Smelling Through Your Fingertips

A fascinating BBC article (with a photo of what first looks like very hungry pairs of multi-fingered hands) about scientific findings about the sense of smell left me quite philosophical. Researchers discovered that scent receptors that are supposedly responsible for our sense of smell are not unique to the olfactory bulbs. The same type of receptors were found in the kidneys, heart, lung, gut and even in the tiny blood vessels in our skin!

The scientific implications of that are a better understanding of the interactions of various environments in our body, and how these work together to reject and eliminate toxins (as is done in our blood-filtering organs, the kidneys), pushing away foreign objects from our airway systems, and work in harmony with the the colonies of bacteria in our digestive system, are just among the discoveries described in this article.

These are fascinating discoveries, and I'm certain that down the road (and perhaps not that far from now), there will be some applicable medical and technological uses for this fascinating discovery. At the same time, to me personally this is yet another layer of knowledge that only confirms what I've been learning throughout my perfumery work and my personal experience with the sense of smell and how it relates to emotions.

The part that truly hit home for me is that these "smell receptors" are really chemical-sampling cells (which is how we've evolved from single-cell organisms like amebas to the complex creatures we are now), and their job is not limited to the brain (which the olfactory bulbs are part of). It makes sense to me just in the same way that we experience emotional pain in our brain like physical pain; and in  extreme emotional pain, it will be felt in the body as well, as if every fibre of one's being, to the last skin cell, is achingly tortured. How we interact with our environment has everything to do with how we evolved to be an interactive part of our environment. Emotions, smell and the tactile world are connected because this is how we "feel" life. Unlike the "higher" senses of sight and sound, these are very "hands-on" senses, that require a direct contact with a surface or a substance to be experienced, and that's what the cells or receptors need to be activated.

Our environment is not only external but also internal. So it only makes sense that we sense inside our bodies, and not just form the outside. Taking into account the internal milieu of emotions, it only makes sense that when we feel sad, angry or scared, there will be a change of chemicals in other organs besides our brain - the taste in our mouth becomes bitter when we are terrified, so why won't it became sour (perhaps) in our bellies when we are angry? And how much of our interpersonal interactions are actually through sounds (words and tone) or visual (facial expression) and how much of it really is all about the chemicals we transmit through a handshake?
It seems to me that even with not very intimate relationships, the experience of smell and touch that accompanies them communicates a lot more through this ability to "sample chemicals" from the environment. We can communicate a lot more through a handshake and the subconciously-perceptible scent we are emitting when we are feeling sad, happy, angry, disgusted or scared.

I'd be curious to hear what aromatherapy practitioners think about this. We already know that essential oils absorb readily through the skin into the blood stream and find their way with ease to the organ that needs healing. Do you reckon that the smell receptors in our skin and other organs have anything to do with aiding this process? And what about anosmiac people? Do they have less smell receptors in other areas of their bodies, or smell receptors that are less effective? My mother has a rare syndrome whose one of its symptoms is susceptibility to lung infections, and one of the unfortunate side effects is anosmia. Reading in this article the role this smell receptors have in assisting the cilia in the lungs to identify foreign bodies in the lungs and rid the lungs of them makes me wonder what happened first - the cilia's dysfunction, or does it have anything to do with smell receptors?

Smelling is: Healing, Feeling, Sensing, Connecting...

What shamans, herbalists and aromatherapists have known for hundreds if not thousands of years, science only now beginning to acknowledge and prove. In a recent NY Times article titled "Smell Turns Up in Unexpected Places", Alex Stone reviews recent scientific discoveries pertaining to chemical sensors in other parts of our body besides the olfactory bulbs.

While this is not exactly identical to the experience of scent per se, it is not exactly a surprise from an evolutionary point of view. The olfactory bulbs originally developed as sensing organs to sample the fluid, liquid environment of the primal ocean where life has developed. Some even speculate, that from these first sensing organs predated our limbic system, and from it, the brain eventually evolved... In other words, "I smell, therefore I think" is not quite as far-fetched as it may sound.

Smell is, in a sense, an assessment of the chemical environment surrounding the organism. In every breath, the organism evaluates differences in the environment and gathers important information for its survival, such as: is there any danger (i.e. fire, toxins or predators) nearby? Is there food or water nearby?

