A few years ago, I had a conversation with a good friend of mine about art and the senses. We came to the conclusion that almost every sense has a form of human-made art dedicated to it. The ears have music, the mouth has food and the eyes have all sorts of visual art to consume. But what about the nose?
In a later conversation with the same friend, we realized we had been ignorant to the art form of the nose. The nose has perfumery. The reason we had both failed to realize this was because our understandings of what fragrance is and what it can be had been narrow.
I’d only ever heard perfume talked about as a cosmetic product — something you use to get compliments or, in the worst case, to cover up any unpleasant smells. But a fragrance can be so much more than a means to make a good impression or boost your confidence.
Remove perfumery from the cosmetics context and it becomes an art form. Treat a scent the same way you would treat an album, a movie or a tasting menu — don’t just think about what it smells like, think about how it makes you feel. Does it remind you of something? Do you picture a scene, or a person? Try to extend your thought past “this smells good” or “this smells bad.”
Mark Leibman, a self-described scent therapist at Portland’s The Perfume House, said part of his love for fragrance is for its psychological abilities.
“It’s the fact that it can actually make you feel good,” Leibman said. “It’s a really strong emotional thing for people.”
If you compare the norms surrounding fragrance to the ways we treat clothing, it appears we are going about the use of fragrance all wrong. For example, on a hot day, you might wear shorts and a crop top, and on a cold day, you might wear a shearling coat and a scarf. You wouldn’t (or at least shouldn’t) wear the same clothes you go to class in to a wedding. And you wouldn’t wear your clubbing outfit to a job interview. So why wear only one scent for all of these things? Or no scent at all?
A fragrance is an accessory, just like jewelry or a bag. For example, on a cold morning, I might wear something with notes of rich vanilla and pipe tobacco, because sweet and dense scents can feel like a warm embrace on a cold day. Now let’s say it’s a bright and sunny afternoon at the river. Wearing something with citrus and cedarwood can give a light and refreshing aura that cools you down.
The kind of self expression fragrance offers is unmatched. Whether you want to draw somebody in or push people away, the intimate invisible quality of a scent makes it captivating.
On days you wake up hating everybody and the thought of talking to people makes your stomach churn, put on something dark and brooding, and you may start to enjoy the feeling. Smokes, leathers and birch tar are just some of the notes that invoke a somber and reserved sensation. For the days you wake up feeling the opposite, florals and ambers can make for an inviting and uplifting vibe.
Fragrance also has the uncanny ability to take you back in time through memory.
“It’s the most tied into memories of all the senses,” Liebman said.
The hippocampus and the amygdala are the parts of the brain responsible for memory creation and retrieval. The olfactory system, which processes scent signals, is right next to the hippocampus and amygdala, and their neurons are intertwined. As described in “The Proust Effect” by Cretien Van Campen, the Proustian memory — the beautiful, involuntary recollection of a memory triggered by scent — is the result of this.. Its namesake comes from French writer Marcel Proust, who described the sensation after eating a madeleine cake.
“Go slow, take your time, there’s a million things out there,” Liebman said. “You have to go through on your own to determine what you like and what wears well on you.”
To me, fragrance is one of the most emotionally engaging, and abstract art forms. For those looking to explore the world of fragrance, Uncommon Scents at the Meridian, located on 1801 Willamette St., has a wide selection of scents in the form of perfumes, soaps, candles and other products. Customers can even blend scents to create custom fragrances that best suit their preferences. So don’t be afraid, sample before you buy and see what you like.
