A fragrance titillates your nose, transports you or, on the contrary, repels you, but you manage to describe only 2-3 scents out of the entire composition? Granted, this is not a simple exercise and you might say that this ability to recognise the smells that reach us is the result of a gift reserved for perfumers.
That nose-ni! Having a nose is not innate! The sense of smell is in fact a sense in its own right that needs to be cultivated to improve it. Perfumers seem to have an extraordinary sense of smell and are sharper than the average person, but their talent is the result of a lot of rigour and an early awareness of this sense. Because yes, you are not born a nose, you become one!
Complex and rich, the sense of smell is like a muscle, it must be worked. To develop your olfactory capacities and cultivate your sense of smell, it is important to use it in a sustained and repeated manner in order to develop it. So, get your noses ready, smell: we give you all the advice you need to improve your sense of smell and have a nose for things!
A sharp sense of smell is not possible without a good olfactory culture
Before getting down to business, let's start with a bit of theory: knowing how to differentiate between the olfactory families, developing your olfactory vocabulary, acquiring knowledge about raw materials, about the backstage of perfumery (niche perfumery in particular), etc. will allow you to put the right words to the smells you smell.
With a little time and desire, you can largely build an olfactory culture on your own thanks to the many existing resources: books, blogs, podcasts, social networks, digital resources... The choice is vast! In fact, that's what we try to do with Bastille through our blog posts and on Instagram:
Whether you are a novice, an enthusiast or an expert on the subject, here are some useful resources that will help you build your olfactory culture - and give you the opportunity to shine at your next dinner party:
Books :
- The Big Book of Perfume by Nez La Revue,
- From plant to essence by Nez La Revue and Simppar,
- or the whole collection "Nez + LMR cahiers des naturels" which talks about each raw material of perfumery (immortelle, orange blossom, sandalwood...) and all its facets through botany, history, mixology, agriculture and chemistry without forgetting, of course, the perfumes and perfumers of Nez La Revue and LMR Naturals of IFF
- and Perfume by Jean-Claude Ellena!
Sites / blogs : Auparfum, Fragrantica, Fragrance Foundation, Ça Fleure Bon...
French speaking perfume enthusiasts: @manotedecoeur, @nikopieri, @scentifolia, @talkaboutperfumes, @jeremy_perfum, @silvereparfum and many more!
And English speakers : @perfumeofthemoon, @icarus.mid.air, @waroengfrancais, @olfaxtory...
Podcasts: The Perfumery Podcast, Podcasts by Nez, the Fragrance Foundation podcasts and many others.
And one more for the road: ScenTree! This site classifies the raw materials (natural and synthetic) used in perfumery and gives for each one, a mountain of very interesting information: dominant notes, origin, extraction, regulations, have a look, you'll see it's fascinating.
If you also have recommendations, please share them in the comments!
Now that you know all about olfaction, it's time for your nose to get into action. Is he impatient? Come on, don't make him wait any longer, let's go.
Exercise 1: Feel consciously and as often as possible
Let's start with a simple exercise! Feel everything around you as regularly as possible. The key is regularity. This is what will allow you to focus your sense of smell and help you strengthen your olfactory connections. The aim of this exercise is to stimulate them sufficiently so that, in the long run, your brain can recognise as many smells as possible and as simply as possible.
Our advice: start with simple everyday smells such as coffee, basil, mint... and also, don't hesitate to write down all your sensations in an olfactory notebook - whether they are pleasant or not.
Exercise 2: Scent guessing game
After smelling consciously, it's time to guess! Practice guessing with your eyes closed to get your nose used to recognising smells.
Ask people around you to smell different scents and try to distinguish them. Start with smells that are fairly simple to recognise with distinct facets (woody, powdery, oriental, acidic, etc.) and then, when you feel able to go to the next level, ask them to make you guess more and more complex smells: various teas, spices of all kinds, different flowers such as mimosa or lily, etc.
Exercise 3: Memories, memories
Take time to associate the smells with a word, place, memory or person.