Why would it be surprising, then, that other parts of the body would also be able to assess chemicals and molecules, and respond to its healing properties? If our entire nervous system depends on responses to hormones, why would anyone be in the least surprised that other organs in the body, such as the liver or digestive tract, have special cells dedicated to molecular sensing and identification?

And for those fascinated by the notion of pheromones: it is not in the least surprising either (though of course fascinating nevertheless) that the sperm cells use their "sense of smell" so to speak to locate the eggs in their existentialist race for life (or death).

Many people won't be able to quite pinpoint how smell affects them. But we can all feel it. Perfumers, aromatherapists, shamans, priests, witches and herbalists have been attuned to the healing properties of fragrant plants and substances with distinctive olfactory characteristics. It's great that science is now catching up to this and we can read explanations to this. But I am certain that all along, we all feel a strong visceral reaction to scent, and our skin (the largest organ in our body) needs to be treated with respect as it has an important role in absorbing some of those healing energies from our environment - including sun light (essential for developing vitamin D), pheromones from our own species, and the many fragrant gifts of nature floating in the air surrounding us, or intentionally rubbed onto our bodies in the form of healing ointments, oils and massage.

Dull, Samey Rubbish

"So dull are today’s creations that the fragrance du jour may as well be called Ubiquity Pour Homme – a concoction that is everywhere, smells like everything else and is characterised by a top note of predictability, a heart note of safety and a base note of utter blandness. Oh, and pink pepper and something sweet and vanillary for good measure. Wear it and you’ll smell like every other man in the street". 
- Lee Kynaston on "Why are the no great men's fragrances any more?" in The Telegraph.  

And the following pretty much sums it up:
"Yep, right behind that short-lived, generic-smelling fragrance you just bought is another – almost identical – one just waiting to be assigned a name and allocated a designer".

Writing Your Scented Memoir, One Bottle At A Time...

The New York Times' T Magazine ran an interesting article that explains today's consumer's fragrance promiscuity.
Can you relate to this theory? Do you also shape your memories and eternalize them by associating perfume with certain periods in your life?

Who Wears Who?

Finally, scientists took the time to discover what I knew all along from my "clinical" experience: Our body chemistry enhances perfume's odour. We pick scents based on how they interact with our body chemistry. This is supposed to have some biological functions on choosing mates and what not.

Unlike most mass-produced perfumes on the market, which are designed to interact with paper strips and fabric ribbons - I treat the wearer's skin as the finishing touch to my creations. It is the "last ingredient" - only that it is not added to the vial (most perfumers do not work like Grenouille!) - but serves as the receptacle itself, upon which the perfume will develop and unfold.  

Must Read: Olfactory Journey Around the World - by Anastasia Deniskova

Join Anastasia Deniskova (aka Muza who comments frequently on SmellyBlog) and inidie noses for an around-the-world olfactory journey, where each perfumer introduces you to their city and paint an olfactory portrait of it.
I'm thrilled to be traveling with wonderful talents such as Anna Zworykina, Andy Tauer, Bogdan Zubchenko, Francesco van Eerd, Geoffrey Nejman, Neil Morris, Oliver Valverde Risquez, and yours truly.
9 perfumers, 9 cities - enjoy your trip!

How to Sniff: Rose

Self Definition, a photo by Ayala Moriel on Flickr.

In case you were wondering what to do after you stop to smell the roses - rose expert Michael Marriott has all the answers in this Wall Street Journal article titled "Sniff Out the Finest Roses"

Must Read: Smelliest Cities In The World

Humans have been lead by their noses to travel across the world to seek out exotic spices, herbs and perfumes. This article by Chandler Burr on GQ Magazine reminded me of the part of traveling which is least mentioned - the smell of mundane life in distant cities - or in familiar ones.

I haven't been to all of the ones listed, but my own list will certainly include Jerusalem (Ancient stones and dust, baked bread and cotton clothes on the lines), Montreal (all I can say is that it smells wide open and free - which is a sign I should pay it a visit soon!), and London (which I think Chandler has described very accurately! It's very sentimental, old fashioned smelling, with old furniture, flower gardens and everything British). Paris is certainly not the best smelling, which might explain why it had evolved into such an important perfume-using capital... And neither are New York and Tel Aviv, although that wouldn't stop me for visiting either again and having a wonderful time there.

