
McCartney W (1968) Olfaction and Odours: An Ye Y, Zhuang Y et al (2019) Human chemosignals
Osphrésiological Essay. Springer, Berlin\Heidelberg modulate emotional perception of biological mo-
Miertsch B (2005) Parfum, donc souvenir?—Bedeu- tion in a sex-specific manner. Psychoneuroendocri-
tung und Einfluss von Geruch(ssinn) in ‘Le Fla- nology 100:246–253
 201 9

On the Way to the Future

of Smelling
How Fragrances Increasingly Excite the Brain

Contents

9.1 Smell Search: The Scent has been on the Research

Radar for a Long Time – 202

9.2 Nobel Prize-Finding: Do We Smell (Almost) Everything

Twice? – 205

9.3 Imaging Smell: The Starting Shot For

Neuroperfumery – 207

9.4 The Third Fragrance Revolution: “Evening” of the

Future of Perfumery – 213

9.5 Multiple Brain Stimulation Using the Broad-Spectrum

Effect of Citrus Aromas as an Example – 216

9.6 Neuro-Fragrance Sales: How to Excite the Brain for a

New Perfume – 217

References – 220

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023
J. Mensing, Beautiful SCENT,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67259-4_9
 202 Chapter 9 · On the Way to the Future of Smelling

Now there are new findings through the neu-

roperfumery and artificial scent intelligence
how to make the choice of perfume more indi-
vidual, customer-oriented and more accurate
for a win-win for all parties, but also how fra-
grances and perfumes - like active fragrances
or neuroscents - can fascinate even more in the
future and thus offer more pleasure.
But let me first recap some of this at the be-
ginning of this chapter and give you more in-
formation about what the current research on
fragrance and its processing in the brain has
found out. If you are already familiar with
the findings of neuroperfumery presented in
7 Chap. 1 and 4, you can read this chapter
well. It gets really exciting again in 7 Chap.
10, where it is about fragrance therapy.

9.1 Smell Search: The Scent

9 has been on the Research
Radar for a Long Time
The discovery of the olfactory nerves and
thus the first research on smell is attributed
Do you know how to help the brain today to to Claudius Galenus (129–199 AD), a Ro-
be excited about a new perfume? man physician from Pergamon (in pres-
This question is quite controversial. Every ent-day Turkey) who also became the per-
year, about 2000 new perfumes come onto sonal physician of Emperor Marcus Au-
the market—certainly not all of them in the relius. The first assumptions about the
stationary perfume shop, but constant new functioning of smell perception can already
launches of perfumes also compete for the be found in the work De Rerum Natura by
favor of the user there and wait to be discov- the Roman poet Titus Lucretius Carus (97–
ered as a new favorite scent. 55 BC). He assumed that the smallest par-
Since the responsible persons of perfume ticles can pass through slits of the sense or-
brands are usually under enormous sales gan with an adapted shape. Accordingly,
pressure, they need an ally, someone who pleasantly smelling substances should con-
helps to favor the purchase decision for their sist of smooth and round particles, while
new perfume. This is traditionally the dealer. unpleasant, bitter-sharp odors should con-
But he too must ensure that his perfume rec- sist of compact and curved particles.
ommendation is crowned with success, and It was to take 2000 years before re-
for this purpose a perfume is often recom- searchers discovered that not only in the
mended that is assumed to be easier to sell. nose, but on many body organs there are
Too specifically smelling perfumes are then olfactory receptors (Hatt and Dee 2012).
shown to customers with reluctance, but ex- As already mentioned, recently biochem-
actly what many perfume lovers are looking ists from the American Monell Institute
for as a perfume for themselves. in Philadelphia, one of the strongholds of
9.1 · Smell Search: The Scent has been on the Research Radar for a Long Time
203 9
fragrance research, found that even the The brain also makes a difference
taste cells on the tongue have olfactory re- whether we like the scents or not (Rolls
ceptors (Malik et al. 2019). This discovery 2004). Depending on whether we only sniff
is due to the twelve-year-old son of the sci- or actually smell, other areas in the brain
entist Mehmet Ozdener, who pointed out are also stimulated (Sobel et al. 1998; Ka-
that snakes extend their tongues to smell reken et al. 2004). The sense of smell is
the air around them. Today one learns in also different from person to person, which
biology lessons, in a nutshell, that each fra- makes its research more difficult. It not
grance molecule when inhaled hits the elon- only depends on psychophysiological and
gated olfactory cells on the mucous mem- other biological differences and is strongly
brane of the nose, is converted into an influenced by personal olfactory socializa-
electrical signal and then in a split second tion, but is also shaped by culture, cultural
rushes along the nerve paths mainly into specific knowledge, habitat and language,
the limbic system, our emotional center. which have significant effects (Ferdenzi
There it is stored as memories in the long- et al. 2017).
term memory and coupled to certain emo- Smelling itself is a complicated but fas-
tions with memories. cinating process. Many questions are still
Since olfactory perception is very com- open, on which there is disagreement in re-
plex and by no means fully researched even search—for example, how specifically the
for professionals, scientists are not always conversion of a chemical stimulus (for ex-
in agreement on the subject of “smelling”. ample, the molecules of a smelled flower
Most of them assume that we can perceive that the receptors in our nose perceive) into
at least 400,000 different fragrance notes. electrical smell signals takes place. Since
Some researchers even theoretically assume 1996, there has been a dispute in research
up to one billion. This is ensured by around that is only partly understandable for in-
20 to 30 million olfactory cells. In any case, siders. So the physiologist and biophysi-
one can say that man can perceive more fra- cist Luca Turin developed a theory that the
grance notes than colors, taste or acous- smell of substances is based on the frequen-
tic impressions. The sense of smell outper- cies of their molecules’ vibration or on dif-
forms any other sense in terms of percep- ferent vibration frequencies and thus be-
tion. comes an electrical smell signal and does
In practice, however, no more than a not work by means of receptor recognition
few thousand fragrance notes can be dis- of form (Turin 1996). However, the major-
tinguished and named correctly. Opti- ity of fragrance researchers now hold the
mists speak of 5000 to 10,000 odors, with view that the brain smells by recognizing
the error rate in correctly naming them at the form of the fragrance molecules. Nev-
over 50%. It is unlikely that even remotely ertheless, some physicists still adhere to Tu-
as many fragrance notes can be coupled to rin’s theory, because identical-looking mol-
emotions and memories. Because much of ecules can smell very differently and vice
what happens when smelling happens in versa molecules with very different struc-
the threshold area of perception and also tures can smell similarly.
unconsciously. Smelling is also not static, When writing this book, research was
but runs like a moving image, almost like just discussing the following view: odors are
a short film. Fragrances are electronic pat- played directly to the piriform cortex (PC)
terns, and since they are in vibration, the via the olfactory bulb (bulbus olfactorius).
areas of smell have to decode them psycho- The bulbus olfactorius represents the pri-
dynamically. mary olfactory center and is considered a
 204 Chapter 9 · On the Way to the Future of Smelling

protuberance of the brain. In the piriform sion is influenced by visual perception, such
cortex, a section of the cerebral cortex be- as the networking with the other senses, but
longing to the olfactory system, which be- also by the meaning of the memory, such as
longs to the outer side of the human brain, our current experience and our personality,
the stimulation by fragrance molecules, or rather modulated.
which have now been converted from a Is this the explanation for why, as re-
chemical stimulus into electrical smell sig- cent studies show, we can smell even with-
nals, is forwarded to other specialized brain out the olfactory bulb, that is, parts of the
regions. I have already described the mani- olfactory brain, much more often than we
fold functions of the piriform cortex in var- think, a smell impression that is not at all
ious places. Here are some additional infor- due to the previous stimulation by certain
mation. fragrance molecules (e.g. a certain flower
The piriform cortex is a phylogeneti- smelled)? Does our olfactory brain in coop-
cally old structure that also occurs in rep- eration with higher brain regions often cre-
tiles, amphibians, and other mammals. The ate a smell impression for which the previ-
small area is located next to the temporal ous stimulation by certain fragrance mole-
lobe, also called the temporal lobe, where in cules (e.g. a certain flower smelled) is not at
anatomy “temple” is used to refer to the re- all responsible?
gion just before and directly above the ears. Of course, one has known for a long
Current research attributes a great effect time: the smell arises in the brain; but that
9 to the small area on other brain areas such the healthy brain can also produce its own
as the hippocampus. This stores complex smell—detached from an olfactory input—
memories, but can be directly stimulated by much more often than we are aware of, is
the piriform cortex. So this part of the ol- a new finding. Apparently, it is enough for
factory brain also affects our memory and, a smell impression if the brain is somehow
as already mentioned, even our perception. stimulated or if it stimulates itself, for ex-
Apparently, the piriform cortex also pro- ample during sleep. So far it was always
cesses what we see and creates an expecta- thought that the smelling of smells that
tion of how a smell might smell. This af- others do not smell at all, such as a clearly
fects the actual smell perception. As has life-threatening fire smell, is a symptom of
been said, this was discovered through stud- psychopathology and occurs in certain dis-
ies using functional magnetic resonance im- eases such as schizophrenia. Also, as al-
aging (fMRI). Based on photos showing a ready mentioned, a smell hallucination is
person with a happy, neutral, or disgusted called a Phantosmia or Phantom smell,
facial expression, the same smells were which occurs especially before epileptic sei-
rated differently. However, the piriform cor- zures. Now the current smell research sug-
tex also seems to be an archive for long- gests that even the healthy brain builds up
term memories, which in turn affects the ac- its own subjective world of smells and cre-
tual smell perception. But in order to func- ates it anew, detached from external input.
tion as an archive, the piriform cortex must One could say: Even for the healthy brain,
first be informed by a signal from the orb- a certain degree of “smell hallucination” is
itofrontal cortex, the maître des parfums, quite normal because it can create a smell
which coordinates the senses and is the seat for itself even without a verifiable external
of personality traits and thus a higher brain stimulus.
region, that an event is to be stored as a Of course, I do not want to say that
long-term memory. In other words, what we everyone always smells things differ-
finally perceive as a concrete smell impres- ently, just because everyone has their own
9.2 · Nobel Prize-Finding: Do We Smell (Almost) Everything Twice?
205 9
characteristic and recognizable breath (Ben- Each area and network is particularly
chetrit 2000), which, in addition to the in- receptive to certain fragrance notes. The in-
dividual emotional-cognitive processing of dividual brain areas, as mentioned, have fa-
the smell, also affects the sense of smell. vorite aromas that they particularly like to
If everyone really lived in their own world be stimulated with. If that is the current
of smells, smell tests like the University state of fragrance research, a very exciting
of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test question arises that cannot currently be an-
(UPSIT) would not be possible for general swered by research:
use (Welge-Lüssen et al. 2002). In the UP- How does the piriform cortex know
SIT, 40 fragrance compounds are impreg- which fragrance to give to which feedback
nated on a paper block in the form of mi- loop, or how does it know which brain area
crocapsules that need to be scraped off. In wants to smell which fragrance first, even if
this way, the fragrance is released and is to there is a feedback loop that it always uses?
be identified within four answer options. As mentioned, the piriform cortex ap-
Even if 40 scents are evaluated in this mul- pears to be much more decisive for smell
tiple-choice test, one could argue that such perception than previously assumed. It is
smell tests can only identify gross olfactory not just a relay station, but also seems to
dysfunctions, for example in the context of have a kind of olfactory consciousness. You
Parkinson’s, and thus cannot really uncover can also just put it this way: The piriform
the differences in fine smelling. However, cortex is probably our little man in the nose
in the practice of fragrance consulting, of- and our fragrance manager.
ten differences in individual fragrance per- In the following, I will give an overview
ception become clear. Then you are fasci- of the three feedback loops in the order 3,
nated how differently one and the same fra- 2, 1, because the last one is the fastest. At
grance is described by fragrance users and the same time, I am offering a short sum-
obviously their brain is stimulated in a very mary with additional information on the
individual way. This brings us back to the brain regions already explained, which are
question of how fragrances actually stimu- important for smell.
late the brain. In the feedback loop 3 the orbitofron-
tal cortex (OFC) is in the center, respon-
sible for the conscious recognition of fra-
9.2 Nobel Prize-Finding: Do We grances and thus for the categorization of
Smell (Almost) Everything all smells fed to it. So it coordinates all ol-
factory impressions and brings them into
Twice?
a overall context, without which a perfume
Recent studies now come to another sur- enjoyment would not be possible. I have
prising finding. From the piriform cor- already introduced the OFC as the Maî-
tex, the olfactory signals are probably for- tre des Parfums in the brain. It also coor-
warded to three control circuits (Olsen et al. dinates our senses and is therefore respon-
2012). In each control circuit there are spe- sible for synesthetic and multisensory rela-
cific brain areas and networks that trigger tionships. That is why we can, for example
neurobiological and psychological processes assign colors or music to olfactory impres-
through the stimulation of certain fragrance sions. It was also explained above that value
signals. These are associated with specific relationships are created in the OFC, for ex-
feelings and memories as well as with our ample whether a perfume is worth its price.
self-image, our wishes and needs as well as As the seat of the personality trait extraver-
our values and even with other senses. sion, the fragrance preferences of this area
 206 Chapter 9 · On the Way to the Future of Smelling

are more than understandable. The fra- quoted amygdala, responsible for emotional
grance psychology has known for a long attachment and the ability to show emotions.
time that fresh, citrusy notes like bergamot Olfactory signals appropriately charged via
particularly appeal to extraverts or people the hypothalamus—the so-called chamber,
with corresponding experience wishes. This which is responsible for pleasure and temper-
can also be confirmed by brain research. ature perception, but also for sexual behav-
In the feedback loop 2, the so-called Pa- ior—and via the hippocampus finally also in
pez circuit, the hippocampus (seahorse) the orbitofrontal cortex.
is in the center. He is especially responsi- The discovery of the feedback loops
ble for memory storage and thus for our makes the following spectacular thesis more
long-term memory and learning. With the and more likely: We probably smell most
hippocampus we have an excellent sense of it twice. Namely, first unconsciously by
of smell (Gottfried 2006). For example, sniffing and then by actually smelling or
we also remember smells from early child- smelling again, at least part of the uncon-
hood and associate them with events and sciously perceived smells become conscious.
feelings (Herz et al. 2004) into old age. En- We owe this thesis to the psychologist Dan-
emy No. 1 of the hippocampus is stress. iel Kahneman, who—as already men-
Chronic stress can shrink this area through tioned—received the Nobel Prize in 2002.
excessive cortisol secretion, accordingly one He recognized two types of sensory percep-
loses more and more the ability to smell, tion:
9 for example, the individual flowers cor- 5 The fast, instinctive and emotional Sys-
rectly. Clinical studies have shown that this tem 1 (autopilot), controlled by the
brain region can shrink by up to 26% of amygdala, for example, is our oldest
its original size (Sheline et al. 1999; Green- center for emotions. The actual task of
berg 2012). Understandably, the hippocam- the amygdala is to protect us as an early
pus has fragrance preferences that offer re- warning system, so to speak as a spy,
laxation and stress prevention. The aroma- from dangers in the environment. We
therapy has long known a whole range of know from perceptual psychology that
promising fragrance notes against stress. the amygdala can scan something from
They are mainly from the flower and blos- the environment in 300 ms and alarm us
som area like osmanthus, cyclamen, roses, if something is wrong. All of this hap-
chamomile and lavender. pens for us at first in the threshold area
Feedback loop 3 and 2 thus point to of perception. We then know it as a
specific types of recognizing smells. The subconscious feeling that something is
first explains why smells can address us di- wrong.
rectly and cognitively. The second shows The speed of the amygdala in smelling is
the close connection of fragrance, learning explained by the fact that it is connected
and memory or associations. directly and without detour with the ol-
The feedback loop 1, the so-called al- factory cells on the mucous membrane
mond-shaped amygdala loop, is particularly of the nose via its feedback loop. Also
fascinating for psychologists—on the one with smells she—for us unconsciously—
hand because olfactory perception begins makes a preliminary decision what to
here initially unconscious and can remain other brain regions is passed on or is
unconscious, on the other hand because fra- to be passed on and then becomes con-
grances can modulate emotions through it. scious. There must be some kind of se-
This explains the possible emotional col- cret pact between the piriform cortex
oring of a fragrance experience (Adolphs and the amygdala. The latter will prob-
2010). In the center is the already often ably always be played the olfactory sig-
9.3 · Imaging Smell: The Starting Shot For Neuroperfumery
207 9
nals first. Of course, as already men- usually happens unconsciously, is then felt
tioned, there is a direct connection semi-consciously in the threshold area and
between the piriform cortex and the or- finally experienced consciously. This expe-
bitofrontal cortex. But probably the in- rience is expressed, for example, as fear of
stinctive and emotional system of the not getting something, missing something,
amygdala is reached faster, as the im- losing something or not winning some-
mediate proximity between the piriform thing—all before the OFC can make a con-
cortex and the amygdala suggests. scious decision or show alternatives.
We can assume that we smell much So the choice of the favorite perfume is
more than we are aware of, and that in immediately made in the intuitive system 1
the millisecond range. There is now evi- (autopilot). Even if the amygdala makes the
dence for this. So women, as mentioned, purchase decision, brain research has shown
can very quickly smell differences in the that it is ultimately the orbitofrontal cortex
immune system of men, which they do that decides whether one can afford some-
not have to be aware of and still have an thing or wants to. The OFC, which coordi-
impact on their behavior. nates all our senses and makes value deci-
5 The slower, more thoughtful, and more sions, often has the following problem already
logical System 2 is primarily controlled mentioned: The amygdala, which has already
by the orbitofrontal cortex. He con- decided, pushes because fear also grows in
sciously delays, recognizes, analyses, ex- it of missing something. So the question re-
periences and smells. In this way, he mains: Who really makes the decision?
makes value decisions that lead to fra-
grance and purchase decisions. In re-
search, however, one is not sure which 9.3 Imaging Smell: The Starting
system is ultimately responsible for the Shot For Neuroperfumery
purchase decision. The only thing that is
certain is that the amygdala decides on The real innovations in the field of olfac-
the emotional meaning and thus makes tory research have arisen in recent years
a preliminary purchase decision. How- through studies with the new imaging
ever, she is only focused on her favorite methods in brain research, the so-called
scent. It is perceived centrally by her functional magnetic resonance imaging
and always receives the emotional pri- (fMRI). With it you can, as mentioned, al-
ority. What is presented after him has a most literally watch the brain smell. That
much harder time impressing the amyg- was the starting shot for the neuroperfum-
dala. This reaction has to do with how ery. With the beginning of the 21st century,
our brain likes to work. It always prefers this field of research also became interest-
the fast, energy-saving way and there- ing for perfume practice, for example with
fore initially—to stay with the exam- studies on the topic “Where do we smell
ple—the previously favorite perfume. something in the brain?”. Examples of such
Brain scans confirm this. What is a fa- research activities are the Italian teams
vorite perfume/product/brand, called in around Laura Romoli (Romoli et al. 2012)
the jargon First Choice Brand, is de- from the University of Trieste with a fo-
cided intuitively and immediately by the cus on consumer research as well as around
amygdala or (re-)recognized by it. Faezeh Vedaei (Vedaei et al. 2016) from the
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in
If the amygdala has chosen its favorite, it Philadelphia with the specialism neuroim-
pushes the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) to aging.
make a quick (purchase) decision. This
 208 Chapter 9 · On the Way to the Future of Smelling

With fMRI it can be shown that indi- not to be assumed that consciousness and
vidual fragrance compounds (aromas) have self, as the highest instances of the brain,
different cortical activation or that individ- control subordinate areas from a certain lo-
ual aromas stimulate certain cerebral re- cation. Rather, it is to be assumed that it is
gions and their networks first or even only a matter of an interplay of different areas
these. This helps to understand how, for ex- in the brain.
ample, smell and emotion or olfactory ex- Originally, one had probably hoped in
perience, memory and self-perception are research that the classical division of brain
related. These are more complex processes areas, which goes back to the German
than initially expected. So although a vari- neuroanatomist and psychiatrist Korbin-
ety of brain regions are activated, it is far ian Brodmann (1868–1918), would serve
from clear what role they play in part. Also, as a blueprint for the research of connec-
existing assumptions about responsibili- tions. One hoped that one would find func-
ties in the brain are repeatedly relativized tional connections behind the 52 fields with
by new findings. For example, recent stud- which anatomy divided the cerebral cortex
ies show that it is not only the hippocampus into. Also a further subdivision between ad-
and the amygdala that modulate memories, jacent fields, so that for example also the
but that they are also mapped in the hypo- Brodmann areas 23a or 23b emerged, did
thalamus (Hasan et al. 2019). not bring the desired insights.
By now, one suspects what incredi- By now, one discovers that spatially
9 ble complexity still awaits brain research. widely separated brain areas cooperate for
Alone, 30 different areas, some of which more and more brain functions. In the past,
are spatially far apart, are involved in pro- the naming was made more difficult by the
cessing visual information supplied by fact that there was no agreement on the as-
the eye. So far, no higher-level center has sociation of different brain areas. What, for
been found that compares and coordinates example, should belong to the limbic sys-
the different visual information with each tem or limbic association system? Accord-
other. With smell, one is already a little fur- ing to Brodmann, these are the areas 28
ther along, even if the research on smell is and 34. For a long time it was also not clear
sometimes treated like a stepchild. Here one whether the amygdala should be attributed
knows that there is a Maître des Parfums to the limbic system at all. With Brodmann
in the brain that coordinates the senses and it is in the area 25. Therefore, for a first
is therefore responsible for synesthetic and overview, the brain is initially divided into
multisensory connections. large areas, so-called lobes, before they are
The search for the seat of our con- further differentiated.
sciousness and our self has turned out to It would now exceed the scope of the
be extremely difficult for research—not to book to introduce the names of brain re-
mention the search for the soul. This is ac- gions commonly used in neuroimaging
tually not surprising. Because what self, studies today with abbreviations such as
consciousness and soul are, where they have vlPFC and to further discuss the details
their seat and where they come from, has with the latest state of neuroimaging stud-
been one of the great questions of philoso- ies, which have increased almost explosively.
phy for millennia, but also one of the com- I therefore refer the interested reader to so-
paratively young psychology. Meanwhile, called meta-analyses such as those by Buhle
almost resigned tones come from brain re- and colleagues (Buhle et al. 2014), in which
search, which is also looking for the center the individual results of brain research
of the self and consciousness. The common are analyzed in detail for certain topics. In
opinion can be summarized as follows: It is these articles, brain regions are much more
9.3 · Imaging Smell: The Starting Shot For Neuroperfumery
209 9
finely differentiated and distinguished from the nose. So it is no coincidence that the
each other than I can do here. For exam- auditory cortex is located here, among
ple, there are distinctions in dorsomedial, other things, and that it is responsible
dorsolateral or ventrolateral prefrontal cor- for the processing of acoustic stimuli.
tex (dmPFC, dlPFC, vlPFC), which play a For neuroparfumery, the temporal lobe
role in emotion processing and partly in ol- is particularly interesting, not only be-
factory processing, in addition to the amyg- cause the olfactory tract ends at the un-
dala. One would also have to go into gen- cus (hook), but also because in it, scent,
der-specific differences and here into the emotion and memory are linked. The
lateralization of the brain or into the neu- uncus is a small protrusion that points
roanatomical inequality and functional inward and encloses the amygdala di-
task division and specialization of the cer- rectly above it. So the temporal lobe
ebral hemispheres, which show differences also houses the olfactory cortex with so-
in part in men and women. However, my called cortical fields, of which the pri-
interest in brain research with its many de- mary fields process and forward infor-
tailed findings only goes so far as they con- mation of a certain quality, such as ol-
cern developments in the perfume indus- factory perceptions.
try and thus in neuroperfumery. To quickly The olfactory cortex also includes the
locate brain regions and get a first impres- amygdala, which is attributed to the lim-
sion of their functions, websites such as bic system. The limbic system is actu-
7 http://www.gehirn-atlas.de offer a good ally not an anatomical, but a functional
overview. unit. Anatomy sees the hippocampus
Back to the four major lobes of the cer- in the temporal lobe in addition to the
ebrum, which are differentiated as follows: amygdala. The limbic system also in-
1. Occipital lobe with many individual ar- cludes the hypothalamus, which is of-
eas that work together to process visual ten attributed to the diencephalon in
stimuli. This visual cortex stores images anatomy. There are reasons for this:
of what we have seen, e.g. a black cat The limbic system has been suspected
coming from the left. for a long time to be a unit for emotion,
2. Parietal lobe. It adjoins the upper oc- drive, memory and learning. The amyg-
cipital lobe and is responsible, inter alia, dala and hippocampus with adjacent re-
for attention processes, sensory sen- gions have always been in the center of
sations and memories. The main task research. Over time, the importance of
of the somatosensory cortex located the hypothalamus, responsible for pleas-
therein is to store felt memories, e.g. ure and temperature sensation, but also
those experienced during the last yoga for our sexual behavior, has been discov-
exercise. ered more and more. This includes that,
The two largest lobes, the temporal or for example, it can also map memories.
temporal lobe and the frontal or frontal The temporal lobe, the center for the
lobe, are mainly responsible for the con- processing and storage of scents, but
nection between scent, personality and also of acoustic stimuli, could also be
self-experience. They have individual re- referred to as the scent-sound maker
gions that cooperate particularly closely and -storage, but one would have to add
here. the word “emotional” in front of it and
3. The temporal lobe is the second larg- speak of the “emotional scent-sound
est lobe of the cerebrum. The major- maker and -storage”. The temporal lobe
ity of it is located in the area above the has a far-reaching internal communi-
ears and just in front of them, towards cation network and is also responsible
 210 Chapter 9 · On the Way to the Future of Smelling

for the emotional evaluation of mem- in our physicality. It can even happen
ory content there. Furthermore, regions that an odor perceived unconsciously
of the temporal lobe are responsible for leads us to react to a person with phys-
facial recognition or reading in the eyes ical disinterest, aversion or even disgust.
and relate this information to emotion- Conversely, the same applies: For inex-
ally experienced content. Without this, plicable reasons, we perceive a person as
one could not react adequately to expe- physically attractive and react accord-
riences with others. ingly positively.
The temporal lobe is in turn closely in- These processes can also take place
terconnected with the insula, which I without the influence of a scent. Olfac-
have already introduced in connection tory experiences from the past, which
with the addiction center and the pref- have been stored by the piriform cor-
erence for chocolate notes. The insula tex, the amygdala and adjacent brain
is located in the brain under the tempo- regions such as the hippocampus,
ral lobe and is hidden from view by it can—since facial recognition also runs
when viewed from the outside. The in- through these regions—even trigger a
sula is increasingly being regarded as its physical reaction to a person from a cer-
own and thus fifth lobe of the brain and tain distance, even if this person can-
is, for example, responsible for an olfac- not be smelled. Scents and perfumes
tory experience that we perceive as dis- can therefore indirectly affect our phys-
9 gust in cooperation with regions of the ical feeling, our physical self, even if
temporal lobe. The main function of the they cannot be smelled in this situation.
insula is the perception and reaction to Since humans have a very good sense
the interior of the body. For example, of smell, just the short sight of a per-
the insula is involved in the perception son with whom one was in contact in
of an undefined, inner feeling of rest- the past is enough to experience positive
lessness, which can further increase to or negative physical reactions. The same
stronger heartbeat, anxiety or pain. The applies to objects, which is why certain
insula thus seems to play a role in bod- objects have an erotic attraction.
ily awareness, for example in the emo- The fact that even unconscious or
tional assessment of pain and in feelings threshold-level olfactory stimuli can in-
of well-being and discomfort. Anxiety fluence us has become a research fo-
itself has its seat in the amygdala, which cus of scent marketing. Researchers are
is in direct exchange with the insula con- particularly interested, as we have dis-
trolling our emotional body feeling. cussed, in the interplay with other senses
This makes it much easier to understand (touch, taste, hearing, sight) (Krishna
the spontaneous strong emotional effect 2010), which can certainly also raise eth-
of odors when odor is suddenly associ- ical questions. The professional litera-
ated with anxiety, disgust or physical ture contains many examples of how
discomfort. We can look forward to fu- scents are used to complexly target con-
ture research results on how exactly the sumers in combination with other sen-
amygdala and insula cooperate or com- sory experiences, for example for certain
plement each other not only in the eval- target groups, in order to attract them
uation of odors. olfactorily first.
As I said, scents can also work uncon- A much-cited example is the sale of
sciously on others. In general, it can sneakers to children. The soles of these
be said that they trigger unconscious, shoes have been made pleasantly fra-
semi-conscious and conscious reactions grant edible. Since children usually have
9.3 · Imaging Smell: The Starting Shot For Neuroperfumery
211 9
a better sense of smell than adults and z On the difference between being aware
are closer to the shoes when trying them of a scent and being conscious of a scent
on, it is expected that the children will Consciousness is a complex concept. In
be physically attracted to the smell expe- neurophysiological research, it is distin-
rience. The sight of the happy children guished from attention. Both processes are
creates a positive image of the sneak- intertwined, however. Consciousness has
ers in the parents’ minds. But the prob- the function of creating a continuous im-
lem with scent marketing is always the age of reality, e.g. the insight that a per-
dosage of the aromas and the reactions fume always goes over well with others. At-
of different target groups to individual tention has the function of conferring rele-
fragrance compounds. Quickly, a shoe vance on the objects of thought, e.g. how a
store, for example, can smell like candy, perfume is coming across now. This means
which is not associated with quality by that consciousness and attention also have
adults. a slightly offset temporality, with atten-
4. The frontal lobe is the seat of the Maî- tion being more related to the moment. Of
tre des Parfums, our perfume person- course, consciousness can also be momen-
ality. Here it is decided whether a scent tary, but then it builds on previous insights,
fits our self and what effect it has on our to which attention need not relate. Why
self-experience. This experience is lo- am I pointing out the difference? Accord-
cated in a brain region that is responsi- ing to current research, consciousness and
ble, among other things, for motor skills attention are probably assigned to differ-
and speech production, but also for hu- ent brain regions, or rather: networks (Nani
mor, consciousness and personality. The et al. 2019), which are not limited to the
anterior part of the frontal lobe, the frontal lobe. In neuroperfumery, this means
prefrontal cortex, is not only important that a distinction must be made between
for smelling. Briefly on anatomy: The scent attention and scent consciousness. We
prefrontal cortex can be divided into an can look forward to future studies with in-
orbital frontal (as we have already dis- terest. Neuroperfumery is probably going
cussed), medial and lateral part; the lat- to have to expand its previous assumptions
eral prefrontal cortex is divided into for both types of scent perception. In this
dorsolateral and ventrolateral areas. The context, one could expect that the amyg-
prefrontal cortex is particularly large in dala and its network alone decide on scent
humans and other primates compared attention and regions in the prefrontal cor-
to other animal species and contains tex control scent consciousness. Since the
special nerve cells. This is often given amygdala smells first, scent attention would
as an explanation why self-conscious- precede scent consciousness. This means
ness and control of emotions were pos- that the amygdala, with its emotional net-
sible in human evolution. In this region work, could always influence our scent con-
as well as in the anterior cingulate cor- sciousness or color it emotionally. Now, for
tex (ACC) and other regions of the pre- the feedback loop 3 mentioned above, a di-
frontal cortex (dorsolateral prefrontal rect olfactory connection is also assumed
cortex), which all belong to the frontal between the piriform cortex and the pre-
lobe, there are particularly specialized frontal cortex, more precisely between the
neurons, the so-called spindle cells. They piriform cortex and the orbitofrontal cor-
are also called Economo neurons af- tex (Illig und Wilson 2014), which, by the
ter their discoverer and are associated way, also runs in the reverse direction. The
with self-consciousness and social intel- orbitofrontal cortex, which is part of the
ligence. reward system and creates multisensory
 212 Chapter 9 · On the Way to the Future of Smelling

links to other senses, could thus develop a Let me briefly go into different ways in
scent consciousness that builds up without which a perfume can be smelled or how to
the direct emotional coloring by the amyg- deal with olfactory impressions before we
dala and its network. This also means that return to the prefrontal cortex.
there could be a scent consciousness, so to
speak, out of the blue, without prior at- z Different ways of smelling
tention,. This is certainly somewhat hypo- How do perfumers smell in comparison to
thetical, because, as we have discussed, the the fragrance-loving layman, or: Why can’t
amygdala always smells along and is also a perfume be created with the amygdala
the fastest in olfactory processing. Never- alone in perfumery ?
theless: The amygdala also decides what The range of smelling extends from cog-
olfactory impression it passes on and thus nitive-recognizing-systematic-analytical
whether it pays attention to a scent at all. to associative to holistic-perceiving-sub-
So it is quite conceivable that only the or- tle-emotional. Perfumers are trained in
bitofrontal cortex is fed an olfactory infor- their training to smell recognizing-system-
mation from the piriform cortex. This in- atic-analytical and thus classifying with the
formation fed purely to the orbitofrontal orbitofrontal Cortex, that is, cognitively,
cortex could then, with regard to scent con- for example with citrus notes that he rec-
sciousness, have its own quality, for exam- ognizes. Of course, the consumer can also
ple a scent consciousness that is associated smell associatively (reminds me of …),
9 with reward and value and is integrated but in contrast to the professional, the fra-
into other senses without any special atten- grance-loving layman usually smells more
tion being paid to it and without any emo- holistically and experiences pleasant vs. un-
tional affinity to it. This would be a smell- pleasant in a subtle emotional olfactory en-
ing controlled by the mind, where the value vironment.
of a perfume or of ingredients is recog- Some perfumers have kept the holis-
nized, but which does not really touch one tic sense of smell, but an analytically-cog-
emotionally. nitive, single-ingredient focused train-
Hegel (1770–1831), as we have already ing in fragrance has its price. You are no
discussed, demanded this kind of smelling longer quite as impressed with fragrances
in his philosophy, so that it would be com- as a whole because you quickly identify
patible with the interests of art and spirit. fragrance building blocks, evaluate them
It is a smelling led by the mind, that gets rid in the overall composition and, for exam-
of its primary emotional function. The end ple, think about which other ingredients in
result is a cognitive awareness of smell— which quality and quantity you could actu-
also made possible by nature. In their train- ally have used better for the composition.
ing, aspiring perfumers are taught the cog- Of course, there are perfumes by other per-
nitive smelling necessary for this. To what fumers that you value very much and recog-
extent they learn to suppress the emotional nize as milestones in perfumery, but often
reactions of the amygdala and its network you also distance yourself from the com-
to olfactory impressions is certainly a legit- petition because you have your own per-
imate question. As with any socialization, fume signature. You find, for example, cer-
something is left behind or distorted. Per- tain ingredients to be inappropriately or
fumers do not report by chance of an oc- wrongly selected, not valuable enough, too
cupational disease. They still practice their well-known, linear, flat, disharmonious,
profession with passion, but the spontane- dominating or used with too little person-
ous enthusiasm for certain olfactory im- ality or the perfume overloaded, too sim-
pressions is lost. ple or not composed. Especially when per-
9.4 · The Third Fragrance Revolution: “Evening” of the Future of Perfumery
213 9
fumers lose a fragrance briefing, i.e. when of smell. The medial prefrontal cortex is in-
the customer, i.e. the brand manufacturer, creasingly being identified as one of the
decides on a different fragrance, the com- main structures for psychiatric disorders,
plaint is of course great. What really dis- next to the Maître des Parfums. Of course,
tinguishes perfumers is their style, the way one cannot conclude from the proximity in
they work, which fragrance building blocks space that there is an easier mutual inter-
they like to use in men’s or women’s notes, action, but it is conceivable because, with
which fragrance families and areas of appli- many mental illnesses, the sense of smell is
cation they are good at, how they interpret also partly very strongly affected.
a fragrance for a specific theme, which mar- The medial prefrontal cortex is associ-
ket and product knowledge they have and, ated with schizophrenia, autism, depres-
most importantly, which ingredients they sion, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety
are allowed to use for a fragrance in order disorders such as phobias and post-trau-
to stay within the price range. The most dif- matic stress or post-traumatic stress disor-
ficult thing for a good perfumer are unspe- der (Marques et al. 2019). All of these dis-
cific customer briefings with international orders, as reported in part, also show up in
hopes. For example, the customer requests smell or influence the sense of smell. There
a young, dreamy fragrance that is well ac- can be smell hallucinations, altered smell
cepted in different countries and is sup- perception and smell disorders, but also—
posed to beat certain benchmarks—i.e. fra- as with severe depressions—a complete loss
grances that already exist in the market— of interest in olfactory stimuli. The me-
in terms of acceptance. The perfumer has dial prefrontal cortex also has various pos-
to interpret and analyze this for himself itive functions that it contributes to, such
first. Does the theme play at the beach, in as emotion regulation, behavioral reinforce-
the meadow, or in the club? Accordingly, ment, implicit associative learning and de-
he must choose ingredients that are appre- cision-making—all functions to which the
ciated not only in the individual countries, sense of smell also contributes. We can
but also in the target age group, which not therefore only look forward with interest
only fit the concept, but also stand up to the to future research results that show which
benchmarks in terms of overall acceptance. other secrets the Maître des Parfums in the
You see: the orbitofrontal cortex as well as orbitofrontal cortex and his neighbor, the
the entire prefrontal cortex are very busy medial prefrontal cortex, share.
here. If now additional information about
bottle design, packaging color and advertis-
ing are added, which by the way all perfum- 9.4 The Third Fragrance
ers like to have as inspiration for their work, Revolution: “Evening” of the
additional cortical-visual areas are required.
Future of Perfumery
What I want to say with this is: no perfume
can be created on this level with the amyg- Studies with imaging methods offer the per-
dala or the emotion center alone. fume industry a whole range of new op-
portunities. Thus, experiences of the aro-
z Back to the prefrontal cortex
matherapy in terms of the effect of certain
A region of the prefrontal cortex in particu- fragrances on the brain can be given a phys-
lar, the medial prefrontal Cortex (mPFC), is iological-visual basis. This leads to more
increasingly fascinating to clinical psycholo- detailed insights into how and where fra-
gists and psychiatrists, but also to fragrance grance stimuli act on different areas of the
psychologists. As we have already discussed, brain. In turn, this can be used to derive
various mental illnesses can affect the sense
 214 Chapter 9 · On the Way to the Future of Smelling

which brain areas or networks are particu- name just a few: bergamot, jasmine, laven-
larly receptive to stimulation by certain fra- der, rose, ylang-ylang, sandalwood, euca-
grance stimuli. lyptus and cinnamon. Already during the
The latter is of interest above all to per- first EEG examinations it became clear
fumers. They have so-called new active fra- what was then confirmed by fMRI studies:
grances or neuroscents in mind for the fu- smelling is much more complex than is of-
ture of perfumery, which are more than just ten assumed. That, as said, the two hemi-
smelling good. They then contain ingredi- spheres of the brain (the right and the left)
ents that are supposed to increase the fas- react differently to fragrance stimuli was to
cination and effect for the experience, but be expected. But it was surprising that in-
also for the health, for example as Alzheim- dividual brain areas of the respective hem-
er’s prophylaxis, as well as for the general ispheres, such as the right amygdala or the
mental well-being. The big keyword here right piriform cortex, apparently play a
is “mood & health modulation”. Perfumes greater role in fragrance perception. It gets
will be developed and fine-tuned more and even more complicated when only sniffing
more specifically in order to trigger quite or really smelling. Also the concentration
specific psychophysiological chain reactions and the duration of the fragrance stimulus
by activating certain brain centers and their play a role. There is still a lack of studies on
networks. This is already partly possible to- the effect of individual ingredients on the
day. brain, but also on aroma combinations as
9 This development poses risks that the they are contained in perfumes.
legislator must keep in mind. Accordingly, Even though neuroperfumery is only
there are regulations on how perfumes may at the beginning of research into the effect
actually work. Nevertheless, there is room of scent on the brain, we are on the eve of
for manoeuvre, and not only the aroma- a third revolution in perfumery. Perfum-
therapy will benefit from it and reach a new ers will be given entirely new tools for their
level. This development will be observed work. Currently, most of them create the
in all areas of application of perfumery— first perfume formulations on a laptop be-
from body care products to washing and fore they are mixed in the laboratory. The
cleaning agents—in addition to the fine fra- computer then calls, among other things.
grance. Just imagine a floor cleaner that not Price and availability of ingredients. In the
only smells good, cleans and contributes to future, there will be AI (artificial intelli-
well-being, but also brings targeted health gence) programs that allow perfume crea-
benefits to all those living in the house, in- tions to be specifically optimized for cer-
cluding four-legged friends. tain effects, e.g. more cuddling effect. In
Numerous studies have already been the final stage, the perfumer only has to en-
carried out in the field of fragrance effect ter how a perfume is to be experienced or
in the 20th century (Sowndhararajan und what it is to trigger as an experience, which
Kim 2016). These were, as reported, of- prophylaxis or other effects are desired.
ten EEG (electroencephalography) stud- Then the program creates the scent alone,
ies. For this type of investigation, namely based on the findings of neuroperfumery.
how and where fragrance stimuli act on First approaches to such AI programs
different areas of the brain, voltage fluc- already exist. The IT company IBM, to-
tuations are usually measured at 21 to 28 gether with the fragrance manufacturer
points on the head surface. So far, a large Symrise, has already introduced the arti-
number of ingredients known from per- ficial smell intelligence Philyra, named af-
fume creation and aromatherapy have been ter the Greek goddess of scent, beauty and
examined for their effect. These include, to healing. With Philyra alone—that is, with-
9.4 · The Third Fragrance Revolution: “Evening” of the Future of Perfumery
215 9
out human help—the first perfumes have ulate a brain area such as the hypothalamus
already been created, as can be read in var- for a certain secretion of hormones. This
ious newspapers. The Symrise perfumers can be visualized by changes in blood flow,
are grateful for this. With the almost end- more precisely by a different O2 content in
less number of possible combinations of in- the blood, the so-called BOLD effect. This
gredients, the human nose is quickly over- makes it possible to make activities visible
whelmed in time. So some great perfumes in brain areas and to trace them back to
were created by mistake. About 3500 start- metabolic processes. In other words, when
ing materials are available for a perfume corresponding areas are activated, there is
creation. Many scents have 60 or more in- an increase in metabolism, which results in
gredients. In addition, the dosage plays a the activated area reacting with an dispro-
role. In addition, one could still consider re- portionately increased blood flow or with a
gional, national and global preferences for local oxygenation of the blood. This is the
scents, areas of application (fine perfum- decisive parameter that influences the sig-
ery or functional perfumery, e.g. fragrance nal intensity in measurements. The oxy-
development for a moisture shampoo) and genated vs. deoxygenated blood of the sub-
other factors such as target groups and ject itself becomes the contrast agent that
benchmarks. The Symrise perfumers have shows the differences (Ogawa et al. 1990).
calculated the number of possible combina- From the comparison of two points in time,
tions for only eight basic substances: There e.g. in the stimulated state on the one hand
are 40,320. Smelling and especially mix- and in the resting state on the other hand, it
ing them would take a lot of time and a can be seen how strong or weak an odorant
small fortune. In addition, the mixing room is, which direct or indirect effect it has and
would be paralyzed. how this can be confirmed with other meth-
Where artificial intelligence will lead ods. This offers the perfume industry excit-
perfume creation for perfumers is already ing prospects, but leads to the following ex-
foreseeable today. Of course, we will still plosive question:
need the noses, but rather to make sure that
no (or just) mixing errors occur in the in- z How strong can perfumes actually work?
creasingly virtual world of perfume cre- The legislator (e.g. in the EU) lists several
ation and that the new fragrance intelli- ingredients that generally may not or may
gence learns from humans for as long as it only be available on prescription (e.g. as
has learned. This can happen very quickly, nasal sprays) in “fragrance applications”.
as we know from other applications, for ex- These include in particular those with al-
ample in dynamic pricing with learning al- lergen or health risks or too strong physi-
gorithms in online retail. In the next few cal influence, as is the case with hormones,
years, it could even come to the decline of a for example. Nevertheless, the effects of in-
superstar, namely the nose. dividual substances and ingredients are of
As mentioned above, neuroperfumery high interest to perfumers, because the leg-
can already today provide first indications islator still accepts a grey area for perfumes.
of how perfumes can be optimized for ac- This is the case if they have a “slightly pos-
tive ingredients using imaging methods. itive hormone-like or hormone-like effect”.
The fMRT can already very precisely meas- But this topic is not yet settled. It is still
ure the intensity of cortical reactions to cer- being discussed what is meant by a “hor-
tain external olfactory stimuli. In combina- mone-like effect”. Scientists have different
tion with other methods, it is then possible opinions about this. They are divided into
to see which aroma or which substance is two camps: pharmacy vs. perfume trade
particularly ideal in which strength to stim- (perfumeries). The former has taken over
 216 Chapter 9 · On the Way to the Future of Smelling

