From the sense of smell are born perceptions, emotions and our relationship to the world. Changes in our ability to smell and decipher odors teaches us a lot about our health. For a very long time, we had tended to put aside this sense of smell, a bit like a friend who we forget to go and greet because he is always there, faithful, present but without making a sound…And yet! The phenomenon of anosmia was brought to light with the health crisis and even today nearly 300,000 people in France suffer from smell disorders following an infection with Covid 19. After having been often momentarily deprived, everyone then realized how much the sense of smell was an essential element for our balance, our well-being, our ability to take full advantage of our other senses. Moreover, beyond the recent epidemic, we now know that many neurodegenerative diseases begin with an inability to smell, and this, years before the motor symptoms appear. This is a signal that researchers are now looking into to prevent diseases like Parkinson's well in advance.
The “Fragrance Foundation” has developed a partnership with the “Monell Chemical Senses Center”, which is currently conducting scientific research on everything related to the functioning of our sense of smell and the potential alterations in our behaviour, our mood and our health in general. It is therefore important to be alert to any prolonged change in our ability to smell... Fortunately, in the vast majority of cases, nothing is irreversible and this is where perfume and its many facets come in to awaken our sense of smell! Indeed, by deciphering fragrances, by decoding scents, by finally making your nose work a little like you use your muscles in the gym, you are able to re-educate your sense of smell. "The more we smell, the better we smell" said Monique Schlienger professor of olfaction at ISIPCA (Institut Supérieur International du Parfum).
You can use essential oils to stimulate the olfactory nerve by pouring a few drops on a handkerchief or placing your nose directly over the open bottle for 10 minutes, twice a day. The rehabilitation of the nose also passes through the mouth with the help of food. "The taste buds only allow you to smell four flavours: sweet, salty, bitter and acid, specifies Professor Louis Crampette of the ENT Department of the Gui de Chauliac hospital in Montpellier. It is thanks to the sense of smell that you can, for example, distinguishing the taste of two meats." In an educational and fun way, you can re-educate your nose, first of all through palettes of simple scents with what are called single notes such as rose, chocolate, or even strawberry. Then you can go to more complex creations and why not with a little work, re-open all your perfume bottles to relearn how to love them, go stroll in the shopping malls to discover their olfactory identity, have a coffee in a hotel lobby where a bespoke scented candle makes the place so memorable... Finally, it is a path of patience that will have to be traveled, but keeping in mind that an educated sense is a sense that is enriched. Contact us if you want to know more about our training courses around smell and perfumes.