What the Nose Knows
Do you have a favorite scent that takes you back to a memory? Did you know that scent is the sense that is most connected to memory? Smelling a familiar perfume that your grandmother use to wear can take you right back to being a child sitting on her lap.
This strong tie to the hippocampus can also mean there may be some smells that bring up not so pleasant memories. Any time I get a whiff of Abercrombie and Fitch’s signature scent I am transported back to 10th grade and my first serious boyfriend, who turns out did me a huge favor by dumping me right before homecoming so many years ago.
Calvin Klein’s CK one is also another smell that takes me back to those good old days in the early 2000’s. It seems like every other person walking down the hall was wearing that or some Britney Spears fragrance. Guess, Coach, Burberry, Adidas, and Lacoste all reminded me of different people. A teacher, a best friend from music class and a bevy of other boys I had the hots for in gym class.
What I didn’t know at the time is that there are really only 11 major companies behind all of these perfumes. According to this graphic the biggest manufacturer of fragrances in the world is a company called Coty. They own more than 170 of the most popular perfumes you may come across on any given day!