many market shares in cosmetics, especially e.g. lime, orange, grapefruit and manda-
skincare, in recent years. Therefore, a lot is rin. That’s why you don’t just feel it when
at stake for the perfume trade. One wants to you smell fresh bergamot notes, the “spirit
avoid that a new innovative category of per- in the frontal brain” is invigorated, in which
fumes, namely active fragrances or neuro- the OFC is located.
scents, can be sold exclusively in pharmacies It is also known from the psychology
by prescription. So it’s about a lot of money, of scent that the desire to experience one-
but also about image and competence. self actively, openly and dynamically is as-
Scientists who are close to the perfume sociated with perfumes from the fragrance
trade—and this is still the majority—argue as direction “fresh-green-citrus”. Bergamot is
follows: one must distinguish between endo- the classic key ingredient in this fragrance
crine active substances and endocrine disrup- direction. Apart from chocolate and va-
tors. Endocrine active substances may have nilla, hardly any other aroma is appreci-
hormone-like or hormone-like effects, but the ated by men and women equally in smell
decisive difference is that only endocrine dis- as the inedible citrus fruit bergamot. The
ruptors are also known to have harmful ef- lively spiciness that bergamot gives to the
fects. An endocrine active substance may top note of perfumes has attracted the fa-
have a hormone-like effect, but this does not mous, powerful and extraverted in droves
have to be associated with negative effects on since 1672, when the fragrance was first in-
human health. This is shown by many ingre- troduced from southern Italy to France and
9 dients in food, such as soy products or beer. Germany. “Bergamot-addicted” were e.g.
They have a weak endocrine effect, but no Louis XV., his mistress Madame Pompa-
adverse effects and active fragrances/neuro- dour, Napoleon Bonaparte and also Rich-
scents could be developed accordingly. ard Wagner. They used Bergamot scents
We will discuss the topic of active per- (like “Aqua Admirabilis” or the Eau de Co-
fume and the consequences at a later stage. logne by John Maria Farina) by the liter.
First, however, an apolitical fragrance The fragrance was less sprayed than
topic: the broad-spectrum effect of citrus rather poured with pleasure on the body.
aromas. The group of the powerful and extraverted
has already set the standards for refresh-
ing-invigorating Bergamot notes with their
9.5 Multiple Brain Stimulation impatient noses, which demand immediate
Using the Broad-Spectrum action, early on. They are still valid today.
The current generation of Bergamot fans
Effect of Citrus Aromas as an
loves the mixture with additional freshness,
Example for example by lime, grapefruit, mood-en-
hancing mandarin, but also kumquat, aqua
As already discussed, the orbitofrontal cor-
notes and green plants. This promises a
tex (OFC) and its network region are the more complex and longer lasting “revival
seat of two personality dimensions: extra- kick” and immediately puts new perfumes
version and conscientiousness. In addi-
of this fragrance direction to the test of ol-
tion, the OFC acts as Maître des Parfums. factory immortality. Whether new perfumes
Its preferences for smells are also well con- of this fragrance family are successful is
firmed by research. Although it should ac-
regularly discussed by the merciless “Ber-
tually be neutral, since it is responsible for
gamot addicts” in blogs. Most agree that
the recognition and categorization of all
one of the still available “immortal clas-
odors it receives, it is particularly well stim-
sics” from this fragrance family is “Eau de
ulated by fresh, clear-bright citrus notes—
Fleurs de Cédrat” by Guerlain (1920).
9.6 · Neuro-Fragrance Sales: How to Excite the Brain for a New Perfume
217 9
Neuroperfumery now provides the un- the OFC. This is the course of finest mul-
derstanding of what makes citrus notes so ti-sensory entertainment in our head.
special and why they can become addictive.
They have a sophisticated broadband ef- z The claim on fragrances and their effect
fect on the neocortex and stimulate fourfold in the future
(Romoli et al. 2012): This knowledge, how the olfactory experi-
1. Citrus notes act in seconds, slightly de- ence process, here on the example of citrus
layed, first on the right, middle occipital notes develops, gives the future of smell-
gyrus (in the occipital lobe—cortex) and ing and thus the perfume some food for
trigger the known, visually stored asso- thought and possibilities. Olfactory stim-
ciations with the citrus fruit. uli or fragrance ingredients could be opti-
2. They then stimulate the left, postcen- mized so that they each trigger an optimal
tral gyrus (in the parietal lobe). It re- multisensory broadband effect on the neo-
acts to touch and movement. It is no co- cortex. They would therefore be measured
incidence that citrus notes are often ex- by whether they trigger a multiple, for ex-
perienced physically and actively. But ample, as citrus notes a fourfold, effect and
this part of the brain is also responsible optimally stimulate brain regions involved
for recognizing shapes and their sizes. in each case. Of course, the individual ol-
Not surprisingly, synesthetes—to a cer- factory and taste memory of aromas plays
tain extent most of us—often experience a role. Nevertheless, a multiple claim of fra-
citrus notes as flying triangles or flying grance effect can be applied well to popu-
saucers flying through the air at differ- lar fragrance notes such as chocolate or
ent speeds. vanilla. It would also show which specific
3. They act on the left middle frontal gyrus. fragrance note, for example, a certain choc-
This is responsible for color perception, olate note, has the best effect on different
among other things. That is why many regions of the brain. In combination with
see the citrus note family in bright yel- self-descriptions of fragrance users, how
low, orange, red, light green and white. they perceive individual notes, fragrance in-
4. At the same time, the Gyrus fron- gredients could then be “multi-psychosen-
talis superior is stimulated by citrus sorically” evaluated. In fact, research into
notes, which is the seat of the prefron- the effect of fragrance ingredients has been
tal and orbitofrontal cortex in the fron- going on behind the scenes of the fragrance
tal lobe and now lets us experience the industry for years. I will go into this in
whole thing olfactorily. By the way, it more detail in connection with the discus-
could also be shown that stimulation of sion of individual brain regions. Here just
the Gyrus frontalis superior can lead to so much: The future of smelling and the
spontaneous laughter. Even slight stim- perfume has already begun. One goal is the
ulation leads to smiling (Fried et al. multiple brain activation.
1998). Perhaps this is the often described
good mood effect of citrus notes.
9.6 Neuro-Fragrance Sales: How
The fourfold brain occupancy, if one can to Excite the Brain for a New
call it that, interestingly does not start with
the olfactory impression, but starts—ex-
Perfume
pressed in layman’s terms—from back to
It is known from the practice of fragrance
front, with visual associations, form, touch,
consulting that the first-smelling fragrance,
movement experience and color impres-
if it is liked, has a greater chance of being
sions, until the olfactory impression reaches
 218 Chapter 9 · On the Way to the Future of Smelling

bought. This is even true if the perfumes soon as marketing and promotion measures
shown later are also liked. Of course, the are reduced, a certain disillusionment sets
first-shown perfume meets a “fresh nose”. in. Consumers and trade do not really take
Nevertheless, recent findings from neu- the new perfume. Big brands are often at a
ro-perfumery suggest: The amygdala does loss because the consumer tests were prom-
not know any (fragrance) ranking in terms ising. Those who have been active in the in-
of best perfume, second best, etc. (Barden dustry for a long time and successfully usu-
2013). If the first perfume is liked, at least ally react to the mixed results more calmly
the amygdala has already decided, even if and hope for the next fragrance launch.
the orbitofrontal cortex would like to smell Sometimes, driven by the parent company,
further. In general, however, the amygdala new measures are taken to achieve the de-
sticks to the old favorite fragrance. sired success.
If you want to excite the amygdala for However, if the desired success failed to
a new perfume, you can trick it at the fra- materialize at the first attempt, you can get
grance presentation. For this purpose, you tips from neuroperfumery for the second at-
couple a new perfume with the previous fa- tempt. They are perfect for use in stationary
vorite perfume by means of perfume lay- perfumeries. However, you should not re-
ering, that is, by applying two fragrances veal them to the perfumer and the licensor
one above the other. If a third perfume re- who is responsible for the image of a brand.
sults from the combination that is liked, Since those in industry and trade are
9 the probability is high that the amygdala often under enormous pressure to gener-
will also adopt the new perfume as a fa- ate sales, they need an ally, someone who
vorite fragrance. The orbitofrontal cortex, helps them to favor their perfume purchase
which evaluates the value, likes it anyway. decision. This is the customer’s amygdala.
He gains a third, very individual perfume It occupies a special position in the brain
through the new perfume and receives three by making a first purchase decision. And
perfumes for the price of two. For consum- when the amygdala wants something, it is
ers, this is an interesting opportunity to re- difficult for the OFC to say no. However,
discover their own scent or to further per- when it comes to winning a new perfume,
sonalize their favorite scents. the amygdala presents a different problem:
However, the perfume industry and It reacts like a trader who explains, “I al-
trade also benefit from the findings of brain ready have enough perfumes on the shelf
research, for example perfumeries. Because and don’t need any new ones”. The amyg-
in addition to the large ones, countless me- dala is exclusively focused on favorite scents
dium and small perfume houses are also or its current favorite scent, that is, a per-
struggling in a tough competition for the fume that it already knows and with which
favor of the end consumer. In Germany, it feels comfortable. Higher brain regions
as already mentioned, 2000 new perfumes are open to smelling something new, but
come onto the market every year. Only 5% the amygdala chooses the familiar. It is, so
make it to the next year. A large part of the to speak, conservative and decides accord-
scents does not even cover the launch costs ing to the motto “What the farmer does not
(Leistikow 2019). know, he does not eat”. It strives for secu-
The decision for a perfume is finally rity and familiar comfort and is satisfied
made in the store. The marketing responsi- with the once-found favorite scent. This at-
ble of the perfume industry therefore know titude can be used to outsmart the amyg-
the following situation only too well: When dala in perfume advice.
a new fragrance is launched, the advertising If you want to enthuse someone for
drum is beaten first—with success. But as a new scent or be sure that a perfume gift
9.6 · Neuro-Fragrance Sales: How to Excite the Brain for a New Perfume
219 9
arrives or boosts sales in advice by giving The emotionally special experience is
a sample, you should first ask the person that the favorite fragrance of the other is
about their current favorite perfume. Then personalized by the perfume layering. He
you put it in front of the person in a visi- now has a very own perfume that does not
ble way, without letting them smell it. For exist a second time. The experience of lay-
its amygdala, which scans optically in mil- ering perfumes can be offered to everyone
liseconds, the sight is immediately positive as an event in a perfume shop or even as
because it is familiar to her. Now put the a home fragrance workshop, where every-
perfume to be introduced on the right next one becomes a perfumer and new and older
to the person’s previous favorite perfume perfumes get a second chance. These are
and say: “I would like to create a very per- often wonderfully smelling perfumes, but
sonal perfume for you. We do this with a which look less attractive due to the name,
small, fragrant experiment.” Then spray the the brand, the bottle or the packaging. In
lighter, fresher scent and then the heavier such a case, a blind test is recommended, in
scent for your customer and yourself, each which only the favorite fragrance is known
receives a scent strip—alternatively, cut cof- and visible from the beginning, while the
fee filter paper is suitable— with the two bottle of the other perfume is covered with
layered scents. The lighter molecules of the a label.
fresher scent evaporate more quickly and If both scents belong to the same di-
want to pass through the “heavier” scent rection, you can start with the mixing ex-
molecules. This makes the mixture interest- periments at will. For the best mixing ratio
ing immediately. If you spray the lighter on there are no rules, except that the amygdala
the heavier scent, you often smell that both must recognize its previous favorite fra-
perfumes separate quickly and do not really grance in the perfume layering and that the
connect to a new scent. new creation pleases you.
For the first perfume layering, it is rec- For women’s notes, I have discussed the
ommended to apply the favorite fragrance following fragrance directions above:
in a ratio of 2:1. So spray the favorite fra- 1. Chypre-leathery
grance twice on the scent strip, then once 2. Fresh-green-citrus/Aqua- & Ozon notes
the new perfume. The amygdala of the cus- 3. Gourmand-fruity
tomer will immediately recognize that her 4. Floral-powdery
favorite perfume is involved in the new fra- 5. Floral-aldehyde
grance creation. First, you should smell 6. Floriental (Amber floral)
the scent strip yourself. Maybe the fra- 7. Amber-oriental
grance ratio also has to be adjusted, for 8. Woody-aromatic
example, 1:1 or 3:1. The amygdala of the
other person can read very well from the For men’s notes, these are:
eyes whether one is also enthusiastic about 1. Fougère
the new fragrance. Therefore, no ingredi- 2. Fresh-green-citrus/Aqua- & Ozon notes
ents should be named before the amygdala 3. Gourmand-fruity
of the other has smelled. It would only dis- 4. Leathery
tract them. Now hand over the scent strip 5. Amber-oriental
to the other person with friendly, positive 6. Woody-spicy
eye contact. If a third perfume arises from
the combination that pleases, the amygdala Here are my recommendations for which
of the opposite adopts the new perfume as fragrance directions work best when layer-
a favorite fragrance with a high probability. ing perfume.
 220 Chapter 9 · On the Way to the Future of Smelling

For women’s perfumes: with AI are currently ushering in the fu-

5 Amber-oriental fragrance notes with the ture of perfumery and increasingly ena-
lighter notes from the Fresh-green-cit- bling a new category of perfumes: active
rus/Aqua- & Ozon notes spectrum. fragrances or neuroscents. The big key-
5 Gourmand-fruity with often lighter Flo- word here is “Mood & Health Modula-
ral notes. tion”. This development certainly also
5 Chypre-leathery with often slightly entails risks that the legislator must keep
lighter Gourmand-fruity notes. in mind. The key question is therefore:
5 Woody-aromatic with lighter notes from How strong can perfumes actually work?
the Fresh-green-citrus/Aqua- & Ozon However, neuroperfumery also increas
fragrance family. ingly leads to findings about what makes
5 Floriental (Amber floral), i.e. warm floral certain scents so special, for example cit-
notes, with mostly heavier notes from rus notes, and why one can become “ad-
the Chypre-leathery fragrance direction. dicted” to them. They have a sophisti-
cated broadband effect on the neocortex
For men’s perfumes: and stimulate in many ways. This type of
5 Fougère can usually be combined well multiple brain stimulation provides ideas
with all other fragrance directions. for the research and application of fra-
5 Fresh green citrus/Aqua- & Ozon notes grance molecules and thus also for the
with heavier notes from the Amber-ori- future of smelling and perfumery.
9 ental fragrance direction. Based on current findings from neurop-
5 Gourmand-fruity with Leathery. erfumery, I have given tips for fragrance
5 Woody-spicy with Fougère or Fresh advice at the end of the chapter: how to
green citrus/Aqua- & Ozon notes. inspire the brain for a new perfume or
how to give it a little help.
As a rule of thumb in neuroperfumery for
the success and fascination of a fragrance
creation: It must also touch its wearer in- References
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shrinking your brain. Published on August 12,
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ings from neuroperfumery combined Ongoing blog
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Hasan MT et al (2019) A fear memory engram and cesses through relational binding and comparison.
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 223 10

Scent Therapy: Scents

for More Joie De vivre
Working with Primal Perfumes in Scent-Assisted Therapy—a
Look into the Future at What Else Might be Possible for
Increasing Well-being

Contents

10.1 Aromatherapeutic Application: Two Exercises

For Introduction – 224
10.1.1 “Scented Flight”—Letting Go, Inspiration, and Creativity – 225
10.1.2 “Scented Power Posing”—Recharge For Mind and Body – 226

10.2 Fragrance Enjoyment: Olfactory Cuddling

“On Demand” – 227

10.3 Fragrant Anti-Stress: How and Where Scent Works

Against Stress in the Brain – 231
10.3.1 Plant Peptides with Anti-Stress Effect – 232
10.3.2 The Rush On Plant Peptides – 233
10.3.3 Olfactory Tools For Assessing Well-being – 234

10.4 Self-therapy: Healing the Soul and Smelling Better

with Primal Perfumes – 236
10.4.1 The Power of Primal Scents and Their Creation – 237
10.4.2 The Power of Scent-Supported Loving Looks For
Self-Therapy – 248
10.4.3 Scent-supported Self-coaching: Exercise Example “The Power
of Loving Looks” – 249

References – 252

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023
J. Mensing, Beautiful SCENT,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67259-4_10
 224 Chapter 10 · Scent Therapy: Scents for More Joie De vivre

10.1 Aromatherapeutic
Application: Two Exercises
For Introduction
Before we discuss the latest findings from
baby scent research and experience the
therapeutic power of primal perfumes for
ourselves, I would like to introduce you to
the topic of “scent-supported self-therapy”
with two exercises and give you more back-
ground information on the effects of scents
and aromatherapy.
There are now several studies that con-
firm, for example, that citrus notes—as well
as aqua and fresh fougère notes—increase
concentration. Some even claim that cit-
rus room scenting - ideally applied in essen-
tial oil quality - can increase IQ in students.
However, it can certainly be said that these
fragrance directions have a stimulating effect
on the prefrontal cortex as well as the orb-
itofrontal cortex and their networks, which
10 are also discussed in connection with person-
ality dimensions such as conscientiousness
and extraversion. Conscientiousness is one
Trailer of the five main dimensions of the popular
Are you interested in new approaches in Big Five personality model. This includes the
scent therapy? Do you want to become your factors that are particularly important for
own aromatherapist? Recent findings from professional success, such as self-control, re-
baby scent research provide very interesting sponsibility, accuracy, ambition and endur-
hints and instructions for adults on how to ance, as well as the ability to plan and organ-
work beneficially with scent. ize oneself. Extraversion provides the neces-
Wouldn’t it be great to be your own per- sary dynamics and activity. All these factors
fumer, who can create perfumes for your together support self-confidence and per-
own enjoyment without any great effort? sonal success. This can also be confirmed by
Not just any, but primal perfumes, which studies. For example, studies show that pro-
we smell as humans in our development first nounced conscientiousness and extraver-
and which have a special effect on us? And sion often result in higher salaries and the
to find out which specific scents have a bene- achievement of leadership positions.
ficial effect on certain needs and which brain But even with the greatest of wills
regions are involved? These are just some of and sense of responsibility, obstacles can
the incredibly exciting topics in this chap- weaken motivation, inner strength, inspi-
ter—one of the highlights of our journey ration and ambition. Often one can also
through the world of scent. not let go of something that is constantly
10.1 · Aromatherapeutic Application: Two Exercises For Introduction
225 10
on one’s mind. This affects self-confidence choice can be found on fragrantica.de and
and creativity. In such a situation one needs in a perfume shop with expertise. This is es-
something that builds one up again, makes pecially the case when one is advised by a
one take a deep breath, invigorates and “maître des parfums” or “expert en parfum”.
brings one back on one’s own path. For this Both are additional training courses that the
I present two fragrance-therapeutic exer- trade offers its employees. If possible, one
cises that do not take longer than ten min- should be shown certified organic and vegan
utes. They appear simple, they are, but one natural notes in essential oil quality from this
should not underestimate their effect when fragrance direction. They are particularly
repeating them several times. The first ex- ideal for aromatherapeutic applications.
ercise is based on a multi-sensory jour- There are usually FRESH-GREEN-CI-
ney, a “scented flight”; the other exercise, TRUS notes in a lighter concentration as
“Scented Power Posing” (in German some- Eau de Toilette (EDT). Furthermore, this
thing like “duftende Kraftaufstellung”), fragrance direction is also available as an
promises that one will find inner strength even lighter Cologne and as a body spray
again through psychohormonal processes (body mist). For this fragrance therapy,
triggered in the body and feel like a winner. the top note of a sparkling-sparkling Co-
logne is particularly suitable, which devel-
ops within the first ten minutes after spray-
10.1.1 “Scented Flight”— ing. Many fragrances from the FRESH-
Letting Go, Inspiration, GREEN-CITRUS direction in higher
concentration, for example as Extrême, can
and Creativity
become somewhat spicy over time.
This fragrance therapy is primarily in- The quickest and most effective way to
achieve new inspiration is to fuse the fra-
tended for people who responsibly drive
things forward, but who may currently be grance experience with other sensory im-
lacking inspiration and creativity due to pressions, so that the fragrance is supported
by color, form, music, and ideally also tac-
too much stress. It works particularly well
as a multi-sensory installation of fragrance, tile and gustatory. Furthermore, one knows
color and form and lets the senses merge from creativity research that the combi-
nation of sensory stimuli is beneficial in
for a greater effect, so that one can experi-
ence the unity of the senses in their effect the imagination. For example, by visuali-
on oneself. To experience this unity, one zation, yellow, light blue, light green, and
only needs some space on a table. This puts turquoise paper triangles lying in front of
one in good Bauhaus tradition, because al- one begin to fly like leaves in the wind. It is
ready Kandinsky (Concerning the Spiritual then found that the flying triangles have a
in Art, 1911) allowed synesthetic experi- FRESH-GREEN-CITRUSY smell. Those
ments to merge color, form, texture, sound who practice this will become part of the
and even dance for optimal inspiration. movement and simply fly in their imagina-
This is how it works: First, one chooses tion. Being able to fly like Peter Pan—even
a fragrance from the fragrance direction just in imagination—is very inspiring and
FRESH-GREEN-CITRUS that is pleasant also stress- and even anxiety-reducing. Here
and invigorating and that one can associate are tips for a first “scent flight” at home or
with fruits from this direction. Ideas for the at work:
 226 Chapter 10 · Scent Therapy: Scents for More Joie De vivre

5 The FRESH-GREEN-CITRUSY fra- breathing, just like in yoga, abdomi-

grance / essential oil should be stored in nal breathing. For smelling, you take
a dark place and slightly cooled. If the about ten minutes. You start with the
air in the office is a bit stuffy or if sum- scent flight and let yourself be inspired
mer temperatures prevail outside, put by a video for about a minute at the be-
the bottle in an ice bucket or cool it in ginning. Then you become active your-
the refrigerator beforehand. self and integrate the fruits you smell in
5 The place where you smell and start the the image into your thoughts. For exam-
“scent flight” should be decorated in ple, a lemon you smell floats in blue and
turquoise and light blue with a little yel- turquoise water, as you can see in the
low (. Fig. 10.1). video. In your imagination, you can also
see how gentle waves play with the fruit,
In color psychology and mythology, these how it drifts towards a southern beach
tones are also the colors of water, space, and how the light beautifully reflects on
carelessness, rebirth, and the future. Ideally, the waves and the fruit.
one has a few objects, accessories, or sculp-
tures in these colors to get in the mood for At first it is not quite easy to connect two
their flight. This color world can also be sensory impressions—one that you see and
well supported by pictures, such as pictures one that you smell—in one film. But that
of water in which the sunlight sparkles. already works well after at the latest two
For the first flights of scent, videos exercises. And the brain thanks for the re-
that were filmed from the perspective freshing relaxation with new inspiration
10 of a bird in flight are recommended, es- and creativity. I recommend a scent flight as
pecially if they convey a sense of space a break when you feel mentally exhausted.
and show southern waters. You can find Afterwards, the prefrontal cortex deserves
such videos on YouTube, for example the a gustatory pleasure as further stimulation.
video “Fly Away to a Tropical Island!” How about a lemon sorbet?
(7 Fly Away to a Tropical Island!). Back-
ground sea noise supports the effect. Of
course, you have the best flight with a 10.1.2 “Scented Power Posing”—
3-D glasses. Recharge For Mind
5 After everything is installed and you and Body
have sat comfortably for two to three
minutes, you spray or drip the scent on An inner body posture that radiates confi-
your wrist or better on a scent strip so dence, energy and sovereignty. This is an
that the scent is not influenced by the advantage of increased testosterone lev-
smell of arm and watch bands or hand els. It causes a body posture in which one
and body creams. First you sniff the feels more energetic and successful. On the
scent, then you smell it. When smell- other hand, psychologist Amy Cuddy and
ing, you should pay attention to relaxed colleagues from Harvard Business School
found that certain power-posing exercises
(power postures) can increase testosterone
levels in women and men in a few minutes
and be reflected in their appearance (Cuddy
et al. 2013). To also stimulate the orbitof-
rontal cortex for more extraversion, these
. Fig. 10.1 Color examples exercises were further developed by me as
10.2 · Fragrance Enjoyment: Olfactory Cuddling “On Demand”
227 10
“Scented Power Posing”. To get the most a triumphal chorus like the finale of Bee-
out of this exercise, you only need four thoven’s Fantasia for Piano, Chorus and
things: Orchestra (7 Choral Finale from Beetho-
5 a room where you can withdraw for a ven’s Choral Fantasy) is also appropriate.
few minutes to do the exercise standing, The chorus sings for about four minutes,
preferably in front of a large mirror, the last three minutes are particularly tri-
5 a scent / essential oil from the fragrance umphantly building. No matter what music
direction FRESH-GREEN-CITRUS you choose—support the lyrics by repeat-
that delights as a “pick-me-up” or moti- edly vigorously nodding with your arms
vator and is applied to a scent strip or an still outstretched.
unscented handkerchief. This fragrance The whole song by Gloria Gayner lasts
can be more sparkling and citrusy than about five minutes. At half the song, as well
the the scent used in “Scented Flight”, as with the chorus, lower your arms and
5 an iPod etc. with headphones, on which apply your “pick-me-up” fragrance, e.g.
you can load and play a certain music the “Eau Sauvage” spray by Dior, to a fra-
that I will introduce later, and grance strip. For the next two to three min-
5 the will to do the exercise with passion utes, you should first sniff it, then smell it
and seriousness. and listen to the rest of the music. If the
saxophone starts in the song (or the drums
This is how “Scented Power Posing” works: in the chorus singing), give yourself the
Stand in front of a mirror in a proud promise “I can do it” while continuing to
winner’s pose as wide as possible: raised smell, but always stretch one hand up in a
chin, arms still stretched up, fingers spread V-sign and fidget vigorously a few times in
like Mick Jagger at the concert to the vic- rhythm with the music. After the music has
tory sign (V). faded, smell a little longer in silence and
At the beginning, snap your fingers think about what you have already achieved
from time to time in the rhythm of the mu- in life. Finally, say out loud to yourself:
sic that I will introduce in a moment. Stand “I’m proud of you”, which you can also re-
with your arms stretched and your fingers peat to yourself a few times.
spread to the V-sign all the time. Feel like
a sprinter who has just run over the finish
line as the first and is now being celebrated. 10.2 Fragrance Enjoyment:
Tell yourself a few times that you have won Olfactory Cuddling “On
and will win again (you—preferably address
Demand”
yourself by first name or nickname—“have
won and will win again”). Enjoy this feel- Light is energy in the form of electromag-
ing. By the way: Upstretched arms are a netic radiation that we experience as color
quite natural, innate winner’s pose. Even depending on the wavelength. The Hypo-
blind people who have never seen them re- thalamus is amazingly sensitive to the dif-
act like this when they win. Make your- ferent wavelengths of the main colors blue
self as wide as possible, the whole room be- and red. This has mainly to do with body
longs to you. Feel strong, sovereign and like temperature. From color therapy we know:
a winner. If the hypothalamus experiences the body
After standing for about 30 to 60 s, as too warm, it prefers short wavelengths,
turn on the music. I recommend the song which we experience as cool colors in the
“I Will Survive” by Gloria Gayner, which blue spectrum. If necessary, sweating is
you can also sing along to. If you trium- then triggered. If it is too cold, the hypo-
phantly enter the stadium in your mind,
 228 Chapter 10 · Scent Therapy: Scents for More Joie De vivre

thalamus is open to being stimulated by tures located in the prefrontal cortex. The
longer wavelengths, which we experience as limbic system and the insula generate a real
warm tones in the red spectrum. If that is craving. This is, not only when it comes to
not enough, the muscles are made to trem- chocolate, more than understandable.
ble to generate real heat. Imaging methods showed that in most
The example of color shows—as we also people the insula is very gladly stimu-
see it for smell—that the hypothalamus and lated and activated by the scent of choco-
its network use the senses strategically for late as well as by sweet aromas, olfactory
themselves, and not only on a purely phys- and gustatory, (Han et al. 2019). The result-
iological level, but especially from our point ing emotional craving is detected as a con-
of view with psychological intention. How- scious desire in the cerebral cortex. It then
ever, as the supreme control center of hor- gives instructions to still the desire. If you
mone secretion, it is mainly focused on get closer to the goal or give in to the crav-
balance and survival, but also has its own ing, the midbrain comes into action. Here
agenda. it is especially the nucleus accumbens in
Let me go into this in more detail in re- which a feeling of happiness arises. In com-
lation to the connection between scent and bination with other brain areas such as the
reward, because certain olfactory stimuli amygdala, which process the excitement as
associated with “edible” have a special, also pleasurable sensations, dopamine is then re-
olfactory therapeutic effect on the brain. leased.
In this chapter I will show you approaches The reward system was already discov-
to self-therapy with scents for more joie de ered in 1954. They implanted rats with an
10 vivre. electrode in the brain to stimulate it, which
The hypothalamus is, as already men- emitted weak electrical currents at the push
tioned, part of the dopaminergic system of a button. These could be triggered by
and thus of the reward system. In this the animals themselves and were apparently
network it decides on the dopamine re- experienced as very enjoyable—even more
lease and thus on the emergence of the enjoyable than food, because left to their
emotion of joy, that is, the feeling of re- own devices, rats regularly stimulated their
ward and pleasure. These feelings arise brains every five seconds, leaving food be-
because the hypothalamus is fond of hind.
sweet things. Just think of the craving Studies have now shown that, of all the
for sweets during a diet or the late-night rewards, food is considered the primary and
search for ice cream or chocolate. Here most universal one and can therefore have
the hypothalamus—even if not alone—is a strong effect on the reward center. It ap-
at work. It is part of the reward system, parently does not matter whether the stim-
also called the mesolimbic system, which ulus is presented gustatory, visual or olfac-
consists of a neuronal network of various tory (Frasnelli et al. 2015). This is a very
brain areas and connections. More cor- important statement for a scent-supported
rectly, one should speak of a multitude of therapy with food scents, such as milk/milk
reward centers that are linked together in mousse notes, which we want to use in our
a large circuit. therapeutic work.
Olfactory stimuli such as the scent of a In this context, Katharina Schoen
delicious piece of Sacher-Torte or chocolate (2018) from the Technical University of
cake can act as reward stimuli on the brain. Dresden carried out imaging studies to
This then makes the limbic system, to check whether scents from the food cate-
which the hypothalamus belongs, and the gory or food-associated scents activate re-
insula react. This in turn stimulates struc- gions of the human brain that can be as-
10.2 · Fragrance Enjoyment: Olfactory Cuddling “On Demand”
229 10
signed to the reward center, compared to ticular, such as in the chocolate direction,
flower scents. This was confirmed. Since the interest and stimulate the hypothalamus
reward system in the brain is quite branch- and its “reward network”. So chocolate
ing, one also expects a wider activation of has always been said to have an aphrodis-
food scents than of flower scents. There are iac effect in literature. Because in the hy-
also indications for this. pothalamus, sexual hormones such as tes-
One finding for self-therapy is therefore: tosterone and estrogen nerve cells are acti-
With scents from the “Gourmand-fruity” vated, which are responsible for libido and
fragrance direction, one can activate one’s arousal. This is all additionally reinforced
own reward system. by chocolate. It contains tryptophan, which
In addition, studies have shown that the is converted into serotonin. This explains
scents perceived as edible intensify the ef- the special sense of pleasure when eating
fect of the reward scent on the reward sys- chocolate.
tem when hunger sets in. Finally, it could Chocolate as a gustatory experience is
be shown that the reward system has real certainly superior to chocolate smells in the
scent affinities that activate it particu- final effect as a stimulant, because these are
larly. First, it could be shown that a sweet- primarily learned. Nevertheless: The close
ness perceived in scents activates regions of connection between the hippocampus, our
the brain that belong to the reward feed- long-term memory, and the hypothalamus
back loop more strongly (Stice et al. 2013). has built up a strong classical conditioning
Then it was observed that fruit scents cause à la Pavlov over time. So a previously in-
stronger activation in the reward centers nate or automatic reaction to a taste experi-
(Frasnelli et al. 2015). The fragrance prefer- ence and its effect can be triggered again by
ences of the reward system can thus be de- a scent. This can generally be assumed for
scribed as fruity-sweet-edible, which typ- most gourmand notes. They are able—just
ically characterizes the Gourmand-fruity like music and other sensory pleasures—to
fragrance direction. It is therefore no coin- trigger the happiness hormone dopamine in
cidence that the hypothalamus, which is re- the hypothalamus and its network.
sponsible for the sense of taste and sexual The gourmand fragrance direction ap-
behavior, prefers it to be a little sweeter and parently has a greater effect on the brain
fruitier in taste and smell. Sweet and red than previously assumed. This is also con-
are innate taste and color preferences. They firmed by experience from practice. For all
trigger the vital sucking behavior in infants. those who are on a diet and love gourmand
The combination of sweet-fruity-red not notes, they have an additional benefit. They
only signals to people that something is ed- can keep the hypothalamus in check dur-
ible. ing eating attacks or craving for sweets. So
As an adult, one often distances oneself losing weight with gourmand notes is eas-
from too sweet or sweet-fruity scents. Nev- ier, also because the hypothalamus and its
ertheless, the so-called gourmand-fruity network are given the impression that an-
scents are the fastest growing fragrance cat- other edible pleasure is still to come. Prac-
egory in recent years. They may not always tice has also shown that gourmand notes
smell sweet, but they smell like dessert. It is have a pain-relieving effect and, depending
the smell of preferred, edible aromas such on the type of their creation, bring the hy-
as caramel, nougat, cream and raspberry, pothalamus and its reward system into a
as well as above all the scent of the world’s Piña-Colada-holiday mood. Milk notes are
most popular flavors chocolate and vanilla. also pain-relieving, as we know from baby
Understandably, gourmand notes in par- research and as I will show below.
 230 Chapter 10 · Scent Therapy: Scents for More Joie De vivre

z Olfactory cuddling “on demand” with a transaction or a first rendezvous when the
sense of happiness person opposite is associated with “success-
But when the hypothalamus is stimulated, ful” or also with “desired by others”. Nu-
more happens. It also secretes the hor- merous studies have now confirmed the ef-
mones vasopressin and oxytocin. Vasopres- fect of vasopressin and oxytocin as nose
sin plays a role in the body’s water regula- sprays. For this reason, oxytocin is also
tion. It activates water reabsorption and, used successfully, for example, as aroma
for example, reduces nocturnal urination; therapy in autism (Gordon et al. 2013).
it constricts blood vessels and has a blood However, several fMRI studies show
pressure-increasing effect; it regulates body that perfumes do not need to be enriched
temperature, affects sexual arousal and mo- with the hormone in order to have an ox-
tivation; it is involved in memory and learn- ytocin effect. Because oxytocin is also se-
ing performance and, together with oxy- creted when there is no physical contact.
tocin, controls emotions that then have an Apparently the hypothalamus is stimulated
effect on social behavior. Only recently it by the smell of warm milk skin, especially
could be shown that oxytocin in particular in combination with the scent of certain cu-
significantly influences female care behav- linary notes such as chocolate. Insiders con-
ior. firm that the perfume industry is already
The hormone oxytocin supports close working on aromamodulation in this di-
emotional bonds between people, for ex- rection using fMRI and has achieved good
ample between mother and infant during results. The aim is to find out which mol-
breastfeeding. As a bonding hormone, it ecules cause the milk, skin and chocolate
10 makes one’s own partner appear more at- odors and in what mixture they stimulate
tractive. It also promotes monogamous be- the hypothalamus particularly for the secre-
havior and mutual trust (Hurlemann et al. tion of oxytocin.
2010). No wonder that in recent years, per- But one goes one step further and uses
fumes and nose sprays enriched with oxy- a so-called precursor technology in scents
tocin or vasopressin have appeared in some (Whitehouse 2019). It was developed by
countries. They are banned in the EU be- Givaudan, one of the world’s largest per-
cause hormone-enriched perfumes are not fume manufacturers, employing over a hun-
allowed to be sold in perfume shops. Nev- dred perfumers worldwide. A so-called fra-
ertheless, they could be obtained from for- grance precursor, an odorless molecule, is
eign mail-order pharmacies. An effect implemented into the perfume. It releases
was promised as early as 15 minutes after fragrance molecules at certain triggers such
spraying. Insiders are also aware of odor- as oxygen, light, water, but also body heat.
less, pure oxytocin sprays that are secretly This allows perfumes to be timed, adapted
sprayed shortly before business meetings or to certain situations and of course made
the first date in order to achieve more trust. longer lasting. What is particularly interest-
Vasopressin and oxytocin also have ing is that this technology not only works
their downside. Too much vasopressin re- with perfumes, but also with other possi-
tains too much water, the sodium content ble applications such as body care products,
in the body is increased, which can lead to detergents and cleaning agents. In other
lethargy, for example. Oxytocin apparently words—to stay with the topic of oxytocin:
amplifies envy (why is not yet known), but The industry is well on its way to delivering
it also has something impressive and can us “cuddling ‘on demand’”, and that with a
therefore be advantageous for a business sense of happiness!
10.3 · Fragrant Anti-Stress: How and Where Scent Works Against Stress in the Brain
231 10
10.3 Fragrant Anti-Stress: How been proven several times (Seppala 2013;
and Where Scent Works Stahl and Millstine 2013).
Against Stress in the Brain Aromatherapy can also report several
successes. Various fragrance notes are used
It is not by chance that it was possible to against stress and inner unrest. Some, as al-
show, using imaging methods (fMRI), how ready mentioned, such as Osmanthus, Cis-
yoga, meditation and mindfulness training trose, Rosenabsolue, Chamomile and Lav-
particularly benefited the hippocampus and ender do not come from the flower and
adjacent brain regions. This was known be- blossom area by chance. Because they ad-
fore. That is why there are already various dress the hippocampus and its network spe-
fragrance prescriptions in aromatherapy to cifically. However, the hippocampus with its
help the hippocampus and its network cope complex functions does not limit its prefer-
with stress. Because, as we have said, the ence to a certain fragrance direction. In ad-
biggest enemy of the hippocampus is stress. dition to floral notes, it is also activated by
According to clinical studies, it shrinks the edible fragrances. This is not surprising, as
hippocampus by up to 26% through exces- it not only receives information about stress,
sive cortisol release. This leads to greater but also about physical satiety, and is also
forgetfulness and thus to the fact that we part of the reward system.
can increasingly rely on our knowledge The hippocampus is, of course, also re-
when we have problems. This also affects sponsible for storing olfactory memories.
other brain areas such as the amygdala and This raises the question of how it learns
the OFC, resulting in negative self-evalua- and categorizes scents, especially when it
tion and sleep disorders. Since deep sleep is comes to, for example, a flower scent that
essential for stress management, a self-de- is still unknown to him. As I said, stud-
structive cycle begins. ies show that the anterior piriform Cortex
Clinical studies in recent years have con- helps the hippocampus smell and evaluate.
firmed the special effect of meditation on The piriform cortex offers the hippocampus
the management of stress, inner restless- and other brain areas involved in fragrance
ness and even fears—and that even in com- storage much more than just a sensory for-
bination with scents. In this way, processes warding of a fragrance impression. First,
are not only stopped, but the brain is liter- it provides emotional, visual information
ally rebuilt. This is then referred to as neu- before smells are perceived (Schulze et al.
roprogramming or positive reprogramming 2017). The piriform cortex therefore sug-
of the brain (Bernhardt 2017). The con- gests to the stress-prone hippocampus, for
nection of psychotherapy and meditation example, that something that looks like a
as mindfulness-based stress reduction has small, white flower also smells like that and
proven to be particularly effective for this can be smelled and experienced relaxed. In
purpose. This program goes back to the other words, the piriform cortex generates
molecular biologist John Kabat-Zinn (Ka- instructions on how a olfactory stimulus
bat-Zinn 2006), who already worked with is to be experienced and processed. In this
so-called scent landscapes in meditation in way, the entire olfactory system and also
the late 1970s. The success of his own and the hippocampus benefit from the informa-
other further developed methods in the tion of the visual system.
treatment of stress and anxiety, even panic Through the cooperation of the piriform
attacks, depression and sleep disorders, has cortex with the amygdala, which evaluates
 232 Chapter 10 · Scent Therapy: Scents for More Joie De vivre

stimuli emotionally, it is possible to pre-se- duced by manufacturing processes and dos-

lect olfactory stimuli according to their po- age forms, for example in alcoholic solu-
tential emotional effect—for example, those tions typically used for perfumes. Actually,
that promise the hippocampus relaxation perfumes should provide the main olfactory
and relaxation. Simply put, this makes it enjoyment when sprayed, but they could
possible to search for a scent that, for exam- be much more than just smelling good and
ple, promises the hippocampus a relaxed, re- also be designed differently, for example as
laxed feeling. Interestingly, nature supports deliciously smelling bioactive alcohol-free
the search for scents when a feeling of stress active perfumes or alcohol-free organic
arises, as long as the mood does not turn plant peptide fragrances.
into the emotion of anger. Hoenen et al. There could actually be perfume appli-
(2017) were able to show in a study that an cations for external and internal use. The
increase in cortisol is associated with bet- Romans already used rose water in two
ter odor identification performance during ways: as a fragrant perfume for external use
emotional and physiological stress reactions, and as a mouthwash for fresh breath. Oc-
while increased anger is associated with casionally you also read about the idea of
poorer odor identification. a deodorant pill that is supposed to change
body odor towards a favorite perfume. You
can further fantasize and think of an inner
10.3.1 Plant Peptides with Anti- stress blocker scent.
Stress Effect Cosmetics are already further ahead in
this respect. They already provide today’s
10 The neuroperfumery and -biology are con- beauty supplements for beauty, attractive-
stantly expanding the knowledge of stress ness and well-being. The greatest prospects
management, with the latter being able to for success are likely to be in the perfume
extract and potentiate plants better thanks sector with wellness sets consisting of one
to new methods. New ingredients, especially product each for internal and external use,
plant peptides with special effects, are per- for example a perfume and a luxury wellness
ennial favorites in relevant trade journals. nose spray that smells the same. But here
A still young topic are hyperforin and flavo- too, the legislator (e.g in the EU) has his say:
noids, such as biapigenin and rutin as pow- nose sprays may only be marketed as drugs
erful plant substances with anti-stress and that are introduced into the nose. There is a
antidepressant effects, which could be in- distinction made between locally effective
corporated as bioactive ingredients in fra- and systemically effective nose sprays. Most
grance products in theory. of the time, the term “nose spray” refers to
Linalool, which is found, inter alia, in a locally effective, for example decongestant,
lavender, has been known for longer. The spray. If the active ingredients are absorbed
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemis- through the nasal mucosa, it is a systemically
try reported that linalool keeps blood val- effective spray that acts on the whole body.
ues within the normal range during stress Now comes the critical point: according
and at the same time reduces the activity of e.g to EU legislation, perfumes can only be
genes that are excessively active in stressful applied externally. This excludes their use
situations (Nakamura et al. 2009). as nasal sprays. Perfumes are sprayed, ap-
In classical perfumery, and aromather- plied or poured as a “splash” and rubbed or
apy bioactive substances directly and indi- smeared on the skin as a “solid perfume”.
rectly come into fragrance formulations via But they can also be applied with a stopper
their plants. Their effect is sometimes re- or other applications such as roll-on or pi-
10.3 · Fragrant Anti-Stress: How and Where Scent Works Against Stress in the Brain
233 10
pette, which are known from aromatherapy. Delta-opioid receptors (DOR) in the skin,
When using a pipette, you can decide for but also in the olfactory bulb (bulbus olfac-
yourself whether the liquid comes before, torius) and in the amygdala located in front
under or into the nose. of the hippocampus, which can be stimu-
Manufacturers of spray pumps are al- lated by related plant peptides. If these re-
ready providing ever finer methods of per- ceptors are stimulated, an emotional reac-
fume application. So the perfume pump man- tion is shown, which the pharmaceutical
ufacturer Rexam brought a spray pump spe- industry already uses as a mood enhancer
cifically for natural ingredients to the market. in depressive states. The patients also
One could now combine pumps with pipettes felt comfort and well-being and quickly
for a new category of bioactive active per- achieved an emotional improvement, even
fumes or essential oils, which, for example, with mild pain (Broom et al. 2002; Navra-
support meditation, to “spray pipettes”. The tilova et al. 2011). A comprehensive de-
user would then decide for himself how bio- scription of the current peptide research
active active perfumes are to be used. would exceed the scope of this book. In ad-
For the full immediate effect, there is dition, it is not easy to assess to what extent
another innovation. The so-called “scent the individual discoveries are scientifically
burst technology” and its further develop- supported. For example, an international
ments make it possible that the parts im- team of scientists has found a peptide in
portant for the effect of a head note of a an African medicinal plant from the cof-
fragrance are already highlighted at the be- fee family, Kalata B7, which is similar to
ginning of the application. This gives a the human neuropeptide hormone oxy-
special kick, but also immediate help à la tocin (Koehbach et al. 2013), as I discussed
emergency drops, as they are known from above.
Bach flower therapy. Another study reports on a discov-
ery among a tribe in Central America. In
the popular fragrance ingredient cinna-
10.3.2 The Rush On Plant Peptides mon there is not only cinnamaldehyde, the
main component of the strongly aromatic
A lot is expected of plant peptides in or- cinnamon oil, but also epicatechin, a vita-
der to support individual brain areas such min-like plant substance that also occurs in
as the hippocampus. Peptides are body- cocoa. It is used by the Kuna tribe in Pan-
own substances composed of amino acids, ama against dementia, but does not really
which in the human organism can trigger smell. Allegedly, studies show that the two
specific reactions and influence a variety of molecules have the potential to directly ad-
body functions. Meanwhile, a veritable run dress Alzheimer’s, stop the disease like a bi-
has broken out in the research of plant pep- ological shield, and even protect against its
tides. Some have already been confirmed in outbreak (George et al. 2013). In the mean-
their surprisingly good anti-aging and an- time, however, the hoped-for success of
ti-inflammatory effect in skin care as fur- these molecules in Alzheimer’s has again
ther developed active ingredients—such as become quiet.
Rubixyl©, a biomimetic peptide inspired by Whatever the results are evaluated—
seagrass from the fragrance manufacturer the fact is that the basic research in the fra-
Givaudan, which consists mainly of hexa- grance and cosmetics industry is currently
peptide 48-HCI. building whole “peptide libraries” for their
A few years ago, it was now discovered analysis in order not to miss the future of
that there is a very high density of so-called active fragrance cosmetics.
 234 Chapter 10 · Scent Therapy: Scents for More Joie De vivre

