We all are surrounded by fragrances constantly, but we rarely think about them. 

While writing this blog, I am sipping on a steaming hot cup of chocolate milk.

I call it the “Cup of Heaven”.

The hot chocolate has a rich aroma/fragrance which I love and so I keep on smelling it in regular intervals.

While writing this blog, I realized that “fragrance” or smell is possibly the hardest of the aromas to put on paper. 

When we talk about food, there is a one-sided affirmation that –“Human beings eat with their eyes”!!!

But research states that – “Human beings use all their senses while eating”.

When you pass a bakery shop, the smell of freshly baked bread and pastries and vanilla makes us turn our heads.

The sensory effects that freshly baked pastries and biscuits exert on us!

The smell of freshly baked food items transports us directly to the precise moments of our childhood.

Some smells or fragrances are associated with very specific emotions.

The foundation of the perfume industry is based on these types of associations. Somewhat similar occurs in the case of pastries and biscuits.

As the fragrances are tied to our memories, we display such loyalty to a particular brand of cologne, perfume or aftershave. We think of these things as their smell.

These smells or fragrances bring back pleasant memories, and so we get an urge to buy them.

It is said that sounds and smells connect directly with emotions, much more than touch and sight.

This is the magic of olfactory memory!!!

The olfactory memory creates links between smells and emotions.

Our body parts from the nose to the limbic system (part of the brain), work together to create olfactory memories.

So when we smell the freshly baked bread, pastries and biscuits, what we smell is –

A Sunday at grandmother’s house or the moments spent with mother selecting pastries at the local bakery.

When we take a bite of one of those biscuits or pastries, what we are trying to bite into is our memories.

Here is the list of 5 Fabulous Fragrances we all love: –

1.    Brewing coffee

A cup of freshly brewed coffee will make you remember the times you spent with your friends at a coffee shop.

The fragrance or smell released from freshly brewed coffee is amazing.

Did you know, that the smell or aroma of the coffee, has a name?

The smell of coffee grounds has a name, it is called “Bouquet”.

The aroma of coffee ranges from being herbal to fruity.

These aromas are created by the vapours and gases which are released from the brewed coffee.

These aromas then reach the nose, where they come in contact with the olfactory membranes. And we get the craving to have a steaming hot cup of coffee.

2.    Chocolate

Who in this world, doesn’t love chocolate?

Chocolate is one of the most-loved food items around the world because the smell of chocolate itself can evoke a strong craving.

Chocolate is made from the seeds of the cacao tree, called “cocoa beans”. These cocoa beans are processed to bring out their characteristic flavour.

All of us, or should I say all the “Chocolate Lovers” know that different chocolates have different smells, depending on the ingredients used and how they were made.

The smell of chocolate can give you an idea about how the chocolate might taste.

Chocolate consists of a rich velvety aroma of roasted cocoa beans which makes our mouth water.

German scientists found that the combination of fragrance and taste makes dark chocolate so delicious.

This research explains and proves that the smell of chocolate is “tempting”. These findings have been applied by the food industry, hence you can see an increase in the number of tastier snacks being consumed and are also custom made.

This clarifies why we crave the stuff just by catching a whiff of the fragrance.

It is said that there are chemicals in chocolates that are similar to the ones found in roses.

Just like flowers and essential oils, roasted cocoa beans are also rich in beta-ionone. This chemical gives the flowers, essential oils and chocolates their respective smells.

So, now you know that a bouquet of chocolates is a better gift than roses, because not only can you sniff it, you can eat it too!!!

3.    Petrichor

The satisfying earthy scent unleashed by a downpour of the rains makes everyone smile.

This soothing and pleasing fragrance of nature is released during a reaction between the soil and the rain.

This calming “fragrance of nature” has a name – “petrichor”.

This smell of nature occurs due to the release of specific chemicals when the rain reaches the ground/soil.

One of these chemicals is “geosmin”. Geosmin is produced by the soil-dwelling bacteria, called “Actinomycetes”.

These bacteria live in moist and wooded areas. These bacteria play an essential role in breaking down organic materials, which are then used as nutrients by the soil.

The force with which the raindrops land on the ground sends these dormant bacteria up into the moist air, and into our noses.

This is how the pleasant aroma of nature is formed. The same principle applies, when you are watering your garden, you get the smell of the wet muddy soil.

We are not the only ones to appreciate the earthy aroma after a rain shower. Geosmin is harmful to some creatures, but for the insect-like “springtail”, it with a meal.

So, the romantic post-rain smell is just bacteria secretions. ((Sorry to burst your bubble !!!))

The next time you inhale the ” fragrance of nature”, remember that you are inhaling a big gulp of geosmin, but take comfort in the fact that you are surrounded by healthy soil.

4.    Camphor

Camphor tree is an evergreen tree.

The easiest way to find a camphor tree is by “smell”.

Camphor tree has a strong menthol odour. This smell is released when leaves and twigs are crushed.

It is a fast-growing tree but tends to develop poor structure. This makes it prone to decay and failure of large branches.

The entire tree gets destroyed even in minor storms.

In Indian culture, camphor symbolizes a strong connection with the sacred and divine.

Camphor when burnt or diffused turns into fumes and fragrances.

These fumes and fragrances of camphor have the power to redefine your surroundings.

Camphor’s fragrance has healing energies that can remove the negative energies present in the environment and can magnify the positive energies.

Camphor’s fragrance is a naturally powerful blend of piquant smell and menthol smell. It has a nose prickling fragrance that can arouse the healing agents by displaying an ethereal and divine feeling of tranquillity.

“Burning Camphor” during your morning rituals is the best. The fragrances released by camphor have medicinal properties.

These fumes and fragrances are anti-fungal and antibacterial. When we burn camphor, these fumes and fragrances spread out in the air and caste off any bacteria or negative energies present within you or in the environment.

Burning camphor makes it unfitting for the lower vibrational entities to survive and hence drives them away.

Burning Camphor every day is said to bring prosperity and an abundance of wealth. As the release of the negative blocks has taken place due to camphor, it is replaced by positive energy which is in the form of financial abundance.

Because of these divine properties of camphor, camphor is also used to cleanse your aura.

To cleanse your aura simply move a piece of camphor around your body from top to bottom and then burn that piece.

Do try it, it works!!!

5.    Lavender

The lavender smell is delicate, sweet, floral, herbal and evergreen woodsy. It has a soft, powdery, or smoky element as well.

The lavender smell can also be described as a blend of medicinal camphor smell and the balsamic resin scent of the rosemary.

Lavender essential oils are made from crushed lavender flowers. These essential oils are used in products like perfumes and candles.

High-temperature steam distillation units are used to extract significant percentages of oil from the beautiful purple lavender flowers.

Lavender has a calming fragrance for relaxation that puts us in a better mood and helps create a sense of tranquillity and peacefulness in the environment. Lavender essential oils are in great demand nowadays, as they cure anxiety, stress, sleep disorders and depression.

Lavender fragrance can help the stresses of the day melt away and can also help us fall asleep faster and sleep deeper throughout the night. Hence, it is advisable to sprinkle a few drops of lavender oil on your pillow.

The best part about Lavender’s fragrance is that it crosses genders and features in both women’s and men’s products. 

Lavender is popular as a “fragrance” in soaps and other bath products, perfumes and colognes, and even candles!

Next time, when you will pass through

a bakery shop or a coffee shop, you know that

your olfactory system is creating a memory

using the fragrance and the emotion.

Through this blog, I realized that –

A simple thing like “fragrance”

can bring bliss and happiness into our lives.

So, always remember what the wise man said –

“Life is Simple”.