Nobody will remember your handbag, but…

It’s August, so it’s a bit quieter than usual (at least, if you’re not a founder and about to launch SCENTISSIME Home of niche perfumery).

So during this month, I’d like to share with you some of my favourite quotes about perfume.

I’ll start with this one from Olivier Creed: “Your handbag may not be remembered, but your perfume will”.

I love this quote because it evokes one of the superpowers of perfume: the power to be remembered. Everyone remembers the scent of a loved one, the smell of a childhood place…

The sense of smell is directly linked to our limbic brain, the part that manages our emotions, instincts, and memory. This is why a smell can trigger an immediate emotional reaction without going through the filter of reflection. It’s also why a fragrance can instantly remind us of a past moment, a loved one, or a particular atmosphere.

Perfume designers are well aware of the power of fragrance on the memory. They use ingredients with cultural, historical or personal significance to create associations of ideas and images. Lavender can evoke Provence, jasmine can evoke the Orient, vanilla or chocolate recall childhood…

For me, orange blossom has a powerful evocative power. All I have to do is smell it and I’m instantly transported to Lebanon, the first time I went there to present Allure to the teams at CHANEL’s distributor.

Which fragrance takes you on a journey through time and space? What memories do you associate with certain smells? Don’t hesitate to leave a comment to share your experience.

Hervé Mathieu – Founder of SCENTISSIME, Home of Niche Perfumery

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