Accordingly, research on the effects of It is known from olfactory research that

fragrances—in particular with regard to early stages of Alzheimer’s and Parkin-
stress—has developed and become inter- son’s are accompanied by impaired sense
disciplinary in recent years. Special tests of smell. Therefore, scents are used to diag-
of cognition and emotion psychology are nose health and well-being. Since the ability
used in neurobiological fragrance research to identify odors is very different from indi-
as well as in fragrance and cosmetics prod- vidual to individual and the sense of smell
uct development. With the aforementioned is further severely restricted under stress
peptide library, the imaging methods of and strain, NIH can be used in the future
brain research in combination with psycho- to carry out so-called cross-validations. In
logical tests such as the Trier Social Stress other words, one can determine in a certain
Test (TSST, Kirschbaum et al. 1993) can rank or with a certain range what is an un-
now be analyzed, for example, what differ- objectionable impairment of the sense of
ent substances cause in stress and whether smell or where an aroma therapy or another
fragrance and cosmetics products with cor- therapy is already advisable. Validated clin-
responding ingredients offer a response to ical smell tests are used together with other
stress and its psychophysiological processes tests as an indication for aroma therapies,
such as increased sweating. but also to exclude other impairments such
as sinusitis or anosmia, that is, a loss of
> As one of the first companies, the Ham- smell or a high degree of impairment.
burg company Beiersdorf used the TSST As I said, about 3 to 5% of the German
to develop a new Nivea deodorant. and certainly also the world population suf-
10 fer from anosmia. It is caused, for exam-
ple, by head injuries in an accident and can
10.3.3 Olfactory Tools even lead to a 15- to 20-% impairment of
For Assessing Well-being the sense of smell in the case of minor in-
juries. The NIH-Toolbox, which can al-
The further development of the so-called ready be used to determine the sense of
NIH-Toolbox is also promising. This is a smell in three-year-olds, could also be of-
test battery that determines cognitive, sen- fered as a permanent service in the perfume
sory, motor and emotional functions. A retail trade—because who would not like to
team at Monell Center, one of the world’s know how their own sense of smell is?
leading research institutes for fragrance and Alternatives to the NIH Smell Tool are
taste, has enriched the NIH-Toolbox with the UPSIT (University of Pennsylvania
another dimension. It can now also be used Smell Identification Test), the CCCRC-Test
for odor identification (Dalton et al. 2013). (Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Re-
With the olfactory analysis tool, which search Centers) and Sniffin’ Sticks. These
can be used in less than five minutes with are four approximately 14 cm long felt-tip
“Scratch and Sniff ” or fragrance cards that pens filled with 4 ml of a specific fragrance.
release the smell when rubbed, a complete They are presented for about three seconds
multi-dimensional test is now available that under both nostrils. NIH in combination
can be used for a variety of questions. NIH with Sniffin’ Sticks allows for a very fine
evaluates, for example, experienced stress and comprehensive diagnosis, which can
such as the feeling of being overwhelmed also include the results of 16-step threshold
and unpleasant feelings such as sadness and tests.
anxiety. To determine the threshold, repeated
ascending and descending concentrations
10.3 · Fragrant Anti-Stress: How and Where Scent Works Against Stress in the Brain
235 10
of the same fragrance are presented. Usu- pre- and post-treatment of the skin or for
ally, work is done with phenylethyl alcohol the prolongation of the results of cosmetic
smelling of roses. Since impairments of the surgery. Of course, you don’t need fMRT
sense of smell affect quality of life in the devices for this additional advice.
form of taste and smell enjoyment, but also However, its use would be very interest-
the use of fragrance and social contacts, for ing for another area of stationary perfum-
example by over-perfuming, and can indi- ery and would attract customers. Certainly,
cate possible diseases at an early stage, it the use of fMRI machines would have to
would be of interest to at least have an an- be adapted for a wide public (Wang et al.
nual smell check at their perfumery store 2013). But there is no question that this
for certain groups of the population. It harmless method without ionizing radia-
would therefore pay off for trade to invest tion will greatly enrich the treatment and
in this service. diagnostic offerings in spas, wellness or fra-
grance cabins. Because fMRI can not only
> fMRT devices and active fragrance advi- be used for the diagnosis of olfactory ex-
sors in stationary perfumeries perience and memory, that is, for wellness
and health prevention, but also in a very
However, the future of smell diagnosis for spectacular and fascinating way as an im-
wellness and health prevention will be able aging and thus scientific perfume advice.
to do much more. As a technology, it al- It gives customers insights into which spe-
ready exists. Research and medicine work cific scents and fragrance directions trigger
with it. So it has developed into an impor- the best olfactory-induced emotions. That
tant procedure in the imaging routine diag- should interest a younger high-tech audi-
nostics. For the perfume retail trade, it is in- ence in particular. The method also visu-
teresting for several reasons. Thus, harmless alizes the human brain with great, detailed
and easy-to-use fMRT devices for imaging images that can be taken home as a print-
procedures are becoming more and more out or spread via social media. It answers
portable and cheaper in terms of purchase questions about which perfumes emotion-
price. This could enable stationary trade ally optimally stimulate the brain and are
in cooperation with a specialist to offer a best for one’s own enjoyment and well-be-
completely new fragrance and smell advice: ing. For example, you can see which pro-
the active fragrance advice. cesses are triggered by the favorite perfumes
in the emotional center and whether the
mixing of scents (perfume layering) can in-
> The future of perfumery and fra-
crease their psychological effect for oneself.
grance-supported therapy requires new
The imaging perfume advice could then
training—to become an active fragrance
specifically suggest perfumes for specific ef-
advisor, with which you can become a
fects, for example to experience oneself
certified fragrance therapist with an ad-
more relaxed with an individually tailored
ditional qualification.
meditation scent or to discover the best ol-
factory mood enhancers for more joie de
The cooperation with doctors is already
vivre and cheerfulness. Trade could thus of-
common practice in stationary perfumeries
fer a new fragrance category with its own
today, for example when a plastic surgeon
shelf: the neuro-perfumes.
informs perfume customers at care eve-
I am sure that not only perfume con-
nings about the possibilities of injections. A
noisseurs, but also new target groups will
win-win for both, as medicine and perfum-
queue up for the one who will offer the first
ery complement each other very well for the
 236 Chapter 10 · Scent Therapy: Scents for More Joie De vivre

imaging perfume advice. Especially the sta- ticular, on the topic of “stress and preven-
tionary perfumery, which is always striv- tion”, cooperation e.g. with fitness stu-
ing to win new customers, must offer them dios, meditation, yoga, Pilates or Ayurveda
something special to keep them. I there- schools or their trainers could significantly
fore suggest to the perfume associations to enrich the perfume industry. This would
offer an recognized additional training for leave the success of the neuroperfumery
perfume specialists who want to specialize in practice, but also the future of station-
in fMRI and olfactory tools for the assess- ary perfumery with a completely new offer
ment of well-being as an active fragrance of experience, wellness and health services,
or neuroscent advisor and then as a scent nothing in the way.
or aroma therapist with the corresponding
qualification.
With the training to become a active 10.4 Self-therapy: Healing
fragrance or neuroscent advisor one could the Soul and Smelling Better
also qualify for the diagnosis of smell
with Primal Perfumes
within wellness and prophylaxis or on
mood & health modulation. These addi- Each human being had their first olfac-
tional training courses could be integrated tory experience as a fetus, namely when
into the training to become a perfume and
they smelled the amniotic fluid of their own
cosmetics expert. The German perfume re- mother. This was followed immediately after
tail group “First in Beauty” already of- birth by the skin-milk smell of the mother
fers, in cooperation with the perfume as-
while breastfeeding. So from the very be-
10 sociation, as mentioned above, training to ginning of our existence, we have come
become a “maître des parfums” and even into contact with two very positive olfac-
a “maître de cosmétique”. An additional
tory worlds. Since these two primal smells
training to become a “maître des sciences are complex in composition, one should
de parfums” and possibly even a “maître actually speak of primal perfumes. How-
des sciences de cosmétique” could make the
ever, there are variations in the good-smell-
perfume trade even more fascinating. ing primal perfumes, especially because the
The first cheaper and portable devices odor of amniotic fluid smells different for
for olfactory fMRI examinations have been
everyone due to the mother’s diet, for exam-
in the experimental stage for a few years ple, but also because the fetus excretes small
(Sezille et al. 2013). They would have to be amounts of urine into the amniotic fluid.
further developed for the perfume industry. Each of the two olfactory worlds is experi-
So far, MRI scanners have been unafforda- enced by the fetus or newborn only uncon-
ble for many clinics. However, purchasing sciously. However, they are usually linked
groups such as the “Beauty Alliance”, in to positive psychological experiences and
addition to Douglas one of the largest per- effects in the case of uncomplicated preg-
fume providers in Germany, could develop nancy, uncomplicated birth, and breast-
their own fMRI devices for imaging per- feeding. The primal perfumes also have
fume advice, wellness and prophylaxis for their own positive, stimulating effect on the
their often more than 100 perfume mem- young brain, specifically on delta-opioid re-
bers. After all, a whole-body scanner would ceptors, especially in the amygdala.
not necessarily be necessary for consulta- The research already knows a lot about
tion in cosmetic or perfume cabins. the positive psychological effect of the sec-
In the field of wellness and prophylaxis, ond primal perfume, the skin-milk smell
cooperation could take place with doctors, while breastfeeding, but so far only little
but also with clinical psychologists. In par-
10.4 · Self-therapy: Healing the Soul and Smelling Better with Primal Perfumes
237 10
about the effect of the first primal perfume, scents and be of great psychological and
the amniotic fluid smell. In newborns, the psychosomatic benefit. It can therefore be
smell of amniotic fluid is already stored and assumed that these primal active scents not
they can remember it well. It triggers deep only have a positive and calming effect on
feelings of well-being, almost happiness. one’s own amygdala, but also give a deep
This was found out when newborns were al- sense of a wonderfully different world of
lowed to smell the amniotic fluid again. Ap- life, since the first primal smell was mainly
parently, the smell of one’s own amniotic smelled in the weightlessness of the warm
fluid as well as the skin-milk smell are ideal and protective amniotic fluid, so to speak
for stimulating, for example, delta-opioid in a state that only few experience through
receptors in the amygdala and the olfactory meditation.
bulb. This leads to a greater sense of com- It can therefore be expected that a
fort and well-being in babies and adults, up deeper and more direct meditation expe-
to and including mood enhancement. rience can be achieved more easily with
The recognition of the first primal per- the support of a scent with notes of the
fume is understandable for olfactory re- first and second primal scents. I am think-
search. Unborn babies already have a fully ing here, for example, of a Metta-Bhavana
functional olfactory brain with amyg- meditation supported by a primal active
dala and hippocampus at the end of preg- scent. The success of the scent-supported
nancy, which gives humans an phenomenal meditation will of course depend on how
sense of smell. It can therefore be claimed well the recreation of the individual’s amni-
that as an adult, one carries the positively otic fluid smell or the skin-milk smell of the
experienced smell of their first primal per- mother succeeds.
fume deep within them. This also explains
why vanilla, as a component of the sec-
ond primal perfume, that is, the skin-milk 10.4.1 The Power of Primal Scents
smell, is still highly valued as an olfactory and Their Creation
and gustatory experience in later life and is
perceived as appetizing and, above all, as Perfumers can already look back on suc-
warm and comfortable. By the way, vanilla, cesses in recreating the skin-milk smell.
like almost all edible aromas, is more of an Some perfumes available on the market
olfactory experience. As already mentioned, from the milk or milk mousse fragrance
biochemists from the Monell Chemical category, for example “Fragrance Con-
Senses Center in Philadelphia have found densed Milk” by Demeter or “London
that even the taste cells on the tongue have Sweet Milk” by Jo Malone, create a cer-
olfactory receptors, which probably intensi- tain relaxing sense of wellbeing and can re-
fies the olfactory impression even further. mind us of our earliest childhood experi-
It can further be claimed: Fragrances ences. No wonder, because most of these
that are reminiscent of the individually ex- new fragrances smell warm, creamy and ed-
perienced smell of amniotic fluid and the ible. They are loaded with sweet Vanilla,
skin-milk smell of the mother are associ- lactose and slightly musky notes as they oc-
ated with positive psychological effects in cur in mother’s milk. However, the milk im-
the form of a kind of primal well-being and pression is only an illusion, because milk is
happiness for most people—provided that not used for the creations themselves.
the person has not experienced any spe- Recreating the smell of amniotic fluid
cial prenatal, birth or postnatal stress. This is more demanding. This scent is more in-
can make primal scents into primal active dividual in composition because, as already
 238 Chapter 10 · Scent Therapy: Scents for More Joie De vivre

mentioned, it is more strongly influenced you very deeply, and you associate them
by the mother’s diet and also by the fetus’s with a sense of well-being and even deep
urine. happiness that you even experience cur-
In the following, I will introduce the pri- rently. They are therefore excellently suited
mal base scent of amniotic fluid in its fac- for your own scent therapy. Ideally, the
ets and give a guide on how to get closer to search for them and their discovery is even
it—even if you are not a perfumer and do the therapy itself.
not have the appropriate ingredients—with Most of the time, one experiences per-
the technique of perfume layering. fumes that others have created. But now
Ideally, a amniotic fluid smell set with one is challenged oneself. This self-di-
the essential ingredients for self-mixing rected scent journey not only has a great
would be great. But I don’t think that’s emotional benefit, it also stimulates crea-
something that’s available to consumers yet. tivity and artistic expression. So it may be
So when creating ours, we’ll be relying on that after initial difficulties, one discovers
high-quality brand perfumes of individual the talent within oneself to create primal
scent profiles. Of course, alcohol-free or- perfumes or, better said, primal-effect per-
ganic perfumes that are similar in quality fumes for oneself and others.
to essential oils would be the better choice. But the activity of the private perfumer
But in most perfume shops, it’s very diffi- for his own olfactory brain has another ad-
cult to find perfumes of this quality in the vantage: the industry is working on intelli-
scent profiles we need for our experiment. gent wearable designer jewelry with a reg-
So in order to become the perfumer of our ulatable timer that emits small amounts of
10 own primal-effect perfumes, we have to fragrance at the user’s choice. A first step in
make compromises. There’s something else this direction is, for example, the prototype
to consider as well. of the Mini-Aroma-Shooter, which you can
In order to recreate the smell of amni- hang around your neck and fill with any
otic fluid, everyone will have to rely on their perfume. So far, the technology of wearable
own nose, that is, their Amygdala, their E-Scents is still in its infancy. But it could
Hippocampus, and their Hypothalamus, offer mobile independence for self-therapy
to become a successful private perfumer. with fragrance as well as for all aromather-
There will be many attempts with error. apy types. Ideally, you would not only have
And the actual base smell of amniotic fluid access to pre-made fragrance cartridges,
will probably smell different than its recre- but also to fragrances specifically created
ation, just because our memories and our for the amygdala. These could then be ap-
taste and smell preferences have changed plied discreetly for personal mood change,
over the years. That’s quite normal. stress prevention, inner restlessness and in-
From a self-therapeutic perspective, security, but also for increasing the feeling
what is essential in recreation is an olfac- of happiness.
tory journey to oneself, in which one be-
comes active for oneself and takes oneself z Amniotic fluid: first smell in thermally
as the goal. Apparently it is a journey into comfortable weightlessness
one’s own past, but not exclusively. Because When researchers discovered a few years
current experiences and desired experiences ago that unborn babies can already smell
accompany one on the journey to the deep- their mothers’ amniotic fluid, the interest
est self. So it’s about getting on the trail of was initially great, but without drawing any
scents and perfume creations that can do conclusions for the perfume and fragrance
more than just smell good. They speak to therapy from it. Amniotic fluid is, as already
10.4 · Self-therapy: Healing the Soul and Smelling Better with Primal Perfumes
239 10
mentioned, the first smell that humans per- otic fluid, which is constantly being replen-
ceive, it is the primal perfume. But how does ished. A residue of what is drunk then re-
it smell for a fetus? Benoist Schaal, scien- turns in the form of fetal urine back into
tific director of the European Centre for the amniotic fluid. Of course, one does not
Taste Research in Dijon (Centre Européen know what the unborn smells as amniotic
des Sciences du Goût), and his team were fluid exactly, since the smell depends on the
among the first to investigate this question. mother’s diet. Nevertheless, there is a first
They confirmed that amniotic fluid has a primordial smell, which the fetus probably
basic smell, but also that it offers a range of smells again and again.
smells that depend on the mother’s diet. According to Benoist Schaal, the first
Of course, the French research group perfume perceived smells quite complex
recommends a varied diet to every mother of something honey, buttermilk and car-
so that the unborn child can experience a amel, but also of urine and slightly rancid
whole range of taste and fragrance notes fat. The latter two factors give the amni-
right from the start and thus get used to otic fluid smell from a perfumer’s perspec-
them early on. Schaal explains the con- tive something slightly animal. Perfume
nections as follows: “What the mother connoisseurs will take notice of this key-
eats is transmitted to the fetus via the pla- word. Because since the beginning of per-
centa, and the fetus definitely inhales am- fume history, animal notes have been used
niotic fluid. The amniotic fluid comes to make scents irresistible human. The ac-
into contact with the olfactory receptors companying small, subtle stink made them
and is constantly renewed, so it also pro- really likable and attractive for people. In
vides new stimuli and stimulates the nose. modern perfumery, many animal compo-
This information reaches the fetus’s brain, nents have been removed from scents for
where it is imprinted until after breast various reasons such as animal welfare or
milk, namely preferences and diversity in allergy risk. Nevertheless, there is a magi-
food choice” (Benoit Schaal in the ARD cal group of ingredients that could be used
broadcast “Breastfeeding is Dufte” from specifically for the creation of a primordial
26.04.2009). perfume.
The first smell is for most unborn in a Since in general, the fetus with its in-
paradise-like state. Because as early as the creasingly developing amygdala experi-
fourth week of pregnancy, the fetus is com- ences the environment in the amniotic fluid
pletely surrounded by protective amni- as very pleasant and sheltered, this should
otic fluid. The amniotic fluid allows the fe- also apply to the first primordial smell. Be-
tus weightless movements. With increasing cause from the 5th to the 7th week of preg-
brain development, he smells accordingly in nancy, the development of the amygdala re-
a weightless state. sponsible for emotional feelings and smell
At the same time, the amniotic fluid and the hypothalamus begins, which inter
protects the unborn from shocks and pro- alia controls the body and sense of pleas-
vides a constant comfortable ambient tem- ure. From the 13th week, the development
perature. This increases his sense of secu- of the hippocampus, which forms our sense
rity and well-being or his basic trust—pro- of smell with the amygdala and the hypo-
vided that later no complications arise at thalamus, begins. From this point in time,
birth. the primordial smell and other smells in the
Approximately from the 14th week of amniotic fluid could be stored. It is now as-
pregnancy, a almost perfect balance is cre- sumed that babies can remember the smell
ated. The baby begins to drink the amni- of the amniotic fluid from the 28th week of
 240 Chapter 10 · Scent Therapy: Scents for More Joie De vivre

pregnancy at the latest. Because from then tion with certain cognitive therapies should
on, the olfactory nerves are also functional. therefore have clinically verifiable effects
for certain therapeutic goals such as more
z The therapeutic power of primordial per- self-confidence and inner satisfaction and
fumes be ideal. At the same time, fragrance ther-
The experience of the primal perfume apy with primal active perfumes provides
takes place initially unconsciously and re- an explanation for its effect, because with
mains so because the brain develops, so to therapies it is often not quite clear why they
speak, from bottom to top. The spinal cord, work or why they do not work in individ-
the brain stem and certain limbic struc- ual cases.
tures such as the amygdala function as the However, fragrance therapy with pri-
first. From the 7th month of pregnancy, the mal active perfumes also had to lead to en-
small brain is biologically able to remem- tirely new opportunities for psychological
ber original smells. So two to four day old self-discovery, especially in the context of
newborns immediately recognize their own certain meditations, and this for two main
amniotic fluid and, as Benoist Schaal de- reasons:
scribes, turn their heads to the soaked tow- On the one hand, there are deep-seated
els, start sucking and put their fists in their feelings from prenatal times that are also
mouths. the goal of, for example, the Metta-Bha-
The smell of amniotic fluid has a sur- vana-Meditation: to create a warm, relaxed,
prisingly positive psychological effect. The almost weightless atmosphere in which one
first original perfume is even more efficient feels welcome and taken care of. The typi-
10 than the mother’s milk smell to calm new- cal wishes with which the meditation begins
borns (Varendi et al. 1998). The effects even in view of oneself are biologically anchored
occur at fragrance concentrations that are wishes, as the fetus would formulate them:
below the threshold of adults, i.e. which are “May I be safe. May I be happy. May I be
not perceived by adults. So babies can smell healthy. May I be loved. May I live with
finer than adults. ease.”
Of course, these are very primary pro- On the other hand, there is an original
cesses that take place much less explic- primal scent or an original primal perfume
itly. Nevertheless, the positive psycholog- for everyone that allows access to biologi-
ical effect of the first primal perfume for cally anchored wishes from prenatal times
fragrance therapy, possibly even in its ef- because it is associated with the correspond-
fect on adults, is a sensation—all the more ing feelings. Such an original primal per-
so because we can assume that the first pri- fume of the amniotic fluid would be ideal
mal perfume is stored deep in our olfactory and highly effective from a scientific point
brain for life, even if it is overlaid by many of view for a “Scented-Loving-Kindness”
subsequent smells. So there is at least one meditation, even more effective psychoso-
smell, probably rather a chain of smells or matically than the already very emotional
fragrances or—to put it another way—real skin-milk smell of the mother.
primal active perfumes, which are deeply The discovery of highly effective pri-
associated with pleasant feelings of warm, mal perfumes as a possible therapeutic ap-
protected weightlessness and trust on a psy- proach also for adults comes at the right
chological-biological level and have a corre- time for scent- and aromatherapy. The view
sponding effect. that scent is particularly suitable for the ini-
A fragrance therapy with primal active tial focus of a meditation is gaining ground
perfumes alone or especially in combina- more and more in mindfulness research—
10.4 · Self-therapy: Healing the Soul and Smelling Better with Primal Perfumes
241 10
especially if it is complex and one can con- have to make compromises and work
centrate on the different facets of a smell. with brand perfumes which, however,
offer very fascinating possibilities in
z Recreation of the original primal smell as terms of smell.
an primal active perfume 5 Secondly, you choose the perfume from
The taste and smell of the amniotic fluid each fragrance direction that suits you
are a very complex mixture that nature of- best. This has to be done purely emo-
fers to the young brain as an primal per- tionally, i.e. whether it triggers a deep
fume. As mentioned before, for perfumers sense of well-being or an inner touch.
it smells of honey, buttermilk and caramel, You must not let yourself be influ-
but also of urine and slightly rancid fat. enced by aspects such as bottle, hap-
Amniotic fluid, scientifically called amni- tics, color, brand, image, name, value or
otic fluid, is usually a clear or slightly milky fragrance descriptions. Otherwise, you
liquid. It contains, inter alia, sugar, pro- would smell with the orbitofrontal cor-
teins, potassium, sodium and trace elements tex and thus with higher brain regions,
and—as mentioned before—some urine. which make it more difficult to have an
Possibly fetuses, who have a much finer emotional access to the perfume. Maybe
nose than adults, unconsciously perceive you smell the different perfumes blind at
the basic smell of the amniotic fluid as a first and sort them by pleasant and less
mixture of three large fragrance compo- pleasant. If you have found the most
nents: as a very attractive, sweet, soothing, pleasant perfume for the respective fra-
slightly milky, nourishing and familiar-pro- grance direction, you rate it on a scale.
tective, physically-animal smell, which is It is important to take your time and
additionally defined by the nutrition of the not to smell more than three to four
mother. perfumes in a row. The orbitofrontal
You can try to get as close as possible cortex could still smell, but the amyg-
to your individual amniotic fluid smell with dala quickly finds too much fragrance
a self-experiment. Of course, no one has a to be strenuous. The purpose of the ex-
conscious memory of their amniotic fluid. ercise is to get in touch with the amyg-
But the main components are known and dala, which actually only responds to fa-
might lead the nose intuitively and uncon- vorite scents when choosing a fragrance,
sciously in the right direction. For the cre- second- or third-best fragrances do not
ation of your own original perfume, you interest the oldest region of our olfac-
have to let your nose, i.e. your amygdala, tory and emotional center—let alone
your Hypothalamus and hippocampus, whether a perfume fits your personality
simply drift without any considerations. or could also please others.
5 First, you learn to know the three big 5 Third, the selected perfumes are brought
fragrance components or fragrance di- together into a final scent for the crea-
rections “sweet”, “milky” and “physi- tion of the personal primal perfume by
cal-animalistic” of the amniotic fluid in perfume layering according to a special
different intensities and interpreted by key. The three fragrance directions can
different perfumes. Ideally, as said, alco- be mixed surprisingly well. For all gen-
hol-free organic perfumes would be used ders, it is only each individual person
which are oriented on the quality of es- who can judge how well the first crea-
sential oils. But so far, they are only very tion has succeeded—whether the pri-
difficult to get in the necessary fragrance mal active perfume triggers subtle asso-
directions in most perfume shops. So we ciations and feelings of warmth, secu-
 242 Chapter 10 · Scent Therapy: Scents for More Joie De vivre

rity, well-being, security and enjoyment, – If the top note of a perfume smells
combined with a light, floating sense of intense enough on the perfume strip
happiness. This takes patience, because at a distance of half an arm’s length
even many perfumers often revise their or if you do not want to bring the
creations more than 30 times, often only scent any closer to your nose because
changing the ratio of the individual in- you do not like it or it is too intense,
gredients to each other. “Cool Water” give the perfume a 1.
for example, a classic with only 16 essen- – If the scent is enough for you at a dis-
tial fragrance components, was revised tance of a quarter arm’s length or if
more than 20 times by the great per- it is not unpleasant to you but you do
fumer Pierre Bourdon until it was right not want to bring it any closer to you,
for him. Therefore, it is recommended give it a 2.
that you have enough fragrance sam- – If you like the perfume or can’t get
ples of each perfume on hand for layer- enough of it, give it a 3 for “I like
ing your own primal active perfume. In it”, a 4 for “I love the scent” and a 5
any case, you need numerous fragrance for “I am emotionally enthusiastic”.
strips, which you can also cut from un- When doing this, you should not skip
scented coffee filters. In contrast to pro- a scent direction or decide on a per-
fessional perfumers, finished brand per- fume for the final creation in each
fumes are used here instead of individ- scent direction, as this would not re-
ual fragrance components. Since these flect the complexity of the fruit water
are dissolved in alcohol, you always have scent.
10 to wait a little until it has evaporated. In perfume, sweetness is most enjoya-
ble in gourmand notes. They remind us
In the following, I will give a practical of edible delicacies like marzipan, cara-
guide to creating your own primal active mel, honey, chocolate, coconut, candied
perfume in four steps. fruit, and other sweets. Here are some
1. Find the right sweetness for your own pri- perfume suggestions on the theme of
mal active perfume “sweetness” for evaluation:
To find the right sweetness for your own – “heliotrope” by Etro for women and
primal active perfume, it is best to visit men. A delicious and indulgent gour-
a perfume shop. For this, first smell the mand sweetness, reminiscent of al-
perfumes suggested below in the top mond, marzipan, and orange blos-
note on a perfume strip, which devel- som, with extra warmth, softness,
ops within the first ten minutes. For this, and appetizing qualities imparted by
hold the perfume strip first at a distance vanilla.
of half an arm’s length, then a quarter – “Virgin Island Water” by Creed for
arm’s length and finally bring it up to women and men. A light, aquatic
an inch to the nose. This is how you can gourmand note with a fresh, sweet
best determine which sweetness level is interpretation of coconut, like one
most pleasant to you. But before smell- might imagine a tropical fruit-infused
ing it, you should just sniff it first. If water.
you have found the scent from this direc- – “Miel & Vanille” (Honey & Va-
tion that appeals to you the most or at nilla) by L’Occitane en Provence for
least emotionally, evaluate the perfume women. A gourmand note that cel-
on a five-point scale that ranges from 1 ebrates honey, caramel, and vanilla
for “rather not” to 5 for “enthusiastic”. with a touch of cinnamon.
Here are the details for the evaluation.
10.4 · Self-therapy: Healing the Soul and Smelling Better with Primal Perfumes
243 10
– “New York Nights” by Bond No. applies to musk, which originally came
9 for women and men. A caramel from the musk deer’s musk gland.
smoothie for those who like it a little There is still a natural, animalic sub-
less sweet. stance, ambergris, which is highly
2. Finding the right “cream” for your own sought after by the perfume industry
primal active perfume and correspondingly expensive - how-
Perfumes with “milk” and “milk ever, in some countries (USA and Aus-
mousse” scents are suitable for the right tralia) it is also illegal to collect, store
“cream”. Here are my perfume sugges- or sell it. Ambergris is simply excreted
tions in different facets, which are also by the sperm whale without human in-
rated on a five-point scale. tervention. The rare oil obtained from
– “Matin Calin” by Comptoir Sud whale secretions was already appreci-
Pacifique for women with a milky- ated in ancient cultures. The gray am-
warm, sweet-vanilla headnote. ber (ambergris) was used as a remedy
– “DKNY Stories” by Donna and spice. Today, ambergris is also in-
Karan for women. Lightly spicy- creasingly interpreted naturally iden-
fruity in scent with vanilla-infused, tical. In small quantities in perfume, it
milky-powdery chords. smells sensual, emotional and relaxing
– “Condensed Milk” by Demeter as well as balsamic-sweet, reminiscent
Fragrance for women and men. A of human skin. Suddenly “1001 Nights”
milky-vanilla scent with a hint of is in the air. You feel comfortable in
white musk as a bodily undertone. your skin and have to smell it again and
– “London Sweet Milk” by Jo Malone again, which is due to the slightly aphro-
for women and men. A milky-cara- disiac effect of the ambergris smell.
mel scent with hints of tea with milk. The smell of ambergris is also often
3. Finding the right physically-animalistic combined with oud to give animalic
scent for your own primal active perfume scents more depth and roundness. The
In modern perfumery, many animalic rare fragrance material obtained from
fragrance materials of animal ori- the agar tree was first mentioned in the
gin, such as civet or musk deer, are no Indian Vedas, one of the oldest surviv-
longer used. Although civet is still bred ing texts in the world. It is the secret
on farms, animals such as musk deer are of many exquisite Amber-oriental per-
protected in the wild. For ethical and fumes and one of the trend fragrance
environmental reasons, these fragrance materials of recent years. Oud smells
materials are almost exclusively pro- woody-sweet, with a slightly burnt-cara-
duced synthetically or naturally simu- melized note that can have a light honey
lated notes are used that convey the im- tobacco undertone depending on the
pression of animalic smelling fragrance quality.
materials. Here are the perfume suggestions for
In classical perfumery, mainly musk, the physically-animalistic theme. The
ambergris, civet oil and beaver musk selected fragrance for the final creation
were the most desired animalic fra- of one’s own primal active perfume will
grance materials. For example, civet is also be rated on a five-point scale.
a very special substance that was ob- – “Amber Musc” by Narciso Rodriguez
tained from the scent glands of the civet for women. A balsamic-amber crea-
cat and smells like cat urine. Strongly di- tion from the “Amber-Oriental” fra-
luted, however, it is perceived by humans grance family, in which Musk, Oud,
as very pleasant and attractive. The same Patschuli and the smell of ambergris
 244 Chapter 10 · Scent Therapy: Scents for More Joie De vivre

with Orange Blossom in the top note 5 Rating with “2”: only spray once briefly
set the tone. 5 Rating with “3”: spray once
– “Ottoman Amber” by Merchant of 5 Rating with “4”: spray twice
Venice for men. It is also balsam- 5 Rating with “5”: spray three times
ic-amber with a vanillized Sandal-
wood note. Here is an example:
– “Peau de Soie”“ by Starck for women You like “Virgin Island Water” by Creed
and men. A subtle, powdery-woody best from the Sweet fragrance group. It was
creation that smells like summer skin, rated “4” on the scale. From the “Cream”
but is also created with something group, “Condensed Milk” by Demeter was
dark-green-vegetable, like a vegetable selected and rated “2”. Of the physical-
chord. ly-animal scents, you like “Amber Musc” by
– “Théros” by Ys-Uzac for women and Narciso Rodriguez best. It was rated “3”.
men. A tender Oud note that smells Now apply the three perfumes to a scent
like summer skin, to which the smell strip as follows:
of Amber and Salt give a familiar The lightest of the three perfumes, “Vir-
and pleasant physicality. gin Island Water”, is applied twice to the
– “Perfect Oud” by Mizensir for scent strip first. Then “Condensed Milk”
women and men. A mild, dark wood- is sprayed over it once, followed by “Am-
iness is combined with something an- ber Musc”, also once. The scent strip is
imal leather as well as with something now slightly wet with the three perfumes.
spicy and even flowery in the first im- Professional perfumers therefore proceed
10 pression. Overall very harmonious differently when they are looking for new
and balanced, as is the signature of compositions. They generally dip individ-
Alberto Morillas, the perfumer be- ual scent strips into bottles with the re-
hind the creation. spective fragrance bases, after removing
4. Perfume Layering for your own primal the spray pumps. They then hold the three
active Scent scent strips at different distances in front of
their nose at the same time. This allows for
So far, a total of three perfumes have been a finer combination of scents.
selected, one from each fragrance group. Even laymen can proceed in this way
Each perfume was rated on a scale of 1 with the perfumes. However, one should
to 5. For creating your own primal active wait one to two minutes before smell-
Scent, I suggest the following further proce- ing, so that the alcohol evaporates some-
dure: what. However, for perfumers, smelling
From experience, perfume layering different fragrance bases is easier, as their
works best if you first spray the fresher or smell is usually less concentrated than a
lighter perfume on the scent strip and then finished mixed Eau de Parfum. There-
the more intense one over it. The fresher fore, it is no problem for trained noses
perfume usually has more quickly evaporat- to smell even five scent strips at the same
ing molecules that want to pass through the time.
more intense perfume. This often results in But what the layman shares with profes-
a surprisingly interesting effect. sional perfumers is the luck of the diligent.
According to the rating of the perfume It is not uncommon for chance to play into
on the scale, it is sprayed as follows: your hands, and a combination that you
5 Rating with “1”: barely and only very have not even thought of and did not plan
briefly spray on the scent strip turns out to be a hit.
10.4 · Self-therapy: Healing the Soul and Smelling Better with Original Perfumes
245 10
When creating the primal active per- smell experienced positively by the infant
fume, the layman only counts on his own after birth must have a very special mean-
sense of smell. He alone decides how close ing and attraction. It was experienced as
he has come to his target with his crea- powerful, since newborns are equipped
tion. In any case, your own active perfume with a much finer nose than adults. It is
should evoke first subtle associations and also essential that infants have an innate,
sensations of warmth, security, well-being, biological affinity for this world of smells
security and ideally also of enjoyment in and tastes. When breastfeeding, the taste
combination with a light, detached feeling experience is not in the foreground for the
of happiness. Every small step in this di- infant, but the sense of smell is 80%.
rection makes your own l primal active per- Nature also helps with the olfactory im-
fume valuable for your own fragrance ther- pression. Between 10 and 40 scent glands
apy. are located on the nipples of humans. The
Centre Européen des Sciences du Goût
z The therapeutic smell of mother’s milk even found that different psychophysical ef-
and breast milk fects depend on the number of these scent
In trying to get closer to the basic smell of glands. Babies of mothers with many scent
one’s own amniotic fluid, one also comes glands developed better, gained weight
into contact with the first smells as a new- faster and were more active. So a lot of
born. Both overlap to some extent, with the mother’s scent helps a lot, and this is not
smell of breastfeeding, of course, the milk- only true for the amount of food intake. It
skin smell and thus the fragrance direc- is now proven for babies that the mixture of
tions “milk” or “milk mousse” in the fore- smells of mother’s breast and mother’s milk
ground. It can be assumed that this mixture has an enormous psychotherapeutic effect.
of smells must be much more present in the A number of studies even conclude that
olfactory memory when breastfeeding and the second primal smell not only has a psy-
initially overlays the memory of the smell chologically relaxing effect, but is even
of amniotic fluid—especially if this smell physiologically pain-relieving. It conveys
is also encountered as a child, for example more comfort and relaxation than the smell
when breastfeeding younger siblings. But of vanilla alone, which most adults value as
this is also the case if the mother herself the second most pleasant smell after choc-
was breastfed. Then the mixture of smells olate (Porter and Winberg 1999; Badiee
can also be perceived consciously, refreshed 2013; Wei and Tsao 2016; Neshat et al.
and stored. As a rule, one then likes per- 2016). It is therefore only too understand-
fumes from the milk direction. This means able that this primal perfume, the smell
that if the phases of life as an infant, tod- of the mother’s breast with breast milk, is
dler or adult were experienced positively stored very prominently in babies’ mem-
when breastfeeding, this world of smells is ories. It was found, for example, that even
also a promising approach to a scent ther- after weaning, two-year-olds could still re-
apy. It can be equated with the olfactory member it well.
world experienced by the fetus in terms of Even adults keep the smell of the moth-
its psychological benefit. er’s breast with breast milk centrally in their
Studies have shown that experiences memory. Of course, it is overlaid or sup-
made while breastfeeding have a very in- pressed by other fragrance preferences be-
tense effect on the amygdala and adja- cause fragrance and taste preferences
cent brain regions of the infant, but also change with age. For example, during fra-
on those of the mother. Certainly, the first grance socialization, the smell of sweat on
 246 Chapter 10 · Scent Therapy: Scents for More Joie De vivre

the skin is stigmatized more easily, while other reason why babies find smells from
babies perceive it more clearly and posi- skin and mother’s milk irresistible.
tively. Nevertheless: from a perfumer’s point But mothers also get their money’s
of view, the mixture of smells of mother’s worth. The smell of babies triggers the re-
breast and breast milk, to which the smell lease of endorphins, body’s own messenger
of baby care is added, is directly and indi- substances, in mothers, which are respon-
rectly omnipresent. Otherwise, the univer- sible for feelings of happiness and wellbe-
sal preference of adults and the associated ing. Therefore, it is no wonder that skin fra-
associations of well-being cannot be ex- grances create a sense of wellbeing world-
plained by white musk notes. They smell like wide. Studies confirm this. For example,
part of the mixture of smells. White musk the British fragrance manufacturer QUEST
notes are used in perfumery as a general (today the company Givaudan) found out
term for sweet, creamy, powdery skin notes through EEG studies that, above all, sweet,
with a light fruity freshness. Perfume ex- musky scents, as they occur in mother’s
amples are “Candy L’Eau” by Prada, “Eau milk, create a noticeably relaxing sense of
d’été Flower” by Kenzo or “Eau de Musc” wellbeing even in adults.
by Narciso Rodriguez. Even more: entire Based on these findings, the following
fragrance categories rely on this fragrance tip can be given for the creation of one’s
ingredient and its associations, especially in own primal active perfume: To increase as-
the heart and base notes. These include the sociations and sensations of security and
floral -oriental fragrance category with per- wellbeing as well as of enjoyment in com-
fume classics such as ”Ombre Rose“ by Jean bination with a slightly detached feeling
10 Charles Brosseau, “Le Bain” by Joop! or of happiness, one could experiment with a
“Coco Mademoiselle” by Chanel. higher milk or milk mousse content. In this
way, one might spray the perfume chosen
z Bonding smells from this fragrance direction and rated 4 or
To increase the scent impression of sen- 5 two or three times to make it more pres-
sual wellbeing, in addition to white musk ent in the creation of one’s own primal ac-
roses, jasmine and lychee are especially tive perfume. But maybe you will also come
used and fused into a gentle, emotional to the conclusion that this perfume does
and slightly fruity fragrance experience. In not offer the desired effect and you would
the aftertaste of these creations, an more rather use another scent. But since this fra-
or less conscious feeling of personal com- grance direction is of central importance
fort is established, which expresses itself in for one’s own primal active perfume, I will
emotional self-closeness and interpersonal mention ten more perfumes:
closeness. Therefore, fragrance psycholo- 5 “Lait Concentré” by Chabaud Maison
gists also like to call these perfumes bind- de Parfum for women
ing scents. 5 “Tome 1 La Pureté” by Zadig & Voltaire
The attractiveness of slightly milky skin for women and men
scents is naturally promoted because the 5 “Plus Plus Feminine” by Diesel for
bonding hormone oxytocin is released dur- women
ing breastfeeding by both the mother and 5 “Dent de Lait” by Serge Lutens for
the child. In addition, the oral phase also women and men
lasts until the age of one year in infants. 5 “Good Girl Gone Bad Extreme” by Kil-
Through the mouth and the associated food ian for women
intake, the libidinal development and the 5 “Jeux de Peau” by Serge Lutens for
feeling of pleasure also begin. This is an- women and men
10.4 · Self-therapy: Healing the Soul and Smelling Better with Original Perfumes
247 10
5 “Dulce de Leche” by Demeter Fra- some of these goals were even the reason
grance for women and men why you created your own primal active
5 “Mirror Collection—Dis Moi, Miroir” perfume.
by Thierry Mugler for women In my experience, for example, in the
5 “Sultan Gâteau d’Or” by M. Micallef context of exercises with “fragrance-sup-
for women ported loving looks/self-awareness”, as I
5 “Something Sweet” by Lise Watier for will show later, it can be beneficial to use
women primal active perfume. Of course, a fra-
grance-supported self-therapy cannot ad-
If your own primal active perfume gives dress all the topics listed below at the same
you a slight case of goose bumps or a nice time. But if you focus on one topic in your
feeling of well-being when you smell it, you work, it will also positively influence other
have developed a great therapeutic tool for areas. These include:
yourself. So by creating your own primal 5 To feel more comfortable within your-
active perfume, you have invested in your- self.
self, both in terms of time and money. This 5 To develop more composure and confi-
is not always easy. Because in general you dence in yourself.
feel responsible for everything, just not for 5 To feel more inner strength within your-
your own well-being. You believe you don’t self.
have time for yourself and put your own in- 5 To experience more cheerfulness and en-
terests last. Often, when you take time for joyment.
yourself and spend money on yourself, 5 To gain more self-confidence.
you feel guilty. If you do it anyway, it often 5 To build up more inner lightness.
shows a certain urgency. Perhaps you have 5 To experience more satisfaction.
increasingly felt the need to do more for 5 To trust yourself.
yourself and escape from everyday life be- 5 To forgive yourself.
cause you were no longer able to cope with 5 To find yourself more likeable and at-
all the responsibility, pressure and stress, tractive.
and you didn’t even receive recognition for 5 To show yourself to others cheerfully
what you had done. Not to mention the and with understanding.
consideration of your own feelings and 5 To become more winning for yourself
needs by others. and others.
With your own primal active per-
fume, you can achieve more inner strength, When creating your own primal active per-
self-confidence, well-being and joie de vivre fume, you may not have been aware of the
again. Within an accompanying therapy, curiosity involved, but you were following
it olfactorically influences the mental and an inner need to reconnect with a time in
physical condition in a positive way di- your life that you hoped would have a posi-
rectly and at the same time mostly uncon- tive effect on the present. So when you cre-
sciously via the amygdala, the hippocam- ated your own primal active perfume, you
pus and the hypothalamus. This fragrance may have already noticed how good cer-
therapy with numerous elements of a fra- tain elements smelled to you. Probably a lot
grance-supported self-coaching is particu- of fantasies and feelings went through your
larly effective when it focuses on specific head that you experienced or could have ex-
emotional wishes and goals mentioned be- perienced as a baby or toddler. You may
low. Some of them are deliberately not too also have gotten a vague sense that there
big, unattainable or too specific. Perhaps was an easier time in your life—a time with
 248 Chapter 10 · Scent Therapy: Scents for More Joie De vivre

much more security, trust and well-being can be profitably enriched with a scent ther-
than you feel as an adult. apy or scent-supported techniques. I would
If your own primal active perfume like to show this using the example of af-
evokes positive feelings in you, this is a pos- firmation in combination with primal ac-
sible indication that you felt good as a fe- tive perfumes. Under affirmation one un-
tus, as a baby and perhaps even as a tod- derstands a self-affirming sentence that
dler. Probably you were cared for and loved one repeats to oneself over and over again
during this time. This feeling may have been in order to program thoughts, so to speak
lost later on the way to adulthood. But only (e.g. “It will be easier for you from now on,
each individual can judge this for them- more and more every day”).
selves. The efficacy of affirmations is contro-
In general, one can say: If you react versial in therapeutic practice, but the recip-
positively to your own primal active per- rocal relationship between thinking, feeling
fume, there was probably a pleasant time and acting is generally recognized in psy-
at some point—even if you currently do chotherapy. However, those who opt for a
not feel comfortable in your own skin therapy based on affirmations should not
and have made negative experiences that be skeptical about the effect of their auto-
still burden you. This good time is proba- suggestive self-dialogues. Dr. Marcel Wil-
bly not or only partially conscious to you, helm from the Department of Clinical Psy-
maybe you only know about it through sto- chology and Psychotherapy at Philipps
ries. But there is no reason to believe that University Marburg therefore asks his ther-
this good time could not come back. Even apy participants right at the beginning of
10 if you are convinced that there were no or the first exercises to expect something pos-
too few positive experiences in the early itive: Then you can see it and it is easier to
years of life, this is only because these ex- notice that it has become better. Otherwise
periences are difficult to access in the sub- you quickly overlook the positive because
conscious. But they are just waiting to give you are focused on the negative.
you back strength, self-confidence and sat- Another finding from therapy and emo-
isfaction. With the help of your own primal tion research: In experiments it was found
active perfume, you will probably find the that people who address themselves with
easiest access to these unconsciously or less “you” or, even better, with their own famil-
conscious positive feelings and experiences. iar (first) name, are more relaxed in emo-
The amygdala as the deepest center for tional, stressful situations (Moser et al. 2017).
emotion has stored them together with the Furthermore, studies using EEG and MRI
hippocampus and hypothalamus. There- showed that self-talk in the third person is
fore, your own primal active perfume is a more effective for processing and re-evaluat-
very personal happiness medium that con- ing emotional content. This could be due to
nects you with the good times, so to speak, the fact that the use of one’s own name—be-
and makes them come alive again. cause on the one hand familiar, on the other
hand something self-distant—reduces amyg-
dala activity and thus the brain as a whole
10.4.2 The Power of Scent- needs less energy for the emotional process-
Supported Loving Looks ing of things. The connections are still some-
For Self-Therapy what unclear because many brain regions
are involved in the evaluation and re-evalua-
Psychotherapy knows methods of treat- tion of emotional content. However, it can be
ment that, from my own experience, I know postulated for self-talk to influence one’s own
10.4 · Self-therapy: Healing the Soul and Smelling Better with Original Perfumes
249 10
mental and physical well-being that the ther- one’s consciousness, are partly underesti-
apeutic effect is greater if one addresses one- mated in their therapeutic effect in psychol-
self with “you”—even better with the famil- ogy. Of course, part of the reason for this
iar name or nickname—instead of with “I”. is that there is evidence that autosuggestion
Affirmations are used in particular to with affirmations can have a negative effect
increase self-confidence, e.g. to overcome on people with low self-confidence. After
self-doubt, but also to improve mood, so all, self-affirming statements make the sit-
to speak as mood modulation and for an uation more or less consciously even more
increased sense of well-being, and here desperate, because one does not know or
above all as a “tool“ for self-therapy. They hardly any positive experience in this con-
are, so to speak, a self-suggestion that de- text. But I think that for self-therapy with
rives from the word “self-influence”. Un- primal active perfumes, in which the scents
der Autosuggestion a process is understood are already experienced as positive during
by which a person builds up, indeed trains, the creation itself and afterwards, this effect
automatisms to believe in something until of deterioration of the condition in case of
they run almost unconsciously. In this con- low self-confidence hardly ever shows itself.
text, self-affirmations are a self-induced in- That autosuggestion with affirmations is a
fluence on the psyche, in which mental vis- winning method for people with moderate
ualizations (imagination) often increase the to high self-confidence to increase satisfac-
effect. The success is also more likely the tion and trust in oneself will only be men-
more often they are repeated. tioned here for the sake of completeness. It
There are phases of life in which one is no coincidence that athletes in particu-
has doubts about oneself and is unsure lar use this form of inner dialogue very suc-
whether one should articulate one’s own cessfully, for example to block out negative
wishes and needs at all in relation to oth- thoughts and to tune in positively to a com-
ers, but also whether one can achieve one’s petition.
own goals at all. There are also phases in
which one has a so-called slump, the mood
is depressed and one does not feel comfort- 10.4.3 Scent-supported Self-
able in one’s own skin. In all these cases one coaching: Exercise Example
needs someone who speaks well to one, es-
pecially when one feels alone; who encour-
“The Power of Loving
ages one, builds one up again, but also Looks”
makes one smile, even laugh again. This is
a essential goal of “scent-supported loving This exercise example serves to brighten the
looks” (Petzhold 1995). As scent therapy, mood or to positively modulate the mood
“scent-supported loving looks”, as I now and has the goal of freeing oneself from
present them, are especially intended for all self-doubt, strengthening oneself and redis-
those who only have themselves at the mo- covering life-affirming feelings through the
ment. It is therefore also not a therapy with power of loving looks.
therapists in the proper sense. It is a thera- For this exercise you need a mirror in
peutic self-coaching with the support of el- front of which you can sit well and see your
ements of autosuggestion and affirmation, face, especially your eyes, centrally. Look
based on a scent therapy. for a room where you can be undisturbed,
Autosuggestion and affirmation, that is, which has a warm light and little out-
self-affirming sentences that one repeats to side noise and where you can talk to your-
oneself over and over again and brings to self undisturbed. If you can, repeat the ex-
 250 Chapter 10 · Scent Therapy: Scents for More Joie De vivre

ercise on the following days for 20 minutes loving, warm look at yourself through baby
each. It takes some time to really internal- fantasies, with which you can then look at
ize an affirmation, but you can expect the yourself in the mirror. Smell your primal
first positive results for yourself after three active perfume again and again to intensify
to four days. But the first day of exercise is the fantasies. When you think you have this
often the hardest. The positive experience look, look into your eyes in the mirror with
of your own primal active perfume helps, the kindness as if you were looking at your-
but doubts as well as old destructive think- self as a baby, and then address yourself
ing habits can sometimes flare up again be- with the examples below.
fore they are replaced by new, self-affirming The most important rules for autosug-
thoughts. gestion and affirmation are:
On the day of the exercise, take your 5 Take yourself and the exercise seriously
primal active perfume or spray the perfume and focus only on yourself.
strip with it and sit comfortably in front 5 Speak clearly and distinctly, and in the
of the mirror so that you can see your face present tense, because this is what the
well. You can sit in an armchair, in a medi- brain responds to most for a positive in-
tation position on the floor or on a cushion. ner dialogue.
Start the exercise as follows:
Breathe in and out for about three min- A general rule for all autosuggestive self-di-
utes and feel your stomach rise and fall. alogues is also:
Feel how you can feel your breath in your 5 Do not use the subjunctive mood like
nose. Experience how it feels to breathe in “would”, “were” or “should”.
10 and out. Keep your eyes closed. 5 Also avoid negations, because they are
When you have calmed down a little, difficult for the brain to understand and
start sniffing your primal active perfume have correspondingly less effect.
with your eyes closed and then smelling it. 5 Speak to yourself as you would like oth-
You should find your creation pleasant and ers to speak to you: Pay yourself the re-
familiar, and the scent should relax you fur- spect, appreciation and recognition you
ther. But now you can also discover another deserve.
nuance in your primal active perfume: it 5 Try to project and express self-confidence
also smells like a happy baby and cuddling. in your inner dialogue as much as possi-
While you smell, see a baby in your imagi- ble, especially during the exercises, and
nation who is doing really well. It wants to suppress all self-doubt and hesitation.
play with you, kicks enthusiastically, smiles 5 Do not carry out the inner dialogue
at you and stretches its arms out to you. Al- doggedly, but smile inwardly because
ternatively, if it is difficult for you to visu- you are now taking a break and you
alize a happy baby, you can also think of a know that good and positive things are
baby animal, for example a young dog or a coming to you.
kitten. The baby animal looks at you with
trusting eyes, gently and affectionately. Ob- Here are examples of affirmations that you
viously it wants to cuddle with you. should personalize for yourself:
The goal of both fantasies is to trigger a 5 “(First name/nickname), you, I take
loving, warm, non-critical look in yourself. care of you.”
This is sometimes not so easy because you 5 “(First name/nickname), you can trust
quickly focus on things in the mirror that me.”
you do not like so much about yourself. 5 “(First name/nickname), you can do it!”
Therefore, take the time you need to gain a
10.4 · Self-therapy: Healing the Soul and Smelling Better with Original Perfumes
251 10
If the affirmations you give yourself evoke loving looks. But it also depends on who
a familiar and positive feeling when you begins to give the look, or who it comes
smell and look in the mirror, you are on the from. The social psychology has plenty
right track with your self-therapy. of findings about this. From a well-docu-
At the end of an exercise, let your baby mented theory (Stereotype Content Model)
or toddler smile in their thoughts and let we know that people, among other things,
them shout with pure well-being and joy for are particularly successful when they meet
life and wave their arms, or let your animal someone who believes they have a higher
baby show trust, playfulness, and sounds status. They may not compete with this per-
of joy. Maybe you can already smile or be son, but they also radiate more competence
happy and make corresponding sounds and human warmth at the same time. It is
yourself—and thus experience spontaneous, also known from personality psychology
carefree, and happy feelings and thoughts that people who are, for example, extravert-
as well as life-affirming and mood-mod- ed-active or give this impression, are experi-
ulating. This means that the power of fra- enced and evaluated as positive much faster
grance-supported loving looks begins to by their social contacts after only a few sec-
work for you—and thus for others. onds than others. With passive behavior, on
Let me go back to the question at the the other hand, the observer is more likely
end of this section why loving looks that to assess a person who radiates warmth and
one gives to others are so valuable for one- competence as lower, even if this person ra-
self as well as for others. I showed above diates warmth and competence. Accord-
that the amygdala reads in the eyes. The ingly, a loving look is evaluated in the con-
loving look relaxes them. This can go so text. In combination with passive behavior,
far that there is actually a premature stop it can quickly be interpreted as nice, but not
of disagreements, mistrust, aggression and competent. The other person feels: The per-
anger. Certainly not always, but it is dif- son needs me. In combination with active
ficult to escape the loving look of a per- behavior, self-confident and competent ap-
son. For sure it helps with many unneces- pearance, however, the look is even more at-
sary disagreements between people. What tractive. The other person feels: The person
you can experience for yourself through appreciates me. Especially by the radiation
the fragrance-supported exercises as an in- of inner strength and sovereignty while be-
creasingly positive and relaxing self-esteem, ing active, a loving look becomes an unex-
shows itself to others, namely that you ra- pected gift that one does not even expect.
diate more self-satisfaction, security and in- This can lead to the fact that the other per-
ner joy. As a result, you automatically gain son not only feels appreciated, but also hon-
more sympathy, also because you begin to ored. In fact, social psychological research
react more sovereignly in situations, but shows: The best way to influence others for
also smile more. Studies show: Laughter leadership claims is to show activity with a
is contagious, because a happy partner in- radiation of inner strength and sovereignty,
creases the probability of being happy one- especially in combination with competence
self by almost 10%. With good-humored and human warmth (trustworthiness and
people, the probability that one’s own friendliness) (Cuddy et al. 2013).
mood will benefit is even more than 30%
(Fowler and Christakis 2009).
» Actually, I had already considered shorten
the chapter, but I just wanted to share the
I spoke above about the right length of
many new findings about fragrance and self-
eye contact. The length and who looks at
therapy with you.
whom is the actual secret of the power of
 252 Chapter 10 · Scent Therapy: Scents for More Joie De vivre