What are your most favourite - and least favourite - smelling cities? Can you describe their smell?

Must Read: LA Times Magazine Vetiver Article

Visit the LA Times to read an excellent essay about vetiver by Denise Hamilton in her "Uncommon Scents" column - titled Green Goddess.
And as if a good read is not satisfying already - I was particularly surprised and happy to find mentions of both Vetiver Racinettes and Orcas!

Fragrant Decade: Ten Trends that Marked 2000-2009

The decade opening the third millennium, although hasn’t attained a universally accepted name, was certainly a fragrant one. With the releases of well over 5,000 perfumes (an average of over 500 fragrances each year, according to Basenotes.net), and the rise of many new niche perfume houses, it certainly gives consumers and fragrance aficionados a lot to choose from. We all know that quantity does not guarantee, and often undermines quality. Thankfully, in the past decade we have witnessed some trends that counterbalance quantity with quality and originality, and a few other interesting trends that prove that consumers can finally receive what they ask for and rightfully deserve.

So let’s examine the ten most important trends and influences in the fragrance world in this past decade.

Visit The Examiner to read the remaining of this article.

Must Read: Meet the Perfumer

“You know who wrote a piece of music or created a painting, so why not know who made a perfume?” (Maurice Roucel)
Change is happening in the perfumery world. Read the rest of the article in the New York Times.

Related links:
"The hhicken or the egg" - Now Smell This discussion on the topic

Must Read: Visions of Fall and Winter - Parts 2 & 3

Visit The Scented Salamander to read the rest of her series about visions of fall and winter according to North American independent perfumers. Part 2 featuring Candice Jurko of CJ Scents, Anya McCoy of Anya's Garden, Fabienne Christenson of Possets Perfume, and Christopher Brosius of CB I Hate Perfume; and Part 3, where you can read more from the previous artists and closes with the interview with me.

P.s. Click here if you missed Part 1

Must Read: Visions of Fall and Winter on Scented Salamander

The Scented Salamander hosting a short series of articles about independent North American perfumers: their relationships with the seasons and nature, the inspiration and creative process that lead to the creation of their perfumes for fall and winter. The article is titled "North-American Originals: Perfumers on Fall & Winter", and the first installation features interviews with Ineke Ruhland of Ineke, Mandy Aftel of Aftelier Perfumes and Liz Zorn of Soivhole.

Must Read: All My Perfumes are Sixty Six Years Old

"Inspiration is not something that comes in a flash. It is there within us and belongs to all. Nothing is less inspired than a suddenly inspired person! The components are already there inside you: elements, scents, colors, shapes… and when they express themselves you realize they have always been present. In fact, all my perfumes are sixty six years old!"

- From Serge Lutens' interview for Victoria Forlova of Bois de Jasmin.

Another interesting quote from the interview: "The great problem of commercial perfumery is that people keep buying it!"

Must Read: He Hates Perfume

Visit Intelligent Life for an interesting article about perfumer Christopher Brosius.

Luxury Catches Up with eBay

Visit MarketWatch to read an interesting commentary about the recent ruling in France ordering eBay to compensate LVMH for loss of profits (and glamour?) by way of allowing vendors to sell luxury goods on this online auction site that has become an integral part of so many people's shopping habits.

Must Read: Liquid Assets

Read Liquid Assets - an article in the New York Times, about Jean-Claude Ellena's latest travels that inspire his newest scent for Hermes, Un Jardin Après la Mousson (A Garden After the Monsoon).
The article is well written (by Phoebe Eaton) and if not for that, the pictures make a fabulous eye-candy...

You may be also interested to read the review of the scent by Robin on Now Smell This.

Must Read: Why It's Good to Smell

"We can render 10,000 smells and yet we only have two words to describe them - good or bad. Apart from that the only language we have is metaphors and the slogans of perfume adverts." - Sissel Tolaas, a smell-revolutionist, in a Sunday Herald interview.

- Thanks to Robin for the link!