In an interview with CNA 938, Joyce Lian, the founder and fragrance designer of the local perfume brand Scent Journer, shares the profound influence of scents on our emotional state and well-being.
Understanding the Science: Scent and Emotional States
Melanie's inquiry about the correlation between emotions and scents sparks a discussion on the neurological connection between scent and mood. Joyce explains that 75% of emotions are intertwined with scents, explaining how scent can swiftly alter mood by directly connecting with the hippocampus, the emotional part of the brain
Melanie: Joyce, 75% of our emotions are intertwined with scents. So let's say we're feeling quite rotten after a bad meeting or we're tired after a long day, how can scent solve common scenarios like that?
A: So scent can improve this scenario mainly because our olfactory receptor inside our nose is a direct connection to the hippocampus, which is the emotional part of your brain and where the memory is being stored.
Neurological Pathway to Instant Mood Alteration
Joyce further details that the olfactory receptor inside the nose acts as the shortest path to the hippocampus, enabling rapid mood changes. By citing examples, such as the use of lavender for relaxation or spicier scents for invigoration, she emphasizes scent's immediate impact on mood alteration, promoting feelings of happiness, pampering, and self-love.
A: And also because it's the shortest path, it's able to change your mood in an instant. So for example, people want to feel more relaxed so people smell lavender. And if you want to feel more invigorated and uplifted after a long day at work, perhaps you could smell something more spicy, more citrusy, more uplifting. So these are some of the things I recommend smelling to immediately change your mood, and really to make yourself feel happier, more pampered and loved as well.
Joyce’s Personal Connection to A STARLIT SPELL
Joyce's personal favorite scent, A STARLIT SPELL, embodies the essence of patience and luxury.
Melanie: Okay which scent makes you happy? Of course, all of them lah. But which one personally resonates with you the most?
A: So for me right now it would be A STARLIT SPELL. So I created A STARLIT SPELL to remind myself that all good things take time.
A Quiet Luxury made with Exquisite ingredient Orris
Featuring Orris, the root of the Iris flower, this fragrance signifies the value of time and relaxation.
A STARLIT SPELL features this ingredient called Orris. Orris is actually the root of the Iris flower that takes about three years to grow underground and three years above ground. It gives that soft powdery elegance, so it's like a quiet luxury inside A STARLIT SPELL itself. It's sort of a reminder to myself that all good things take time. And also because it smells like stepping into a field of wild iris under the starry night sky, it smells like you just came out of the shower. To me personally, towards the end of the day where you have your own time to shower, that's the most relaxing part of the day.
About the Orris
It is a delicate, sweet, and powdery root of the flower Iris that induces elegance and softness Softly warm, sweet, and woody-floral, the refined essence of iris is perhaps the most exquisite ingredient in the perfumer's palette. The secret to growing and obtaining this exquisite ingredient is patience, time and passion. After the Iris flower blooms, its rhizome, known as orris root, remains in the ground for three years. Then, it's unearthed, cleaned by hand, and sun-dried for another three years, allowing oxidation to boost the concentration of irone, a violet-scented molecule. This processed root is turned into orris butter, a waxy substance that can be distilled into a fragrant liquid absolute. This intricate process takes around seven years and uses 2000 kilograms of rhizomes to yield just 1 kilogram of absolute!
Listen to the full interview with CNA 938 here: Daily Cuts - A Scent journey with Scent Journer
Listen to this article on our Instagram: How Scent improves our mood