Summary Dalton P, Doty RL, Murphy C, Frank R et al (2013)

Olfactory assessment using the NIH toolbox.
As an introduction to the topic of
Neurology 12:80
“scent-supported therapy”, we discussed Fowler JH, Christakis NA (2009) The dynamic spread
two exercises on how to use the fragrance of happiness in a large social network. Br Med J
direction “fresh-green-citrus” for one’s 337(768):a2338
own scent therapy. One exercise is based Frasnelli J et al (2015) Food-related odors and the re-
ward circuit: functional MRI. Chemosens Percept
on a multisensory inspiration for creativ-
8:192–200
ity enhancement and is called “Scented George R, Lew J, Graves D (2013) Interaction of cin-
Flight”, the other is based on a phys- namaldehyde and epicatechin with tau: implica-
ical and mental exercise for new inner tions of beneficial effects in modulating Alzheim-
strength and is called “Scented Power er’s disease pathogenesis. J Alzheimers Dis 36(1):21
Gordon I et al (2013) Oxytocin enhances brain
Posing”. Subsequently, we followed up
function in children with autism. PNAS
on current findings from baby scent re- 110(52):20953–20958
search for adults, which have given new Han P et al (2019) Sensitivity to sweetness correlates to
and valuable impulses to self-scented elevated reward brain responses to sweet and high-
therapy. In this context, we discussed fat food odors in young healthy volunteers. Neuro-
Image 208:116413
self-therapy with primal perfumes or
Hoenen M, Wolf OT, Pause BM (2017) The impact of
with primal active perfumes and gave in- stress on odor perception. Perception 46(3–4):366–
structions on how to create and use them 376
for oneself. Primal active perfumes are Hurlemann R et al (2010) Oxytocin enhances amyg-
the first scents that humans smell in their dala-dependent, socially reinforced learning
and emotional empathy in humans. J Neurosci
development. Clinical research confirms
30(14):4999–5007
10 their great positive psychological effect Kabat-Zinn J (2006) Coming to our senses: healing
on infants, which even leads to pain re- ourselves and the world through mindfulness. Pa-
lief. We postulate that this olfactory ex- perback—deckle edge. Hachette Books, New York
perience is still present in adults even Kirschbaum C, Pirke KM, Hellhammer DH (1993)
The ‘trier social stress test’—a tool for investigat-
unconsciously and can be activated for
ing psychobiological stress responses in a labora-
scent therapy. For the future of perfum- tory setting. Neuropsychobiology 28(1–2):76–81
ery, which would like to offer even more Koehbach J et al (2013) Oxytocic plant cyclotides as
wellness, plant peptides are expected to templates for peptide G protein-coupled receptor
be of particular importance in support- ligand design. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 7 ht-
tps://doi.org/10.1073/pnas
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Moser J et al (2017) Third-person self-talk facili-
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tive control: Converging evidence from ERP and
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Petzhold HG (1995) Psychotherapie & Babyforschung.
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pie und Humanwissenschaften 56 a mindfulness-based stress reduction guide to free-
Porter R, Winberg J (1999) Unique salience of mater- ing yourself from panic attacks & living a vital
nal breast odors for newborn infants. Neurosci Bi- life. New Harbinger Publications, Oakland
obehav Rev 23(3):439–449 Stice E, Burger KS, Yokum S (2013) Relative ability
Schoen K (2018) Gegenüberstellung von Essensdüf- of fat and sugar tastes to activate reward, gusta-
ten und Blumendüften im Hinblick auf ihre Ver- tory, and somatosensory regions. Am J Clin Nutr
arbeitung im mesolimbischen System—eine fM- 98:1377–1384
RT-Studie. Dissertationsschrift der Medizinischen Varendi H et al (1998) Soothing effect of amniotic
Fakultät Carl Gustav Carus der Technischen Uni- fluid smell in newborn infants. Early Hum Dev
versität Dresden 51(1):47–55
Schulze P et al (2017) Preprocessing of emotional Wang J, Sun X, Yang Q (2013) Methods for olfactory
visual information in the human piriform cortex. fMRI studies: implication of respiration. Hum
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Seppala ME (2013) 20 scientific reasons to start medi- Wei Y, Tsao P (2016) Effects of breast milk and va-
tating today. Published on September 11, (Feeling nilla odors on premature neonates’ heart rate and
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Sezille C, Messaoudi B, Bertrand A, Joussain P, puncture. Pediatr Neonatol 57(6):548
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 255 11

Sales Psychology
of Fragrance Consulting
Relaxation in the Unconscious for More Beautiful Smelling. How
to Increase the Sense of Well-being and Satisfaction of Clients
and Consultants, but also in General in Human Contact

Contents

11.1 The Epicenter of Success and Interpersonal

Contact – 256

11.2 First Friend or Foe—also in Fragrance Advice – 258

11.3 The Formula: How to Win the Other Person’s

Amygdala – 263

References – 267

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023
J. Mensing, Beautiful SCENT,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67259-4_11
 256 Chapter 11 · Sales Psychology of Fragrance Consulting

11.1 The Epicenter of Success

and Interpersonal Contact
The Amygdala (two almond-shaped protru-
sions in the brain), is one of the most fas-
cinating areas in our emotional center, the
limbic system. It not only plays a special
role in the emotional perception of scent,
but also decides on our emotional world
and social skills, how successful we are in
dealing with other people, how pronounced
our intuitive emotional intelligence is and
how we can deal with it. New results from
neurobiology and attachment research are
bringing to light more and more connec-
tions that decide on satisfaction, success and
the course of interpersonal communication.
Why is it easy for some people to accept
a warm embrace when they meet some-
one for the first time, while others retreat
like they are frozen? When we meet some-
one for the first time—why do some peo-
ple smile at us and come up to us actively,
while others turn away and retreat? Why
11 Trailer
are some people in sales and consulting so
much more successful than others and win
This chapter is about how to win people customers over more easily? Researchers
over, and that’s of course especially impor- like Stephen Porges from the University of
tant in times of stress. Illinois in Chicago have pursued such ques-
That raises a central question: Why are some tions and came to the conclusion inde-
people in sales and consulting so much more pendently of each other that the reason is
successful than others and win customers to be found in the amygdala and its neigh-
over more easily? boring nervous systems.
In this chapter I will give you a lot of infor- For psychologists, the consulting and
mation from neuroperfumery and psychol- sales situation in stationary retail is particu-
ogy about how to improve interpersonal larly exciting. Here you can see very quickly
contact and also how to win people over. how findings from social psychological and
You will also find a formula for sales and now also from neurobiological research
consulting that has proven itself in the prac- prove themselves in practice. For this pur-
tice of perfumery. pose, the stationary perfumery is a particu-
With this knowledge you will be well pre- larly interesting terrain, since emotional
pared for 7 Chap. 12 , in which I will in- goods are offered to a large extent within a
troduce you to the experience of perfume, direct contact. Accordingly, modern brain
how to make the experience of perfume even research is in the center of modern sales
more fascinating. psychology with many exciting new findings
11.1 · The Epicenter of Success and Interpersonal Contact
257 11
about the amygdala. Because the amygdala tomer is a known regular customer and you
has a great influence on the first contact as think you know each other well, the amyg-
well as on the well-being of customer and dala can jump in at any time already at
consultant. How important feeling good is small inconsistencies perceived by her. This
in stationary perfumery and expected by usually happens unconsciously at first, until
customers, I have discussed in 7 Sect. 4.1 a gut feeling comes up. It signals that some-
and the following sections. thing could be wrong. Until then, customer
The current findings about the amyg- and consultant believed that the situation
dala relativize some aspects of classical actually corresponded to the expectation.
sales psychology in their importance. For An example of something that the
example, typical questions that are not amygdala really doesn’t like and that causes
as important as assumed. These include, it to warn higher brain areas and our nerv-
for example, with the greeting of the cus- ous system is, for example, a positive state-
tomer, so-called open questions supported ment without eye contact to a perfume.
by an open body posture, such as “Can I The same applies if the eye contact was too
help you?” Or “What are you looking for?”, short and only lasted one second or less, or
Even if you really want to know how to if it was uninterrupted for more than 20 s.
help the customer. Because it is the amyg- Social psychological studies at the Uni-
dala that decides to a large extent about the versity of Freiburg show that the vague
success of the fragrance advice before the feeling of unease generated by the amyg-
first word is spoken. And she relies less on dala in cooperation with the nervous sys-
questions, answers or even body language. tem is often justified. The researchers first
Because she smells and feels very fine for us examined the effect of too much eye con-
unconsciously, but she is also a very accu- tact and found that it has a negative ef-
rate observer, indeed an excellent spy, who fect on the judgment of particularly skepti-
does not miss any inconsistencies, espe- cal customers. This type of customer stiff-
cially in the eyes and facial expression. For ens up when there is too much eye contact.
one’s own unconscious, she can read within The scientists also found that if a consult-
milliseconds in the eyes of others. That is ant was lying, he insisted on too much eye
why the amygdala is especially in new situ- contact and thus revealed himself.
ations—especially with new social contacts So can too much eye contact be harm-
and the assessment and development of the ful in a sales situation? The research clearly
first impression—almost in constant alert confirms this, not least because the amyg-
or on the lookout. Nature has originally dala of skeptical customers is particularly
created it as an olfactory early warning sys- on the alert. Therefore, the modern sales
tem. Since we humans have lost the sense of psychology based on neuroscientific find-
smell at a distance, our early warning sys- ings recommends that when promoting
tem is initially visually controlled. This ap- products, especially with this type of cus-
plies in particular to the vigilance when tomer and with new customers, eye contact
contact with unknown or less known and should be used more sparingly. Specifically,
the increased attention of the amygdala to this means: If you as a consultant are not
the further development of a situation. sure how the customer—especially if he ap-
This also applies to the sales situation, pears skeptical—generally feels about the
especially when contact with new custom- topic, it is better to build up the eye con-
ers—but not only there. Even if the cus- tact slowly. It is better to reduce the eye
 258 Chapter 11 · Sales Psychology of Fragrance Consulting

contact to two to three seconds at the be- ergy, which are necessary for a successful
ginning and look at the customer’s mouth negotiation.
once again. Only after a positive feedback If the eye contact is too short, this can
should the direct eye contact of seven to quickly be interpreted as a lack of interest
ten seconds be sought. in the other person or in the consultation.
Can too short eye contact also be harm- This can also communicate a status, in the
ful in consultation? How should the eye sense of: one does not need it; one is not re-
contact be so that it is winning, or what are sponsible; one wants to get rid of someone.
the worst mistakes? You can calm down Regardless of how long a gaze should
your counterpart’s amygdala simply by the ideally be, the following is important in our
length of the eye contact being right. This cultural circle: Never talk about a prod-
can be practiced, although there are cul- uct without making eye contact. Other-
tural differences for the right duration. wise, the customer’s amygdala will perceive
In Central Europe, a direct eye contact of it as inconsistent. Studies show that sales-
seven to ten seconds is perceived as positive. people who avoid eye contact while explain-
If there are several people involved in the ing product benefits send two contradictory
conversation, an alternating eye contact of messages:
three to five seconds is experienced as pleas- 1. A verbal message explaining the bene-
ant. Everyone feels equally important. fits.
There are countries and cultures in Asia, 2. A nonverbal message that neutralizes
Arabia and the Caribbean where a direct the benefits.
eye contact of seven to ten seconds is al-
ready considered too long. Here a period of
three to five seconds is recommended. Eye 11.2 First Friend or Foe—also
contact is also used less frequently, as it is in Fragrance Advice
11 not experienced as polite or positive in all
situations. For the first impression, the amygdala au-
Perceptual psychology shows that there tomatically scans the gaze and facial ex-
are also differences in Europe and the pression first and then the person in their
USA. French people prefer an eye contact environment. During this scan, she only
length of about seven seconds, Americans knows rough categories, but they influence
of just under ten, only in Germany may the whole subsequent contact. How often
it last up to twelve seconds. What lies be- have we already heard: The first impression
yond that is perceived as increasingly domi- is decisive, and we should therefore pay at-
nant. Anyone who maintains eye contact in tention to voice, body language, appearance
our culture for longer than twelve seconds and clothing in order to achieve a positive
is already communicating through their result. Surely nobody will disagree with
eyes who the boss is or who is in the right. that. But brain research has now found out
In fact, a number of social science stud- what exactly happens during the first im-
ies show that leaders in meetings and dur- pression.
ing recruitment communicate their status Traditionally it was assumed that the
through longer eye contact. first impression is formed within three to
Most people experience longer eye con- five seconds and then becomes conscious to
tact as stressful. This can quickly lead to an us as an impression. In fact, the Amygdala
increase in cortisol levels, i.e. to increased scans for us unconsciously in cooperation
secretion of stress hormones. This causes with the “Fusiform Face Area” (FFA)—a
you to lose sovereignty, strength and en- brain winding that resembles a spindle that
11.2 · First Friend or Foe—also in Fragrance Advice
259 11
is necessary for the recognition of faces— of danger. In comparison to our ances-
within milliseconds. It does not have to be tors, however, we modern humans are much
conscious to us what the amygdala registers more often in social contact with others.
on the other. What does the amygdala focus Most of the time it is not about physically
on first? Immediately—especially at the be- vital things, but about a purely psychologi-
ginning of a fragrance consultation on the cal state of mind.
side of the consultant as well as the cus- We make between 80 and 100 deci-
tomer—she makes three emotional classifi- sions every day, involving the amygdala
cations in the following order: to a greater or lesser extent. Even though
5 Friend vs. enemy, these decisions are not really of interest to
5 attractive vs. unattractive, her, she still automatically goes into “alert
5 indifferent. mode”. After all, you never know how
things could develop. This strains the amyg-
The emotional, unconscious reactions of dala, which we also feel emotionally. This
the amygdala could be described as follows: means: We under-challenge her in her abil-
5 Friend: potential friend—no danger— ity because it is rarely about life-threatening
build or maintain contact—has my in- decisions. At the same time, we over-chal-
terests in mind. lenge her by the multitude of decisions. Be-
5 Attractive: Win person for myself—put cause most problems have solved them-
in a good word. selves within three days. But this can not be
5 Indifferent: Do not know—be careful— predicted in individual cases. Therefore, the
but could also be an enrichment. amygdala is today primarily a constantly
5 Unattractive: Keep person at a dis- overused watchdog for psychological secu-
tance—get rid of quickly. rity and emotional well-being. The amyg-
5 Enemy: Potential aggressor—alertness— dala is actually biologically only oriented
does not have my interests in mind. towards three questions together with the
autonomic nervous system:
Even if both sides feel good after the first 5 Do we feel safe?
contact, the amygdala remains active as a 5 Do we feel danger?
conversation partner, so to speak, as an in- 5 Is there a threat in the room? (Porges
terpersonal sensor for emotional input. Be- 2003).
cause experience has shown that feelings
can change quickly, and friendship can z Eye scanning
quickly turn into mistrust and then hostil- In determining safety, danger and threat,
ity. But often it is far less dramatic, but of the amygdala proceeds very cleverly. She
just as negative effect on the consultation secretly and initially not consciously per-
situation. The amygdala switches from at- ceived by oneself and others extremely
tractive to unattractive in the classification, quickly reads in faces, in particular in the
and thus to “get rid of quickly”. eyes. For her, all kinds of direct and indi-
In the history of mankind, it was vital rect eye contact as well as the “inner eye”
to have one’s own, well-functioning spy. In such as the size of the pupils are interest-
particular, when two strangers met in lonely ing, because the eyes betray the state and
wilderness, neither could know what the upcoming reactions in advance.
other was up to. Therefore, one had to be This ability to perceive can be trained.
careful. The amygdala was therefore mainly Poker players will confirm this gladly. It
created for vital physical decisions. These would exceed the scope of the book to dis-
include, for example, flight or the feeling cuss all types of eye contact and visual
 260 Chapter 11 · Sales Psychology of Fragrance Consulting

features in detail, so here is only a list of tability, and other symptoms. Above all,
the most important ones: irritable people keep the amygdala par-
5 Often it starts with changes in the di- ticularly well in view.
rection of gaze in conversation, which 5 Red eyes: They occur with fatigue, pain,
can be seen well through the white in or cold. Here the amygdala behaves cau-
the eye, the so-called sclera. The sclera tiously because it is also about protect-
is three times as large in humans as in ing its own immune system.
many other primates. 5 Atypical colors or discoloration of the
5 Duration and dominance of eye contact. iris: Physicians know that a poten-
5 Frequency of eye movements. This in- tial heart attack or stroke can already
cludes an unreturned, averted or empty be hinted at early on in the eyes. They
gaze, or how someone looks. know, for example, the importance of
5 Blinking, rapid blinking, slow blinking, the white-yellow ring around the iris,
twitching, which indicates exhaustion, which indicates disorders in lipid metab-
stress and fatigue, winking and twitch- olism with elevated cholesterol and tri-
ing with the eyebrows. glyceride values and increases the risk
5 Whether you can hold the gaze or avoid of heart attack. Of course, the amyg-
it, whether you take quick glances at dala does not know this so explicitly.
yourself or fast glances at the other. Nevertheless, it is initially suspicious of
5 Situational gaze, e.g. during greeting; anything atypical.
expectant, supportive direct gaze dur- 5 The light in the eye: The amygdala is
ing a presentation or speech; socially ex- particularly interested in two types of
pected gaze, e.g. as a sign of empathy. light. On the one hand, there is a bright,
almost shrill light, a so-called fright
The amygdala remembers everything: wide light. It arises when the nervous sys-
11 open eyes, narrowed to small slits or swol- tem is activated during increased atten-
len eyelids. The most amazing thing is that tion, fear or anxiety as well as physi-
when scanning the eyes, it mainly gains in- cal aggression. For this purpose, it di-
formation about the inside of the eye. She lates the pupils over two muscles. This
is actually unimpressed by the eye color, as allows more light to enter the eye. Na-
long as it is not atypical or something else ture has probably regulated this in or-
has been learned. der to be able to perceive more of the
The amygdala is rather focused on biolog- environment, but perhaps also to indi-
ically laid-out warning patterns that are fur- cate emotions. Because more light in the
ther reinforced by specific life experiences. eyes looks like a warning signal to other
Clinical psychology and medicine have to amygdalas. But there is also a warm eye
agree with her in many respects. For example, light that conveys security to the amyg-
the amygdala registers the following aspects: dala and from which sympathy, em-
5 Changes in pupil size: Dilated pupils can pathy and love can be read. This look
be a sign of current or future difficul- plays an important role in therapy, in in-
ties, for example due to drug use. On the terpersonal relationships and especially
other hand, dilated pupils can also be in sales advice in connection with emo-
perceived as attractive because they cor- tional products. I have already spoken
respond to a beauty ideal. about this type of look above when we
5 Larger or protruding eyes: Over the pointed out the great power of loving
course of life, one learns that these fea- looks in the context of a fragrance ther-
tures can, for example, indicate high apy. We will discuss this type of look in
blood pressure, heart palpitations, irri- more detail below in its importance.
11.2 · First Friend or Foe—also in Fragrance Advice
261 11
In summary, it can be said that the amyg- It is possible to consciously see with the
dala reacts most strongly when it experi- amygdala, as mentioned before. Some peo-
ences light of fear, aggression or anxiety ple get very far, for example, mind readers
as well as dominance in the gaze through and mentalists. Especially when the other
changed pupil size. In order to avoid dan- person is already a little tired, one can read
ger, it is correspondingly attentive to the quite well in eyes and face. This is used by
eye area and first focused on the inside in negotiators in talks until late at night. The
the eye of the other person (Pessoa 2013). former German Foreign Minister Hans-Di-
Eye scanning with the resulting knowl- etrich Genscher was known for achieving
edge is not a discovery of modern times, it the best negotiating results after midnight.
was reported about it already in antiquity. He had stamina and was a very good ob-
“As soon as you see into pure, shining eyes, server.
know that such eyes show the honesty of
the owner,” wrote the Athenian philosopher z How the amygdala analyzes and defends
Polemon around 300 BC. itself
Also pure, shining eyes and their color The messages from the amygdala to the
lead to false conclusions. So documents cortex are much faster due to their central
from the 9th century report that despite position in the brain than from the cortex
ransom, there were terribly violent raids to the amygdala. By reacting very quickly,
by the Vikings in the Rhineland, which one before rational recognition or evaluation
could actually take for angels because of can take place, the brain learns to react
their blue eyes and their blond hair. Only more quickly to dangers and inconsisten-
their smile didn’t fit when they suddenly cies. As far as I know, there have been no
pulled out their short sword hidden under studies so far to find out who has a more
their clothes. For many it was then too late active amygdala: the customer when enter-
despite the amygdala’s warning. ing the store or the salesperson when ap-
proaching the customer. I assume that this
z The amygdala relaxes with a real smile is probably the case with the customer. Be-
With the ability to eye scanning, the amyg- cause the amygdala of the salesperson is
dala also has a sense of time. It determines more familiar with its environment and
what is too long or too short. That also ap- therefore less alert than that of the cus-
plies to the assessment of a smile. In or- tomer. On the other hand, if a customer en-
der to be convincing for the amygdala, the ters a store to complain, it is of course the
smile should last at least six seconds at the other way around.
beginning of a contact, three seconds for During a consultation or sale, the cus-
the build-up of the smile and another three tomer’s amygdala rarely reports strong
seconds to express it. For the amygdala it emotions such as anger or conflict, but
is important that the smile is shown in eye rather misunderstood questions and re-
wrinkles. New studies confirm: Those who marks as well as small inconsistencies that
smooth out eye wrinkles, for example, by in- are due to unintentional glances, feelings
jecting collagen or hyaluronic acid, make it and reactions of the salesperson and can
more difficult for the other person’s amyg- prevent or make a business transaction
dala to recognize whether it is a real smile or more difficult.
not, up to the wrong assessment. The body How does the amygdala recognize in-
language also plays a role when smiling. The consistencies in finer sensations that are la-
best smile is accompanied by a slight tilt of tent in the room? The answer is surpris-
the head and an inviting gesture. ing because it reminds us of the systematic
 262 Chapter 11 · Sales Psychology of Fragrance Consulting

approach of a computer program. When about it again”, often in combination

the amygdala reads in the eyes and antici- with spontaneous loss of interest in
pates the next reaction, it compares this buying.
with three data: what someone is doing or 2. The second reaction is fight, e.g. as la-
saying right now, what he did before and tent or open arrogance, complaint, in-
how he behaved in the past. Then the amyg- terrupting or comprehensive critical
dala decides together with the autonomic questioning.
nervous system: Does this make sense, is 3. The third reaction is flight. It usually
this consistent? This means: The amygdala starts with impatience, no time left or
and the autonomic nervous system live and leaving the store prematurely. But it
analyze in four times: also shows when the customer appar-
1. next moment (near future), ently turns to another person or another
2. what just happened (recent past), product without reason.
3. what has already happened (past experi- 4. The fourth reaction is rigidity. The cus-
ence), tomer is, for example, hardly or not ac-
4. what is happening right now (present). cessible, appears passionless and un-
communicative or simply stubborn.
If the information from the eyes is not
enough for her to assess the present and People differ in their adaptive defense be-
near future, the amygdala also scans the havior or in how well the amygdala and the
face at the same time (Pessoa 2013). autonomic nervous system work for them.
All of this happens within milliseconds. Some can withstand the stage of caution for
The amygdala becomes hyperactive when longer, others react immediately with fight,
it detects ambiguity in the overall context. flight, or even sudden paralysis. The rea-
We feel this—if at all—as an initially vague, son is certainly experience that one makes
11 light inner unrest. Something is wrong be- as an adult. But many developmental psy-
tween the feeling of feeling good and safe chologists and psychoanalysts also attribute
at the moment, and the reactions that indi- these reactions primarily to early childhood
cate the next moment. Experiences from the experiences. Even infants need social con-
recent and more distant past can intensify tact strategies and must develop them when
this. This triggers a neurobiologically con- neurobiological inconsistencies are reported.
trolled system. Even if we are not aware of These include feeling good and trust-
it cognitively, our body has already started ing while breastfeeding while experiencing
a sequence of processes that can lead to stress, for example because the parents are
adaptive defensive behavior. Stephen Porges under time pressure. But only if the infant
(2003), professor of psychiatry, has devel- feels generally safe is he able to learn contact
oped the Polyvagal Theory to explain these strategies when things do not go as planned
processes). and something unpleasant is in the air.
In terms of the sales situation, there are Only the feeling of security lets the
four typical defensive reactions on the cus- amygdala and the nervous system mature
tomer’s side that can occur quite suddenly strengthened so that one does not fall into
and that everyone knows from themselves unnecessary overreactions and can stay
because they are deeply anchored in our bi- calm. So the feeling of principle security is
ology: everything decisive—not only how one pro-
1. The first reaction is caution. It starts cesses a situation biologically-nerval or how
with gaining time, waiting, holding back the body assesses it, but whether one can
or withdrawing first, which is communi- support contact-initiating, pro-social be-
cated, for example, by “I need to think havior in difficult situations again. A nerve
11.3 · The Formula: How to Win the Other Person’s Amygdala
263 11
closely associated with the amygdala, the has to come from the moment and be un-
so-called myelinated (fast-conducting) va- expected.
gus, helps with this. It promotes calm by I suggest the following self-test:
inhibiting the influence of the sympathetic Imagine that you are looking for an an-
nervous system on the heart. This acts as a ti-aging care product in your perfume shop
stopper and prevents unnecessary overre- and indicate in the consultation that you
actions in a social situation. These include, do not want to spend more than 50 EUR.
for example, an increase in heart rate, which Which information do you find more ap-
manifests itself in stronger heart contrac- pealing now?
tions and shallow breathing. A1. The consultant tells you that you
could save 20 EUR, because there is a cor-
responding care product that offers the fol-
11.3 The Formula: How to Win lowing …
the Other Person’s Amygdala A2. The consultant tells you that the
estimated 50 EUR would be disadvanta-
In sales consulting, a central question geous for you. If you spent 20 EUR more,
arises: How can I win or win back the you would receive a care product with the
amygdala of my counterpart? following additional effects and thus some-
In sales trainings, the importance of thing to gain: …
competence, knowledge, approach, type of Which statement speaks better to the
questions, will, self-motivation, self-pres- amygdala? Both statements can address the
entation, smile, posture, gestures, voice and amygdala of customers positively, but only
appearance is pointed out. This is all true, if they are experienced as a gain. What is
but it is only half the truth. With all the decisive is whether one feels emotionally
well-intentioned advice, an essential find- comfortable when saving or bargain hunt-
ing remains unaddressed. It was discov- ing. Especially the perfume shop, which of-
ered in the therapy research in the 1990s fers products that are linked to emotions,
and is the secret of great therapists. Nev- mood wishes and identity, has pitfalls for
ertheless, it can be learned by everyone, savers. If there is any way for people to do
which the current emotion and neurobio- it, they want to win and definitely not lose
logical research confirms. It is the power of or get less than they want.
loving, unexpected glances at the right mo- Saving works for the amygdala if it is
ment (Petzhold 1995). But something else is experienced as a gain. However, if saving
added, which potentiates the whole thing in results in the dull feeling of loss or the im-
combination: one must surprise the amyg- pression of getting less than one would like,
dala with an unexpected reward, that is the amygdala reports. Therefore, anyone
with a chance of winning. who can afford it financially will find state-
In addition to the adaptive defensive be- ment A2 more attractive, in which a gain is
havior, the amygdala shows another neu- guaranteed.
robiological primal reaction: it is afraid of With A1, the feeling of gain depends
losing something or not getting it. So the on the trust in the competence of the ex-
amygdala immediately sets off the alarm pert. In both cases, therefore, the conveyed
if a situation threatens to result in a loss. feeling of gain is essential. Ideally, there is
You could also say it the other way around: a gain guarantee for the amygdala in every
if there is any way for people to do it, they situation, i.e. something that enthuses it.
want to win and definitely not lose. So you The formula to win or win back the
have to offer the amygdala a gain, and it amygdala of the other is therefore:
 264 Chapter 11 · Sales Psychology of Fragrance Consulting

> Real smile plus the power of loving looks At the beginning of my seminars and lec-
plus unexpected prospect of gain. tures, I therefore ask the participants to
write down some of their why-convictions
But this formula can also be increased. To right away. The shorter, the better. They can
feel comfortable, you need to have trust also be half-sentences that are incorporated
and security in the right hands. In addition, into the conversation shortly after the wel-
you must have the feeling that you are be- come.
ing dealt with on a very personal level and If you ask me about my personal “why”
that the best way to enjoy and almost feel and give me 30 s, I usually say the following
lucky is to arise during the entire situation. two sentences with a certain passion:
In the counseling situation, the conveyed
feeling of trust and security also goes hand
» “As a clinical psychologist, the secret of
the perfume industry with its ability to
in hand with competence and honesty. The
transform through perfumes has always
customer must get the impression that his
fascinated me. I want to show people that
interests are in the foreground. Of course,
they can experience themselves anew with
this also applies to other areas of life.
perfumes that are made for them. They can
» Can you name your personal “why”? be more attractive to themselves and others
and find more joy and happiness. They
How can you convey honesty and compe-
deserve it.”
tence to the amygdala at first contact, with-
out overwhelming the other with expertise? This will certainly not be understood by
This is done through the principle of the everyone immediately, but that is not the
“golden circle”. It was discovered when we point. What is important is that you hear
looked into what inspired leadership had in and feel that I have a mission and that from
common. The difference lies in the three- now on my counterpart is in the center: Be-
11 step “why—how—what”. cause he or she deserves it.
The amygdala in dialogue with higher The extended formula to win the other’s
brain regions is first interested in why a per- amygdala is now called:
son does something, and only then in the
> Real smile plus power of loving looks
“how” and only later in the “what”, namely
plus “why” plus unexpected chance of
what someone offers. People who first com-
winning.
municate the “why” create trust with their
self-claim. They are assumed to be compe-
Depending on how you extend the “why”,
tent, having a unselfish interest and there-
you can already indicate a win in the open-
fore potentially more honest. At the be-
ing of the conversation.
ginning of an anti-aging consultation, you
Something else is especially important
could say the following why-sentence:
for the opening of the conversation. From
» “I believe that every person is beautiful in the psychology of emotions we know that
their own way. Therefore, he deserves a care people who find themselves more sym-
that expresses this.” pathetic begin to unconsciously synchro-
nize their movement patterns. If one leans
Applied to perfume advice, you could say:
forward in a conversation, the other does
» “Perfumes smell different on every skin. too. Translated into the sales situation, this
That’s why it’s important to me to find scents means: To build sympathy with the cus-
that really fascinate and work for you” tomer as a consultant, it helps to adapt
11.3 · The Formula: How to Win the Other Person’s Amygdala
265 11
to his movement dynamics. As a rule of the perfume in the hand, but at the same
thumb, if the customer is moving quickly time to address the personal gain of enjoy-
towards me, I will approach him with al- ment, attractiveness and pleasure with pos-
most the same speed or indicate with a itive lightness or to share it with the cus-
quick gesture that I will be there for him tomer. Therefore, the ingredients should
soon. The same applies to a slow approach. only be mentioned at this point. So you
If the customer makes the famous right present luck and pleasure to the touch,
turn and sneaks along a shelf, I will first which can also be experienced sensual-
hold back until he (eye) contact. ly-erotically. How far you can go with it, of
The consultation could then begin based course, depends on the customer. In doubt,
on the extended formula: restraint is the best advice so that the cus-
5 The customer comes in. tomer can decide for himself in peace.
5 The consultant shows a real smile, ap- In addition to olfactory and tactile at-
proaches the customer at almost the traction, you can always refer to an addi-
same speed as this one and greets him tional benefit of the perfume for the pur-
with the power of loving looks. chase decision. This way you win more ra-
5 The customer names his wish (e.g. find- tionally deciding brain areas such as the
ing a new perfume for himself). The orbitofrontal cortex. Additional benefits
consultant lets his “why” flow into the can be manifold for a perfume and are in-
conversation. fluenced by the general fragrance direction.
5 To offer an unexpected chance of win- So a perfume can be additionally ideal
ning, the consultant could, for exam- in the following situations:
ple, point to a scent test and say: “There 5 at a job interview or team meeting, be-
is a connection between color and per- cause it – typically for chypre notes – ex-
fume preferences. Here you see differ- udes self-confidence and a sense of re-
ent colored shapes. Tell me which one sponsibility,
you are most attracted to at the mo- 5 at a party, because it – typically for
ment. Then I will present four matching fresh-fruity gourmand notes – conveys
perfumes to you and tell you what color joie de vivre,
psychology has to say about it. Then I 5 during a flirt, because it – typically for
will name the valuable ingredients of the slightly buoyant floral notes – leaves
individual perfume creations.” things open,
(I will introduce you to a corresponding 5 when wanting to seduce, because espe-
scent test later in the book.) cially amber-oriental notes blend with
the body odor,
If the customer shows interest in a fra- 5 when wanting to cuddle, because the so-
grance after smelling it first on a fragrance called “florientals” invite one to dream,
strip and then on his skin, the consultant 5 when trying to evoke trust, because
can increase the feeling of gain and antic- many woody and natural notes radiate
ipation of the perfume by giving the cus- inner harmony,
tomer the bottle with the original cap in 5 when visiting the gym, because green-
his hand. This often increases the value fresh notes, especially lightly cooled,
of what is offered, because in recent years bring new energy,
there has been a trend towards higher qual- 5 when wanting to lose weight, because
ity closures that offer a valuable tactile ex- gourmand notes trick the brain into
perience. But the art is not simply to give thinking that there is something to
 266 Chapter 11 · Sales Psychology of Fragrance Consulting

snack on and one can better withstand In a sales situation this could look like
cravings, this: A customer is presented with some
5 when in not such a good mood, because wonderful perfumes, one of which he
especially gourmand-fruity notes convey falls in love with and would like to buy. It
more joie de vivre and fun to the brain, doesn’t matter if he already knows the price
5 when more concentration and creativity or not. Since the consultation is carried out
is needed, because citrus freshness re- with a tester with a cap, the salesperson can
freshes the brain, arrange it so that the customer does not
5 on Monday, because aqua and green see and therefore does not know how many
plant notes give a natural kickstart, perfumes of this new favorite fragrance are
5 on the weekend, because powdery flo- still in stock. He is confirmed in his choice
ral notes and especially white flowers let and at the same time made aware of a scar-
one relax so wonderfully. city, for example with the following words:

The extended formula with six tips to win > “This particular perfume really smells
over the amygdala of others for oneself wonderful on your skin. We don’t always
now reads: have this perfume in stock, but I can or-
der it for you. But let me first take a look
to see if I can’t get one more from our
> Real smile plus synchronization of move-
perfume treasure chest.”
ment plus loving look plus “why” plus
unexpected prospect of gain plus addi-
When the salesperson comes back from the
tional benefit.
warehouse/storeroom and happily hands
the customer the last remaining perfume,
Of course there are other techniques, but at
one can imagine his anticipation and relief.
11 this point I would like to mention another
effective seventh tip that I have already » Was this chapter useful to you? I think that
mentioned: scarcity. even if one is not active in consultation, the
current findings on the right length and the
z Scarcity right use of eye contact are particularly
If one feels that one can still get something helpful. After all, one usually wants to win
despite scarcity, not only the amygdala, but over one’s counterpart.
also the reward system, the nucleus accum-
bens, is activated with anticipation. The lat- Summary
ter is located above the amygdala. It con-
In this chapter we have mainly dealt with
tains dopamine receptors of type D2, the
the question of why some people are so
stimulation of which triggers an anticipa-
much more successful in counseling and
tion with a feeling of happiness. If, in the
sales, especially why they can win cus-
consultation, one creates an artificial scar-
tomers more easily. In this context, we
city in order to achieve an emotional cli-
have seen that knowledge of the amyg-
max at the end of the consultation, as when
dala is essential, especially for all those
watching an exciting film, this certainly has
who work in a perfume shop and want
an unpleasant aftertaste. From a sales psy-
to offer a service or product successfully.
chological point of view, however, this is a
Not only processes that decide the fra-
very efficient tool.
References
267 11
grance and purchase decision run via the an “why” introduced at the right place
amygdala, but also unconscious experi- in the fragrance advice. This leads to a
ence and thus interpersonal interaction is formula for fragrance advice that has
controlled from there. proven itself in practice.
This led us to the question of how not
only the customer’s amygdala, but also
his own can be positively influenced as References
an advisor in order to increase the feel-
ing of well-being for both in perfume ad- Pessoa L (2013) The cognitive-emotional brain, from
vice. We were able to show that the right interactions to integration. The MIT Press, Cam-
bridge, MA
eye contact is essential, also because the Petzhold HG (1995) Psychotherapie & Babyforschung.
amygdala initially reads faces uncon- Band 2: die Kraft liebevoller Blicke. Säuglingsbe-
sciously for us. We also discussed how obachtungen revolutionieren die Psychotherapie.
the amygdala reacts to loss or scarcity Innovative Psychotherapie und Humanwissen-
and the prospect of gain and what con- schaften 56. Junfermann, Paderborn
Porges SW (2003) The polyvagal theory: phylogenetic
sequences this can have in fragrance ad- contributions to social behavior. Physiol Behav
vice. We also saw the positive effects of 79(3):503–513
 269 12

Welcome to the Experience

Perfumery
Smelling Unexpectedly or: How to Make Perfumes in Practice-
even more Fascinating for Yourself and Others

Contents

12.1 Myths in Perfume Sales: How to Become a Perfume

Psychologist – 270

12.2 Psychological Scent Choice—The Slightly Different

Experience of Perfumes – 273

12.3 Neuropsychological Fragrance Test: Experience Wishes

and Perfume Preferences – 278
12.3.1 Moodform-Test©—Test Instructions & Solutions – 278
12.3.2 The Moodform Test© as a Perfume and Care Guide for Women:
Solutions from First and Second Choice – 281

12.4 Perfume Experience: Practice and Methods for more

Perfume Enthusiasm – 287
12.4.1 Dancing and Smelling – 287
12.4.2 Goals, Steps, and Examples for the Experience Perfumery – 289
12.4.3 Rediscovering the World of Perfumes Again and Again – 296

References – 299

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023
J. Mensing, Beautiful SCENT,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67259-4_12
 270 Chapter 12 · Welcome to the Experience Perfumery

also for oneself as an advisor, and I discov-

ered that surprise or unexpected smelling
plays a very important role in customer sat-
isfaction and perfume advice.
This was the first step towards the experience
perfume shop with neuropsychological per-
fume tests that are based on the connection
between perfume, color and self-experience
and recommend to the customer within sec-
onds partly unexpected perfumes to smell.
So that you can check these connections for
yourself, there is a neuropsychological per-
fume test waiting for you in this chapter. I
am convinced that you will have fun!

