A new wave of scents are here to help with focus, productivity and concentration
For some, the phrase New Year, New You, can at best elicit a scoff and an eye roll, or at worst, fill you with dread as it implies the need for a life overhaul simply because the calendar's flipped.
Anti-resolution messaging is growing, and it’s no wonder — overwhelming to-do lists often leave you feeling like you've failed at yet another reset. It can feel easier to trade grand goals for re-runs of Sex and the City. 'Change' it seems, feels like too much of an agenda.
It's also why the 'Back to School' mentality is gaining momentum. As summer fades and the collective pause of holidays end, "normal" life (particularly for parents) resumes, bringing a renewed sense of focus. Work can often ramp up, but without the intense pressure that January brings, or the performative aspect of social media. With less judgment and fewer beady eyes watching, this quieter (and whisper it) reset in September, feels more manageable.
If you see this month as an opportune time to knuckle down, and blitz a do-list that feels workable, then rethinking your signature scent can help. While the idea that a perfume can help you tick off to-dos sounds far-fetched, it's true that research in this area is lacking, when you realise that the brain area controlling our ability to concentrate, known as the prefrontal cortex, can be affected by scent, it’s not so woo-woo sounding after all.
For those who didn't pay attention in biology, the prefrontal cortex helps us prioritise tasks, reduce impulsiveness and process information from the olfactory cortex and other brain regions. Some studies have found that notes of rosemary, peppermint and spearmint can help have a positive impact on learning, memory, and even performance on cognitive tasks.
This is great news, given than Gloria Mark, PhD, author of Attention Span and a professor at the University of California at Irvine who studies digital behaviour and distraction, has found in her research that the average person’s ability to concentrate on a single onscreen task has shrunk by more than a minute.
'It's true that people are increasingly looking for ways to improve their concentration and focus,' adds Olivier Cresp, Master Perfumer and Co-Founder of Akro. He explains that notes often associated with mediation such myrrh, oud and palo santo can help to calm the mind.
According to a study in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, practicing mindfulness and meditation have been shown to improve attention span. IFF, a company that has created perfumes for Giorgio Armani and Tom Ford used AI to identify combinations of scents that can enhance the feeling of a mindful state. These notes consisted of patchouli to amplify positivity. Juniper, rosemary, peppermint, cedarwood and Fir balsam to balance the nervous system, while angelica, fennel and wormwood diffuse negativity.
Elsewhere and Jo Malone's latest scent, Hinoki and Cedarwood, took inspiration from the Japanse art of Forest Bathing, which is based on the idea that wandering slowly through the trees can be meditative, calming and restorative.
Celine Roux, JML Head of Fragrance and Master Perfumer Anne Flipo, visited several forests in Japan before creating the scent. 'We went to the hinoki forest and there is something so grounding about these trees because they're so tall, they have these long trunks with no branches and there is a feeling of serenity in these spaces,' says Roux.
'There's also something particular about walking in a forest, it's a very different atmosphere from walking in a meadow. When you have a lot on your plate, forest bathing can make everything to go back in the correct order in terms of your priorities,' adds Filpo.
Roux also explains that visiting the forest first was a great way to focus on how the scent was going to be made. 'When you think of forests and woody scents you may think of heavier notes of amber, which can feel wintery but opting for hinoki and cedarwood, gave it a freshness that you don't often get with woody inspired scents.
Highly regarded perfumer Veronique Gabai has also worked very diligently to understand the healing power of plants for her latest line AROMA. Consists of three scents, Heart, Body and Soul, they hit the sweet spot of perfumery and aromatherapy.
Keen to show that science was on her side, she explains, 'we conducted our own study with a neuroscientist group, IMMERSION, to really understand the effect of our perfumes. And we have seen that smelling and wearing Aroma scents triggers a 58 percent uplift in positive brain interaction, which is quite a stellar effect.'
Why perfumes aren't the only tool to help clear your mind, it seems science would say that latest wave are certainly worth sniffing out.
The best scents to help with focus, concerntration and productivity
1/ Jo Malone Hinoki and Cedarwood
Carefully harvested and processed by local artisans in the same Japanese village where Hinoki was once protected by Samurai, this shoulder-slumping and mind-calming scent transports you deep into the verdent and lush forest of Japan.
2/ Smile by Akro
If you want a scent that will boost your productivity but won't overpower the office, this is it. Joyful and sparkling, it's brimming with notes of citrus, hesperidia, lemon, bitter orange and grapefruit are proven to boost enengy levels.
3/ Vyro The Sixth
Alongside notes that are proven to help with cognitive funtion, the bottle contains sacred herbs once used by Benedictine monks during meditative practice. Each work in harmony to promote mindfulness, so that your brain doesn't go into overdrive.
4/ Veronique Gabai Aroma
The citrus-rich scent is happy personsified. One spritz will have help you battle anxiety and fatigue and give you the self-confidence to focus on nailing whatever task lies ahead.
5/ Diptyque Philosykos Eau de Parfum
This head clearing fragrance is laced with notes of grounding cedar, while warming notes of fig give it a sweet and earthy edge. A great shout if you love a unisex scent.
6/ Louis Vuitton Pacific Chill
The brand’s first “wellness fragrance,” this scent sharpens with peppermint, orange essence, basil, carrot seed, and black currant.
7/ Nue Coe Mind Energy
Created using patented neuroscience technology, this scent was found to increase focus and productivity over a 30-day period. The blend of cedar, clove and geranium are peppery and light but zing when smelt.
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