Can using the right scent improve your concentration?

Lying in bed, struggling to write the introduction to this story, I turned to my make-up artist fiancé and said, ‘Give me an example of a time in life when you really needed to concentrate’. He paused for a moment to think—before shoving his iPhone in my face. ‘Look at this picture—what do you think of the woman’s eyeshadow?’ If that isn’t a commentary on the state of our attention spans, I don’t know what is. Even the experts who study concentration suggest our ability to focus is on the decline. ‘I’ve heard from so many people who say they have trouble in this area,’ says Gloria Mark, author of the book, Attention Span and a professor at the University of California at Irvine who studies digital behaviour and distraction. Professor Mark’s research—inspired by her own experience with having trouble staying on task—found that the average person’s ability to concentrate on a single on-screen task has shrunk by more than a minute. What’s clear to her—and others studying the phenomenon—is that getting stuff done is getting harder—with endless distractions to blame.

Behavioural scientists have created myriad ways to stem this tide, from mindfulness to cognitive training and lifestyle switches. But there may be a solution that’s right under your nose: a perfume. Nearly every major fragrance company now has a division dedicated to developing scents to improve your health, mental state or attention span. ‘One of the biggest complaints we heard from consumers about their well-being was a lack of focus, so we thought we should look into this,’ says Gabriela Chelariu, senior perfumer at DSM-Firmenich, a fragrance development house. Could the path to a clearer mind really be through your nose? I sniffed around to find out.

OLFACTORY SETTINGS

If the idea that a scent can help you check off your to-do list elicits an eye roll, you’d be right to feel incredulous; the research in this area is scant. But when you consider that the brain region governing our ability to concentrate—known as the prefrontal cortex—can be affected by scent, it’s not so far-fetched, says Pamela Dalton, co-chair of the postdoctoral training programme at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, which researches taste and smell. ‘The prefrontal cortex helps us prioritise to reduce impulsiveness and integrates information from the olfactory cortex and other brain regions.

Indeed, smelling certain essential oils, such as rosemary, spearmint, and peppermint, can have a positive impact on learning and memory, and even improve your performance on cognitive tasks, according to some small studies. These herbal notes can be found in the new wellness fragrance created by Louis Vuitton, Pacific Chill, which combines earthy basil with soft fruity notes, including blackcurrant.

Then there are terpenes, a class of plant molecules responsible for the aroma of everything from citrus oils (such as limonene) to flowers (the geraniol in geraniums) to cannabis and hemp (myrcene is the most common), which may also give your brain a boost. ‘We’ve looked at various cannabis terpenes and found that some of them work to elevate focus,’ says psychologist Avery Gilbert, author of What The Nose Knows and owner of a fragrance consulting business. 

He’s seen an uptick in interest in these types of scents. Or, as he calls it, ‘the new wave of aromatherapy’. This demand is partially what inspired Heretic Parfum founder, Douglas Little, to collaborate with cannabis brand Drew Martin on a functional fragrance called The Herbalist. ‘It’s a celebration of the therapeutic use of plants,’ says Little. ‘The result is an uplifting scent that can alleviate stress and focus the mind.

SCENTS AND SENSIBILITY

Beyond aromatherapeutic products, global fragrance companies are now developing entire suites of scents with wellness benefits. In 2018, DSM-Firmenich developed EmotiON, a programme devoted to the creation of scents with a mind-body pay-off. The division’s latest project is Focus by EmotiCODE, a set of patent-pending fragrance design ‘rules’ that it came up with regarding. Beyond aromatherapeutic products, global fragrance companies are now developing entire suites of scents with wellness benefits. In 2018, DSM-Firmenich developed EmotiON, a programme devoted to the creation of scents with a mind-body pay-off. The division’s latest project is Focus by EmotiCODE, a set of patent-pending fragrance design ‘rules’ that it came up with regarding

MEDITATE ON THIS 

Like DSM-Firmenich, the scent division of International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), a company that has developed perfumes for brands such as Giorgio Armani and Tom Ford, unveiled a similar initiative in 2021 called Science of Wellness. And one benefit targeted by those researchers was mindfulness. As a practice, even brief bouts of mindfulness meditation have been shown to improve attention span, according to a study in Frontiers In Human Neuroscience. Using proprietary AI, IFF perfumers have identified several combinations of ingredients that, when inhaled in tandem, can enhance the feeling of a mindful state of being. You’ll find them in Vyrao’s The Sixth eau de parfum, which was created with the Science of Wellness team. Carol Han Pyle, the founder of the minimalist candle brand, Nette, also worked with IFF when she expanded her line into wearable fragrances; fostering mindfulness was one of the key goals she set for the series. ‘First and foremost, I wanted to nail the scents, because no matter what a scent can do for you, no one’s going to want to wear it if it doesn’t smell good,’ says Pyle, who unveiled Nette’s five new eau de parfums earlier this year. ‘But I think it’s so refreshing to have a fragrance that can be emotionally beneficial, too.’

Rose Parade, a blend of neroli, rose, ylang-ylang and vanilla, has a particularly high concentration of ingredients shown to enhance mindfulness, according to IFF’s data. Whether any of these scents can help me hit my work deadlines or sit through an entire film without checking my phone, it’s hard to say. But I have high hopes. Either way, I’m bound to smell a whole lot better for it. 

Scents in focus

 

Louis Vuitton Pacific Chill, ₹24,010 (approx.)

The brand’s first ‘wellness fragrance’, scent is said to sharpen your mind with blackcurrant, basil, and lemon. 

Vyrao The Sixth, ₹16,900 (approx.)

The bottle contains 15 carefully selected ingredients, including herbs used by Benedictine monks during meditation practice.

Clarins Eau Ressourçante Treatment Fragrance, ₹4,100 (approx.)

This hybrid fragrance combines skincare and aromatherapy to soothe your skin and slow a racing mind.

 

The Nue Co. Mind Energy, ₹8,700 (approx.) 

After wearing this combination of clary sage, juniper ,and clove for 30 days, 86 per cent of wearers reported an increase in their focus.

Whind Pomello Mint Tea Leaves Fragrance, ₹14,000 approx.)

Research has shown that the aroma of mint can ease anxiety in hospital patients. The star ingredient in this scent is married with the tang of citrus.