12.1 Myths in Perfume Sales:

How to Become a Perfume
Psychologist
My career as a perfume psychologist began
about 35 years ago. As a psychology stu-
dent, I had the following key experience: I
wanted to buy a perfume gift for a girlfriend
Trailer in a perfume shop in my university town.
As a psychology student, I had the oppor- The saleswoman started the dialogue with a
classic W-question: “How can I help you?”
12 tunity to gain my first practical experience
in perfume advice in a perfume shop in my (“Wie kann ich Ihnen helfen”).W-ques-
university town. As a newcomer, I was partly tions are still part of sales psychology train-
surprised how perfumes were advised. Of ing courses today. They are certainly jus-
course, there was already good “storytell- tified with customers who are under great
ing” at that time, for example, what inspired time pressure or know what they want. But
the creation of individual perfumes, but per- no matter how a classic W-question may
fumes were also unintentionally much fasci- sound, it does not arouse great expectations
nation taken away by the sales advice. in the customer, let alone anticipation or cu-
First, I was certainly polite as a beginner in riosity about the shopping experience. Even
the perfume shop and trusted the experience worse: Well-posed W-questions are the killer
of my colleagues, but I soon realized that the of uniqueness, based on the advisor, the
dramaturgy of the perfume advice was often business and also on the customer. He has
not right. The customer was at the beginning already heard a thousand different W-ques-
of the perfume advice cheerfully excited, but tions and already suspects how it will con-
then experienced no further increase in ex- tinue after this first contact.
perience over time, and there were cases in So I explained at the time that I was
which the customer became impatient and looking for a women’s fragrance as a gift.
left the store less happily. This made me Then something completely unexpected
think about how one could bring about an happened to me: The saleswoman asked me
increase in experience for the customer and about my friend’s hair color. This was par-
12.1 · Myths in Perfume Sales: How to Become a Perfume Psychologist
271 12
ticularly surprising to me because I had fragrance preference and hair color. They
learned in the physiology course as part of even asked the owner of the perfume shop
my studies that the sense of smell is closely to continue advising customers on fragrance
related to the emotional center, the lim- choices on this basis. After all, they had no
bic system, and that the experience of fra- other clues except for the fragrance direction
grance is also influenced by psychobiologi- used before. So I quickly developed a new
cal factors. These include, for example, the perfume advice method that was based on
personality of the perfume user, his or her the relationship between color and fragrance
own scent and the nature of his or her skin, preferences. It was known as the “Farbro-
his or her olfactory socialization or how settentest” (Color Rosette Test), which then
scents and their ingredients are learned and also found resonance in the perfume indus-
associated with him or her, as well as cli- try (Mensing and Beck (1988) The psychol-
mate and sociocultural factors. I was baf- ogy of fragrance selection. In: Van Toller S,
fled and asked how hair color and fra- Dodd GH (Eds) Perfumery: the psychology
grance choice could be related. This is how and biology of fragrance. Chapman & Hall,
it was explained to me: “Women with blond London). The fact that this happened, I owe
hair love light, floral fragrances, women to the owner (Christa Beck) of the then per-
with black hair amber-oriental, richer fume shop in Freiburg/Germany. Because
notes, women with brown hair heavy-flow- she asked me to present the connections be-
ery and women with red hair chypre per- tween fragrance, emotion and personality to
fumes, so fine-herbal fragrance notes.” the then managing director of the Parisian
I asked if this method would also work fragrance house Guerlain.
if women dyed their hair. To answer the
question, the store owner was called, which z First deep psychological analysis of fra-
was the beginning of a long friendship. I re- grance choice
peated the connections I had learned at the As a clinical psychologist, I was commis-
university between fragrance and emotion sioned by the fragrance house Guerlain to
and was invited to convince myself of the investigate the psychological basis of fra-
success of a fragrance sales typology based grance preferences. The cooperation with
on hair color. This happened over several a psychologist was not only new for Guer-
days. The result: There was no significant re- lain, but also for the entire perfume industry.
lationship between perfume preference and Guerlain wanted to understand the users of
hair color—with one exception: Red-haired the perfume “Shalimar” better at that time.
women actually showed a greater affinity for Thus, “Shalimar” was the first fragrance that
perfumes from the chypre fragrance family. was psychologically examined. Until then,
More precisely: Not quite young red-haired only the usual sociodemographic data of the
women with light skin and freckles. When users such as age groups, income, etc. were
asked about their fragrance preference, it be- known. However, what made the special fas-
came clear that hair color only played an in- cination of this classic from the Amber-Ori-
direct role. Much more decisive was the fra- ental fragrance family was the psychology
grance in addition to the better adhesion of behind this choice of fragrance, which no
the perfume on the skin. one could explain so far. Therefore, it was
When I presented the results of my small unsure how to optimize and make the per-
study to the sales staff of the perfume shop, fume, which was created in 1925, more at-
a small world collapsed for them—even tractive for existing, but also for new user
though they had actually always experi- groups. At first, I assumed that the specific
enced that there was no connection between psychological criteria of the Shalimar users
 272 Chapter 12 · Welcome to the Experience Perfumery

could be recognized with different personal- scious. This left us with the following ques-
ity tests such as the Freiburg Personality In- tions:
ventory (FPI) or the Eysenck Personality In- 5 What is the ideal self, how does it op-
ventory (EPI). But that turned out to be dif- erate, according to which criteria does
ficult. So I could only detect slight statistical it make olfactory-aesthetic fragrance
trends with my colleagues at the University choices, and how can it be empirically
of Freiburg. The use of “Shalimar” corre- captured as a personality instance?
lated slightly negatively with emotional in- 5 Which aspects of the ideal self, of ex-
stability or, expressed positively, with emo- perience desires and moods are relevant
tional strength and self-confidence. Some to the perfume industry, to the develop-
other fragrance preferences of the con- ment and marketing of perfumes?
trol group from the fresh-citrus area, which
were determined in a blind test (“Eau de 30 years ago, these were neither self-evident
Lancôme”), correlated weakly with extraver- questions in psychology nor in the perfume
sion, that is, being open and active. industry or in the field of fragrance devel-
The correlations between the determined opment or marketing. Although the connec-
color and fragrance preferences were much tion between fragrance and mood has been
stronger. Before we checked their stated fra- described in poetry for centuries, it has only
grance preferences in a blind test, I had our been systematically investigated in the last
fragrance users fill out a color test. This was two decades. Although the importance of
a short form of the color pyramid test by mood in fragrance choice has always been
Melcher. Subjects who, for example, pre- recognized in the perfume industry, it has
ferred the stimulation colors red-green-yel- had no significant impact on sales advice.
low, showed the highest preferences for fra- For sales training, customer types were
grances from the fresh-citrus fragrance fam- described, for example “the sporty one”.
ily. The violet and dark blue color spectrum Most of the time, however, the advice was
correlated highly with “Shalimar”. This based on external features such as hair
12 is how we came across the connection be- color and concluded from this on fragrance
tween fragrance, color and mood. preferences. If this approach was too uncer-
The Psychological Institute of the Uni- tain, it simply recommended the latest fra-
versity of Freiburg was once a stronghold grances or, based on the fragrance family of
of color psychology (projective tests). This the favorite fragrance, presented a similar
now paid off. What finally broke the break- perfume. Classics such as “Shalimar”, for
through were the deep-psychologically ori- example, were therefore suggested less and
ented conversations after the tests that my less. Instead, one concentrated for the sake
colleagues and I had with our test persons of simplicity on new products. It was there-
and the perfume employees. The latter were fore only logical to develop a psychological
helpful to us in recruiting the users of fra- fragrance test for perfume advice, a kind of
grance. We suspected that the choice of fra- quick guide to ideal fragrances. This guide
grance might be based on other factors that to women’s notes became known as the
went beyond self-descriptions (“This is me: Color Rosette Test© and was first published
yes—no”) in paper-and-pencil personality in the late 1980s (Mensing and Beck 1988).
tests (or cognitive tests). We recognized that This was one of the first fragrance tests to
the choice of fragrance had to be linked to be used in trade and industry.
the ideal self, its experience desires (“This is The color rosette test is based on the
how I would like to be”) and mood needs connection between scent, color and self-ex-
(“This is how I would like to feel”). Desires perience. For the psychology of scent, as al-
and needs that are not always fully con- ready mentioned, eight fragrance families/
12.2 · Psychological Scent Choice—The Slightly Different Experience of Perfumes
273 12
fragrance directions of ladies’ and six of ticular color tests, one can never exclude—
men’s perfumes are of particular interest. even if they appear to work well—that
Each direction is characterized by its own other relationships decide on results and
psychology of emotions and desires. Four to success than one assumes. More on the sub-
five fragrance directions for men and women ject of color, psychology, fragrance and test
are recognized by the brain as such, since in a moment, but three introductory articles
they can apparently be assigned to stimula- on the subject should already be mentioned
tion needs of specific brain regions. Further here: Jue JS, Ha JH. (2022) Exploring the
research in neuroperfumery will be based on relationships between personality and color
or verify these findings in detail. It is diffi- preferences. Front Psychol. 13: 1065372. Le-
cult to assign individual perfumes to these vitan C A et al. (2014) Cross-Cultural Co-
fragrance families and to research their role lor-Odor Associations. PLoS ONE 9(7):
in the connection between scent and brain. e101651. Sorokowski P, Wrembel M. (2014)
Because more and more perfumes carry so- Color studies in applied psychology and so-
called crossover characteristics from differ- cial sciences: An overview. Polish Journal of
ent fragrance families. Also, we still know Applied Psychology vol. 12 (2).
too little about how the brain perceives indi- The Moodform-Test is based on the
vidual ingredients in a total creation. So far, findings of Neuroperfumery and especially
mainly individual aromas from fragrance the color, form and fragrance psychology,
families have been analyzed. whose relationships with current experi-
ence desires can be quickly checked by each
individual. The Moodform-Test is a psy-
12.2 Psychological Scent Choice— chological scent and care test that consists
The Slightly Different of a short form for women from five color
shapes with 15 solutions. In each case, three
Experience of Perfumes
perfumes and three care products are rec-
In practice, the Moodform-Test© has ommended to match the experience desires.
The Moodform test is about answering
proven to be a reliable guide in the prac-
tice of perfumery. Of course, this test does the following questions:
not claim to be an exact tool in the strict 5 Which scent direction makes you feel
particularly comfortable now?
scientific sense, even if not all of the crite-
ria commonly used in psychology for test 5 Which perfumes and care products
development were dispensed with. Nev- match the respective experience wishes?
ertheless, color tests, to which the Mood- 5 Which brain area (hypothalamus, hip-
form-Test also belongs, have been criticized pocampus, amygdala, orbitofrontal cor-
by empirical psychology to some extent. As tex or prefrontal cortex) is currently
mentioned above, there are a number of particularly open to olfactory stimula-
factors in perfume selection, such as associ- tion? The answer can be indirectly de-
ations and memories of perfumes and their rived from the above-mentioned find-
ingredients, which can influence and in- ings of neuroperfumery with regard to
fluence the test result. Given the complex- the fragrance preferences of individual
ity of the possible influencing factors, it is brain areas.
rather surprising that the Moodform-Test
has proven to be a quick guide in the prac- The Moodform test can therefore show in
tice of perfumery. But that does not mean a fragrance and care consultation what at-
that it actually measures what it purports to tracts one olfactorily and what is sought
measure. With psychological tests, in par- as psychological experience. This can also
be used to postulate which brain areas are
 274 Chapter 12 · Welcome to the Experience Perfumery

open to fragrance stimulation. Of course, associated perfume associations. I person-

nothing works one hundred percent in psy- ally like to use colors and shapes as shown
chology. This is not the point. Because peo- in the test above. They lead to surprising re-
ple are too complex and the fragrance ex- sults in perfume advice, because the solu-
perience is too subjective. Nevertheless, the tion is not easy to guess in advance, unlike
Moodform test offers a good basis for con- pictorial representations. There are inter-
sultation in practice. The results can be dis- esting connections between color and fra-
cussed in more depth with the customer. grance, for example.
This makes the Moodform test a good tool
for the experience perfumery. z Color, fragrance and self-experience
Here are the test questions, the solutions The connection between color, fragrance
follow later: and self-experience is well confirmed
» Which of the five Moodforms (color forms)
(Schifferstein and Tanudjaja 2004; Tamura
et al. 2018). A fragrance direction can even
appeals to you most at the moment? Choose
another color form that you also like. You
be visualized with colors and the associated
can also choose the same Moodform twice
self-experience can be expressed. This makes
(. Fig. 12.1).
color-fragrance tests possible. Although pic-
tures or mood boards can also support the
But first of all, back to the perfume tests. visualization of a fragrance direction well.
By now, several are used in consultation In doing so, coordinated pictures and fra-
practice. With their help, an especially per- grances lead to clearer and more vivid inner
sonal perfume experience is to be offered images. This is also confirmed by studies of
to the customer. For example, conclusions brand communication (Rempel 2006). How-
are drawn about perfume preferences from ever, pictures and mood boards in a fra-
so-called mood boards (picture collages), grance test carry the risk of triggering addi-
i.e. preferences for certain mood or lifestyle tional associations due to personal memo-
pictures. Advertisements in particular visu- ries, cultural influences or social desirability,
12 alize desired experiences and are already at- and thus falsifying the test result. This
tractive as a kind of self-test due to the de- would be the case, for example, with the de-
gree of attraction. piction of a romantic couple at sunset.
Mood boards that reflect different In order to exclude further associa-
moods such as romantic, adventurous or tions, many psychologists like to work with
urban experiences are also often used in the so-called projective tests on specific top-
development of a new perfume. With their ics, such as the standardized ink blots of
help, the desired olfactory impression or the Rorschach test. These include classic
the aura of a fragrance is described or as- psychological color tests such as the Color
sociated. The color of the pictures always Pyramid Test by Max Pfister, the Lüscher
has a great influence on the viewer and the Color Test and the recently developed

. Fig. 12.1 The five Moodforms (color forms)

12.2 · Psychological Scent Choice—The Slightly Different Experience of Perfumes
275 12
“Manchester Colour Wheel”, where no development and application of psycholog-
correct or incorrect answers are suggested. ical tests, one is happy to work with statis-
Many projective tests also work with open tical probabilities, the so-called significance
questions or impulses. level or the probability of error. They also
There is certainly also legitimate criti- show how likely it is that one will have to
cism, especially of the classical projective reject an assumption. It is considered very
test procedures, specifically of psychologi- good if one is “wrong” in only 5% of the
cal color tests, for example due to the mul- cases or deviates from an assumption. A
tiple meanings of individual colors (So- probability of error of 10% is still consid-
rokowski et al. 2014). The evaluation of clas- ered acceptable in the social sciences.
sical projective tests is often seen more as an However, with psychological color-scent
art than as a scientific method. Neverthe- tests, one must expect an even higher rate
less: The close connection between scent and of non-hits. So you never know without ex-
color makes them—provided that there are act testing whether the test person may be
no color vision deficiencies, anosmia (loss of slightly colorblind. Of course there are also
smell), hyperosmia (oversensitivity to odors) test procedures that can be applied before
or hyposmia (reduced sense of smell)—in- or after color tests. With men, it can be as-
teresting as a projective test for the perfume sumed that 8 to 10% have problems cor-
industry and especially for the determina- rectly identifying colors.
tion of fragrance preferences. Because the When it comes to fragrances, there is
test person can quickly check for themselves another point to consider: they are associ-
whether corresponding fragrance recom- ated with fragrance socialization or corre-
mendations are actually suitable for them. sponding memories. They ensure that per-
The typical perfume lover is unlikely to be fumes can be experienced differently by in-
one of the 5% of the population who suffer dividuals. For example, a particular floral
from almost complete anosmia, or one of fragrance or a perfume that smells like roses
the 20% with reduced sense of smell (Hatt can evoke the memory of a person who was
and Dee 2012). experienced as unpleasant. Older color tests
The above-mentioned connection be- also often suffer from significant methodo-
tween color, scent and self-experience logical and image problems due to their ap-
makes it possible to develop a psychologi- plication and statements. For example, one
cal color-scent test. For my first scent test, simply assigned the test person to a red type
the color rosette test©, I have already de- based on single color choices. This can-
scribed in other publications how to pro- not work for the sole reason that a single
ceed when developing such a color-scent color like red has too many different mean-
test, how to validate a projective test in the ings. Color tests were therefore often only
best possible way according to scientific half-heartedly made or initially only tested.
guidelines, so that it also measures what it Nevertheless, there are many good rea-
claims, and also meets the requirements for sons for color-scent tests. They can be de-
reliability (reliability of the results) (Mens- veloped based on new findings in color psy-
ing and Beck 1988). chology, fragrance psychology, and even
With psychological tests developed ac- neuroperfumery. In addition, perfume con-
cording to scientific criteria—including sulting is faced with the following problem:
some projective tests—one can gain a good as a rule, the perception of fragrance al-
first impression of a topic and use the result ready decreases after four to six fragrances
as a basis for consultation. This also applies have been smelled. Color-scent tests there-
to color tests, especially if they are based fore offer a first good orientation and do
on newer findings in color research. In the
 276 Chapter 12 · Welcome to the Experience Perfumery

not overload the nose with fragrances that

it does not even want to smell.
However, the assignment of color and
fragrance is not one-dimensional. You can-
not assign a fragrance to just one color,
even if you talk about green notes in the
perfume shop. Perfumes are too complex to
be represented by just one color. A color is
also associated with several emotions (red
is associated with love, but also with dan-
ger and thus with fear). In order to express
perfumes and emotions, color groups are
therefore better suited. They can map both
fragrance and emotional directions more
specifically.
. Fig. 12.2 Color Mood Grid©
Colors are like scents and emotions al-
ways in motion. They are electromag-
netic radiation of the visible range of light, color scheme of the packaging for new per-
whose wavelengths move about between fumes and supplements the positioning of a
750 nm (red) and 380 nm (violet). Even if brand. . Fig. 12.4 shows an example of the
each color corresponds to a specific wave- Color Mood Grid©, to which 16 fragrance
length, no color stands alone. The effect directions for men’s and women’s notes are
of each color is determined by its context, assigned.
which can give it a different meaning. So, as Mood-Grids are also a tool in psycho-
mentioned, red can stand for danger, blood logical research. They are also used for the
and love. Color groups, in which different evaluation of the success of therapies and
wavelengths interact, are therefore less con- the observation of psychological changes
12 text-dependent and can better describe a di- (Parkinson et al. 1996). In this case, two
rection of meaning and experience. So the Mood-Grids—a Double Mood Grid©
color combination red-magenta-rosé will (. Fig. 12.5)—are used.
be interpreted more in the direction of love In the Mood Grids, you are first asked
than to be associated with blood. Three to describe how you feel at the moment
to four individual colors in combination (“Current Self ”) and then how you would
are often enough to better visualize a gen- like to feel (“Ideal Self ”):
eral scent direction. This is the basis for the 1. “Please describe how you feel at this
Color Mood Grid©, another quick test for moment.”
determining directions of experience and You mark a white cell that best de-
scent (. Fig. 12.2). scribes it. You can also describe the in-
The choice of adjacent color groups or tensity on a four-point scale. Inside is
directions gives a first indication of associ- the strength “1” (weakly expressed) and
ated experience and scent directions. . Fig. outside the strength “4” (very strongly
12.3 gives an example of eight scents for expressed).
women’s notes discussed in 7 Chap. 5. 2. “Please describe how you would like to
With the Color Mood Grid© a com- feel if you are looking for a change in
plex mapping can also be carried out. This your experience.”
shows how to delimit perfumes from each As in 1., the corresponding cell is
other. This supports perfume market- marked.
ing from concept ideas to, for example, the
12.2 · Psychological Scent Choice—The Slightly Different Experience of Perfumes
277 12
Gourmand
Fruity
Delightful - exuberant - edible

Chypre-Leathery Aromatic
Powerful - fine tart - mossy Fresh
Active - dynamic - energetic

Citrus
Amber-Oriental Fresh
Profound - individual - exotic Refreshing - liberating - sparkling

Floral Floral
floral Fresh
Sensual - soulful - private Cheerful - relaxed - unconstrained
Floral
Powdery - Balsamic
Soft - fluffy - harmonious

. Fig. 12.3 Color Mood Grid© with 8 experience and scent directions for women’s notes

There are a total of 8 experience dimen- It shows the connection between prefer-
sions to choose from for self-description ences for fragrance directions and feeling
(. Fig. 12.6). good. The short form of the test consists,
Based on the comparison of the two as already mentioned, of five color sym-
Mood Grids, possible discrepancies be- bols, the extended version of eight symbols.
tween the “current self ” and the “ideal You should choose the most attractive and
self ” can be visualized and addressed in second most attractive symbol. The mo-
psychological research (Higgins 1987). ment is in the foreground. After all, per-
fume is also an offer of transformation to
z Color and shape the current mood, just like someone wants
You can further illustrate your experience to experience the moment. Therefore, it is
and fragrance wishes in a fragrance test not asked for general favorite colors, but
by supporting the effect of colors through for colors or color symbols that attract you
shaping. The relationships between color at the moment. This should be a sponta-
and shape (form) were a favorite project neous decision. Whether the colors suit
of the painter Wassily Kandinsky. Color you or whether they match is irrelevant
in shape was implemented in the Mood- for a color-fragrance test like the Mood-
form-Test© which could be answered above. form-Test.
 278 Chapter 12 · Welcome to the Experience Perfumery

Chypre Aromatic
Fruity Gourmand Fruity
Tropical - berry - spicy
Opulent - rich - tempting Fruity
Delightful - exuberant - edible
Aromatic
Chypre-Leathery
Powerful - fine tart - mossy
Fresh
Active - dynamic - energetic

Woody Aquatic
Earthy Fresh
Stable -warm - natural Invigorating - aqueous - ozonic

Citrus
Amber-Oriental Fresh
Profound -individual -exotic Refreshing - liberating - sparkling

Milk Aquatic
Milk - Mouse Floral
Familiar - secure - cuddly Light - solved - liberating

Floral Floral
floral Fresh
Sensual - soulful - private Cheerful - relaxed - informal

Floral Floral
Floral
Aldehydic - rich Powdery - Balsamic
Aldehydic - clear
Radiant - complex - rich Soft - fluffy- harmonious
Bright - cool - metallic

. Fig. 12.4 Color Mood Grid© with 16 fragrance directions for men’s and women’s notes

12
12.3 Neuropsychological The Moodform-Test shows, as a so-called
Fragrance Test: Experience projective test, the current, also psycholog-
Wishes and Perfume ical experience wishes of a customer and
what attracts him as a perfume, better said,
Preferences as a fragrance direction. It reveals the stim-
ulation needs of individual brain regions
and their networks (such as the search of
12.3.1 Moodform-Test©—Test the orbitofrontal cortex for citrus fresh-
Instructions & Solutions ness or the hippocampus for relaxing floral
and flower notes) and thus serves as applied
The questions of the Moodform-fragrance neuroperfumery in fragrance advice.
test are repeated here: The individual color shapes were de-
> Which of the five color symbols, veloped in such a way that they each re-
i.e. Moodform color shapes, speaks to flect their own dynamics through form
you at the moment and which as sec- and color. The development of the Mood-
ond? You can also choose the same color form-Test, which is a further development
shape twice. of the Color Rosette Test, included fra-
12.3 · Neuropsychological Fragrance Test: Experience Wishes and Perfume…
279 12

In (a) and (b), please mark one white cell each that best describes...

(a) (b)
...how you feel at this moment ...how you ideally want to feel,
if you are looking for a change in your experience now

Stimulates Stimulates
Strongly Energetic Strongly Energetic
Excited Excited
self-determined Active self-determined Active

Introspective Open Introspective Open

Internal Outward Internal Outward

Secured Serene Secured Serene

Trusted Relaxed Lighthearted Relaxed Lighthearted
Trusted
Calm Calm

. Fig. 12.5 Double Mood Grid©

In (a) and (b), please mark one white cell each that best describes...

(a) (b)
...how you feel at this moment ...how you ideally want to feel,
if you are looking for a change in your experience now

Strongly Stimulates Energetic Strongly Stimulates Energetic

self-determined Excited Active self-determined Excited Active

Offen

Introspective Open
Introspective Open
Inside Outward
Internal Outward
Gelassen
Entspannt Entspannt
Ruhig Ruhig
Secured Relaxed Serene Secured Relaxed Serene
Trusted Calm Lighthearted Trusted Calm Lighthearted

. Fig. 12.6 Double Mood Grid© with “Mismatches”

 280 Chapter 12 · Welcome to the Experience Perfumery

grance and color psychological findings. ceptance of amber-oriental or skin notes,

Also, the relationships between color and or that green-yellow hues point to a greater
shape were taken into account, as described inclination towards fresh-citrus notes. From
by Wassily Kandinsky and Johannes Itten. these relationships, one can draw a certain,
For example, violet is assigned to the el- albeit cautious conclusion, which brain ar-
lipse, yellow and green to the triangle. eas and networks are involved in the pro-
In color theory, it is repeatedly empha- cessing of color and form stimuli.
sized that colors in shapes connect peo- Certainly, the orbitofrontal cortex
ple with energetic, but also with psycholog- (OFC) establishes multisensory relation-
ical contexts. Color vibrations have their ships, for example between olfactory and
own energy, they act invigorating or inhibit- color impressions. But it is assumed that
ing on our organism and are thus also per- well 40% of the human brain is involved
ceived by the brain. in seeing. It is also known that the percep-
In the psychology of scent, there are tion of color and shape is only composed in
also proven relationships between color and the brain. Through the close connection of
scent choices, such as that the preference the OFC with other brain areas such as the
for violet hues is associated with greater ac- amygdala, it can be assumed that certain

stimuli stimulate specific areas in the feed- own creativity and potential, to experi-
12 back. As I said, there are first assumptions ence or feel more oneself. To feel more
for these relationships, the confirmation sensual and attractive. To collect new ex-
of which must still be provided by further periences and to dive into other worlds.
comprehensive research. However, I do not Scent direction: The scale ranges from
want to question the Moodform test. Often floriental notes (warm-flowery) such
tests work, even if the relationships have to as warm skin notes to full-bodied, am-
be explained differently later. ber-oriental perfumes.
In the following, I explain the emotional In the system of the already mentioned
dynamics of the individual Moodforms ar- Big-Five personality dimensions, the vi-
ranged from left to right here: olet spiral visualizes the self-description
“openness to (self-)experience” to the
5 The violet spiral is the most closed form greatest extent. However, an empirical
and is intended to symbolize deep inner analysis of possible relationships is still
well-being and self-confidence—a pro- pending.
cess we associate with the amygdala to 5 The pink flower is the most emotional
calm the fear network. From the spiral, form and is intended to visualize relaxa-
which can rotate downwards, but also tion and inner peace—a process we associ-
upwards (outside), a dynamics with a ate with the hippocampus and the attempt
range of experience wishes can arise: to calm the stress network. From the flow-
To feel more individual, extravagant and ery form certain experience wishes grow:
reflective, to discover or rediscover one’s
12.3 · Neuropsychological Fragrance Test: Experience Wishes and Perfume…
281 12
To feel more sheltered and harmonious, or to fall in love again. To do spontane-
to be natural. To find more inner peace, ous things like travel. To avoid routine
comfort and trust while having less and rather try something new.
stress. To recharge the soul battery for a Fragrance direction: The range extends
restart or simply to let the soul dangle. from fresh fruit notes to rich gourmand
Scent direction: The scale ranges from notes that remind of classic desserts and
light floral notes such as white tea notes sweets.
to relax and clean notes that remind of In the Big Five personality dimensions
freshly washed. system, the popping egg visualizes the
In the system of the Big-Five personal- self-description “extraversion” in com-
ity dimensions, the pink flower visual- bination with “spontaneousness” and
izes the self-description “agreeableness”, “sensation seeking”—the search for va-
“friendliness or social compatibility” to riety and new experiences—to the great-
the greatest extent. est extent.
5 The blue square is the most pragmatic 5 The flying triangle is an expression of
and self-confident form. It visual- movement, of having free space and be-
izes performance orientation and self- ing active. This typically extroverted ex-
strength and can be associated with the perience can be associated with the or-
prefrontal cortex. The colors and shapes bitofrontal cortex. In their dynamics,
used visualize specific desired experi- color and form are associated with spe-
ences: cific experience desires:
To experience oneself as even more suc- Search for enthusiasm and gain. To be
cessful, responsible and conscientious. more self-responsible and unrestricted.
To be more rewarded and recognized. To make decisions quickly and be deci-
To improve oneself even further, to en- sive and risk-taking. To approach things
joy what has been achieved and to be resolutely and achieve them efficiently.
able to afford things. Scent direction: The scale ranges from
Fragrance direction: The range for men fresh green leaf notes like mint to cool,
extends from fresh aqua notes to ar- refreshing citrus notes, inspired by ber-
omatic, mossy and herbaceous fra- gamot, grapefruit, mandarin, lemon, or-
grances, in particular fougère notes. For ange or lime and other notes.
women, the range extends from radiant In the Big Five personality dimensions
floral notes, in particular from the alde- system, the flying triangle visualizes the
hyde spectrum, to rich and elegant, but self-description “extraversion” in com-
also expressive floral chypre notes. bination with “openness to new experi-
In the Big Five personality dimensions ences” the best.
system, the blue square visualizes the
self-description “conscientiousness” to
the greatest extent. 12.3.2 The Moodform Test© as a
5 The popping egg is the happiest and Perfume and Care Guide
most carefree form. It visualizes fun and
for Women: Solutions
joie de vivre and can be associated with
the hypothalamus and the pleasure net- from First and Second
work. In its dynamics, color and shape Choice
refer to further desired experiences:
To be more pampered. To have more Now to the individual Moodform solu-
pleasure, fun and variety. To fall in love tions, which consist of the first and second
 282 Chapter 12 · Welcome to the Experience Perfumery

choice. Here you can choose a color form First or second choice Solution
twice. In the short form of the test it does
Pink Flower Pink Flower 6
not matter which color form you choose
first. In total, there are 15 solutions for Pink Flower Blue Square 7
women in the short form of this perfume Pink flower Popping egg 8
test. For each solution I have proposed per- Pink flower Flying trian- 9
fume suggestions as well as suitable care gle
products or the care experience correspond- Blue square Blue square 10
ing to the recommended scents next to the
Blue square Popping egg 11
perfume suggestions. They will certainly
have to be supplemented and updated from Blue square Flying trian- 12
gle
time to time. This way, the Moodform Test,
when used in perfume consulting, can also Popping egg Popping egg 13
be used for targeted consulting and sam- Popping egg Flying trian- 14
pling of care products. Of course, it can gle
also work the other way around. Flying triangle Flying trian- 15
Although skin needs and skin condition gle
always play a role in care, product effect,
expectation and application also depend
on experience desires. In addition, there Individual solutions
are more and more care brands and prod- 1. Solution:
ucts that adjust to the skin’s own care needs “Violet Spiral” with “violet spiral”
with intelligent technology. So you can also What is now important and more sought
do a well-being consultation in care, which after:
is more focused on psychological experi- 5 To experience oneself more individu-
ence desires. ally and deeply.
Under “What is important now and is 5 To pursue more personal freedom and
12 being sought more”, you will find short own interests.
psychological keywords for the result, 5 To express more creativity and artistic
which you should communicate in your interests.
own words before showing the three per-
fumes mentioned to the customer and Amber-Oriental scents are ideal to bring
smelling them with him. Accordingly, one you closer to this ideal experience:
should proceed with a care test. Here is the 5 “Alien” by Thierry Mugler
solution matrix for the Moodforms with 5 “Silver Rain” by La Prairie
the individual solutions below. It does not 5 “Shalimar” by Guerlain
matter which color form was chosen first in 5 The ideal care must adjust itself per-
this short form of the test, as already men- sonally to the skin. Thereby, products
tioned: have to work as multi-talents:
First or second choice Solution – “Le Privilège Base Traitante” by Ri-
voli
Violet spiral Violet spiral 1
– “Oil Absolue” by Filorga
Violet spiral Pink flower 2 – “Pep Start Exfoliating Cleanser” by
Violet spiral Blue square 3 Clinique
Violet Spiral Popping Egg 4
2. Solution:
Violet Spiral Flying Trian- 5
gle “Violet Spiral” with “pink flower”
12.3 · Neuropsychological Fragrance Test: Experience Wishes and Perfume…
283 12

What is important now and is being – “Deep Comfort Hand Cream” by

sought more: Clarins
5 To be pampered more. – “Absolue Precious Cells” by Lancôme
5 To discover an exotic world full of se- – “Cellular Swiss Ice Crystal Eye
crets. Care” by La Prairie
5 To experience more feelings and sen-
sual moments. 4. Solution:
“Violet Spiral” with “popping egg”
The fragrance direction “Floriental-ori- What is now important and more sought
ental” combines warm floral notes, rare after:
fruits and vibrating wood notes: 5 To have more joie de vivre and fun.
5 “My Name” by Trussardi 5 To pamper the senses of the ideal
5 “Angel Muse” by Thierry Mugler partner and one’s own in a sensual
5 “Secret Obsession” by Calvin Klein way.
5 The ideal care must pamper and relax 5 To live out more fantasies and luxuri-
with a unique texture and sensual fra- ous dreams.
grance:
– “Oil Therapy Body Lotion” by Bio- The fragrance direction “Gourmand” is
therm extremely sensual and invites you to se-
– “Aroma Care” by Clarins duce the senses:
– “SOS Comfort Balm Mask” by Cla- 5 “Poison Girl” by Dior
rins 5 “Si Lolita” by Lolita Lempicka
5 “Classique” by Jean-Paul Gaultier
3. Solution: 5 The ideal care must pamper the skin
“Violet Spiral” with “blue square” and support it at the same time:
What is now important and more sought – “Ibuki Gentle Cleanser” by
after: Shiseido
5 To experience more extravagance and – “Émulsion Ré-équilibrante” by Ri-
exclusivity. voli
5 To enrich and show one’s own per- – “Silky Peeling Powder” by Kanebo
sonal style.
5 To feel more inner strength within 5. Solution:
oneself. “Violet Spiral” with “flying triangle”
5 To discover something precious and What is now important and more sought
high-quality where others overlook it. after:
5 To be more open in all directions and
The fragrance direction “Chypre-orien- unbound.
tal” has a self-confident and exquisite ra- 5 To be active sometimes and to retreat
diance: into one’s own world sometimes.
5 “Coco Noir” by Chanel 5 To show more passion and to claim
5 “Chypre Rouge” by Serge Lutens one’s rights.
5 “Want” by Dsquared
5 The ideal care must experience the The fragrance direction “Fresh-Oriental”
skin as precious and of high qual- combines freshness and warmth in a fas-
ity and perfectly nourish it as an all- cinating fragrance direction:
round high-performance care: 5 “Aromatic Elixir” by Clinique
 284 Chapter 12 · Welcome to the Experience Perfumery

5 “Cologne” by Thierry Mugler Delicate floral notes from the fragrance

5 “Olympéa Aqua” by Paco Rabanne direction “Floral-floral” enchant with
5 The ideal care prepares the skin per- rich and powdery heart and base:
fectly for the next day, cares for and 5 “Delicate Rose” by Trussardi
regenerates it deeply: 5 “Summer” by Kenzo
– “Sleep and Peel Cream” by Filorga 5 “Coco Mademoiselle” by Chanel
– “L’Eau de Nuit” by Rivoli 5 The ideal care must be of high qual-
– “Botanical Detox Cure Night” by ity, pure and free of mineral oils and
Sisley parabens. It not only cares visibly, but
also builds the skin from the inside:
6. Solution: – “Le Regard Crème Lissante” by Ri-
“Pink Flower” with “pink flower” voli
What is important now and is being – “Black Rose Mask” by Sisley
sought more: – “Blue Therapy Serum” by Biotherm
5 To find more peace, harmony and bal-
ance. 8. Solution:
5 To experience more support and less “Pink Flower” with “popping egg”
pressure from others. What is important now and more sought
5 To experience more attention and ten- after:
derness from people who are impor- 5 To be pampered spontaneously for a
tant to one. change.
5 To flirt with someone in order to test
The fragrance direction “Floriental” of- one’s own attractiveness.
fers the most beautiful romantic floral 5 To have more joie de vivre and to be
notes, which do the soul more than good with people who make one laugh.
with fine fruit notes:
12 5 “Donna” by Valentino The fragrance family “Fruity-Oriental”
5 “Jeanne Lanvin” by Lanvin smells like a summer flirtation—animat-
5 “La Femme” by Prada ing and lustful for life, but also sensual
5 The ideal care provides the skin with enjoyment:
optimal care and at the same time 5 “Miss Dior Absolutely Blooming” by
gives a sensually relaxing experience: Dior
– “Pflegeölbad” by Kneipp 5 “Trésor in Love” by Lancôme
– “Skin Meditation” by Declaré 5 “Womanity Eau Pour Elles” by Thi-
– “Hydra Zen” by Lancôme erry Mugler
5 The ideal care acts immediately and
7. Solution: makes you attractive for any situation
“Pink Flower” with “blue square” and season:
What is now important and more sought – “Mission Perfect Serum” by Clarins
after: – “BB Perfect Cream” by Filorga
5 To experience more sensitivity and – “Total Eye Revitalizer” by Bio-
style from others. therm
5 To have more privacy and less hustle
and bustle. 9. Solution:
5 To experience more elegance, luxury “Pink Flower” with “flying triangle”
and beauty.
12.3 · Neuropsychological Fragrance Test: Experience Wishes and Perfume…
285 12

What is now important and more sought 5 “Calèche” by Hermès

after: 5 The ideal care is a small team of top
5 Increasing well-being and gaining new products to individually care for the
vitality are now the priority. skin:
5 To feel healthy and vital. – “Prime Renewing Pack” by Val-
5 To have new energy and more youth- mont
ful vigor. – “Replenishing Body Cream” by
Shiseido
The fragrance family “Fresh-flowery” has – “Skin Caviar Eye Lift Augenserum”
many scents that increase well-being and by La Prairie
have a positive effect on mind, body and
soul: 11. Solution:
5 “Eau Vitaminée” by Biotherm “Blue Square” with “popping egg”
5 “Olympéa Aqua” by Paco Rabanne What is important now and more sought
5 “Donna Aqua” by Valentino after:
5 The ideal care builds on for a restart, 5 To break free from constraints and
protects against harmful environmen- stagnation.
tal influences and prepares the skin 5 To consider a new beginning and to
for everything that comes: be able to let go.
– “The Renewal Oil” by La Mer 5 To have more joy in life and to see
– “Le Visage Mousse Nettoyante” by things with humor sometimes.
Rivoli
– “Gesichtsspray Skin Meditation” The fragrance family “Floral-fruity” pro-
by Declaré motes a positive feeling of life and also
demands to enjoy more:
10. Solution: 5 “Chance Eau Vive” by Chanel
“Blue Square” with “blue square” 5 “Miss Dior Chérie” by Dior
What is important now and is being 5 “Gabrielle” by Chanel
sought more: 5 The ideal care consists of intelligent
5 To treat oneself more, to do some- anti-aging products that adapt to the
thing good simply to reward oneself individual needs of the skin:
for what has been achieved. – “Masqué Réparateur” by Rivoli
5 To receive more respect and deserved – “Wonder Mud Maske” by Biotherm
recognition for one’s own perfor- – “Power Infusing Concentrate” by
mance. Shiseido
5 To invest more in oneself and one’s
personal style and not just think of 12. Solution:
others. “Blue Square” with “flying triangle”
What is important now and more sought
The fragrance family “Floral-aldehydic” after:
gets its name from the radiant and val- 5 Bringing more swing into one’s own life.
uable top notes of noble perfumes that 5 Gaining more energy for new projects.
shine with a lot of flower purity and bril- 5 Motivating oneself to achieve goals
liance: and meet responsibilities.
5 “J’adore” by Dior
5 “Cristalle” by Chanel
 286 Chapter 12 · Welcome to the Experience Perfumery

The fragrance direction “Chypre-Fresh” “Popping Egg” with “flying triangle”

comes with a lot of inner will, radiates What is now important and more sought
power for new things and supports mo- after:
tivation: 5 To experiment with something new
5 “Miss Dior” by Dior and also to provoke.
5 “Donna” by Trussardi 5 To take on more and also to risk
5 “Calyx” by Clinique something.
5 The ideal care are innovative and intel- 5 Just break out and gain new experi-
ligent pick-me-ups that quickly provide ences.
the skin with everything it needs day 5 To be among people who spread good
and night—quickly and effectively: mood and no gloom.
– “Hydro Energy” by Declaré
– “Scrub & Mask” by Filorga The fragrance “Fruity-fresh” stimulates,
– “Advanced Night Repair” by Estée inspires and provides a good mood feel-
Lauder ing all day:
5 “Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune” by
13. Solution: Guerlain
“Popping Egg” with “popping egg” 5 “Orange Tonic” by Azzaro
What is now important and more sought 5 “Un Jardin Sur le Nil” by Hermès
after: 5 The ideal care must not only provide
5 To experience more variety, spontane- a lot of moisture, it must also offer
ity and fun together and to enjoy it. beauty from the inside and outside:
5 To simply turn things upside down – “Hydra-Hyal Ultra Plumping Se-
and see them differently. rum” by Filorga
5 To fall in love or to fall in love again. – “Le Visage Sérum Lumière” by Ri-
5 To avoid routine and rather try some- voli
12 thing new. – “Timeblock Vital Aging Nutrition”
by Swiss Biologie
The fragrance direction “Gourmand-fru-
ity” offers spontaneous moments of hap- 15. Solution:
piness with many fantasies and surprises: “Flying Triangle” with “flying triangle”
5 “Lady Million” by Paco Rabanne What is important now and is being
5 “Fuel for Life Unlimited” by Diesel sought more:
5 “Chance Eau Tendre” by Chanel 5 To live more sports and fitness and
5 The ideal care is pleasure and effect in also to measure with others.
one. Ideally, it comes as a To-go prod- 5 To be active for oneself, to achieve
uct: one’s own goals and not to have to
– “Lip Sugar Scrub and Glow” by wait for others.
Dior 5 To be more self-responsible and free
– “Bio Performance Glow Revival” to breathe.
by Shiseido
– “Mini Glow Drops” by Dr. Barbara The fragrance direction “Green-Citrus”
Sturm invigorates, stimulates, regenerates and
sets a refreshing sign of life for itself:
14. Solution: 5 “Escale à Portofino” by Dior
12.4 · Perfume Experience: Practice and Methods for more Perfume…
287 12