The sense of smell is one of the senses most closely linked to emotional memory: suddenly, all at once, a smell reaches us and reminds us of a moment, a memory... An odor is often associated with a context, a memory, an emotion. For example, when you smell something burnt, you may feel fear because your brain has memorized the idea that this smell could be dangerous. Conversely, the smell of freshly baked cookies or a clean sheet may evoke a fond memory and make you feel confident. A little like our eau de parfum Un Deux Trois Soleila warm, regressive fragrance to match!
When we smell a scent, our memory and emotions are immediately triggered: the smells we smell in our daily lives take a very different route from the other senses, since they go directly to two specific areas of our brain, namely the amygdala and the hippocampus. These areas are precisely those dedicated to emotions and memories. If you are interested in the link between smells and emotions, don't hesitate to read our dedicated article: after that, the sense of smell will hold no secrets for you!
This exercise will allow you to better identify the smells that are similar to you, that you like or, on the contrary, that repel you.
Exercise 4: Imagine the smells in your head
Recognising a smell also means being able to visualise it in your mind.
On the other hand, olfactory mental imagery - yes, because this ability has a name! - is a more difficult exercise than visual or auditory mental imagery.
The proof is in the pudding: we are all capable of visually imagining ourselves wandering around a place or even mentally humming the latest hit song that's playing in our heads... But can you mentally evoke the smell of toast to the point where you can smell it in your head? Sounds like a tall order to us...
According to a study carried out by researchers pitting students from the perfumery school in Versailles (ISIPCA) against more experienced perfumers, the results show that olfactory mental imagery in trained individuals activates a brain area normally stimulated during perception: perfumers trained to recognise countless odours, practised in creating new odours by imagining and mixing them, are therefore capable of smelling an odour in its absence. But how do you do it?
The key words again: training and regularity! Indeed, olfactory training has a decisive influence on the level of activation of the neurons involved in the mental imagery of smells and your olfactory connections. The more you train, the more efficient and faster you will be at mentally recreating smells.
For example, visualise your favourite cake and try to imagine what it might smell like. Do the same with other smells and you will see that your sense of smell will no longer hold any secrets for you.
Exercise 5: Blind tasting
Did you know that? We also eat with our noses! The sense of smell is, in fact, closely related to taste and even richer and more complex than taste. We explain.
Our taste buds can detect 5 different families of flavors: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and the new taste sense, umami ("essence of delight" or "monosodium glutamate"), which has its origins in Japanese cuisine - its taste is often described as the meaty delight between salty and sweet that deepens the flavor.
Our nose, on the other hand, can capture up to 10,000 smells. Perfumers, thanks to the exercises - including those mentioned above - can recognise and memorise up to 1,000 smells. And all it takes is a cold to knock on your nose to put your senses to the test... And we think that covid was the obvious proof.
So, when you eat, your sense of smell also comes into play alongside your sense of taste: your sense of smell allows you to perceive the smell and aromas of what you are eating, while your sense of taste allows you to detect the different flavours (sweet, salty, sour, bitter or umami).
For example, when you eat a piece of fruit - say an orange - certain molecules will come into contact with your taste buds and send you a message about the flavours of the fruit: sour and sweet for example. These volatile aromatic molecules are then released and travel up the back of your throat to the nasal cavity where they stimulate the olfactory receptors. Our sense of smell plays a key role in distinguishing the "taste" of an orange from the "taste" of a strawberry.
So get to work! This last exercise will improve your sense of smell - and make you appreciate your food all the more. At your next meal, and as often as you like: close your eyes and try to determine what is on your plate.
Shall we take it to the next level?
After a few weeks of practice or if you already feel ready to go to the next level: practice directly with your perfume collection! What smells come to your nose first? Gourmet, citrus, green...? Which notes reach your nose first? Which ones last after a few minutes?
Take the time to break down what you smell, then compare it with the ingredient list for the fragrance in question - when it's shared by the brand, such as Bastille. It's easier with the list :)
So now you have all the keys to perfecting your sense of smell! If you have any other questions on this subject, don't hesitate to ask us in comments or to write to us on Instagram, we'll be delighted to answer them!
Sources: Auparfum, Futura Santé, Le Quotidien du médecin, Inrae, Radio France
Photos: Inconnus, Nicolas Mingalon, Bastille
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