To Intensify a Feeling and Capture a Memory, Turn to Scent

Close your eyes. Think back to an intimate moment with a partner. Now remember how they smelled: a signature scent, their deodorant, or just their skin. Whatever it was, it probably made the moment more charged, and recalling it now may stir that feeling all over again.

But scent's influence goes well beyond romance and arousal. A lavender pillow spray can help your body relax as you wind down at night. A spritz of perfume can boost your confidence before a big presentation. 

None of this is in your head—or rather, all of it is.

Research shows that when we inhale a scent, odor particles travel through the nose to the olfactory receptors that send signals to our brain’s limbic system—the area that handles memory and emotion. This pathway connects closely to the amygdala, which processes emotional responses, and the hippocampus, which forms memories. 

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Because olfactory sensations are not gated through the thalamus (the area in the brain that regulates alertness and mood) as are other sensory inputs, we have an almost immediate response to the hedonic nature of the scent—good vs. bad? Stay or go? —Pamela Dalton, PhD, a cognitive psychologist

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Unlike other senses like sight or touch, smell bypasses the brain’s rational processing centers. In other words, scent reaches our emotions before our logic can catch up. Pamela Dalton, PhD, a cognitive psychologist and member of Monell Chemical Senses Center, says that this reaction unfolds almost instantly. “Because olfactory sensations are not gated through the thalamus (the area in the brain that regulates alertness and mood) as are other sensory inputs, we have an almost immediate response to the hedonic nature of the scent—good vs. bad? Stay or go?” 

Once activated, the signal moves through the brain’s emotional areas before reaching the areas responsible for decision-making. “After activating the limbic system and the primary olfactory cortex, the activation can spread to other parts of the brain such as the orbitofrontal cortex, where decisions are made,” Dalton explains. 

Douglas Little, founder and perfumer of Heretic, describes this phenomenon less scientifically, but evocatively: “Fragrance slips past reason and enters the bloodstream of memory,” he says. “It doesn’t explain itself. It possesses.”

This helps explain why the smell of food can trigger cravings— or why a whiff of ocean water can trigger memories of being by the sea.

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Fragrance slips past reason and enters the bloodstream of memory. —Douglas Little, founder and perfumer of Heretic

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The emotional impact of this is hard to overstate. 

Psychologists often refer to scent-triggered memories as “Proustian memories,” named after writer Marcel Proust, who famously described how the smell of a madeleine dipped in tea rekindled a childhood memory. 

A 2023 study on the “Proust effect” found that memories triggered by scent tend to be more emotional and vivid than those evoked by other senses. Since smell shares such close neural connections with the emotional parts of our brains, these memories can feel sudden and all-encompassing. Furthermore, it shows that they can even ignite a deeper meaning in life. 

Part of a scent’s power is in how it unfolds over time. Carine Certain Boin, a senior perfumer at Givaudan, explains that the structure of a fragrance itself is designed to shape the emotional memory it leaves behind. “The top notes, which have the shortest evaporation time, create the immediate hook,” she begins. As the scent evolves, the heart notes reveal what perfumers largely consider the true identity of the fragrance. “This is where personal connection with the olfactive signature unfolds,” Boin says. Finally, the base notes. “These are the most intimate, the ones that linger on the skin and sometimes reappear on a scarf the next day,” she explains. “They are the ones that shape the memory of a fragrance and create its lasting impression over time.” 

The perfumer adds that to her, perfume is like an invisible architecture: it creates an atmosphere around the body, shapes how we perceive a moment, and holds memories long after the scent itself has faded. For this reason, people sometimes choose a signature scent—something intimate that others quickly associate with them. This emotional power is one reason brands carefully design the scent of their spaces. 

Take hotels, for example. They often create signature scents that subtly define and elevate their atmospheres. At The Maker Hotel, the lobby is scented with its Spiritus candle, while Coqui Coqui in Mérida diffuses its signature Rosas Secas oil to cement the scene in Yucatán. Guests who bring these scents home with them are then instantly transported back to the places where those memories were made. 

People sometimes assume scents have universal associations, but our relationships with smells are uniquely shaped by personal experience. While most people likely have positive associations with the scent of lavender, someone who smelled it during a stressful period of their life may react differently. In that case, the same scent could trigger anxiety instead of relaxation. Psychologists call this associative learning—how our brains link emotional experiences with sensory cues. “Emotional responses to scent are both universal and deeply personal,” Boin clarifies. “While certain materials tend to evoke similar sensations, each person brings their own memories and experiences to a fragrance.” 

Scent can also reveal the parts of ourselves we don’t always show. Little believes part of a fragrance’s emotional pull is in its ability to bring those hidden layers of ourselves to the surface. “We all have a shadow, the parts of ourselves that are instinctual, sensual, ambitious, hungry,” he says. “Fragrance gives us permission to explore them.”

Scientific research continues to support scent’s emotional and even physical influence. On a psychological level, studies show that citrus scents elevate mood, while lavender can reduce stress. On a physical level, it’s been shown that the smell of vanilla is effective in increasing penile blood flow in men. 

In fact, researchers can even measure a scent’s impact in real time. “We measure heart rate, breathing rate, changes in cortisol, and pupillary dilation,” explains Dalton. While these physiological changes show how scent can trigger emotional arousal, that arousal can be both positive or negative, she adds—speaking to how complex individual reactions to smell are. 

Modern fragrance houses are increasingly leaning into this emotional science. Vyrao’s Ludeaux eau de parfum, for example, balances notes of milky peach, musk, and latex designed to evoke feelings of sensuality. According to testing conducted by IFF’s Science of Wellness program, the fragrance increased feelings of sensuality by 74 percent and self-esteem by 62 percent among participants. 

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We have used scents for millennia to cover bad odors, enhance our own body odor and our environment—but we are still scratching the surface of how important this sensory system is to our everyday life and how it modulates our moods and behavior. —Dalton

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Little is known for creating fragrances that evoke darker, emotional landscapes. Last year, he developed a fragrance inspired by the vampire film Nosferatu, followed by ‘Til Death, a solid perfume inspired by Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride!. “These stories stir the places we’re taught to repress: longing, obsession, the seduction of ruin,” he begins. “I’m not trying to capture fear, I’m trying to capture the tremor beneath it.” 

Unlike the other senses, scent lives on our bodies and deep within our memories. A specific fragrance can heighten intimacy, anchor a memory, and transform the tone of a space. What seems to be just a simple aroma can have a powerful, emotional imprint, linking people, places, and experiences way after the moment itself has passed. 

“We have used scents for millennia to cover bad odors, enhance our own body odor and our environment,” Dalton says. “But we are still scratching the surface of how important this sensory system is to our everyday life and how it modulates our moods and behavior.”