5 “Energizing Fragrance” by Shiseido this service, they will be happy to come

5 “Chance Eau Fraîche” by Chanel back—ideally even if they could buy the
same scent cheaper elsewhere. Even more:
5 The ideal care must be invigorating the probability is even quite high that he
and already radiate new energy when will recommend this perfume to others and
applied. Ideal are products that can thus generate new customers.
be combined:
– “Pep Start” by Clinique
– “Énergie de Vie” by Lancôme 12.4.1 Dancing and Smelling
– “L’Eau de Jour” by Rivoli
z Scented Dancing
One method of experience perfumery is
12.4 Perfume Experience: Practice scented dancing. For a perfume shop this
and Methods for more might be a somewhat unusual suggestion,
Perfume Enthusiasm but not for a surprise party or an evening
or customer event with a personal perfume
Of course, you can’t offer a perfume experi- test.
ence to all customers and in all consultation The messenger substances serotonin and
situations, as I describe it below. As a fra- especially dopamine are considered hap-
grance consultant, you need empathy to de- piness hormones. As already mentioned,
cide whether and which methods of the per- dopamine release is controlled by the hy-
fume experience to use. A customer who pothalamus and its network, which is de-
obviously asks for a perfume under time cisive for libido, for example, and commu-
pressure will find it inappropriate if he is nicates closely with the sense of smell. Do-
confronted with—from his point of view— pamine conveys many positive emotional
time-consuming methods of the perfume ex- experiences that are perceived as rewarding
perience. It also depends on regional, mental and mood-enhancing for the psyche. Con-
and personality-specific peculiarities whether versely, motivation, low mood and mood
one can address a customer in this way. swings are associated with low dopamine
Of course, with methods of experience levels.
perfumery, there is also the risk that some Findings from neuroperfumery show
customers will initially feel a certain irrita- that, with scents matched to desires in com-
tion. That is why I recommend that every- bination with other sensory stimuli, it is
one in the perfume consulting practice possible to naturally and healthily increase
rely on their gut feeling when it comes to the dopamine level. Examples of such expe-
the methods I have and will be presenting. riential desires are:
It will signal to them what is possible and 5 To feel more active and dynamic.
could work with a customer. 5 To be more relaxed and stress-free.
If you forego experience perfumery and 5 To feel sensual, attractive and overall
its methods, you run the risk of not suffi- comfortable.
ciently distinguishing yourself from com- 5 To have more fun and joy in life.
petitors in your advice and becoming inter-
changeable for customers. The use of expe- You can achieve the optimal increase in
rience perfumery makes a perfume selection dopamine levels most quickly if a specific
unique. Once a customer has experienced desire for experience is literally fused with
 288 Chapter 12 · Welcome to the Experience Perfumery

coordinated sensory impressions. For ex- But dancing also stimulates the orbitof-
ample, if the desire to experience more fun rontal cortex, among other things. the seat
and joy of life is supported by matching of multisensory experience and important
color impressions, music, dance, and gusta- parts of the personality. Newer studies also
tory and olfactory selected fragrance notes. show that synchronizing movements with
For this, perfumes from the “Gourmand” beats addresses both the ear and the brain.
fragrance direction are ideal. An example Dance and music together form a real dou-
of this fragrance direction is “New York ble pleasure. The resulting greater effect en-
Nights” by Bond No. 9 with a salted cara- sures a significant improvement in the abil-
mel note. ity to smell.
Dancing plays a special role in increas-
ing the experience of fragrance, because z Expressing emotions and moods of
dancing leads to an increased release of scents
serotonin (Christensen and Chang 2018). Scent can be expressed surprisingly well
Therefore, professional dancers have an av- and creatively in dance. Dutch art histo-
erage higher serotonin level, but even occa- rian and curator Caro Verbeek confirms
sional dancers already show effects. Espe- this. In her article “Dancing Scent and Ar-
cially a very fast dance with hopping, jump- omatizing Movement—Hackathon Con-
ing and laughing immediately releases a lot clusions” (the summary of a multi-day
of serotonin. Do the self-test: Dance, for event on dance, movement and scent), she
example, to the song “Cotton Eye Joe” by describes how something fascinating hap-
Rednex or to other versions (7 Cotton Eye pened when she asked participants of the
Joe). smell workshop to express individual scents
through gestures, shapes and movements.
z Those who dance often can smell better The participants did not hesitate to make
That dancing reduces stress has been very expressive movements with their fin-
known for a long time. Also that it is suc- gers, hands, arms and sometimes even their
12 cessfully used in therapies against depres- whole body. Verbeek (2018) writes: “Move-
sion and for more quality of life in Parkin- ment allows us to express emotions. In fact,
son’s. But that dancing also promotes smell- a whole range of emotions. Because that’s
ing is relatively new. Dancing, like all forms what perfumes do. They tell a whole story.”
of physical activity, not only supports the But Verbeek’s attempt also shows that
ability to smell, but also ensures that the you don’t need special kinesthetic intelli-
sense of smell remains fit into old age. gence to dance or express the emotions and
Several studies point to a direct connec- moods of a perfume. There is no “right” or
tion between physical activity and improved “wrong” in the experience of scent. And
smell. Even if the effect does not always oc- that also applies to the dance of scent. Of
cur immediately, the studies show that the course, an experienced dancer with knowl-
sense of smell improves with longer physi- edge of perfumery will want to associate
cal training. It can therefore be said: Those individual fragrance directions with dance
who dance often can smell better and pre- styles. So you could visualize perfumes of
serve this ability longer. Why this is so, the the “Gourmand” fragrance direction and
neuroperfumery does not know exactly yet. their typical ingredients with emotions and
But dancing also seems to stimulate—in ad- moods through figures of Latin American
dition to brain areas responsible for mo- dances such as tango, bachata and meren-
tor skills—the hippocampus, the olfactory gue.
memory, for example. This makes fragrance
impressions more vivid and easier to recall.
12.4 · Perfume Experience: Practice and Methods for more Perfume…
289 12
12.4.2 Goals, Steps, and Examples get something nice to smell and taste. This
for the Experience would be an ideal opportunity to win new
Perfumery customers, but also to remain attractive to
regular customers. For this you could team
The goal of the experience perfumery is to up with a local dance school and even offer
create anticipation and curiosity in the cus- periodic dance evenings on a smaller scale.
tomer , then to create a pleasant, unexpect- In the spirit of a Cross-Promotion, perfum-
edly positive tension during the experience ery shop and dance school could promote
consultation, which can increase to fasci- each other. So every dance student could
nation in the customer. Scent, but also care get a discount on a perfume and every cus-
and make-up should trigger positive expe- tomer who, for example, buys a perfume
riences, even moments of happiness in the from the “Gourmand” range, could receive
customer, from which the consultant also a voucher from the dance school to learn
benefits. This cannot be achieved solely by Latin American dances. Instead of only in
the presentation such as the form, color the evening, dancing with perfume could
and material of the design of the products. also be invited during the day—for exam-
Trend researchers, market insiders, but also ple, on the quiet Monday business days—
more and more retailers have recognized to the perfume shop. Just imagine the cu-
that the customer does not primarily buy riosity of the passers-by who see custom-
a product or service, but a positive experi- ers dancing in the perfume shop. With good
ence. The psychological technique of sur- weather, the perfume dance could even be
prising the customer positively with the un- moved outside and lead to a gathering of
expected plays a special role in the consul- spectators. For this I recommend the music
tation situation. video of the song “Brave” by Sara Bareilles
It is known from sales psychology that (7 Sara Bareilles - Brave).
customers are fascinated and bound to us A little courage belongs to the perfume
above all with an unexpectedly positive ex- experience already, but also a camera, so
perience. Whoever succeeds in doing this that it looks official and the video can be
already has the upper hand in retail today. put online later.
This is especially true for the offline per-
fumery, which can play its difference to 2nd step: Offer surprises and unexpected things
the online sales through modern experi-
ence consulting. Below I present a general z z Self-tests as icebreakers
course of action for the experience increase Ideally, everyone will learn something
in the perfumery, which can be transferred about themselves in this consultation phase,
to other industries and product areas. e.g. through the Moodform test. The goal
of every fragrance test is to infer possi-
1st step of the perfume experience: Generate ble perfume preferences from desired ex-
anticipation through curiosity and suspense periences. So you could—to stay with the
example of fragrance dancing—also of-
z z “World Dance Day” as Cross-Promotion fer a dance test with a matching perfume
To stay with the example of “dancing as a result. Ideas for this can be found un-
with perfume”, for example, you could in- der 7 testedich...a German website, which
vite perfume customers and non-dancers dance fits you. Although fragrance tests do
to a party with perfume tests on “World not have a hundred percent hit rate, they
Dance Day” in April in the perfume shop trigger interesting conversations and are
or another place, where they would also ideally suited for advertising—by mailings,
 290 Chapter 12 · Welcome to the Experience Perfumery

in the window or a menu board at the en- z z Amaze customers, especially new
trance: “This week fragrance dancing— customers and non-customers
what your favorite dance says about your The best customers for surprises are new
perfume preferences.” Of course, no cus- customers and especially non-customers
tomer has to participate in a test. If some- who only come into the store to change
one comes into the store for a specific per- coins for the parking meter, for example.
fume, they can of course start smelling An answer to customer questions or re-
right away. Nevertheless: To build up fur- quests could look like this—after all, you
ther curiosity with personal expectations have nothing to lose:
before smelling the perfume increases the “I’ll do that right away. By the way, on
tension. the occasion of the ‘World Day of Dance’,
we are today presenting perfumes to vari-
z z Positive irritation ous dance styles. Which dance style do you
Fragrance tests like consultation tools of all like the most? Do you love Latin American
kinds and especially unexpected customer dances like tango or merengue (while mak-
approaches not only generate curiosity, but ing a dancing gesture)? Then I’ll show you
also a moment of positive irritation. Artists perfumes that match. Here are the coins for
often use them at exhibitions to prevent vis- the parking meter.” Even if the customer
itors from “passing through”. These irrita- politely declines, he will keep the consulta-
tions cause one to be initially baffled, but tion offer in mind and realize that this per-
then to increase attention. fumery is different. And maybe he will tell
When entering a store, one expects more the experience, which in turn is a nice ad-
or less consciously the usual questions and vertisement.
therefore often does not even listen prop- Under 7 www.kleiner-kalender.de you
erly—which is also true for the seller. He al- will find many more occasions with which
ready believes to know what the customer you can surprise in perfume advice as part
wants. This “talking past each other” has of a promotion or event. In the following
12 fascinated the American sociologist Tal- I will give two more examples with which I
cott Parsons (1902–1979). He liked to an- have had good experiences:
swer the usual greeting formula of the host
with: “I’m sorry I’m late. I still had to kill z z World Turtle Day
my mother-in-law.” In many cases then the This day is particularly suitable for an event
answer was: “That doesn’t matter, come on a weekend. After all, most people dream
right in.” It always took a while until the on Fridays of relaxing, regenerating and
host asked: “But you didn’t really do that, pampering their senses over the weekend.
did you?” Psychologically, it is about the art of doing
An irritation that is also a form of sur- nothing, the art of being at home in one-
prise therefore works in the head. It usu- self, withdrawing, gathering strength and
ally manages to make a reaction with a de- maintaining peace. Since we have to learn
lay. That’s exactly what you need when a this again and again, we are also happy to
customer has no time, is a casual or ran- be advised about it.
dom customer, a new customer or not a To begin the fragrance consultation
customer yet. So you can win him for your with a positive irritation, one could, for ex-
own perfume store and also invite him to ample, say: “Peace and serenity—these are
the next fragrance dancing. the secrets of the turtle, which can be sat-
isfied with its lifestyle up to 250 years old.
In our fast-paced and hectic world, we hu-
12.4 · Perfume Experience: Practice and Methods for more Perfume…
291 12
mans should take this to heart! Welcome there would be no room left for your own
to World Turtle Day (-week) with the most experience display.
beautiful perfumes to relax and find peace Ideal as a display are elegant floor tester
and serenity again.” stands in the field of vision—stable and large
If someone says this in his own words, enough (about W 40 cm × H 154 cm × D
90% of the customers, but also all friends, 40 cm) to decorate the perfumes with some
will agree verbally or non-verbally. They matching things. Suitable for the mentioned
will be grateful for any tips for weekend re- examples, there could be an issue of the con-
laxation and also like to hear more about stitution or a book about dancing or about
turtles while perfumes for World Turtle Day turtles. This decoration can also be used for
have already been set up on a display: most the shop window or as a night decoration
beautiful relax scents of the perfumery or behind the door. In front of the entrance you
from the own fragrance bar. should point to the promotion with a black-
board. In the store you can also use an easel,
z z To the “Day of the Constitution” which gives the display an additional creative
Even the “Day of the Constitution” is ideal touch. This is further increased if the invita-
for creating a positive irritation in the fra- tions to the event are written by hand.
grance consultation and promoting per- The display should be a permanent part
fumes that are not easy to sell: of the perfume shop near the entrance. This
For example in “1949 Article 5 of the way you can engage the customer in a con-
German constitution proclaimed: Everyone versation right when they enter the store
has the right to express their opinion freely and explain to them that new perfumes are
in words, writing and pictures, that also ap- decorated on the display for different oc-
plies to perfumes. Today we show extrava- casions. The perfumes should be from dif-
gant scents that have stimulated the senses ferent manufacturers. This shows expertise
since the introduction of the Law, but have and competence in the perfume shop.
also been discussed contrarily. Then as now
it always takes some courage to show your z z Jam Experiment
style.” A frequently asked question is: What sells
This is done by pointing to a display better and is emotionally more appeal-
with four to a maximum of six unusual per- ing—a large or a targeted selection? Prof.
fumes. More scents would put the custom- Sheena Iyengar from Columbia Business
er’s brain under stress when making a deci- School made a surprising discovery at the
sion. so-called Jam experiment. A delicatessen
in her old home offered 300 different ol-
z z Experience display for the special ive oil varieties and almost as many jams.
You explain to customers or friends—if In the experiment, customers could test 24
you want to animate them to smell or dis- jams on certain days and only 6 varieties on
cuss at home or in the perfume shop—that other days. The result: Customers who were
there will always be new displays on dif- allowed to choose from 24 varieties bought
ferent topics with a fragrance installation almost 30% less than those who only tested
to experience perfumes . When choosing a 6 varieties.
topic, you should always make sure that the Although the customers were initially
chosen topic also touches you yourself. You attracted by the larger selection, they ap-
should not let displays from brands or com- parently experienced the decision-making
panies stand in your perfume shop, so that as emotionally demanding. They appreciate
the selection, but were ultimately not up to
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it. The success of a smaller range, however, Perfumes are introduced in small sizes,
requires additional information: The cus- so to speak as pocket-sized, in order to
tomer must know that his selection options meet the needs of their target groups. For
are theoretically much greater. Therefore, this reason, more and more brand manu-
stationary retail is well advised, for exam- facturers are producing their own editions
ple, to indicate a large selection of stickers in sizes between 15 and 25 ml. Certainly,
on the shop window: “We carry 1001 won- the Corona pandemic has changed many
derful perfumes.” However, only a pre-se- things, including the service for custom-
lection of four to six products should be of- ers and the department store groups them-
fered on the “try-on table” in the store. selves, as many doors had to close. Never-
In order to interest and fascinate the theless, the smaller perfume sizes could be a
brain, especially the amygdala, again and long-term winner of the pandemic.
again, perfumes should be reassembled ac- For years, drugstores have also been of-
cording to the visiting rhythm of the cus- fering small sizes—not only to meet the
tomers. The amygdala is oriented towards needs of their target groups. The magic
the present. For her, it is less interesting, word is “mini-must-haves”, as they are
for example, that Easter is in two weeks. In also known from the surprise shipments of
the foreground is her current experience. Of beauty boxes.
course, both aspects can be combined in the The beauty concierge, who at least ad-
customer approach. This makes the day- vised at Nordstrom before Corona, but also
to-day reference without forgetting the gift made sure that customers could explore
purchase. the “mini-must-haves” on their own, so to
speak, their own treasure hunt. In this way,
z z The Display as Treasure Island a playful atmosphere with surprise possibil-
Neuroperfumery gives another tip on how ities was created, whereby the lucky treas-
to make the display even more attractive ure hunter is allowed to touch all the small
for customers. The amygdala is happy to go treasures on the display and the whole
12 on a treasure hunt for “mini-must-haves” thing takes place in as glamorous a launch
(small things that one must have). She atmosphere as possible. Of course, this type
doesn’t want to miss anything. With that I of tactile experience will be offered again
have already revealed how to present per- after the pandemic. What has increased is
fumes even more targeted and emotionally the so-called unboxing (unpacking). To in-
fascinating. crease the anticipation of the treasure hunt,
The Nordstrom department store group there is often first the unboxing. Then the
was one of the first in the USA to show social media shows how the new mini-must-
how to address and fascinate customers’ have perfume of a brand arrives and is un-
amygdalas even more. One is less focused packed, and invites you to discover it on
on brand presence, but rather on the indi- site or online.
vidual product or the product experience. This is then further increased by “visual
Customers are helped by their own beauty storytelling”, i.e. telling stories, supported
concierges to find the best in each cate- by pictures, the anticipation so that the cus-
gory—for example, with mascaras. In spe- tomer already knows roughly what to dis-
cial trend zones or on labeled displays, the cover next in their own treasure hunt in the
latest beauty trends of the season are pre- store.
sented by different brands, with the number This brings us to another fascinating
of products exhibited per category again phenomenon: if you like something, you
limited to four to six. want to know more about it, especially if
12.4 · Perfume Experience: Practice and Methods for more Perfume…
293 12
you have already bought it. So to speak, as list of top, middle and base notes, this dis-
confirmation that the purchase was correct. tracts and also carries the risk that the cus-
It is essential to confirm the customer’s tomer does not react positively to all ingre-
decision again by further storytelling, so dients. Better first describe the fragrance ex-
that the consulting experience remains pres- perience in general in images that everyone
ent. To come back to the turtle’s anniver- can relate to, for example “like a tropical
sary, you could say on the doorstep when waterfall in which the sunlight is reflected”
saying goodbye, if the customer showed a or “like a wonderful summer evening with
positive reaction to the keyword “turtle” at sunset”. Before addressing ingredients in
the beginning of the consultation: detail, the bottle with cap should be shown
“You have chosen a wonderful per- to convince the orbitofrontal cortex of
fume for relaxing and you will feel really its value. For this, the customer should be
comfortable with it. By the way, turtles are given the bottle immediately after the per-
among the most extraordinary things that fume strip. If it is held for longer, it is a sign
the animal kingdom has ever produced! that the scent is liked.
Which other animal, for example, manages
to get so old and paddle calmly for 3000 km z 4. Step: Beginning of the interactive part
through the world’s oceans? Turtles know after liking the fragrance in the initial
very well how to protect themselves and smell and in the top note
when it is important to withdraw—after all, Customers or guests of an event can and
they have survived for millions of years.” should become active with the perfume
With these afterthoughts that match the shown themselves—provided it agrees. The
feeling of experience of the purchased per- creative work with a perfume, which we
fume, you will achieve something very im- discuss below, makes the scent experience
portant: you communicate that you do not more personal and promotes identification
just see the customer as a buyer, but that (“my perfume”).
he is also important to you as a person, be- If the first scent does not please, the
cause you take the time and give informa- other perfumes are shown. Even if the
tion that goes beyond the purchased per- first perfume has already arrived very well,
fume. customers usually want to smell further,
and they expect that at least three scents
z 3. Step: Smelling will be shown. In order to avoid tiring the
Important: First, the seller should smell the nose, a maximum of six perfumes should
sprayed perfume strip himself to check the be shown. Although smelling coffee beans
perfume and its intensity. Many perfumers clears the nose, it still costs the brain energy
wave the perfume strip lightly and smell it to smell. As I said, you get tired quickly
themselves before handing it over, so that when you smell and you get a little hungry.
the alcohol also evaporates somewhat. This There are various techniques and meth-
is also a gesture to prepare the perfume for ods for the interactive part, which have a
the customer’s smell, and conveys expertise, very positive effect on the further percep-
as we know it from a sommelier who first tion of scent. It is important that the cus-
tastes it himself. How to smell together with tomer has fun. Otherwise you should rather
the customer, I have already discussed in skip this part of the promotion or the
7 Chap. 11 and elsewhere. As I said, before event. Here are some examples of how the
and while smelling, do not name the indi- perception of scents that please can be fur-
vidual ingredients, at least not in detailed ther intensified.
 294 Chapter 12 · Welcome to the Experience Perfumery

z z Scent painting as an event vidual scents in different ways. By the way:

Scent painting is particularly suitable as Crayons and finger paints that can be ap-
an event at the perfume counter or at a plied with a brush remind of childhood and
fragrance seminar. For this purpose, wax have a stress-relieving effect. They are ideal
crayons or washable finger paints are dis- for customers who are looking for relaxa-
tributed in about 16 different colors, each tion after a strenuous week.
with a brush, which the customer can ap- In the context of my events on olfactory
ply to sheets of an A4 block. With the fol- and color psychology (“Soul needs scent”),
lowing colors, scents can be described par- I have made the following experiences:
ticularly well, with three to four colors to 5 Cross-brand promotions are more at-
be selected: violet, lilac, pink, pink, dark tractive, more successful and attract
and light blue, dark and light green, yellow, more customers because they are ex-
sand, white, black, gray, red, turquoise and perienced by the consumer as neutral.
orange. Customers are then asked to first Customers want advice that is tailored
paint or express the headnote in color and, to their needs. This is possible with fra-
if desired, the heart note that unfolds about grance brands from different companies.
ten minutes after application in color and— 5 Customers are looking for a very per-
if desired—in shapes. If the scent pleases, sonal scent that not only smells good,
it can also be applied to the skin. After the but also works for them. When advis-
scent consultation and discussion to expe- ing on fragrances, you have to distin-
rience the perfume, the customer is given guish between what the customer wants,
the painting. It is good if he signs it. This for example to underline his personality,
further increases the identification with the and what he needs to feel good and at-
perfume. For this purpose, silver or gold tractive. More and more customers are
metallic pens are suitable, which give the unconsciously looking for a fragrant,
image a touch of additional artistic value. very personal effect perfume. They want
If the picture is not completely dry yet, the a personal experience with an effect.
12 customer can pick it up later. The fragrance becomes the most beau-
I personally like to offer customers a tiful of all drugs. It is increasingly deci-
scent-color consultation. It takes about sive for the purchase to recognize at the
three to five minutes. I use my color psycho- beginning of the fragrance advice what
logical knowledge to explain the scent expe- the customer needs and what he is look-
rience even further. To increase the custom- ing for as an experience.
er’s curiosity and surprise, I first ask him to 5 Customers love comprehensible psycho-
choose three to four favorite colors from logical, in particular neuroscientific fra-
the 16 mentioned above and paint a picture grance self-tests that give them insights
with them. Then I give a color psycholog- into which perfume works best for them
ical analysis and recommend three to four and what they need in terms of fra-
perfumes of different brands that I place grance to feel more attractive and com-
in front of the customer and let him smell fortable. Furthermore, the customer
them. Finally, I offer the customer to cre- must experience himself actively in the
ate his own personal perfume together with tests, as is the case, for example, with the
him from the two best scents by means of test with the favorite colors. Ideally, he
perfume layering. This is a special moment can take the test results home with him.
for the customer. He experiences the cre- 5 Customers want to be active them-
ation of his own perfume, which only he selves in the choice of fragrance and cre-
wears and which he can adapt to his needs ate a personal perfume for themselves.
and his sense of smell by applying the indi-
12.4 · Perfume Experience: Practice and Methods for more Perfume…
295 12
They are therefore very open and curi- sonal effect perfumes with which you can
ous with regard to perfume layering and increase joie de vivre, self-confidence and
often buy two perfumes instead of one. attractiveness for yourself and for others,
The possibility of receiving an individ- because soul needs fragrance.
ual perfume is very attractive to the cus-
tomer. Experiencing oneself as a per-
The following took place at the event
fumer significantly enhances his shop-
evening itself:
ping experience.
1. Introduction with lecture and self-test
5 Customers are happy to recommend an
(20 min)
event to friends. Events that take place
Around 100 customers came to the
at the same location within a short time
evening event. After an introduction to
frame of three to six weeks or are an-
neuroperfumery, all participants took a
nounced as a double event at the begin-
self-test (neuropsychological perfume
ning are usually well attended.
color test) during the lecture. After-
5 There is an event flow that quickly
wards, the individual solutions were pre-
arouses the interest of many customers
sented to all participants in the lecture.
and even moves them to wait in line un-
Finally, the participants were explained
til it is their turn. The waiting line even
the result of the self-test in the form of
increases the attractiveness of the event.
perfume layering, and tips were given on
how to best mix one’s own perfume.
Here is the procedure for a promotion
2. Scent painting and perfume self-layering
that can be carried out as an event work-
At various stations, participants were
shop with four people for up to 100 cus-
able to take part in a workshop them-
tomers. The event took place on the occa-
selves or wait for the lecturer for an in-
sion of the German “Duftstars 2019” (an
dividual analysis and consultation.
event at which the best perfumes of the
Those who wanted to be active right
year are awarded) with the Breuninger de-
away could paint a picture with their fa-
partment store in Düsseldorf.
vorite colors, which was then olfacto-
The customers received the following in-
rily interpreted and assigned scent di-
formation as an invitation to the event:
rections. Most people took advantage
of this offer. In line with the individual
solutions mentioned in the lecture, per-
Neuroperfumery
fume testers were grouped and arranged
A fragrance psychologist explains the
by scent family on tables. The partic-
effect and world of perfumes with the
ipants were able to carry out their own
groundbreaking findings of brain re-
perfume layering. The lecturer was ac-
search.
companied by three helpers.
A lecture and workshop with a psycho-
logical fragrance test and the opportu- z z Scent design, scent sculpture, perfume
nity to create your own perfume. modulation
Discover with a neuropsychological self-
For this event, clay is distributed in differ-
test the stimulation needs of individ-
ent colors and participants are asked to
ual brain regions such as the relation-
first design the top note—if time permits,
ships between perfume, personality and
also the heart note—of a layered perfume.
moods.
This is especially suitable for modeling sets
Become your own perfumer and create
with 24 colors as well as with spatulas or
scents that become well-smelling per-
other parts. It is exciting to observe how
 296 Chapter 12 · Welcome to the Experience Perfumery

participants experience their new perfume

and design it in color and form. 12.4.3 Rediscovering the World
At another event—ideally with eight to of Perfumes Again
twelve participants—one’s new perfume can and Again
be represented as a sculpture. Alternatively
to clay, modeling compound can be used, The experience perfume store is particularly
which dries without oven heat. Afterwards, attractive when it is integrated into an ex-
the raw artwork can be further processed tended artistic context. Exhibitions that of-
by drilling, grinding, sawing or painting— fer a sensually creative journey of contem-
by the way also a fun for men. The result- porary scents are usually well attended and
ing sculptures can be exhibited in one’s own attract target groups that one would like
perfume shop or shared via social media. to interest in the stationary perfume store.
Through this kind of event - perfume as An example of this was the exhibition “A
sculpture - , it is even possible that the local Sensory Journey Through Contemporary
press will report. Scent” with installations by ten perfumes
as well as events and workshops, for exam-
z z Scent of Rhythm ple with the perfumer and sound artist Paul
In this event form, participants are asked to Schütze at the Somerset House in Lon-
put together the appropriate music for the don in 2017. The aim was to be inspired by
perfume art work created by perfume layer- scents anew. Less known, but rather experi-
ing using their own iPod or laptop. This can mental creations of niche perfumes were in
be developed into a perfume film, in which the foreground. The exhibition with these
one or more key scenes describe the mood less known perfumes was a success. This
of the new perfume. Multisensory works of shows that many perfume users feel the in-
art arise from perfume modulation. creasing need to experience perfume as a
unique and experimental work of art—as
z z Dancing Scent with perfume layering.
12 In this event, the participants express their
individual perfume experience while per- » Strategic luck-sampling
fume-layering through gestures, movements Consumers are especially attracted by
and dance. In each individual performance, chances to win. Here are some tips on how
the spectators smell the relevant perfume. to attract and inspire new customers with a
The individual dance performances should promotion without incurring large market-
not be too short. A duration of about ing costs.
three minutes has proven to be effective. In There are gift boxes and treasure chests in
this way, the release of the happiness hor- all colors and sizes. For this action you need
mones serotonin and dopamine is achieved a dice as well as gift boxes/treasure chests in
through the joyful combination of physical violet-lilac, rose-toned, dark blue, pink-toned
activity with sensory stimuli. and red-yellow, the basic colors of the mood-
forms (color forms) presented above, or
boxes with a neutral white background, on
which these moodforms are printed.
As an invitation to this promotion, you
can write on a blackboard:
12.4 · Perfume Experience: Practice and Methods for more Perfume…
297 12
Discover your lucky perfume! repeated sneezing, because it tickles or
In one of the treasure chests, a very spe- itches in the nose and one also has to rub
cial fragrance gift with a personal lucky one’s eyes. But the same feeling in the nose
message is waiting for you. also occurs when smelling. The trigeminal
It could be your new favorite perfume, nerve conducts touch stimuli, but also pain
with which you enchant yourself and to the brain. It can also measure tempera-
others. tures, and you can even smell with it—and
Which of the five treasure chests will not necessarily unpleasantly. Because what
bring you luck? the trigeminal nerve mostly feels, we also
Roll your lucky number and then open enjoy: a little cooling, warming, tingling,
the treasure chest that you are currently sharp, corrosive or biting. Not surprisingly,
most attracted to in color.“ eucalyptus and menthol, for example as
mint, as well as ginger or pepper also work
in perfumes via this nerve. With it you can
In each of the five different colored treas-
smell and feel things with additional effect,
ure chests, there are six different perfume
which goes beyond the usual “pleasant vs.
samples , which are numbered from 1 to 6
unpleasant” and gives us pleasure despite
and match the scent of the treasure chest
or precisely because of the slight tingling.
(see Moodform Test). So with five treas-
“Even if someone is completely anosmic,
ure chests 30 perfumes can be advertised at
you can still stimulate the trigeminal nerve
the same time. Ideally, each perfume sample
with appropriate fragrance substances”
has a small lucky message, similar to lucky
(Hatt and Dee 2012). This means: You can
cookies. For inspiration for lucky mes-
still experience a kind of olfactory pleasure,
sages, sentences from the Moodform solu-
even if it is no longer in the normal range
tion texts can be used—“What is important
of smell and is experienced as unsatisfac-
now.”
tory on its own.
To save costs, customers only find a lucky
The phenomenon known as trigeminal
message in the treasure chests. It comes with
smell can be further intensified if the smell
a fragrance suggestion that is printed on a
also has something stinging and disgusting.
perfume strip. For the fragrance consulta-
What we perceive as disgust was learned
tion, only the respective perfume has to be
during olfactory socialization—for example
sprayed on the perfume strip.
during toilet training. If the smell also has
The lucky scent should be shown to-
something stinging, not only the olfactory
gether with a second perfume, which is also
memory, but also the trigeminal nerve is ac-
suitable for layering for a personal scent.
tivated. This is known as a combination,
» Fascination of the not beautiful smell for example with stale, disgusting-sting-
ing urine smells. Here, learned disgust and
Perfumery can also be an invitation to smell
innate aversion to stinging come together
differently. The enjoyment of fragrance is
very typically.
complex and not only limited to the beau-
Interestingly, it is precisely the most pro-
tiful smell, as we know it. This is also due
voking smells that the history of perfumery
to the trigeminal nerve, which runs through
knows. Their effect in scents is legendary
the face and is important for the sense of
and has always played a role in great per-
smell. It can cause very surprising, confus-
fumes like “Jicky” or “Shalimar”—even if
ing effects and fragrance enjoyment, but
it is somewhat hidden. The now forbidden
also olfactory outrage.
secretion of the civet cat, which smells very
The trigeminal nerve is also known as
animal, quite urinous and even fermented,
the sneeze nerve. For example, one reacts to
is a classic example. In its pure form it ac-
sudden bright light with still unexplained,
 298 Chapter 12 · Welcome to the Experience Perfumery

tually smells disgusting-stinking, but in di-

lution it has a strange pleasure fascination,
» Have you become interested in this chapter
to express your favorite perfume, for
with cascades of associations in different
example through dance or painting? I would
facets running in the brain. Imaging stud-
be very pleased about that and, for that
ies show that when smelling of stinging-dis-
reason alone, this chapter would have been
gusting-smelling substances, different ar-
worth it.
eas are activated immediately, because the
brain obviously cannot calm down.
Sometimes art also likes to play with Summary
these scent impressions, because this type In this chapter we have looked at how to
of smell quickly crosses boundaries and it offer the customer, especially in the sta-
is difficult to distance oneself from them. tionary perfume trade, an experience en-
These smells can hardly be disciplined by hancement and in this context have dis-
the brain. You can get used to them, but cussed tools and methods of experi-
they are intrusive, because short-term and ence-oriented perfume retailing for more
at intervals always smelled again, it is diffi- perfume enthusiasm in consulting prac-
cult to withdraw. Subliminally, one knows tice.
that they have something to do with one’s The goal of experience-oriented perfume
own self, with one’s own humanization, retailing is, first of all, to create curios-
with the arduous development to the aes- ity and anticipation for getting to know
thetic personality. Nevertheless, they are perfumes, which then leads to a pleas-
part of oneself. It is difficult to reject them. ant, unexpectedly positive, but also excit-
Sigmund Freud even went so far as to say ing consultation that can increase to fas-
that children in the anal phase (2–3 years of cination. As tools, we have learned psy-
age) are proud of their excrement and ex- chological fragrance consulting methods
perience it as a gift to their parents. The ex- such as the Moodform-Test©, with which
cretion is thus also an expression of adap- the reader can test himself. The test is
12 tation, as the retention is an expression of based on findings from neuroperfum-
defiance. The destructive of the analiticity ery, color and fragrance psychology and
is also reflected in vulgar expressions, e.g. as connections with experience wishes. A
“fear”, “fraud”, “to shit on something”, but method for experiencing perfumes more
also in the “reprimand” (Helle 2019). intensively and originally is fragrance
Art that plays with these smells becomes dancing, but there are also special occa-
very emotional and original. An ambivalent sions such as World Turtle Day(-Week),
pleasure arises in the facets between attrac- to which one can present the customer
tive and disgusting, with which the French with the most beautiful perfumes to re-
smell artist and perfumer Christophe lax and experience inner peace and calm
Laudamiel likes to play. His works evoke ol- again on an experience display. Further-
factory associations, e.g. between sea, alco- more, we discussed methods of experi-
hol, wood, urine smells and skin, and pres- ence-oriented perfume retailing such as
ent a very faceted pleasure, for which simple the treasure island, fragrance painting,
evaluations such as “pleasant” or “unpleas- the fragrance-color consultation as well
ant” no longer want to fit, because stink be- as strategic luck-sampling.
comes part of the pleasure experience.
References
299 12
References Rempel J (2006) Olfaktorische Reize in der Marken-
kommunikation: Theoretische Grundlagen und
Christensen JF, Chang DS (2018) Tanzen ist die beste empirische Erkenntnisse zum Einsatz von Düften.
Medizin: warum es uns gesünder, klüger und Springer, Wiesbaden
glücklicher macht. Rowohlt, Reinbek Schifferstein HNJ, Tanudjaja I (2004) Visualising fra-
Hatt H, Dee R (2012) Das kleine Buch vom Riechen grances through colours: The mediating role of
und Schmecken. Albrecht Klaus, München emotions. Perception 33(10):1249–1266
Helle M (2019) Psychotherapie. Springer, Berlin Sorokowski P et al (2014) Color studies in applied psy-
Higgins ET (1987) Self-discrepancy: a theory relating chology and social sciences: an overview. Polish J
self and affect. Psychol Rev 94:319–340 Appl Psychol 12(2):9
Mensing J, Beck C (1988) The psychology of fragrance Tamura K et al (2018) Olfactory modulation of colour
selection. In: Van Toller S, Dodd GH (Eds) Per- working memory: how does citrus-like smell influ-
fumery: the psychology and biology of fragrance. ence the memory of orange colour? PLoS ONE
Chapman & Hall, London, pp 185–204 13(9):e0203876
Parkinson B et al (1996) Changing moods: the psy- Verbeek C (2018) Dancing scent and aromatizing
chology of mood and mood regulation. Addison movement. Hackathon conclusions. Mediamatic
Wesley Longman, New York Art centre, Amsterdam
 301 13

Stationary Perfumery
in Change
Welcome to the Race for the Stationary Perfumery of Tomorrow

Contents

13.1 Elephant Races: The Competition for the “Perfume

Sales Location” of Tomorrow – 302
13.1.1 Core Competencies of Stationary Perfume Shops – 303
13.1.2 The Role of Drugstores, Pharmacies, and Grocery Stores – 304

13.2 Stationary Perfumery in Transition: Developments &

Trends – 307
13.2.1 Outstanding Food Markets as Role Models – 307
13.2.2 New Beauty Worlds: More and More Perfumeries are
Upgrading – 308
13.2.3 The Trend Towards the “Face-to-Face” Well-being Meeting
Point – 312

13.3 Sales Location Perfume Shop: Methods and Strategies

for Winning (New) Customers – 314
13.3.1 Target Groups of the Perfume Shop of Tomorrow – 314
13.3.2 Shopfitting – 315

References – 317

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023
J. Mensing, Beautiful SCENT,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67259-4_13
 302 Chapter 13 · Stationary Perfumery in Change

13.1 Elephant Races: The Compe-

tition for the “Perfume Sales
Location” of Tomorrow
The future of stationary, owner-oper-
ated perfume shops is a mostly pessimisti-
cally discussed topic not only in Germany.
The focus is on the effects of E-Commerce
and in particular the perfume online shops
on the development of sales of stationary
perfume shops with the main areas of fra-
grance, body care and decorative cosmetics
(make-up). But worries are also caused by
the growing importance of drugstores, phar-
macies, food retailers, but also discounters.
They have become increasingly closer to the
core range and service of the perfume shop
in recent years. That is why strategies for po-
sitioning are now urgently needed. This is
especially true for medium-sized perfume
specialty stores that live from prestigious
mid- and high-priced cosmetics.
The total market for all beauty products
sold in Germany reached just over 14.3 bil-
Trailer lion euros in 2022. That is 5.4 percent more
There is a lot of fear for the future in sta- than in the previous "Corona year".This in-
tionary perfume shops. cludes women’s and men’s fragrances, skin
Many retailers are pessimistic when asked and facial care products, decorative cosmet-
if they can continue to exist as a specialty ics, oral and dental care products, bath and
13 store. There are certainly many competi- shower additives, deodorants, soaps, shav-
tors today for the classic perfume shop— ing care products and other beauty care
not just online—trying to break into the pre- products. The stationary, mostly owner-op-
mium perfume market, but one must also erated perfume shops only benefit from this
ask: “Do consumers have new needs that the total sales and growth (with forecast of 2.5
classic stationary perfume shop does not or percent for 2023) to a small extent, if at all.
not yet cover?” As we will see in this chap- They have core competencies, but these are
ter, consumer behavior is changing rapidly in also offered by competitors from other in-
the perfume industry. For the future of per- dustries who are constantly catching up.
fume retailing, it is therefore more important Let's discuss this using Germany as an ex-
than ever to understand and respond to how ample, because classic perfume retail has
customers want to experience themselves to- already changed drastically in many other
day and which experience desires are increas- countries.
ing. This also brings us to the topic of store
design, how a stationary perfume shop can
also be designed.
13.1 · Elephant Races: The Competition for the “Perfume Sales Location” …
303 13
13.1.1 Core Competencies Core competence 4 of the perfume shop
of Stationary Perfume are good brands. Also here the drugstore
Shops catches up from the perspective of the con-
sumer, while the pharmacies lag behind in
Core competence 1 of the perfume shop is this image assessment. The winner in this
beauty. That used to be its unique selling core competence is the food trade, with
proposition—with the exception of hair- which corresponding brands are particu-
dressers, spas, medical spas, cosmetic sur- larly often associated. From the perspective
geons and other beauty providers. Increas- of the perfume industry and the food trade,
ingly, more and more consumers associ- this means that in terms of a good brand
ate beauty above all with drugstores, which image, an overlap of beauty and food like
have been recording much higher growth Beauty Food is not a problem.
rates for years and have taken a dominant Core competence 5 of the perfume shop
position in the perfume industry in terms is quality. Here, the perfume shop still has
of beauty products. Even the food trade the upper hand over drugstores and phar-
and pharmacies have gained ground in this macies, but can learn something from the
core competence—although to a lesser ex- better image of the food trade. It is still
tent. The competence of caring cosmet- more strongly associated with good qual-
ics is of course determined to a large extent ity, especially in combination with pleasure,
by the beauty image. In addition, decora- bio, freshness and authenticity.
tive cosmetics and perfumes aim at attrac- Discounters are currently still known
tiveness, which plays a role above all when for their low prices and special offers, but
choosing a fragrance. are becoming more and more similar to the
Core competence 2 of the perfume shop food trade with its supermarkets. In fact,
is competentadvice. However, pharma- the boundaries of the individual distribu-
cies score much better in this area due to tion channels are beginning to blur.
the combination of health and trust. Per- Now the following questions arise: Will
fume stores are now only trusted to the the stationary perfume shop, as we know
same extent or less than discounters. Drug- it, survive as a specialist shop? Do consum-
stores and the food trade are even enjoying ers have new needs that the classic perfume
greater trust. shop no longer covers?
Core competence 3 of the perfume shop The takeover of stationary, especially
is well-being, with drugstores catching up owner-operated perfumeries by large per-
here. Well-being is closely linked to the ex- fume groups has not only started in Ger-
perience of advice. Nevertheless, it is sur- many for some time now for reasons of age
prising how little well-being is recognized of the owners. Customers are changing in
by perfume stores as a major image carrier. their wishes and needs. In some countries,
So this area is hardly integrated into the such as the USA, classical perfumeries have
training of perfume salespeople in terms of long been insignificant in terms of market
customer approach. Its implementation is share. There the trend started early towards
also only marginally visible in store design. multi-store operators. Not only for the per-
An exception are the “first in beauty” per- fume retail trade, but also for consumer re-
fume stores in Germany, which have taken search in Germany, there is an increasing
up this topic in their customer magazine trend: Customers who are offered parallel
(Pilatus 2020). offers by several distribution channels are
 304 Chapter 13 · Stationary Perfumery in Change

not only more satisfied and more willing to Walgreen-Boots stores, deliveries are even
spend, but also go shopping more often. made twice a day. Multi-store operators not
In fact, consumer behavior is currently only reach customers more quickly, but also
changing rapidly. For the future of perfume provide them with an increasingly exciting
retailing, it is therefore more important and stimulating shopping experience than
than ever to understand how customers the traditional retailer.
want to experience themselves and which There will certainly continue to be a po-
needs, experience wishes and habits are in- tential customer base for the perfume re-
creasing—but above all, what fascinates tailer in Germany and the neighboring
them, how they can be bound to themselves countries, but the average customer base
and how they can be positioned accord- will be increasingly older.In particular, the
ingly. Taking these points into account, the European consumer appreciates specialist
following simple conclusion can be drawn shops in his inner cities, which—as individ-
for the trade: In the race for the perfume of ual cities have had to experience—help sig-
tomorrow, it is not about off- or online, but nificantly against the desolation or an inter-
about how to fascinate customers and—no changeable shopping experience. Neverthe-
matter how, when and where they shop— less, there is something that can be learned
how the business does not lose sales. from the strategies of American drug-
Greg Wasson, former president of Wal- stores, for example, which led to the “per-
greens USA, a drugstore chain and one of fume taxi”, which was introduced by some
the world’s largest drugstores, puts it in a stationary perfume shops with the Corona
nutshell: “The company doesn’t care where pandemic.
the customer shops, as long as it’s at Wal- Drugstores in this country have also in-
greens—in the store, via the app, online, tensified their face-to-face customer advice
whenever, wherever he wants to shop.” With in recent years. This applies to the drug-
its about 9000 stores and its share in Wal- store company Müller, the drugstore mar-
greens Boots Alliance, which also operates ket leader dm, Rossmann as the second
mainly in England, Walgreens has been do- largest drugstore chain in Germany and the
ing a lot for years to not lose any potential perfumery group Douglas. All of them have
13 customers. For this purpose, advice, service put the stationary owner-operated perfume
and range have been expanded in the stores shops under a lot of pressure—also because
for years. The same applies to the competitor they can address a younger clientele.
CVS with close to 10,000 stores, which has
also primarily invested in customer advice.
The large number of stationary, eas- 13.1.2 The Role of Drugstores,
ily accessible stores is an advantage. But in Pharmacies, and Grocery
the age of the Internet, something else is
added. The two large perfume and cosmet-
Stores
ics retailers have been addressing the “om- z Drugstores are positioning themselves
nichannel consumer”, that is, the customer more and more as perfumeries
with a preference for cross-channel shop-
In recent years, drugstores in Germany
ping, for some time now. Accordingly, in
have strategically expanded their range in
addition to perfume and drugstore arti-
the direction of perfumeries and health
cles, there are also pharmacy products and
food stores (typically known as a Reform-
a food area at Walgreens. This attracts con-
haus). At the same time, they are approach-
sumers for whom products, services and in-
ing the pharmacy market with online phar-
formation from various product categories
macies. This not only did good for their
are available with a mouse click. In some
13.1 · Elephant Races: The Competition for the “Perfume Sales Location” …
305 13
image, they developed into attractive mul- perfumery. Apart from health food stores/
ti-store operations as a result—like the organic stores , only drugstores and phar-
market leader dm. dm has been cooperat- macies are associated with health in Ger-
ing with the Swiss online pharmacy “Zur many, based on large shopping areas. Tra-
Rose” since 2013 at least in some countries. ditional food retailers or supermarkets and
As is well known, the drugstore chain dm discounters have the greatest need to catch
has been planning its own range of medi- up in this area, but also are well on their
cines for a long time. According to its own way.
statement, it is or wants to be the European
market leader in pharmaceuticals and ex- z Pharmacies and the run to natural cos-
periments with a pick-up service or pick-up metics
service for medications in over 2000 Only insiders know what role pharmacies
branches in Germany (over 3,800 stores in with their image of health and trust could
12 European countries and 66000 employ- play in the perfumery of tomorrow in Ger-
ees (2021)). With sales of around 33 billion many. The two companies Walgreens and
euros, Germany is the largest pharmaceu- CVS, which belong to the world’s larg-
tical market in Europe—ahead of France est cosmetics retailers, are primarily phar-
and Italy."Zur Rose" seems to have plans macies. Good sales can be generated espe-
of its own. The company is active in numer- cially with non-prescription drugs such as
ous European countries; its most important cold products. So already only cold prod-
market is Germany, where it operates the ucts lead customers into the stores, which
online pharmacy DocMorris. "Zur Rose" then buy drugstore goods and perfume ar-
apparently now sees the online success of ticles. Therefore one must ask: Why are not
the perfumery retailer Douglas, since it's pharmacies in Germany the perfumeries of
not a big step from Douglas' beauty busi- tomorrow?
ness to "Zur Rose's" core business – health. In order to protect the health of the
In the competition for the German per- German population, the legislature is par-
fumery of tomorrow, the health image and ticularly vigilant over pharmacies. Thus, a
the greater trust associated with pharma- pharmacist can only own four stationary
cies are decisive. With the aging of the pop- stores, can only be represented in his phar-
ulation, businesses associated with health in macy for a certain period of time, and even
general are gaining in importance. Pharma- his profit is fixed. This will not change any
cies have an almost insurmountable lead in time soon. So far, all federal governments
terms of health image, even if the number have held the view that an owner-operated
of stationary pharmacies is declining. They pharmacy with freelance pharmacists work-
are trusted much more than perfumeries. ing on the basis of high professional stand-
Whoever can offer health and trust in ards is best able to ensure the proper pro-
combination with beauty, attractiveness vision of medicinal products to the popula-
and well-being in the eyes of consumers tion.
and manages to advise competently on new, While it is possible to build and main-
innovative fragrances and care products has tain pharmacy chains via cooperations, li-
the perfumery of tomorrow almost in the censes, consulting fees and other services,
palm of their hand. such as rental contracts, to which perfume
Drugstores are already well on their shops can also be attached, the individ-
way, because for them the affiliation with ual pharmacists must still be officially inde-
pharmacies has already paid off for image pendent according to the legislature. Phar-
reasons alone. So the health image of the macists who, for example, join together in
drugstores is much better than that of the a cooperation like Pluspunkt (a pharmacy
 306 Chapter 13 · Stationary Perfumery in Change

