Smell and Memories – Perfume in Cosmetics

Smell and memories.

Do you have your favorite scent?

Fragrance in face cream can bring pleasant memories and not so pleasant. It can elevate the skincare ritual to another higher level. Make it more special and luxurious.

The sense of smell is closely linked with memory, probably more so than any of our other senses. Those with full olfactory function may be able to think of smells that evoke memories; the scent of an orchard in blossom conjuring up recollections of a childhood picnic, for example.

Psychology and Smell

Nowadays alcohol and fragrance have such a rough rep in the skincare community.  A lot of people consider denatured alcohol to be the most misunderstood ingredient out there.

As a person with sensitive skin, I try to avoid scented products. However, I don’t have anything against it.

When used in the right quantities it gives you the benefits of delivering ingredients dip into your skin and it also helps preserve the product.

The general issue with alcohol is that it evaporates very fast and it takes your skin’s moisture and sebum away with it. That is why it’s so popular in toners for oily acne-prone skin.

It’s definitely something that dry-skinned people (like myself) can find scary. However, if paired with other hydrating ingredients to further replenish, you are A-Okay.

The fragrance is mostly a cosmetic add-on to cover up not-so-nice smells. Sometimes it is even added to make something unscented.

Fragrance (as an ingredient) is usually an overreaching term for a blend of natural oils, and just like essential oils, it can be sensitizing to the skin if used in large amounts. Luckily, fragrance in most skin care products is in very tiny amounts. Typically, if you haven’t experienced sensitivities to fragrance products, you will be good.

This article is about smell and memory for anyone interested.

And please leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts! As always, I’d love to hear from you!

Have a fabulous week and take care!