The benefits of scents 

Everyone, on occasion, enjoys a nice scent in their bathroom, bedroom, or workplace. Whether it’s a calming, invigorating bath salt on a cosy night in, or a confidence-boosting perfume before hitting the club, our choice of scent has a bigger impact on how we feel than we think. Truthfully, I don’t think we should stop considering this when picking out the next Febreze for the bathroom. Still, it is interesting to see how much of a difference odour can make in our lives. While fragrance alone won’t magically transform your mood and mindset simply from lighting a candle, emerging science suggests certain scents can sharpen attention, lift our mood, energise us, or help us sleep.

When we inhale aromatic molecules, they trigger the olfactory system, working with the limbic system in the brain that governs emotion and arouses areas of the brain responsible for functions such as memory, motivation, and concentration. Certain scents have been shown to increase the release of neurotransmitters called endorphins. Endorphins help to balance the nervous system by calming it when overly anxious or stimulating it to uplift your mood.  

Understanding how different scents boost our brain functions can help us find small ways to implement helpful adjustments and harness our true potential daily

It’s great to know the ins and outs of how scent affects the brain – but what do we do with this information? How can we use this research to help boost our moods and productivity? Next, let’s look at what different scents do for us and how we can implement them into our routines to help us carry out our daily lives.

Amber: Warm and mellow, this scent evokes a sense of comfort and can often be used as essential oils for aromatherapy or incense sticks to enhance the cosiness of your living room.

Citrus scents (lemon, orange, grapefruit, bergamot, etc): Bright and uplifting, citrus aromas stimulate wakefulness and clarity. Room or bathroom sprays are a hit when using citrus, as the long-lasting, powerful aroma leaves a clean, neat and energising feeling behind.

Vanilla: A soft and sweet smell that is associated with two of the best things: Christmas and cake. Vanilla has a calming, comforting effect that can be wonderfully baked into food or often used as a winter perfume scent. 

Rosemary: Believed to support memory, concentration, and mental sharpness. Used in cooking for an enriching aroma and flavour in food, as well as in oils. 

Eucalyptus/spearmint blends: These are sometimes used for clarity, freshness, and reducing mental fatigue. This lovely cleansing allure is often favoured for breath mints and cold/flu remedies. 

Woody or earthy notes (cedar, patchouli): In more moderate concentrations, these can help ground your mind and reduce anxious distraction. Cedarwood is favoured as a leathery, masculine scent that exudes a powerful but calming textured scent that is often used in perfumes and as a home scent. 

Lavender and floral notes: These are better suited for calming overactive minds or stress relief, and are perfectly used in essential oils that can be sprayed on pillows to aid sleep, or used as an anti-anxiety relief tool. 

Understanding how different scents boost our brain functions can help us find small ways to implement helpful adjustments and harness our true potential daily. Whether it’s air fresheners, perfumes, essential oils, or aromatherapy, there are a multitude of ways in which scent is present as a factor in our lives, and with the help of science, we can use this to our advantage.