cooperation), are quickly put under pres- market with the image of health, beauty, at-
sure as a franchise concept. tractiveness and innovation.
Various aspects make the situation even In one cosmetics segment, the overlap
more difficult. For example, a whole range of health and beauty is already very clearly
of lucrative additional services, such as vac- reflected: in natural cosmetics. Pharmacies
cinations, which are common in the USA and drugstores are just beginning to bind
or in Great Britain, are traditionally pro- this area more to themselves.
hibited for German pharmacists. But Co- In 2018 alone, sales here increased by up
rona brought a change of heart. Since 2020, to 7% annually (according to the forecast
pharmacists have been allowed to vaccinate with an annual sales growth of over 5% un-
customers in pharmacies under strict tech- til 2027), and over a million new customers
nical, spatial and organizational conditions. were addressed. This makes natural cosmet-
Another hot topic is the sale of advertising ics in Germany a special phenomenon in re-
space or the support or reimbursement of cent years. It rose to the pearl of trade. Not
advertising, decoration and placement costs only does it attract younger target groups,
by pharmaceutical manufacturers, as they but it also offers different positioning op-
are comparable to those provided by per- tions: from inexpensive to premium/luxury.
fume and cosmetics manufacturers for per- Another plus: new discoveries in the field
fume shops. They could be considered as of ingredients made natural cosmetics even
influencing patients. more effective and special. This opens up
It is no wonder that the number of sta- new cosmetic segments, for example vegan
tionary pharmacies in Germany has de- high-tech cosmetics or a new generation of
clined in recent years and that there were - active scent cosmetics. They could pro-
already over 3000 (internet) mail-order vide needle-free alternatives to injections in
pharmacies in Germany in 2020. However, the field of cosmetic surgery—possibly even
they do not belong to pharmacies licensed in combination with well-being and relaxa-
in Germany, but operate directly and indi- tion, as known from aromatherapy.
rectly from a foreign location, such as the
Netherlands or Switzerland. This makes the z The food trade and the race for the per-
13 entrepreneurial situation of German phar- fumeries of tomorrow
macists increasingly difficult. In the com- The food trade is closely monitoring the
ing years, pharmacies and perfume shops as drugstores. Above all, they see how they
multi-store businesses are unlikely to play a are infiltrating the state-protected phar-
significant role in the market. macy market in Germany and are also get-
If German pharmacists were less re- ting closer to the perfumeries. For the two
stricted by the legislature and had a differ- market leaders Edeka and Rewe, the phar-
ent attitude to perfume and cosmetics, the macy market is not new. Rewe had already
premium brands associated with them and experimented with the mail-order phar-
the associated service offerings, which they macy DocMorris. However, when the pres-
often see as an image-enhancing, but less as sure from the pharmacy lobby became too
a sales potential, the future of the perfume great, they withdrew for the time being.
industry in Germany would have a different The discounter Netto, which belongs to the
dynamics. With the next generation of care, Edeka Group, cooperated with the Dutch
beauty from the outside and inside—for mail-order pharmacy Almedica until it
example, beauty from the inside through had to file for bankruptcy. In recent years,
beauty food dietary supplements—the it has become clear that the food trade also
pharmacy has the chance to position itself wants to position itself more strongly in the
even more strongly in the healthcare future healthcare future market with the image of
13.2 · Stationary Perfumery in Transition: Developments & Trends
307 13
health, beauty, attractiveness and innova- ent its product groups and increase the fun
tion. of shopping and the shopping experience.
The food trade with its supermarkets These are the Coop store in Novoli (Flor-
has undergone a profound change. Super- ence) and “Hiebers Frische Center” in Bad
markets have been winning designer prizes Krozingen near Freiburg /Germany. They
for the “art of shopping” for a few years. were awarded the “Euroshop Retail De-
Because the importance of the ambience sign Prize” as supermarkets of the year in
for the shopping pleasure was recognized. New York and have found many imitators
As a consequence, supermarkets began to in their industry.
present themselves more and more like lux- The 2500 square metre Coop store
ury brands for product effect and experi- surprises with the impression of a mar-
ence. ket hall—but without a colourful jumble,
As a result, there was a lot of redecora- but with an intelligently minimalist pleas-
tion. In order to increase the visual well-be- ure-oriented shopping experience that
ing of the customers, shelves were rear- looks fresh, well-groomed and clean. This is
ranged and adjusted, narrow check-out achieved above all by the impressive prod-
tables replaced massive cash registers; in- uct presentation at the fresh islands. The
stead of standing in long queues, customers dominant colours here are beige and grey.
are politely sent to a free colleague by em- Large glass surfaces, combined with materi-
ployees, or even checked out at self-service als from a comfortable Italian kitchen, cre-
checkouts. ate a warm and modern atmosphere at the
Despite these innovations, the ques- same time. This is underlined by fresh, re-
tion arises: Would a customer also be will- gional products of the highest quality. In
ing to buy luxury perfume brands such as addition, there is plenty of luxury space.
Creed and Bond No. 9 or luxury care from Nobody has to squeeze past crammed
La Prairie at Edeka and Co.? Or vegan fra- shelves—similar to the set of a fictional su-
grance-effective cosmetics from the fresh- permarket that Chanel chose for the pres-
ness shelf ? Possibly not yet. However, there entation of its winter fashion in 2014.
are more and more supermarkets that look In this Coop store, everything is log-
like designer temples inside and out and ically arranged. You almost create your
have greatly upgraded their drugstore de- next menu while strolling by and get infor-
partment. mation on how to refine your own kitchen.
The employees are dressed in fresh white
and remind one of cooks or culinary ex-
13.2 Stationary Perfumery perts. Individual stops provide inspiration
in Transition: Developments for new culinary combinations and discov-
eries in a funny and witty way. The neigh-
& Trends
bourhood of the university campus fits this
type of relaxed finding, discovering and ex-
ploring. Not surprisingly, a café and a res-
13.2.1 Outstanding Food Markets
taurant are part of this shopping paradise.
as Role Models Comfortable parking is a matter of course.
Everything is oriented towards customer
Two food stores have won designer prizes comfort. They even go one step further: In-
for some time now—a signal of the di- viting areas offer space for tastings, semi-
rection in which this industry is develop- nars and customer events.
ing as a whole. But they also show how a With over 2000 square metres, “Hie-
perfumery in the 21st century could pres- bers Frische Center” in the spa town of
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Bad Krozingen also offers further inspira- but they benefit from flexible work schedul-
tion for a perfumery of the future. As the ing, lounge with internet access and terrace,
first Edeka market, the center was already continuous training as well as spacious,
awarded the Euroshop Retail Design Prize pop-papered changing rooms with chan-
as supermarket of the year in 2013. Even deliers. All this is intended to promote the
from the outside, the store impresses with a motivation of the employees.
new design concept and unusually elegant
architecture such as a 15-degree inclined
matt black lacquered exterior wall. 13.2.2 New Beauty Worlds: More
Even the interior has surprises in store. and More Perfumeries are
Everything revolves around the creation of Upgrading
product worlds in which products should
appear as a harmonious whole and be set In the meantime, a number of station-
in scene by special materials, lighting and ary perfumeries—including the Doug-
floor coverings. Minimalist line drawings las PRO Store in Hamburg-Eppendorf
and black and white lettering on the back and the Douglas store in downtown Düs-
walls identify each department. seldorf (Joachim-Erwin-Platz 1 - opened
“Learn first, then buy” is the motto. Ac- 2023) with a futuristic look and feel or the
cordingly, “instructional boards”, which flagship store on Düsseldorf's Königsallee
also serve as design elements, provide in- (opened 2022), which is actually no longer
formation on the individual product areas. a perfumery, but rather a beauty and well-
Since the demand for fresh, chilled prod- being paradise—have already shown how
ucts is constantly increasing, Hieber has they could position themselves better in
equipped the refrigerated shelves with ele- general in the future as well as which ser-
gant wooden frames in which, for example, vices and products would have to be of-
smoothies immediately catch the eye. The fered. The focus is still mainly on skin care
drugstore department in the middle of the and decorative cosmetics. However, it has
store glows blue-violet-silver like a space- been recognized that the expert knowl-
ship. edge-dependent advisory level with regard
13 However, Hieber and Coop in Novoli to innovative products and the associated
also want to be a social meeting place for service would have to be given greater im-
their customers. Business-related events portance.
such as cooking courses, wine tastings or In this context, upgrading has been tak-
market tours are announced via till receipt ing place in the field of care cabins for some
and the small screens of the self-service time now. They can score points above all
checkouts. in contrast to internet shops with special
In order to involve customers and bind pampering experiences. But one has also
them even more to the business, a customer come to an extremely important realiza-
council was set up which gives suggestions tion: perfume shops must also carry well-
for expanding the range and redesigning known products from pharmacy cosmet-
the store, but also keeps an eye on environ- ics, such as the well-known brand La Ro-
mental guidelines. che-Posay. With special products against
Finally, there is an own “quality seal” skin irritation and problems, the perfume
which communicates the self-claim. Hie- shop increases its health image and gains
ber attaches particular importance to the trust. This should be supported by profes-
standards of its own employees. They may sionals with pharmaceutical knowledge. Of-
not be among the best-paid in the industry, ten an experience perfume shop is created
13.2 · Stationary Perfumery in Transition: Developments & Trends
309 13
that offers services such as those previously Perfume shops can position them-
only associated with plastic surgery prac- selves against the potential supremacy of
tices and aesthetic dermatology. As early the food trade by—as already the pharma-
as 2018, perfume shop Douglas examined cies—increasingly relying on beauty food.
whether it would be possible to offer treat- These are dietary supplements that are sup-
ments, e.g. with Botox, in branches. This posed to ensure more beautiful and attrac-
was not easy to realize, among other things, tive skin, hair and nails. They are offered
because a Botox injection can only be car- as a drink, powder or even as a chewing
ried out in Germany (unlike in the USA) by gum, for example in the form of delicious
a doctor (and not by a dentist). With hyalu- gummy bears. The latter should protect
ron injections, this can still be administered against thin or dull hair and even hair loss
by a naturopath. Meanwhile, some perfume with their high vitamin content.
shops work together with doctors and na-
turopaths. The trend is towards specialist z The stationary perfumery of tomorrow:
doctors from the fields of plastic surgery A center of freshness
or aesthetic dermatology, who, like Just & The promise and experience of freshness
Peek in Frankfurt am Main, advise and triggers a fascinating psychological associ-
perform injections themselves in stationary ation chain in everyone. Because freshness
perfume shops with expert knowledge and is first of all more or less consciously asso-
comprehensive information for an interven- ciated with purity, cleanliness and hygiene,
tion. In other words, many perfume shops but also with psychological cleansing and
have now realized that their customers personal restart, good air and ultimately
want additional and new service and expe- with health. Freshness is therefore not only
rience offerings. Fulfilling them now gives personally, but also socially desirable.
perfume shops the chance to expand their Whoever promises freshness also prom-
core competencies: the experience of “Med- ises honesty, reason, reliability, quality, un-
ical Beautytainment”, in order to realize touchedness, spotlessness, honor, conscience,
their desired look above all for more joie decency, morality, even youthfulness. In ad-
de vivre and happiness of customers. This dition, freshness is also associated with new,
is accompanied by serious and specific of- well-being, satisfaction, sympathy and above
fers of medical aesthetics and is forcing it- all with recognition. It is perceived as invig-
self as a trend because more and more cus- orating, refreshing, sparkling, encouraging,
tomers feel significantly younger than their strengthening, stimulating, refreshing, vital-
external appearance suggests and therefore izing, as clarity, brilliance, cleanliness and
demand solutions. As a result, as already above all as fragrance. In this context, the
mentioned, an experience perfume shop is color warm-gray, dryness, dusty, sticky-slimy,
currently being created that also offers ser- greasy and of course stench, but also musty
vices such as those previously only associ- and stuffy do not look fresh. The latter is es-
ated with plastic surgery practices and aes- pecially a problem of cosmetic departments
thetic dermatology. not only of old department stores. In par-
The range of many perfume shops is ticular, insufficient ventilation possibilities
also constantly being expanded by spe- reduce a fresh experience during fragrance
cial care brands, especially for skin over 50, advice.
many of which are not yet represented on The food trade has set the perfect stag-
the German market or were not previously. ing of freshness. The customer experience
In this context, customers can have a per- associated with it stimulates all senses—tac-
sonalized facial cream made live on site us- tile, visual, olfactory and gustatory. In the
ing artificial intelligence.
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following I show some examples of what 5 Creative areas for customers to mix dif-
the stationary perfumery could take over ferent perfume ingredients and fra-
from the freshness trends of the food trade: grance components with the help of, for
5 The staging of healthy freshness with example, a perfume organ that perfum-
products that are e.g. offered from a ers work with. Here the customer could
noble freshness shelf. Transferred to create a new perfume under the guid-
the perfumery, these could be special ance of an expert with perfume layering.
smoothies for the beauty from within, Alternatively, instructions can be given
but also cooled eau de toilettes, for ex- on teaching boards.
ample from the fragrance direction cit- 5 Constantly changing visualized infor-
rus notes. The perfumery could become mation on individual product areas and
a real temple for this growing target topics. Example: Roses, which are used
group that regularly consumes juices, as perfume ingredients, are picked early
smoothies and superfood shots. Espe- in the morning to gain them fresh for
cially green drinks of this kind prom- perfume production in the best quality.
ise beauty from within through detox- 5 Social meeting point with café and semi-
ification. Fat burning and strengthen- nar or event options where, for example,
ing the immune system. New trendy and perfume lovers can make new, invigorat-
valuable vital substances are used: algae ing contacts.
such as the detoxifying chlorella or the 5 Offer that as a member of the customer
metabolism-stimulating spirulina, en- council you can influence the range or
vironmental toxins-degrading goji ber- the listing of new brands.
ries or the anti-inflammatory ground
substances from the plant lucuma, also Own, regional and indie brands (in-
called “gold of the Incas”. With beauty dependent, often still young perfume,
and health from the freshness shelf of a make-up and cosmetic brands) are also
wellness perfumery, one could also ad- gaining importance in the perfume shop.
dress younger target groups. The trend towards the upscale supermar-
5 The association of pure, pure and ket is now also evident at discounters—and
13 healthy enjoyment by presenting beau- not just at Aldi in London, where it is try-
ty-food dietary supplements in front of ing to go new ways with Aldi local. A good
a white tiled background in connection example of this is Lidl in Germany. The
with cooking recipes that promise espe- discounter is making great efforts to more
cially also fragrant. closely match the image of a supermarket.
5 Multi-sensory installations on presenta- Both branches, supermarkets and dis-
tion islands where perfume ingredients counters, have become much more self-con-
such as kumquats or mint can be served fident. The sales of own brands have in-
on ice and then smelled or eaten. creased steadily over the past years, while
5 Green walls as nature-related, elegant those of branded products have decreased.
presentations, for example with different This fits the international trend of consum-
moisture-providing orchids. Small labe- ing products without brand names. In Swit-
led boards indicate in which perfumes zerland and Spain, the share of own brands
the plants can be found. of all products sold amounted to 53 and
5 Freshness stands, shelves and tables 51% respectively in recent years.
with newly introduced or newly listed The great majority of Germans now be-
perfumes, care products and decorative lieve that there is no big qualitative differ-
cosmetics. ence between brands and own brands. This
13.2 · Stationary Perfumery in Transition: Developments & Trends
311 13
was not the case a few years ago. The old Perfume Association that the sales of In-
divisions “brand = valuable” and “own die Brands had grown three times faster
brand = cheap” no longer apply. So far it since 2012 than the turnover of estab-
has been assumed that customers would lished brands. Meanwhile, large brands
reach for own brands for reasons of thrift. such as Estée Lauder have reacted to the
However, luxury food, fresh organic prod- new movements in the market and are buy-
ucts and specialties are now also sold in su- ing more and more indie brands, including,
permarkets under the name of the retailer. for example, “too faced” with the best-sell-
For example, Rewe offers the own brand ing mascara “Better Than Sex”. Origi-
“Rewe frei von” as a specialty with different nally, the good-mood brand was only avail-
gluten- and lactose-free products. able online at Amazon. Then Douglas and
Even if this is not yet a big business, it Sephora grabbed it and discovered how
still binds the customer, especially families, much fun customers had with this brand’s
to the retailer. It is enough if only one fam- personal makeup advice. It remains to be
ily member is allergic. The probability is seen whether indie brands will continue to
quite high that all other purchases will be develop over the years or whether they are
made in this supermarket. Often, such own just a short-lived trend. Nevertheless: With
brands even develop into a certain type of indie brands, a perfumery is always on the
lifestyle and thus into image carriers, as winning side, because customers always
they are considered healthier. need something new. For trade, it is im-
Also, regional products from local portant to weigh up how to divide invest-
manufacturers such as Black Forest Milk ments between large brands and small indie
(Schwarzwaldmilch) or eggs from a certain brands wisely.
farmer are the winners. They are rated as The food trade could also become at-
fresher and above all as authentic. We trust tractive in the next few years for perfum-
them more because we also associate them ery customers who buy medium and high
with being limited and of high quality. prices – especially in the area of care prod-
In the end, it all comes down to the fact ucts. For some time now, this industry has
that own brands and the local range will be been unrivalled in the image areas of pleas-
seen as qualitatively equal in the first step ure, freshness, bio and authenticity. In the
and, in the second step, possibly even as image areas of trust and security, it has also
qualitatively better than known brands by moved closer to pharmacies.
the consumer. This would then be the final
triumph of premium own brands of var- z Premium natural cosmetics straight from
ious kinds and various branches in the su- the fridge
permarket, but also the starting signal for In addition, the food trade is also catch-
the rapid deflation of large, established ing up in the field of health with mail-order
brands e.g. from the perfume industry. pharmacies and natural cosmetics. Because
consumers have been rewarding the large
z Indie brands selection, good quality and low price of
It is no coincidence that the Douglas per- branded products for some time. However,
fumery is experimenting more and more this industry is still not associated with the
with indie brands. These are usually young, areas of beauty and advice—especially in
owner- or founder-run cosmetic brands the medium and high-priced cosmetic seg-
without ties to large corporations, as al- ment. But this can change quickly if food
ready mentioned. In 2019, Tina Müller, the retailers offer premium natural cosmetics as
former CEO of the Douglas Group, an- their own brand straight from the fridge for
nounced at a conference organized by the extra freshness without preservatives and
 312 Chapter 13 · Stationary Perfumery in Change

customers are advised by specialists for in- out real friends grows. Studies show that
ner and outer beauty—of course in combi- the Internet and its social media intensify
nation with matching culinary recipes. The this feeling of isolation. The simulated net-
luxury Edekas of the future will therefore working quickly develops into a personal
have everything it takes to attract medium exile, as the following poem by R. Chandra
and high-priced perfumery customers. But (2013) describes:
do they also offer well-being?
» I am all over the internet, but nowhere to be
found.
13.2.3 The Trend Towards Cyberian exile is complete and profound.
“Connected” to everyone, but alone at my
the “Face-to-Face” Well-
screen -
being Meeting Point I’m dissolving into a Silicon dream.

Currently, the upscale food market is devel- Of course, the Internet and social me-
oping into a social “face-to-face” meeting dia such as Instagram, Pinterest, Face-
point. In addition, the trend towards the book or Twitter also have many positive as-
experience restaurant can be observed here. pects and, like the entire E-Commerce, will
The dishes are not only created to be taken continue to increase in importance. Mo-
away in front of the guest’s eyes, but also to bile commerce in particular is becoming
be eaten on site. The elegant combination increasingly important. 7.26 billion peo-
of supermarket and gastronomy is intended ple currently use smartphones (2023).This
to inspire and bring together customers. Al- not only offers stationary perfume retail-
though the development of the food mar- ers disadvantages, but also unanticipated
ket into a social meeting point started a lit- advantages—not only with regard to per-
tle bumpily in recent years with freshly pre- fume lover blogs, with which one can in-
pared pizzas, pasta dishes, sandwiches and form oneself about perfumery and cosmetic
desserts, this is the best move that super- products. More and more people are tak-
markets can currently make: the offer of ing advantage of the opportunity to pick
places where people feel comfortable is be- up, exchange or return their online orders
13 coming increasingly important. in stores. The aspect of sustainability also
plays a role here."Two-thirds of millenni-
z Strategic opportunities for stationary als are paying increasing attention to sus-
perfumeries: What role does “face-to- tainability factors - both in terms of prod-
face” advice play? ucts, services and companies themselves. In
The desire for personal fragrance and cos- the following generations, it should be even
metic advice—also with regard to cos- more. For example, it is becoming more im-
metic treatments—is increasing. Perfum- portant how returns or packaging are han-
eries with beauty cabins can confirm this. dled or which companies are actively in-
“Face to face” is considered to be an in- volved in environmental protection"(Jes-
creasingly strong trend towards well-being sica Krahl - Online Handel 2023). Also,
and wellness. Why? Anyone who is active in more and more people want to have the op-
life coaching knows that with many people portunity to try products physically, but
the mood slowly sinks with increasing age. still want to read online reviews and find
This is not only true for temporary workers out about possible alternatives. Even if it
and job seekers, but above all for full-time seems incredible at first glance, social net-
employees in the private sector. At the same works even promote the social importance
time, the feeling of being alone and with-
13.2 · Stationary Perfumery in Transition: Developments & Trends
313 13
of stationary stores. However, this is hardly long time—and then enjoy it when the time
aware of the trade. comes.
Until approximately 2016/17, it was as- This type of small happiness is conta-
sumed that the internet would destroy the gious. Because a happy partner increases
livelihoods of many brick-and-mortar busi- the probability of being happy yourself
nesses, which has partially come to pass. by almost 10%. The probability that your
The future will also show, however, that the mood will benefit from the good moods of
two need each other. In the medium term, friends, colleagues, and neighbors is even
the internet will actually need brick-and- more than 30% (Fowler and Christakis
mortar businesses more, because the con- 2009). Conversely, the complaints of col-
venience of the internet poses a danger. leagues, for example about burnout, can
You can lose yourself and isolate yourself also bring you down. Personal beauty, at-
relatively quickly, as the Corona pandemic tractiveness, and wellbeing consulting are
has shown, even if you didn’t want to. In the great social contribution and strategic
isolation, you quickly forget how to be a opportunity of brick-and-mortar perfume
friend in real life. Psychology has known shops. These functions will become even
this for a long time and therefore always more important in the future.
recommends direct, personal contact. Be- If we transfer the observations about
cause a friend you meet in real life is emo- mood-enhancing to the perfume retail
tionally much more valuable than one you trade, its customers should benefit twice:
find online. 5 First, through the product range itself,
It is particularly ideal to spend time in as perfumes and cosmetics directly target
small, real groups (Nef 2008). Already, the user’s personality, the enhancement
three good friends in physical contact are of his mood, personal attractiveness and
much more significant for your own well- beauty, as well as the experience of indi-
being than many in the virtual world. Fur- vidual pleasure and well-being.
thermore, studies show that real friends— 5 Second, through the professional,
compared to more anonymous ones from whose contagious good mood the cus-
the web—usually have higher moral and tomer benefits from in the personal con-
ethical values and contribute more to hap- sultation. Because this positive mood,
piness and satisfaction. Internet relation- as I said, rubs off on the customer to
ships also have a number of negative side around 30%.
effects. For example, on Facebook,TikTok
and Twitter, hidden envy or feelings of in- All this makes it possible that the sta-
feriority quickly arises. Or you pretend to tionary well-being perfume shop with its
be someone else in order to gain recogni- personal advice will still be in demand in
tion and recommendations. This phenom- the future. The social function as a place
enon is especially common among younger of personal encounter, where one can look
bloggers. each other in the eye with trust, and the
So, to lift your own mood, to feel better, professional competence of the stationary
it is better to make plans with friends for a perfume shop will even increase in value—
relaxed evening, a joint shopping trip, or a especially the more the Internet is experi-
smell tour of a perfume shop. In between, enced as a personal exile with its many so-
you can have a coffee together and then cial networks. Middle and higher-priced
let your hair down. You know what to ex- customers may be quite willing to pay for
pect, and you can look forward to it for a individual well-being advice.
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13.3 Sales Location Perfume for example, as in entrance examina-

Shop: Methods tions for training as a perfumer, where
and Strategies for Winning you have to find the similarities of three
scents or simply recognize scents in a
(New) Customers blind test. Also suitable for getting to
know the perfume shop are some tools
and methods of the experience per-
13.3.1 Target Groups of the fumery, for example, to design scents
Perfume Shop of Tomorrow through dough as a sculpture, as I have
presented in 7 Chap. 12. Of course,
Let me draw your attention to some tar- everyone can gain something for their
get groups at the end of this topic and ask “nasal performance”. The works of art
whether we are hitting the taste of these are also exhibited or spread through the
groups, how a perfume shop should look and social networks by the perfume shop.
what it offers, in the right way. Maybe shop- 5 When hiring new employees, it should be
fitters, who are mostly male, are overlook- checked how active the possible future
ing something that certain - especially female - employee is in social networks such as
customers actually want. Facebook or Instagram. In addition, you
First, I would like to talk about the should look at how this person communi-
youngest target group of the perfume shop cates, how they represent themselves on-
and give you some tips on how to win them line, whether they upload videos of them-
over to the perfume shop, but also what selves and how many followers they have.
they can offer a perfume shop and how to 5 The younger target group should be
stay in touch with them. given a lot of time to look around the
5 Teens today are the style consultants for store themselves. Teens don’t like it when
their parents and often even their grand- someone tries to force something on
parents. They have a great influence on them and they get the impression that
the choice of fragrances, make-up and someone much older is trying to sell
care. Even if the parents are already reg- them something.
ular customers, the children contribute
13 significantly to maintaining the image
5 The currently dominant life feeling, or
the new experience hunger caused by
of a perfume shop. Therefore, a station- Corona, with the desire for new vari-
ary perfume shop should make a special ety, spontaneity and enjoyment is also
effort to contact 15- to 17-year-olds and reflected in the fragrance trend “Gour-
offer them periodic teen workshops on mand-fruity”. These pleasure fra-
fragrances, make-up and care, and then grances should therefore be offered out-
also win them over for internships. side or directly at the entrance of the
5 Even 12-year-olds are socially net- store for self-testing. In combination
worked today. With the apps on their with music videos, they have a particu-
smartphones, they have mobile master- larly magnetic effect on younger target
pieces of communication. This is espe- groups. The fragrance direction “Gour-
cially true for spontaneous group and mand-fruity” is also particularly suita-
opinion formation. So for every oc- ble for the fragrance mailings discussed
casion group chats can be formed in in 7 Chap. 7 or for the digital marketing
which quickly 30 people can come to- of perfumes, especially if the fragrance
gether. As a perfume shop, you can offer preferences of potential new customers
scent sampling courses at events, where are not yet known.
you can test your own sense of smell—
13.3 · Sales Location Perfume Shop: Methods and Strategies for Winning …
315 13
5 As a food lifestyle trend, conscious nu- served by public transport. The size of this
trition has crystallized out with re- café not only allowed for a market hall sim-
gional typical, but also exotic specialties ilar to the aforementioned Coop branch in
in combination with health and fit- Italian Novoli, but also the installation of a
ness. This is also reflected in the numer- complete roasting plant as a display object.
ous juices that can be found in the re- In a comparatively large perfume shop,
frigerated shelves. The trend towards one or more illuminated, gigantic perfume
juice could also be implemented in the bottles could serve as an eye-catcher. There
perfume shop with a freshness or cool- would also be the possibility to offer very
ing shelf. On certain days, then regular special personal additional services. So
and new customers could be invited to something handmade could be created in
a “Vegan Happy Beauty Hour”, where front of the customers’ eyes, for example a
a connection to selected fragrance sub- Bespoke cosmetics formulated for special
stances could then be made. skin needs (e.g. as personalized skin care).
5 In the future market Health & Beauty Or a workstation for a perfumer is set up,
there is a trend towards special products who creates their own perfume in front of
that address the specific health need “free the customers.
from”. Already one in five consumers
is interested in products that are free of
certain ingredients and therefore, in his 13.3.2 Shopfitting
opinion, better suited for sensitive skin.
In your own perfume shop you could This brings us to the topic of shopfitting,
also set up a special “free from” zone. how a stationary perfume shop could also
be designed.
In general, it is assumed that the loca- How to set up a world of fragrances
tion of a store is decisive for its success. and cosmetics is a much-discussed topic
But wouldn’t it also be possible that a sta- among shopfitters. The discussion also de-
tionary perfume shop in a 2B or three-lo- pends on whether the shopfitter is a man
cation, for example in a barn outside the or a woman. Many men tend to clear, uni-
fringe area and despite low footfall, be suc- form design language—minimally deco-
cessful? Starbucks has tried this successfully rated, with a renunciation of color in favor
with a flagship store in Seattle. Not only do of the colors black, white, chrome, which
customers save on the relatively high park- rather carry the spirit of the Bauhaus style.
ing fees, but a gourmet café world has also This will certainly please many women. But
been created that is worth experiencing. if it comes to a shop, i.e. a room in which
It is a roastery in the perfectly renovated one feels comfortable, they have additional
building of a car dealer from the 1920s. wishes that often do not quite fit with a
The new guideline can be summarized as minimalist decoration. There is the desire
follows: If people no longer come to Star- to browse, to decorate, to style, to dream,
bucks because of the pedestrian zone, they to marvel, to trust, to discover beauty for
will have to come to Starbucks in the fu- all senses. This appeals to women of all
ture. This can also be transferred to some ages. There are magazines like Landlust,
abandoned German inner cities. For exam- which are read by over 3 million, mostly
ple, the Starbucks branch mentioned should women. The focus of Landlust is on feeling
have developed into an important meet- good, relaxation, deceleration, mindfulness,
ing place for customers since it opened in searching for the special in the hidden. The
December 2014. This may also be a 2B lo- address is consistently a lovingly emotion-
cation that has enough parking and is well al-valuing attitude.
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In the last five years, Landlust has been store or everything in one. Dekolust needs
copied by at least 20 similar magazines like space, open rooms with surprise and unique-
Landhaus. One might think that the Brit- ness in the assortment. An authentic setting
ish-inspired lifestyle magazines for the is ideal – old warehouses, barns, factories,
home and garden primarily address a clas- garden houses, etc. As the perfume store of
sic target group—the well-situated and af- tomorrow, it could be a “Garden Perfume
fluent, “nature-loving, value-conservative Café & Juice Bar”, a place where friends can
reader” with a high orientation towards meet. This Garden Perfume Café & Juice
brands and quality. Not only. As LOHAS, Bar also has the perfume and beauty tools
a consumer group has been described for of tomorrow’s perfume store. This is not a
years that is committed to “green” values contradiction because two currently rap-
for environmental issues, but also health idly growing and increasingly merging target
and politics. It is certainly not wrong to say groups (digital creatives and urban trendset-
that this was often the mothers, whose chil- ters) combine health awareness and sustain-
dren are now campaigning for “Fridays for ability with technology and nature related-
Future” or for the Last Generation a na- ness, individuality and community spirit and
tional student-led climate research organ- celebrate everything together as pleasure. In
ization. With these movements, a design this way, the latest unusual high-tech consul-
trend has grown more and more over the tation tools can be available in the Garden
last three decades, which is based on sus- Perfume Café & Juice Bar – for example,
tainability, a real lust for decoration with an the already mentioned SniffPhone, but also
ecological balance in mind and an authen- ModiFace, a tool that allows you to test and
tic feel-good atmosphere: Shabby Chic. compare make-up products from different
The design trend is said to have been in- brands, but also to see how a care product
vented by Rachel Ashwell, who showed a can work in the next few weeks, for exam-
creative flea market look in her store in Cal- ple, by answering the question of how, for
ifornia with Shabby Chic. From this, a store example, with 40% fewer wrinkles around
concept has developed that is character- the eyes. Or you can undergo plastic surgery
ized by imperfect elegance, inviting you to simulation and experience what you might
13 browse and discover. It encourages women look like after cosmetic surgery, whether you
in particular to be creative and design their actually want it and whether you better rely
own. With Shabby Chic, every woman is on certified natural vegan active cosmetics
immediately a decoration expert—she can as an effective alternative to cosmetic sur-
decorate beautifully with simple elements gery. Furthermore, interactive programs on
and above all create a lovingly-healed, nos- the topics of beauty, nutrition and health
talgically-valuable and relaxing-authentic are available as well as cooking courses. But
feel-good atmosphere. Shabby Chic & De- you will also be able to create your own ac-
kolust means living and gardening to dream tive perfumes and make smell scans with
and do it yourself. You can rediscover them to see how a new favorite scent works
things, decorate them differently indoors on you and your partner in the brain.
and outdoors. Nothing is lost, everything
has its value. » This chapter was certainly something for
insiders of the trade, but you now know
Shabby Chic & Dekolust is simply, but
some of the possible reasons why your local
as mentioned also elegant and offers endless
perfume store may have to close. If you
individual expression possibilities which can
read this, a lot will have changed for the
be supplemented, set in scene and collected.
better in our fast-paced time – hopefully.
Shabby Chic can be an old and modern
But remember: it is up to our shopping
References
317 13
habits whether the cultural asset perfume gested to expand the range of the per-
will continue to be available in stationary, fume shop of tomorrow and, for exam-
owner-operated perfume stores. ple, offer it as a center of fresh pam-
pering experiences for the beauty from
within and outside—with premium nat-
Summary
ural cosmetics and beauty drinks from
The chapter began with the fundamental
the refrigerator. Furthermore, the topic
question: Do target groups that want to
of shopfitting was addressed or how to
address the stationary perfume trade have
set up a perfume and cosmetics world
other, additional, new needs that are not
so that it inspires as a meeting place and
or only partially covered? It is therefore
place of contagious good mood.
important to pursue this, because a com-
petition for the “sales location perfume”
has broken out. Not only perfume on-
References
line shops worry the stationary perfume
trade, but also the growing importance Chandra R (2013) I have met the internet and it is not
of drugstores, pharmacies, even food re- us. Hashtag heroes and internet convos. Psychol-
tailers. They have all approached the core ogy Today, Published on December 26, 2013 in
range and service of the perfume trade The Pacific Heart
Fowler JH, Christakis NA (2009) The dynamic spread
more strongly in recent years.
of happiness in a large social network. Br Med J
Against this background, this chapter 337(768):a2338
has given inspiration for a perfume shop Nef—New Economics Foundation (2008) Five ways to
of the future, combined with concrete well-being. The foresight project on mental capital
tips on how to position yourself better, and wellbeing. Government Office for Science, UK
Pilatus C (2020) Bewegung, Flow, im Fluss sein. Es-
that is, more attractively, and also win
sence 2020—first in beauty. Kundenmagazin
new customers. For example, it was sug-
 319 14

Perfume Trends,
International Fragrance
Preferences and Mentalities
Fragrance Preferences of Individual Markets in Comparison

Contents

14.1 Evaluating Fragrance Preferences – 320

14.1.1 Characteristics of the German Women’s Fragrance
Market – 321
14.1.2 Perfume Trends or: How a Fragrance and Trend Coach
Thinks – 324

14.2 How the German Women’s Fragrance Market Differs

from Other Markets – 326
14.2.1 Scent Preferences in Spain – 326
14.2.2 Scent Preferences in Italy – 328
14.2.3 Scent Preferences in France – 328
14.2.4 Fragrance Preferences in England and the USA – 330

14.3 Scent Mentality: The Rose in the Anglo-Saxon Cultural

Area – 332

14.4 Global vs. National Perfume Trends – 333

Reference – 336

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023
J. Mensing, Beautiful SCENT,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67259-4_14
 320 Chapter 14 · Perfume Trends, International Fragrance Preferences and Mentalities

postulated a collective unconscious, also be

relevant for the national choice of fragrance
and, for example, the preference of the Eng-
lish women’s fragrance market, which has
loved floral fragrances and, above all, roses
for generations, explain? According to this
theory of psychoanalysis, historical situa-
tions and memories of national importance
of individual social groups and societies are
stored in the unconscious collective mem-
ory. An example would be England’s victory
under Queen Elizabeth I. against the Span-
ish Armada in 1588, one of the greatest mil-
itary victories in English history. The legend
tells that Queen Elizabeth I., the virgin Eng-
lish queen, fought her battles in this olfac-
tory aura of a cloud of lavish rose fragrance.
The royal nature of the rose was revived by
the English royal family again and again
in the following. So Elizabeth II. is said to
have been enveloped in rose fragrance af-
ter the victorious Second World War and at
the wedding with Prince Philip (1947). Suc-
cess, victory and virginity have been attrib-
utes of the English rose ever since. I am sure
Trailer
you will read this chapter with interest as a
In this chapter, I would like to introduce you perfume lover who also likes to “smell” be-
to perfume trends, as well as, one could al- yond the horizon.
most say, long-term fragrance trends of indi-
vidual fragrance markets, i.e. countries, and
show how they differ from the German wom-
14.1 Evaluating Fragrance
en’s fragrance market. In fact, there are great
Preferences
14 differences between the markets. Individ-
ual fragrance directions, but also ingredients
have a different meaning and are smelled in a
Different market research firms such as Eu-
different context. What fascinates a fragrance
romonitor international (7 www.euromo-
psychologist in particular is how strongly fra-
nitor.com/fragrances), Hitlists of large per-
grance preferences are rooted in the mental-
fume groups such as Douglas as well as
ities of individual countries and how they
economic data from publishers, e.g. from
show themselves again and again over gener-
market intern, offer regular insight into the
ations of fragrance lovers.
best-selling perfumes of individual retail-
Of course, this can be explained by the fra-
ers, segments and countries. As a rule, the
grance socialization. But somehow one al-
current top 10 for men’s and women’s fra-
ways has the feeling that there must be other
grances are given, but there are also hitlists
reasons that explain long-term national fra-
with the top 100 best-selling perfumes over
grance preferences. Should the explana-
the year in a country.
tory models of the Swiss psychoanalyst Carl
If statistics from different consecutive
Gustav Jung and the French philosopher
months and years are available, it is inter-
and sociologist Maurice Halbwachs, which
esting to see which specific perfumes dom-
14.1 · Evaluating Fragrance Preferences
321 14
inate over a period of time in individual ental” fragrance family has repeatedly been
fragrance markets. Personally, I like to go found in the German top charts. If you
back three and more years from the cur- smell the facets of “Jil Sander Sun”, you
rent year. For example, you can then see may also come to a different conclusion
which women’s perfumes have become or about the fragrance impression. The per-
are real cult classics in the top charts in in- fume presents itself rather as a crossover of
dividual countries, and to what extent a cult two fragrance families: Gourmand-fruity
classic of a country like “Dolce & Gab- accents play with a floraloriental sensuality.
bana light blue” dominates in Germany as It is a mixture that appeals to German fra-
well as in other countries or is rather a na- grance users olfactorily above all.
tional, country-specific success phenome- Let me first go into the floral -oriental
non. Based on these comparative studies, part, i.e. the Floral-Oriental impression of
the following questions can then be asked: “Jil Sander Sun”. With the fragrance pref-
5 How does the German fragrance market erence “Floriental”, the focus is on the
differ from other markets? search for security, tenderness and har-
5 Are there trends in fragrances that are mony. You want to feel more comfortable
similar to those in fashion? in your own skin. This fragrance direction
5 Are markets increasingly determined by with its subtle warmth that it radiates is al-
national preferences? most made to merge sensually and gently
with the self-smell of the skin.
The answer to these questions will then, as In fact, the fragrance users of “Jil
I will show you in an example in a moment, Sander Sun” appreciate that the perfume
reveal a lot about the DNA of a fragrance smells of summer and sun-drenched skin on
market and, from a fragrance psychological the skin and triggers corresponding memo-
point of view, say a lot about its consumers. ries. Indirectly, you are also longing for peo-
ple who are warm-hearted, who take into
account feelings and one’s own well-being.
14.1.1 Characteristics of the This gives rise to the desire to share feelings
German Women’s and thoughts, to feel cared for at the same
time and to live out dreams and romantic
Fragrance Market
fantasies unpretentiously. In other words:
As mentioned before, some statistics also This fragrance mood pervades much sensu-
offer a monthly comparison, and one can ality, but also speaks of withdrawal from a
deduce emerging seasonal perfume trends hectic and rational world. The whole thing
from them over various years. Thus, the can intensify in the experience and then be
“Jil Sander Sun” perfume, which was intro- paired with a touch of nostalgia and gen-
duced to the market in 1989, has become a tle melancholy, where there is also a hint of
perennial hit in the German summer wom- world-weariness in the air.
en’s perfume market—yes, in recent years I would not call this mood typically
even a winter hit. In February 2020, the German, because other cultures such as the
perfume was ranked 4th among Douglas’s Portuguese also know it with “Saudade”.
current best-selling perfumes. The magazine Nevertheless, the emotional withdrawal
“stern” names 2023 in an article - timeless into one’s own world full of fantasy and ro-
fragrance bestseller - Jil Sander Sun among mance, especially into the realm of nature,
the top 10“. Jil Sander Sun” is available in is not unknown to Germans.
other countries too, but it has become a Heinrich von Ofterdingen (1772–1801)
real cult classic in Germany in particular, dreams, as reported above, in Novalis’ novel
because the perfume from the “Floral-Ori- of a blue flower, the quintessential symbol
 322 Chapter 14 · Perfume Trends, International Fragrance Preferences and Mentalities

of German Romanticism, and then sets out thusiastically described the magical attrac-
in search of it: tion of the south in travel reports and po-
ems and have described it longingly again
» “What attracted him with full force was a
and again. Goethe’s much-quoted open-
tall, light blue flower, which initially stood
ing in Mignon (around 1795/96) is a call
at the source and touched him with its wide,
for this epoch dreaming of the south, which
shiny leaves. Countless flowers of all colors
still has its effect today.
surrounded it, and the most delicious scent
filled the air.” » “Do you know the land where the lemons
bloom, In the dark foliage the gold oranges
Romantic fantasy flower notes have re-
glow, A gentle wind from the blue sky
mained a popular theme in German per-
blows, The myrtle is still and high the laurel
fumery to this day. They usually fall into
stands? Do you know it well? There! There
the fragrance category “Floriental”—for
I would like to go with you, O my beloved.”
years the second favorite fragrance category
(„Kennst du das Land, wo die Zitronen
of Germany’s women.
blühn, Im dunkeln Laub die Goldorangen
The note created by the French per-
glühn, Ein sanfter Wind vom blauen Him
fumer Pierre Bourdon obviously meets
mel weht, Die Myrte still und hoch der
summer and winter experience wishes of
Lor beer steht? Kennst du es wohl? Dahin!
many German female and certainly also
Dahin möcht’ ich mit dir, O mein Geliebter,
male fragrance fans with its fruitiness in the
ziehn.“)
scent (from African orange blossoms, ber-
gamot, Amalfi lemon and black currant). To anticipate it at this point: None of the
Also the heart note, which smells of ylang- great perfume markets in the world loves
ylang, heliotrope and rose, in combina- “gourmand-fruity” as much as the Ger-
tion with the base note (ambra, vanilla and man, especially not in combination with
tonka bean and the legendary Pierre-Bour- the pampering feeling of the florientals,
don tobacco sweetness), which has many el- which interpret the fruity romantic-ten-
ements of the fragrance category “Gour- der, almost nostalgic. There were years in
mand”, delights German women. From the German women’s perfume market, in-
the consumers who use “Jil Sander Sun” cluding mass market, in which over 30%
all year round, one often hears that it is a of the fragrances launched belonged to the
fragrance that has captured tanned skin in “gourmand-fruity” fragrance family and
14 a bottle in the sun. Obviously, the perfume more than 25% of the new introductions
triggers the call for the south over the Alps could be attributed to the florientals. Cur-
in Germany, one of the countries with the rently one can say: Over 50% of the Ger-
greatest travel and wanderlust, and cer- man perfume users love the perfume spec-
tainly also in winter for distant places. The trum “gourmand-fruity-floriental”. There-
longing for the sunny south, but also the fore, one must above all ask oneself as
dream of tropical and exotic regions and a perfume psychologist what makes this
thus the search for places with more joie large fragrance family so attractive to per-
de vivre, where one can live happy and sen- fume users. Are perfumes of this direction
sual fantasies, is deeply rooted in the Ger- mood enhancers and at the same time soul
man psyche. In 7 Chap. 8 I have already comfort for perfume users who long for the
followed the influence of German Roman- sunny south, for places with more joie de
ticism from the end of the 18th century to vivre?
the 19th century on German olfactory ex- As already discussed in 7 Sect. 5.4, the
perience. Artists, thinkers and poets such as search for more fun, variety, spontane-
Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) have en- ity and above all enjoyment is in the fore-
14.1 · Evaluating Fragrance Preferences
323 14
ground with the fragrance preference Mediterranean fruits, sometimes on exotic
“gourmand-fruity”. It is the desire for more tropical fantasy pleasures or a mixture of
joie de vivre, lightness of being, optimism both. More and more perfume brands of-
and humor. One wants to be free and play- fer sun-hungry people north of the Alps a
ful, to be pampered, to live out fantasies, to cheerful, southern-smelling garden of deli-
implement spontaneous ideas and to pro- cious fruits. The “Dolce & Gabbana Fruit
voke a little. They are primarily holiday Collection”, which came on the market in
wishes and -fantasies, in which one wants 2020, is an example. Lancôme’s “La Vie
to experience everything together and at Est Belle Iris Absolu” - a floral-fruity gour-
once, to break out of the everyday life, be- mand fragrance for women (2023) - with
cause one has a chronic psychological need orange blossom and fig is another example.
for this type of self-experience. Even the men’s fragrance market in
Large and small celebrities (celebrities) Germany knows the fragrance preference
primarily lead this ideal experience in front “Gourmand-fruity”. However, in compar-
of younger target groups as self-evident, al- ison to the women’s perfumes of this fra-
most as a normal daily claim. Therefore, grance family, it is a small market, although
sociologists have been observing an aston- it is growing. After all, there were already
ishing phenomenon for years: The ideal ex- over 200 pure Gourmand-fruity men’s fra-
perience—to have fun, to be happy, sponta- grances on the market in 2017, and their
neous, carefree and to provoke a little, while number has increased significantly since
enjoying more and being pampered—has then. One example, already mentioned, is
become a latent permanent self-claim, with “Pirates’ Grand Reserve” by Atkinsons,
the motto: That’s how it has to be, I need which surprises with a rum accord and re-
that! minds one of the ring-shaped, French yeast
This self-claim is communicated above pastry “Baba au Rhum”. A real trend has
all in the fragrance preference “Gour- developed in Gourmand-fruity unisex notes
mand-fruity”, but also in music, e.g. by in recent years. Examples are “Lychee &
Katy Perry in her music videos like “This Is White Mint” from the “4711 Acqua Colo-
How We Do” and also in her album Witness nia” series or “Pomegranate & Eucalyptus”
with songs like “Bon Appétit” it is about en- from the same line; both fragrances are cre-
joyable seduction. Even with her own per- ated for women and men alike.
fumes, which Katy Perry brought to the Currently over 1500 fragrances are avail-
market, she remained true to her motto: able in the German fragrance market from
“I’m just having a lot of fun.” With her fra- the “Gourmand-fruity Unisex” fragrance
grance “Spring Reign” (2015), to name just family, and the trend is rising. For better
one of her numerous perfumes, “Fruity” is overview, this fragrance family is now di-
interpreted as cheeky-sexy-enjoyable. Based vided into numerous subgroups for wom-
on her music video for “This is how we do”, en’s, men’s and unisex notes:
one could say that the fragrance is like a 5 Amber-Oriental-Gourmand/Vanilla
“twerking ice cream”, which dances enjoy- 5 Citrus-Gourmand
ably with provocative hip movements. Katy 5 Chypre-fruity
Perry’s newer perfumes like “Indi Visible” 5 Aromatic-fruity
(2018) also continue the trend of enjoyment 5 Floral-fruity
with a lot of vanilla, coconut and rum. 5 Floral-fruity-Gourmand
No other fragrance family like “Gour- 5 Fruity-woody
mand-fruity” has been launched in Ger- 5 Fruity-fresh
many so often in recent years. Sometimes 5 Sparkling-Gourmand
new fragrances are based on the smells of 5 Fruity-floriental
 324 Chapter 14 · Perfume Trends, International Fragrance Preferences and Mentalities

It can be said that in recent years, especially in the perfume industry and then celebrated
in Germany but also in the USA, the num- a triumph, always owed to the influence of
ber of perfumes from the gourmand-fruity the zeitgeist. Of course, commercial aspects
direction has grown enormously. also played a not insignificant role, for ex-
This brings us to the topic of “fra- ample when a certain perfume or a smell im-
grance trends” and the question of which pression could be produced more cheaply.
fragrance direction will “gourmand-fruity” Nevertheless, many new smell impres-
replace or which new facets of “gour- sions have only arisen through long-term
mand-fruity” will gain importance in the targeted research. Some of them were de-
coming years. veloped for other industries, but then also
found application in the perfume industry.
So the smell impression “cool” is also of in-
14.1.2 Perfume Trends or: How terest in the flavor industry. Just as in the
a Fragrance and Trend fragrance industry, here the zeitgeist, social
Coach Thinks events and innovations have an influence on
the intensity of research activities.
The days when the perfume industry only In 1963, Walentina Terschlowa be-
knew one big fragrance trend are long gone. came the first woman in space. This stim-
Today there are many fragrance trends at the ulated the perfume industry; they increas-
same time and even real anti-trends. What has ingly sought unusual, modern fragrance
not changed is the influence of the zeitgeist notes for women. Accordingly, the smell of
on the perfume industry and thus the psycho- metal, steel, ice, snow and coolness inspired
social factors, social events and developments. the perfume industry of the future from the
So with the beginning of the Covid-19 pan- 1960s and 1970s.
demic in 2020, three fragrance directions in With certain aldehydes (e.g. C-10) such
particular became more accepted: as rose oxide (a molecule from rose oil) and
5 Light, naturally-soothing, floral and lavender, one came closer and closer to this
plant notes that stimulate the imagina- fragrance impression from the 1960s and
tion and relax the especially stress-prone 1970s. Fragrance lovers of the fragrance di-
hippocampus and its network during rection “metal” are already looking forward
the pandemic. to the olfactory journey into space. Here are
some of the perfumes available on the mar-
14 5 Citrusy-aromatic notes that maintain
ket for this topic with the year of release:
or even increase concentration during
home office work and give the person’s 5 1991: “Dreams” by O Boticário
mood an extraverted “freshness-kick”. 5 1998: “Odeur 53” by Comme des
5 Gourmand notes that remind one of Garçons
desserts and sweets. They especially ad- 5 2017: “Methaldone” by Aether
dress the hypothalamus and its network 5 2019: “Metallique” by Tom Ford
in the brain. This area is responsible for
well-being, reward and small moments But back to the trends. Most of the time,
of happiness. Gourmand notes also help changes in style can be seen first in fashion
against “snacking attacks”. and music before they are reflected in fra-
grance trends. As a trend coach for perfum-
But often it was pure chance that enriched ers, I pay special attention to change, i.e.
the perfume industry with new fragrance the increasing or decreasing acceptance of
ingredients or impressions, which then re- music genres. It is interesting to see, for ex-
sulted in a trend. That these fragrance ingre- ample, how the number of “Views” on You-
dients were recognized for their innovation tube changes. Here is a current example:
14.1 · Evaluating Fragrance Preferences
325 14
The music style “Sexy Female Rap” has Katy Perry, to get a rapping sister. Pop mu-
been gaining more and more “views” in the sic will also develop further and become
last two or three years. For example, in Octo- more socially relevant—and one can pre-
ber 2020, Cardi B’s—WAP feat. Megan Thee dict that Pop-Rap will gain even more im-
Stallion’s video on Youtube had 268 million portance.
“views”. In May 2021, the video reached al- As far as the olfactory implementation
most 400 million “views”. As a fragrance of rap is concerned, there have been fra-
coach who has advised and continues to ad- grance creations since 2019/20 that come
vise many stars (such as Janet Jackson or quite close to the life feeling expressed by
Naomi Campbell) in fragrance development, the music. Perfumers began to combine
I automatically ask myself how a perfume of “Gourmand-fruity” very innovatively with
the rappers Cardi. B or Doja Cat must smell “Amber-Oriental-leathery” and thus to im-
for the target groups or which fragrance di- plement more edible eroticism in their fra-
rection “Sexy Female Rap” reflects. In dis- grances. Probably the first perfumes of
cussions with perfumers and in fragrance this kind were not aimed at the core target
tests with target groups, one could come to groups of rap, but they serve as good tem-
the conclusion that a further development of plates for future developments, for exam-
the fragrance direction “Gourmand-fruity” ple “Tobacco Mandarin” by Byredo, which
is needed, namely with elements of the fra- came onto the market in 2020. The perfume
grance direction “Amber-Oriental-leath- for women and men can be described as
ery”. The following observations are also “amber-oriental-woody with fruity Gour-
based on this: “Gourmand-fruity” stands mand accents”. A leather note, which al-
for the search for fun, variety, spontane- ways vibrates a little, and tobacco leaves,
ity and above all for pleasure. However, which give the whole thing a certain sexy
the fragrance direction lacks something of “I-strength”, are well integrated. It is quite
the “I-strength”. In addition, it is often too possible that a further development of “To-
bravely interpreted for the target group, be- bacco Mandarin” with more leather, some
cause in many female rap songs it is about smoky impressions and playful fruits will
“female empowerment”, which is controver- inspire a new fragrance direction: “Gour-
sially and sexy. You could also say: Many mand-fruity-leathery”. This rich creations
fragrances of the fragrance direction “Gour- automatically lead to fragrances with a
mand-fruity”, especially with the tendency more intense charisma, which has now in-
“flowery”, seem too old and too innocent to fluenced the entire fragrance industry. Since
today’s teenagers. Pop, which typically found 2021/22 we have seen an increased trend to-
its counterpart in “Gourmand-fruity”, was wards perfumes that are very expressive and
omnipresent until just over a year ago, just that certainly existed before. They are re-
like Katy Perry’s sound, but with Corona ferred to as “Beast-Mode” perfumes and
and social political events, teenagers are now are also particularly long-lasting with up to
taking a break from pure pop. 18 hours’ wear time. They are steadily gain-
Music and fragrance trends are in con- ing popularity as fragrances for men. Rel-
stant flux. Of course, individual fragrance atively new are now increasingly “Beast
brands love specific fragrance directions Mode” perfumes for women, such as those
as a permanent trend, as we will see later. launched by Dior in 1985 with the classic
However, individual fragrance directions Poison. As well as “Beast-Mode” perfumes
change or are reinterpreted. I therefore ex- for women and men, e.g. Baccarat Rouge
pect the great fragrance trend of recent 540 Extrait Limited Edition 2021 Maison
years, “Gourmand-fruity” with a “flow- Francis Kurkdjian, with the first version of
ery” orientation, which is associated with the perfume being launched in 2015. Even
perfumes of pop stars such as Rihanna or beyond 2023, a special sillage - the perfume
 326 Chapter 14 · Perfume Trends, International Fragrance Preferences and Mentalities

trail left in the air when someone leaves the ish fragrance market. Examples are “Aqua
room - will play a major role in new per- Lavanda”, “Agua Fresca”, but also “Aire”
fumes. and “Aqua de Loewe”. If you assign the in-
dividual perfumes in the Spanish market
from the top charts (top 100) to fragrance
14.2 How the German Women’s families over several years (2016–2019), this
Fragrance Market Differs typical characteristic becomes apparent:
With a market share of around 27% and
from Other Markets
26%, the fragrance families “Fresh-green-cit-
What fragrance preferences does each rus / Aqua- & Ozonnotes” and “Floral” pre-
country have? I would like to follow up on dominate, mainly from the aldehydic range.
the question of women’s notes. For a better The fragrance families “Floriental” and
international overview, the eight fragrance “Gourmand-fruity” each account for about
families presented in 7 Chap. 5 were re- 15% of the market share. Amber-Oriental
duced to six and renamed as follows for the (8%) and Chypre notes (5%) have less mar-
ket importance. Of course, if you only ana-
international comparison:
1. Chypre (Chypre-leathery) lyze perfumes from the top 25 for a specific
2. Citrus-Green (Fresh-green-citrus/Aqua- year, other weights will result. Analyzed over
several years on the basis of top 100, the
& Ozon-notes)
3. Fruity (Gourmand-fruity) market importance of “Fresh-green Aqua”
4. Floral-Aldeydic (Floral-aldehydic) and “Floral” is already very characteristic of
the DNA of the Spanish fragrance market.
5. Floriental
6. Amber-Oriental . Figures 14.1 and 14.2 show the Ger-
man and Spanish women’s fragrance mar-
ket in comparison.
This is certainly a very rough classification.
For the comparison of specific countries, it On a world map of scents, the Spanish
is usually made more detailed in marketing ladies fragrance market is closer to South
America than to Germany. In comparison,
and also analyzes perfumes that fall into
two or more fragrance families (see 7 Sect. the German scent market is more to the
5.3). Nevertheless, this solution already east towards Poland and the Baltic states
(see . Fig. 14.7). The olfactory proximity
gives a very good insight into the individual
to South America can certainly also be ex-
14 fragrance markets for ladies.
plained for the Spanish scent market, espe-
cially for the Aqua notes, with the climatic
14.2.1 Scent Preferences in Spain conditions. Fresh-green-citrusy Aqua or wa-
ter fragrance notes are the ideal refreshment
In the Spanish fragrance market two fra- on hot days. Olfactory psychology, as dis-
grance families dominate for women, which cussed in 7 Chap. 5 in the psychology of
are different from Germany: fresh-green and fragrance families, however, offers this uni-
floral notes. Many perfumes are crossovers sex fragrance direction even more. It stands
with elements of both fragrance directions. for new beginnings, the need for freedom
From a psychological point of view, the and unboundness and of course the desire
combination describes a buoyant-lively-nat- to experience oneself refreshed, alive, ac-
ural femininity that is more oriented to- tive and open. Behind it is a way of life that
wards the classical female ideal. Tradition- goes back to the discovery and conquest of
ally, light, fresh-clean to energizing scents the New World and further back in time
that forego olfactory provocations with and is closely linked to their cultural history.
their naturalness play a big role in the Span- So the departure into the new world, when
the colonial conquerors crossed the seas ex-
14.2 · How the German Women’s Fragrance Market Differs from Other Markets
327 14
40
Germany
35 Fruity

30
Floriental

25

20
Amber-Oriental
Floral -Aldeydic
15

10
Citrus- Green

5 Chypre

. Fig. 14.1 Female notes: market share of fragrance families in Germany

40
Spain
35

30 Citrus- Green
Floral -Aldeydic
25

20
Fruity Floriental
15

10 Amber-Oriental
Chypre
5

. Fig. 14.2 Female notes: market share of fragrance families in Spain

pectantly in the early 16th century to search “Aqua” has always been something special
for the fabulous gold land “Eldorado”, was for the Spaniards. It was a fragrant life and
formative for the society. But the Spaniards beauty elixir that the perfumers delivered to
were also looking for a fountain of youth, the Spanish court by the liter.
a water with magically regenerative powers.
 328 Chapter 14 · Perfume Trends, International Fragrance Preferences and Mentalities

14.2.2 Scent Preferences in Italy 14.2.3 Scent Preferences in France

Of the large scent markets the Italian is the Unlike in Germany, fruit-gourmand notes
most balanced and liberal when it comes for women are the second-smallest seg-
to the importance of the individual female ment in the France. Interestingly, many
fragrance families. On the world map of French perfumers do not see “Fruity” as
scents, Italy is therefore in the middle of its own fragrance family, but rather split it
Europe (see . Fig. 14.7). If you assign the into “Fruity-Floral” or “Fruity-Floriental”.
top 100 Italian perfumes over several years “Gourmand” is often also not seen as its
to fragrance families, almost a homogene- own fragrance direction, but rather assigned
ous distribution results. to other olfactory compounds such as Am-
“Gourmand-fruity” is just ahead with a ber-Oriental notes. In fact, the Amber-Ori-
share of around 23%, followed by “Flori- ental fragrance direction is one of the great
ental” with about 20%. “Floral”, mainly characteristics of the French market. Over
from the aldehydic range, and the fragrance the years, its share has been about 27% of
family “Amber-Oriental” each account for the total fragrance market. The second most
about 18%. “Fresh-green-citrus / Aqua- & important fragrance family are the Flori-
Ozon-notes” are at about 16%. Only the entals, which over the years have made up
fragrance family “Chypre” is slightly be- about 23% of the fragrance market, followed
hind with a market share of just under 5% by the floral-aldehydic with almost the same
for women’s notes (see . Fig. 14.3). market importance (. Fig. 14.4).
I will come back to the reasons for the On the world map of female scents,
fragrance preferences of Italian women France with the fragrance preference “Am-
shortly, but in the next section we will first ber-Oriental” is more in the Indian Ocean,
look at the fragrance preferences of French or Paul Gauguin greets from Tahiti in the
women. Pacific with a flower arrangement from
“Floral-Oriental/Floriental”. Could it be

40

Italian
35
14
30

25 Fruity
Floriental
20 Floral -Aldeydic
Citrus- Green Amber-Oriental

15

10

Cyprus
5

. Fig. 14.3 Female notes: market share of fragrance families in Italy

14.2 · How the German Women’s Fragrance Market Differs from Other Markets
329 14
that in the great fragrance preferences of the fragrance preferences or the way of using
French, old colonial claims or today’s over- fragrance still influence. This thought is cer-
seas territories such as Martinique, Réun- tainly very speculative. But let’s follow it up:
ion or Bora Bora with their magical-exotic Since our sense of smell reacts not only to
beauty are reflected? For the Germans, as what has been learned, but also conservative,
already mentioned, it is the longing for the unconscious and genetically programmed,
south beyond the Alps and for distant coun- it could be that it is also linked to emo-
tries that expresses itself in their love for tional moments of the respective national
“Gourmand-fruity”. French noses go one history. This means that impressions, long-
step further and want to discover fascinat- ings and great events of a culture are more
ingly extravagant and above all exotic-mys- or less consciously also on an olfactory level,
terious-magical depth in their perfumes. This so to speak as a fragrance mentality, passed
is offered by floral-oriental perfumes, which on to later generations with certain prefer-
often—and not by chance—also advertise ences. In this context, one could postulate
with the name, such as “Magie Noire”. that in national olfactory socialization not
But back again to Italy. In the Italian only learned what smells bad, but also find
perfume market for women’s fragrances, in the brain dreams and motives from the re-
which is characterized by the balance of dif- spective cultural history, which are so emo-
ferent fragrance directions from different re- tionally laden that they are also olfactori-
gions of the world map of scents, the former cally passed on as a predisposition.
power is reflected again, more precisely: that
of Roman noses, which in their best days z Is there a collective olfactory subcon-
could afford to procure only the best from scious?
all over the world and thus enjoy a sense of If that were the case, the concept of the col-
smell. One must seriously ask whether the lective unconscious of the psychiatrist Carl
fragrance preferences of individual cultures Gustav Jung (1875–1961) would also be of
can be traced back to their glorious history interest to the perfume industry. Perhaps the
and whether the then life feeling even today’s concept of the French philosopher and soci-

40
France
35

30
Amber-Oriental

25
Floral -Aldeydic Floriental

20

15
Citrus- Green
Fruity
10
Chypre
5

. Fig. 14.4 Female notes: Market share of fragrance families in France

 330 Chapter 14 · Perfume Trends, International Fragrance Preferences and Mentalities

ologist Maurice Halbwachs (1877–1945) is fragrance family has had a market share of
even better suited to the perfume industry. around 27%. “Fruity” appears especially in
He speaks of unconscious collective memo- combination with lightly “Gourmand-fruity”
ries and is rather oriented towards concrete as well as “Floral-fruity”. If one adds fra-
historical situations and memories of indi- grances that can be classified as both light
vidual social groups and societies. Trans- and full-bodied Gourmand-fruity as well as
ferred to the perfume industry, one could Floral-fruity, Fruity with 25% is the second
then ask whether one can also imagine a col- largest group. In third place among the fra-
lective olfactory subconscious or a collective grance families with a market share in the
olfactory memory that is fed by the cultural English ladies’ fragrance market of usually
history of a nation. However, international 17% are warm floral notes that fall into the
perfume markets know typical national mar- “Floriental” fragrance direction. “Floral”
ket mentalities that are so strong and lasting thus appears in various guises in park and
that they should not be explained solely by gardenland England and dominates the mar-
national olfactory socialization. ket. On average over the years with less than
The possible existence of a collective ol- 14%, “Fresh-green-citrus / Aqua- & Ozon”
factory subconscious can also be concluded is followed by oriental notes with around
in other perfume markets, as I will show in 12% and the extravagant Chypre notes with
the following section. around 5% share (. Fig. 14.5).
The same is almost true for the North
American ladies’ fragrance market, where
14.2.4 Fragrance Preferences the floral, i.e. floral theme even dominates
in England and the USA with around 29% over the years, slightly
more than in England (. Fig. 14.6).
From a German perspective, the English la- England and the USA are a flowery sis-
dies’ fragrance market is very special. In it, in- ter market, and their close connection and
nocent flowers from the floral-aldehydic fra- shared history is also reflected in the olfac-
grance family dominate. Over the years, this tory (. Fig. 14.7).

40
England
14 35

30
Floral -Aldeydic
Fruity
25

20
Floriental

15 Citrus- Green
Amber-Oriental
10
Chypre

. Fig. 14.5 Female notes: market share of fragrance families in England

14.2 · How the German Women’s Fragrance Market Differs from Other Markets
331 14
40
USA
35

30 Floral -Aldeydic

Fruity
25

20
Citrus- Green
15
Amber-Oriental
Floriental
10 Chypre

. Fig. 14.6 Female notes: market share of fragrance families in the USA

USA England
W E
Floral Floral
Fruity Fruity

S
Germany
Fruity
Italy Floriental
Fruity
Spain Floriental
Floral
Fresh Green Oriental
Floral Fresh Green

France
Amber-Oriental
Floral
Floriental

. Fig. 14.7 Female notes: Small world map of fragrance markets

 332 Chapter 14 · Perfume Trends, International Fragrance Preferences and Mentalities

already part of national identity in Victo-

How can the dominance of the flowery rian times.
be explained in both markets? Certainly, The rose is said to have already been a
you are not wrong if you include the Eng- symbol of love in early high cultures. The
lish women’s ideal that has grown over cen- rose’s triumphal march in the West began
turies in the analysis. when the Virgin Mary was associated with
the white rose. The rose not only became an
eye-catcher in Gothic cathedrals, but was
14.3 Scent Mentality: The Rose also used by the nobility—as in the Eng-
in the Anglo-Saxon Cultural lish House of Lancaster, which has the red
Area rose in its coat of arms. The House of York
took the white rose as its coat of arms. Af-
There have been repeated attempts in the ter the wars of both, which also went down
history of perfume to damn it as the work in history as the Wars of the Roses, the
of the devil and immoral. There were also Tudor Rose with its red and white petals
such attempts in Victorian England in the emerged from the red and white rose.
19th century. Often prudery was given as Much has been written about roses, their
the reason by historians. But what is over- history, their scent and their aromathera-
looked is that the Victorians had an exten- peutic effect (Kremp 2013), but this would
sive cleanliness mania. That was more than go beyond the scope of this book. I would
necessary because, above all, the big cit- like to limit myself here to the meaning of
ies like London were dirty. Foreigners won- the rose in England. The Tudor Rose has re-
dered how a wealthy person could live in a mained the symbol of England to this day.
city covered with dirt, excrement, soot and It has been immortalized in the coat of arms
dust. Flower notes, especially the smell of of the United Kingdom, but also in the
rose, must have smelled almost paradisia- coat of arms of Canada. The United States
cal against this background, also because Army Institute of Heraldry also shows the
rose in particular rose combines well with Tudor Rose in its coat of arms. The insti-
almost all other smells and makes un- tute supports the United States Army and
pleasant smells more bearable. No wonder dates back to an executive order by Presi-
that with “Fleurs de Bulgarie” by Creed in dent Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President
1845 a fresh smelling rose fragrance came of the United States (1913–1921). The rose
14 onto the English market, which was prob- from the Tudor period still connects the two
ably created for the needs of Queen Victo- nations so closely today. The rose is there-
ria at first. The perfume house Creed was fore not simply seen as a flower by the Eng-
founded by a tailor in London in 1760. A lish, but it embodies strength, albeit sub-
better documented example of the impor- tle, behind which stands a successful royal
tance of rose at that time is “White Rose” dynasty with tradition and aura. This sug-
by Floris, which was probably brought onto gests that the rose is perceived differently by
the market even earlier, around 1800. The the English than, for example, by the Ger-
perfume house Floris was also founded in mans. It also smells specifically for the Eng-
London in 1730 and is still in family own- lish of strong, self-confident and successful
ership today. femininity. This has reasons that go back to
Of course, other flowers and plants such the 16th century and to a woman from the
as lavender were also used to cover up un- House of Tudor. The legend tells that Queen
pleasant smells or to perfume, but rose was Elizabeth I. (1533–1603), the virgin English
queen, is said to have fought her battles in
14.4 · Global vs. National Perfume Trends
333 14
a personal olfactory aura of fragrant roses. skin. She also has the power and ability to
Elizabeth’s victory over the Spanish Ar- hold her family empire together intellectu-
mada in 1588 was one of the greatest mili- ally, witty and successfully and to achieve
tary successes in English history. Elizabeth great things in her living space. The royal
was described as very intelligent, verbally aspect of the rose is also regularly revived
gifted and above all clever as a child. Men on the English women’s perfume market at
who desired her probably made her wait in larger intervals. For example, it is said that
an attractive rose-scented cloud. One vic- Elizabeth II wore the “White Rose” by Flo-
tim was the French Prince François-Her- ris at her wedding to Prince Philip in 1947.
cule de Valois, whom she called “Frog”.
She danced with him and he smelled suc-
cess, but she made him wait until he finally 14.4 Global vs. National Perfume
left demotivated. Elizabeth was not a beauty Trends
in the common sense as a young queen, but
she could fascinate many men with humor, Back to the two unanswered questions:
charm and wit. She was also an enthusias- 1. Are there trends in perfumes that show
tic musician who enjoyed pleasure in every themselves similarly to fashion globally?
respect. It was Elizabeth who brought va- 2. Are the markets increasingly determined
nilla to the European continent as one of by national preferences?
the first and enriched her dishes with it. She
discovered her love for perfumes and beau- To put it in advance: Of course there
tiful scents at an early age. So she loved rose are also trends in perfumes that show
water steam baths, combined with other per- themselves globally. Just think of the
fumes and aromatic herbs. Elizabeth was not above-mentioned current triumph of the
only a rose lover—it is reported that she also fragrance family “Gourmand-fruity” over
appreciated other flowers like many other the fragrance direction “Floral”, which is
perfume ingredients. For her personal per- more or less strong in many fragrance mar-
fume creations, she specially brought Vene- kets, even if individual countries and re-
tian perfumers to England. gions, as we saw, have typical own fragrance
In particular, Elisabeth gave the rose preferences. There are also trends in in-
its own female imprint, both as a symbol gredients. If you look at the markets more
and olfactorically. Through her, the Eng- closely, you come to the following surpris-
lish have associated the rose, whose aura ing finding:
then also transferred to other flowers, as Globality is increasing, but also national
royal and female, but also as royal strong, fragrance individuality!
successful and intelligent. One can now How is that possible?
ask whether these associations, if I under- We have a divided perfume market in
stand them correctly, are still subtly passed many European countries, in which two tar-
on by English olfactory socialization to- get groups in particular dominate, which
day or whether parts of the “rose experi- often also obtain perfumes from different
ence” are not stored in the collective ol- sales channels or sales locations:
factory memory. However, the rose is ob- 5 First, from the classically stationary,
viously more than a flower in England. owner-operated perfume shop with cus-
She is royal and female and very complex. tomers “45+” who want to distinguish
This also applies to the much-cited “Eng- themselves from mass-produced per-
lish Rose”, which is more than a naturally fumes with niche perfumes and pre-
attractive girl or a woman with very pale mium classic fragrances. This customer
 334 Chapter 14 · Perfume Trends, International Fragrance Preferences and Mentalities

group buys perfumes both online and ages of 16 and 34, who more often have
offline, but is traditionally very inter- the desire to be part of a group and to
ested in personal advice. The dealer share experiences and events openly or
tends to suggest scents that are only to recommend products and brands. Of-
available from him or that are only dif- ten there is almost only self-service in
ficult to obtain online. This often results these stores. The dealer then often re-
in the presentation of scents in perfume lies on fragrances that are “pre-sold”,
advice that are not globally or nation- that is, that are already known from ad-
ally, or even regionally, adapted to the vertising. And these are, if not always,
preferences of the customer. Even with often international perfumes with high
the topic “Gourmand-fruity” there are, brand awareness. Of course, more drug-
for example, slight regional differences stores and perfume shops or chains rely
in Germany: in northern Germany on the above-mentioned indie brands
“fresh-fruity-Gourmand” dominates, and also carry nationally known fra-
in the Berlin area rather fruity-oriental grance brands in their range. Neverthe-
notes. In the western part of the coun- less, the place of sale plays an important
try, the combination “Floriental-Gour- role in whether the range of fragrances
mand” is particularly popular and in or brands is oriented towards global or
Bavaria “Fruity-Gourmand”. With re- national fragrance individuality.
gional preferences for fragrances, of
course, in addition to mentality and ol- As already mentioned, a change took place
factory socialization, dietary habits or between 1999 and 2003, which finally con-
taste preferences, but also the climate tributed to the fact that the two sales loca-
play a role. Just think of the enthusiasm tions—privately owned perfumery and per-
for sweet mustard in or for the often rel- fume chains—developed silently. Of course,
atively sweeter, therefore less tart beer of as we have already discussed, there have al-
Bavaria. The influence of climate and ways been national preferences for fra-
air is particularly evident in the differ- grances, but around the turn of the millen-
ent latitudes of Germany. Chanel No 5 nium, many global perfumes dominated the
smells different on the streets of Ham- market. The privately owned perfumery also
burg than in Munich. How often it hap- had to take this into account and carry it
pened to me that I brought perfumes in the range. There were at least four to five
14 from Paris, which is still reached by the global fragrances per country, often seven to
Atlantic sea air, wonderfully smelled, eight fragrances in Germany. Examples are
but did not develop the same class in “Allure”, “Trésor ” or “CK one”, which al-
my southern Baden. In southern Baden most dominated the respective lists of the
we have less often Föhn, a warm, dry top 10 perfumes worldwide. So you had to
downwind, as in Bavaria, but often an have these perfumes in stock as a special-
inversion weather, in which the upper air ist shop if you wanted to play a role in your
layers are warmer than the lower—with place as a premium perfumery. From 2003,
the effect that the same fragrance smells national fragrance individuality gradually
slightly different in the sunny highlands increased in almost all European fragrance
of the Black Forest, for example more markets. At first it was fragrances of local
fruity, as down in the foggy valley. designers as well as fragrances of national
5 Second, from drugstores and perfume celebrities who were increasingly launched
shops or perfume chains with relatively on their own markets. Of course, there have
younger customers, often between the always been perfumes by national celebri-
Reference
335 14
ties. Just think of the perfumes by Jil Sander Summary
and Wolfgang Joop, which came onto the Using the example of preferred fragrance
German market as early as the 1980s. Then, directions for women’s notes, we have
around 2004/2005, noble privately owned shown that there are sometimes quite
perfumeries discovered the “niche fra- large differences between the individ-
grances” for themselves, the name was not ual perfume markets. The German and
yet born. They could of course also have French perfume markets are quite dif-
global reach and be designer fragrances or ferent, while Spain has many similari-
fragrances of small and large celebrities, but ties with the South American market. It-
most of the time they were collector’s fra- aly is located on a world map of scents
grances from small productions that did not or perfume markets in the middle of
claim global reach and were limited to less Europe; England and the USA, on the
than 50 sales points, for example in Ger- other hand, are a sister market in which
many. National niche perfumes were then the floral fragrance dominates.
the logical further development in the niche With regard to the differences in fra-
fragrance market. One who recognized the grance directions and preferences for in-
trend early on was the perfumer and Ber- dividual perfume ingredients, a lot can
liner by choice Geza Schoen, who almost be explained by a fragrance socializa-
single-handedly brought “Molecule 01” by tion. But psycho-analytical explanation
escentric molecules onto the German fra- models could also play a role. According
grance market in 2006. to C.G. Jung, historical situations and
To stand out with a fragrance as a sig- memories of the national greatness of
nature is and was particularly popular with individual opinion-makers, for example,
target groups that address the privately are stored in an unconscious collective
owned perfumery. Niche fragrances from memory, which could also be coupled to
small local manufacturers are and were olfactory experiences or memories.
ideal for this. The wearer wants private ol- Are perfume markets increasingly de-
factory experience, to smell beautiful for termined by national preferences? No,
himself and not be perceived by everyone in there is a global and a national fragrance
the environment. The trend towards niche trend.
perfumes has since undergone a further de-
velopment, but this new trend is not lim-
ited to global or national fragrances: per- Reference
fume layering, the currently most personal
way to create new and unusual olfactory ac- Kremp D (2013) Majestät Rose. Rosenduft—der Liebe
tive perfume as a very own one, in order to Lust—die Geheimnisse der Königin der Blume.
Engelsdorfer, Leipzig
smell and experience more beautiful.
» You have now read the penultimate chapter
of the book, and I hope you have enjoyed it
so far. At the end of the book in Chap.5 I
would like to explain to you how and where
modern perfumery originated and what role
the plague played in it—here you will learn
something surprising again.
 337 15

The Emergence of the

Modern Perfumer
How and Where the Modern Perfumer Emerged, How Individu-
al Perfumers Could Become Luxury Brands, and What Develop-
ment Opportunities Female Perfumers have—An Epilogue

Contents

15.1 How and Where the Modern Perfumer Came

About – 338

15.2 How Individual Perfumers can Become Luxury

Brands – 341

15.3 What Development Opportunities Do Perfumers

Have? – 342

References – 344

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023
J. Mensing, Beautiful SCENT,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-67259-4_15
 338 Chapter 15 · The Emergence of the Modern Perfumer

somewhat surprised by the newly awakened

research interest—but not if they know how
great the respective political, economic, and
social situation can influence perfumers and
their work.

15.1 How and Where the Modern

Perfumer Came About
As we discussed in 7 Chap. 1 some names
of perfumers are already known from an-
cient times and antiquity. Due to their abil-
ities, they must have played a significant
role in society at that time, as can be seen
from the first perfumer we have Tapputi
Tapputi-Belatekallim created her perfumes
around 1200 BC in Babylon and was orig-
inally a chemist. In the first place, the ruler,
his harem, but also higher-ranking and in-
fluential people who lived at and around
the palace, enjoyed her creations that took
into account the individual status and role.
Much more is known to perfume historians
For a number of years, the perfumer has be-
about the role of perfumers since the be-
come a research subject in his own right.
ginning of the Renaissance in Italy, in par-
This has led to an artist’s social history of
ticular about perfumers in the cities Ven-
creative noses that enriches and refreshes
ice and Florence and their importance for
perfumery, because one is otherwise inclined
the development of modern alcoholic per-
to concentrate on questions of olfactory per-
fumery in the Western world. They have
ception and the effect of scents. Investigating
contributed greatly to its construction af-
the perfumer in more detail, as I will show
ter the fall of the Roman Empire and after
with a few examples, contributes to a better
the rediscovery of the great world of scents
of the Orient, Africa and Asia by crusad-
15 overall understanding of perfumery and, in-
ter alia, makes clear its development into the
ers and by the trade in aromas and spices.
modern perfumery of today. When research-
Of course, traditions of Roman and Greek
ing the perfumer, what is of interest above
practices were also very helpful here. I have
all is his changing professional and self-im-
already discussed in Sec. 7.3 the great im-
age, but also his role and position in soci-
pact that alcoholic perfumery had on the
ety. Of particular interest is the period be-
experience of scent.
tween the Renaissance and the present day.
However, the Renaissance in Italy also
The presentation of the results takes place as
brought about a gradual change in the pro-
part of symposia, such as in October 2021 at
fessional and self-image of the creative
the Palace of Versailles Research Center, to
noses, especially in Venice (Messinis 2017).
which the perfume house Guerlain and the
More and more, perfumers were seen as in-
University of Lyon invited experts (Camus
dependent artists and merchants from this
and Wicky 2020). Those not involved will be
epoch onwards, who not only created their
15.1 · How and Where the Modern Perfumer Came About
339 15
perfumes, but also manufactured and sold Nevertheless, I would like to focus on
them to wider population groups (Gobet the development of perfumery in Venice,
u. Le Gall 2011). If you trace the produc- which came into contact with this in Flor-
tion of scent back to the Bronze Age, it ence long before, through returning crusad-
was quite different. The production of per- ers and trade relations with the world of
fume was linked to the palace and con- scents of the Orient, Africa and Asia. Vene-
trolled there. Perfume itself was a prestig- tian traders and perfumers were the first
ious product, the enjoyment of which was to have personal insights into the perfume
mostly limited to those who, as already production of the Orient and direct contact
mentioned, lived in and around the pal- with the then important trading places for
ace. It is even assumed today that the use of fragrances in the Middle East and North
perfume was limited to a very small circle Africa.
of people, namely the royal family and the While it was Dominican monks who
highest ranking. Accordingly, perfume was produced mixtures such as the popular rose
an olfactory expression of power, wealth, water since the 13th century in Florence,
and luxury. An example of this is the use of the perfumery originated in Venice from
perfume at the Mycenaean palace of Pylos trade. This was often based on free trade
(Greece) around 1200 BC (Murphy 2012). agreements, from which the bourgeois per-
One can ask why Venice played the larg- fumers also benefited greatly because fra-
est role in the development of modern per- grance materials could be purchased more
fumery and why the lagoon city became cheaply for perfume production. This also
the first center of European perfume in had the effect that one was less dependent
the 14th century. Since there are different on the nobility and the church, both finan-
opinions among perfume historians about cially and as a client or protégé.
which Italian city played the greater role in With the beginning of the Renais-
modern perfumery, I would like to go into sance, but also earlier, the trade structures
the background of the question of modern changed, from which the Republic of Ven-
perfumery and the situation of its then-per- ice benefited from free trade in many places.
fumers in order to answer the question. In this context, it became especially pos-
Florence was very open to artists and sible for the Venetians to borrow money
new artistic and fashionable developments cheaply for their own enterprises or to find
through the patronage of the Medici no- one or more silent partners for their own
ble family, which initially made its money business. Also, the success of the maritime
in the textile industry. In particular, Cath- power Venice has gradually improved the
erine de’ Medici was interested in perfum- living and working conditions in this epoch,
ery. Her perfumers were very successful in although not everywhere.
the early 16th century in the then-mod- Between 1347 and 1575, the lagoon
ern art of glove perfumery, for which they city was visited more than 20 times by the
created very innovative and attractive fra- plague. As terrible as it was for the resi-
grance notes. In 7 Sect. 5.10 I have given dents (only 70,000 of the 120,000 Venetians
background information on this. Catherine survived the great plague wave of 1347), the
herself or her perfumers such as René Bi- plague had a significant influence on and
anchi (Renato Bianco, also known as Maî- challenged perfume-makers during this pe-
tre René or René le Florentin), who were riod. This led to progress, but also to re-
dependent on her favor—even if they al- gression in the social role and scope of ac-
ready had their own perfume businesses—, tivity of perfume-makers. I would like to
significantly influenced the French func- explain why this was the case below.
tional perfumery.
 340 Chapter 15 · The Emergence of the Modern Perfumer

In Europe, especially during times of Also, disinfectant incense was very popu-
plague, smoking was used to disinfect, lar again, which the ancient cultures had al-
above all, the air in sickrooms. Because ready used for air purification. Certainly,
there were no real means of combating the it did not serve the progress of perfumery
Black Death other than hygiene and isola- if, during the plague, perfumers descended
tion, perfume-makers were in demand dur- to “smokers” or merely supplied incense.
ing the Renaissance and even in antiquity What further hindered progress and quickly
to develop and offer hygienic products and brought perfumers into dubious light was
applications. The population was looking that, as was customary in antiquity, they
for health-promising, protective things that again assumed the role of a physician or
should also offer a pleasant smell. pharmacist to a greater extent during the
The development of modern West- plague. This had already been warned by
ern perfumery and thus also of alcoholic Roman and Greek doctors in antiquity, be-
perfumery is therefore to be seen against cause perfumers could only help with fra-
the background of the plague-ridden Re- grance treatments in case of less serious
naissance. Especially Venice had to expe- illnesses, if at all. During the plague, as we
rience how important hygiene or clean- know, the plight of the population was ex-
ing was not only for the enjoyment of life, ploited from all sides—ecclesiastical as well
but also for the survival of an entire soci- as secular. Alleged doctors did a brisk trade
ety. No wonder then that the plague waves in miraculous waters, herbal mixtures, fra-
contributed to the fact that Venetian per- grance prescriptions, smelling powders,
fume-makers were the first in Europe to ex- and magical potions that promised to heal
periment with disinfecting alcohol in per- the sick and protect the healthy. Because
fumes. Arab perfume-makers had been do- there was a great demand for this, perfum-
ing this since the 10th century AD, but the ers were also involved, who, like pharma-
ancient Egyptians had already known al- cists, had the supplies for many substances
coholic perfumery since about 400 BC, but that were needed for the mixtures. There
had not really used it. With vinegar, which has never been an oath of Hippocrates, the
has an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial original Greek-language oath of medical
effect and contains small amounts of alco- ethics, with a corresponding oath of per-
hol, but smells pungent, the healthy new- fumers in the history of perfumery. There
comers were washed naked in Venice before would have been many occasions for this.
they came into 14-day quarantine. What For example, the already mentioned René
could be more natural than to experiment Bianchi is said to have murdered with per-
15 with scented alcohol, which not only dis- fumed, but also poisoned, gloves at the
infected, but also produced a much nicer French court.
smell of plants, above all, than the scented Venice developed a sense of hygiene at
creams and oils used in perfumery since the an early stage. The Magistrature of Ven-
beginning. With this, one can say: From the ice issued strict disinfection rules and
need of the plague-ridden Renaissance and erected a plague hospital in 1423, in which,
its perfume-makers it came now also in Eu- among other things, rosemary was system-
rope to the progress—to the olfactory jump atically smoked for the masses. In the fol-
in the modern perfumery. lowing years, the first quarantine station in
As in our time through Corona also the the Western world was created. In 1490, a
use of soap increased during the plague, in separate health authority was founded in
the production of which the Venetians of Venice. At that time, the interest in myrrh,
the Renaissance were already true masters. which was already highly valued by Greeks
15.2 · How Individual Perfumers can Become Luxury Brands
341 15
and Romans in antiquity and antiquity, in- arrival in Venice of the plague, and many
creased sharply. It was introduced to Eu- perfumers will have suffered the same fate.
rope via Venice, Florence, Genoa, and fi-
nally Southern France.
As early as the 11th century, peo- 15.2 How Individual Perfumers
ple in Venice had received luxurious per- can Become Luxury Brands
fumes from the Orient, from which they
could learn how fragrances could smell in The success of the Venetian perfumers in
their glory. The perfumes that one learned the Renaissance, however, is based on other
to know in Venice came from Byzantium factors as well. Written sources such as in-
(Constantinople). This is evidenced by the voices, diaries, and correspondence will cer-
move of Maria Argyropoulina (Maria Ar- tainly confirm the overall better working
gyre) to Venice. She was a perfume lover conditions for perfumers that began in the
from the ruling family of Byzantium, who Renaissance in further research—just as
in 1004 married the son of the Doge Orse- that in this epoch the costs for most of the
olo in Venice. It is said that she impressed fragrance ingredients needed for the pro-
the Venetians more than with her heavy se- duction of a perfume were now possible for
ductive perfumes. The marriage also had a the majority of perfumers a lucrative work.
very positive effect on trade between Byz- There were also tax incentives that Venice
antium and Venice. The Venetians learned offered its citizens and merchants. So there
from where their trading partner obtained were times in its history when taxes and du-
the raw materials for the wonderful per- ties were levied on land ownership and ab-
fumes. One place was Trebizond (Trab- sence from military service, but direct taxes
zon) on the Black Sea coast of today’s Tur- were waived. Yes, even duties were com-
key, where the Silk Road also ended. Other pletely waived if one exported as much in
trading places were located on Cyprus, in value as one imported. This also applied to
Asia Minor and in Egyptian Alexandria. perfume products, which, like spices, silk,
But Trebizond must have been a very im- pigments and precious stones, were among
portant trading place not only for the per- the most expensive goods.
fume of these days. After some disagree- Tax adjustments also helped to keep
ments, i.e. wars, of which Genoa initially Venice attractive as a place to live despite
profited, a trade agreement was concluded epidemics and wars. This also ensured the
between Byzantium and Venice in 1268, influx of specialists and workers, includ-
which now also allowed the Venetians free ing a sufficient number of apprentices and
access to the Black Sea. journeymen who had to be available to en-
The trading skills of the Venetians led sure the general organization of a perfume
to valuable knowledge, which was the op- workshop and its development. Even in
portunity for the local perfumers. They times of economic or health crisis, special-
began to experiment more, which led to ists were often kept against their will in the
the breakthrough of alcoholic perfum- lagoon city. The glassmakers, who are still
ery. We can therefore say that the develop- working on the lagoon island of Murano
ment towards modern Western perfumery today, were even threatened with the death
was forced by plague waves and good trade penalty if they were caught moving out of
agreements. This development took place the city or if they passed on their knowl-
with much pain. So Maria Argyropoulina edge. Venice, the cradle of Central Euro-
died with her children a few years after her pean glass production, therefore offered its
perfumers the environment for their work
 342 Chapter 15 · The Emergence of the Modern Perfumer

very early on. They were given contain- 15.3 What Development
ers by the Venetian glass factories to pres- Opportunities Do Perfumers
ent their creations in an artistic way or to Have?
export them nationally and internationally.
Today, the perfume brand “The Merchant Were there also the above-mentioned pro-
of Venice” in particular advertises with the fessional or development opportunities for
perfumes inspired by the local glass art, female perfumers?
even though the centres of the perfume in- Female perfumers like Tapputi certainly
dustry are now in cities such as Paris and played a big role since the beginning of per-
New York. This environment, which de- fumery, even though it was mostly domi-
veloped mainly in Venice between the 14th nated by men (rulers, nobles, priests). Be-
and 15th centuries, thus also offered aspir- ing a perfumer was a profession that women
ing perfumers good prospects for their own have practiced since antiquity, as well as in
careers. They could move from craftsman modern times, and still do today with a lot
to investor in their own companies, or even of talent. So in 1551 there were eight female
to their own luxury brand with multina- perfumers in Lisbon alone (Kennett 1975).
tional distribution and to an influential fig- In 7 Sect. 5.9 we discussed ten of today’s fe-
ure in public life (Briot 2015). male “super noses”. They alone have created
It was mainly Italian and French per- over 700 global perfume hits by 2020. In ad-
fumers who first used these new market dition, there are women like Helena Rubin-
and development opportunities and set- stein (Fitoussi 2019) or Estée Lauder (Ep-
tled successfully in other countries. So in stein 2000) who have very successfully built
the 16th century all perfumers in England whole perfume and cosmetics empires or
were either French or Italian (Dugan 2011). luxury brands. They had the passion for per-
The first perfume still sold on the German fume that has been handed down to us by
market, “Farina”, was, as mentioned in the Egyptian Pharaoh Hatshepsut (around
7 Sect. 7.1, created by an Italian, the per- 1495–1459 BC). She even undertook her
fumer Gian Paolo Feminis, from Venice to own expedition to the gold land of Punt,
Cologne. There he and his family opened south of the Horn of Africa, in order to get
their own business and sold their scents to to her favorite scents. By ship and caravan,
national and international customers. By the Pharaoh brought back numerous frank-
the way, “Farina” was originally named incense trees from the trip, which she had
“Aqua Admirabilis” by its Venetian creator. planted around her temple (see 7 Sect. 7.2).
Of course, the international distribu- I also reported on Elizabeth of Po-
15 tion of fragrance products was not an en- land, Queen of Hungary (1326–1361 AD),
trepreneurial achievement of modern times. who in the 14th century already brought
As we have seen in 7 Chap. 1, there were her own perfume (“Aqua Reginae Hungar-
already perfumers in antiquity who dis- iae”) to the international market through
tributed their products internationally and early influencer marketing (see 7 Sect. 7.4).
made a name for themselves with their per- We also talked about Catherine de’ Medici,
fumes or already represented their own per- who, together with her perfumers, founded
fume brand. But it is no coincidence that functional perfumery in France and thus
the trading power of Venice shaped the his- indirectly helped her adopted homeland be-
tory of perfume in Europe in the Renais- come an olfactory superpower.
sance and that the Italian perfumer in par- So one can say: It was and is precisely
ticular became a model for the modern, in the field of perfumery that women were
self-marketing cosmopolitan perfumer. able to “pre-live” the modern woman who
15.3 · What Development Opportunities Do Perfumers Have?
343 15
is also successful in her profession, because or Josephine Catapano, who created the
the perfume industry gave them (as well as Estée Lauder classic “Youth Dew” (1952),
men) the development opportunities that or Sophia Grojsman, who created “White
they then used. For female perfumers, there Linen” (Estée Lauder) in 1978 and “Trésor”
are still many setbacks in our time, as I will (Lancôme) in 1990. The future of perfume,
show below using the example of Patricia the professional and self-image of a per-
de Nicolaï. fumer or a female perfumer, as well as their
The perfume industry has already re- role and position in society will therefore be
acted relatively early to the deepest and shaped by the increasing number of female
most far-reaching social change of the 20th noses.
century with its own perfume creations and Christine Nagel, the first in-house per-
fragrance directions—see the discussed Chy- fumer of the fashion house Hermès, al-
pre notes (7 Sect. 5.4)—the fight of women ready recognized the trend in 2018 when
for equal rights and opportunities. This she noticed that women now make up 80%
was, as we discussed in 7 Sect. 8.6 , the trig- of perfume students. For Christine Nagel
ger that the perfume “Jicky”, originally in- there are good reasons for this. Perfume
tended as a men’s fragrance (1889), became houses are increasingly relying on a master
the fragrance of the early women’s move- perfumer who is not only creative, but also
ment of the 19th century through the influ- decides on the latest perfume with female
ence of the first feminist mass organization instinct. At Cartier, the manufacturer of
during the Paris Commune (from 1870). luxury goods, it is her colleague Mathilde
However, this does not mean that there was Laurent. There are still mostly male noses
already a consciousness of equal opportu- that have developed into their own lux-
nities in the perfume industry. In the per- ury perfume brand, like Alberto Moril-
fume house Guerlain, which is often con- las. But also in this area, female noses are
sidered progressive in perfume history, the likely to catch up quickly and inspire per-
gender discrimination within the family was fume lovers with perfumes from their own
only too well known. Patricia de Nicolaï was luxury brands in the future. Today it can al-
born into the Guerlain perfume family; she ready be said: The noses of tomorrow will
is the great-granddaughter of Pierre Guer- certainly be mostly female. It is the women
lain and the niece of Jean-Paul Guerlain. who inspire and further develop perfume
But she is also an example of what women and thus “smelling better”. The trend was
can achieve if they do not give up their already evident in the development of the
passion. In the 1980s, Patricia de Nicolaï perfume “Idôle” by Lancôme (2019), for
founded her own luxury fragrance brand— which three ambitious female perfumers
Parfums de Nicolaï—after it became clear from different continents contributed their
that her family would deny her the career of knowledge of perfume. More and more fe-
“Guerlain Master Perfumeur”. The reason: male perfumers are also winning renowned
In the famous perfume house, this title was French FIFI Awards. For example, 2023
traditionally passed on from father to son. Daphné Bugey with 33 Abyssae by L’Ar-
Today, more women are being trained at tisan Parfumeur for men and women. But
the famous French perfume school ISIPCA perhaps the best news: there are more per-
than men (see 7 Sect. 6.1). The big perfume fumer teams consisting of female and male
manufacturers see the same trend. More perfumers who receive valuable awards.
and more female perfumers are following Like Nadège Le Garlantezec, Shyamala
in the footsteps of, for example, Germaine Maisondieu, and Antoine Maisondieu with
Cellier, who created perfumes such as Bal- Paradoxe by Prada - the 2023 winner in the
main’s “Vent Vert” (1945/47) in the 1940s, Best Women’s Launch category.
 344 Chapter 15 · The Emergence of the Modern Perfumer

which the ancient Egyptians already knew

Now we have arrived at the end of our in 400 BC, but did not really use.
joint journey into the world of scents, We have finally looked at the question of
and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I whether and, if so, how female perfum-
did. Maybe I even inspired one or oth- ers can also benefit from modern per-
ers of you to pursue a professional path fumery. It turned out that they suffered
in one of the areas of the scent universe from open gender discrimination for a
in the future. Others may use the find- long time. But there are also encouraging
ings of neuroperfumery and scent psy- signs today. Women now make up 80%
chology for self-therapy. However: I very of perfume students, and luxury brands
much hope that you all enjoyed reading such as Cartier or Hermès are increas-
my book! Maybe we’ll meet again at one ingly relying on a master perfumer for
of my seminars and workshops (7 On- the creation of their perfumes.
line Perfume Academy).

Summary
We have first looked in this chapter at
how and where the modern perfumer
emerged in the Western world. The Re-
naissance in Italy is particularly interest-
ing for the history of perfume. After the
fall of the Roman Empire and the redis-
covery of the great world of fragrances
of the Orient, Africa and Asia by the
Crusaders as well as by the trade in aro-
mas and spices, it was above all the trad-
ing power of Venice that offered its per-
fumers development opportunities and
inspiration through insider contacts and
“favourable” import duties on fragrance
raw materials. From this epoch onwards,
perfumers were increasingly seen as inde-
pendent—albeit not independent of rul-
15 ers—artists and traders who could not
only create their perfumes, but also pro-
duce and sell them to wider population References
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quite different. The production of per- Camus A, Wicky E (2020) Le parfumeur: évolution
fume was linked to the palace and con- d’une figure depuis la Renaissance. Appel à com-
trolled from there. munication/Call for Papers. Centre de recherche
du château de Versailles
Between 1347 and 1575, Venice was vis-
Dugan H (2011) The ephemeral history of perfume:
ited more than 20 times by the plague. scent and sense in early modern England. The
This was of course terrible for the popula- Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore
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develop their art. Disinfecting alcohol was cess. Franklin Watts, New York
increasingly used as a fragrance carrier,
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