We often think of perfume as a kind of aesthetic decision—how it plays into other perceptions of us—but rarely do we capitalize on its ability to help us time travel. The power of scent to evoke memories is never stronger than around the holidays.
“We connect scent to memory and emotion because our brain is wired that way,” explains Saskia Wilson-Brown, director and founder of the Institute for Art and Olfaction. Scent is our strongest sense, and more connected to our memories and emotions than any other.
For perfumer Tanya G. Gonzalez, cofounder of Eauso Vert, mood and emotion are factors that actively impact the development of a scent. “Smell has the power to mark certain moments in your life in a way that other senses cannot,” she says, “bringing to the surface memories that may have once been long forgotten.”
Escape to a winter wonderland with these seasonal scents
Arielle Shoshana Sunday, $175, arielleshoshana.com.
That stretch between Christmas and New Year’s, when it feels like the entire world is asleep, is the best. This is the comfort brought on by Arielle Shoshana’s Sunday—a nostalgic mix of green tea, rice milk, and cinnamon.
Alkemia Winter Sanctuary, $20, alkemiaperfumes.com.
Winter Sanctuary captures the heat of a fireside cuddle but tempers it with a creamy spiced eggnog, skin musks, vanilla, ginger, mint, French lavender, and dried rose petals.
Ellis Brooklyn Après, $108, ellisbrooklyn.com.
Like its namesake, Après conjures up both the crispness of being on a snowy mountain top and the luxury of relaxing afterward with spiced bourbon.
Kilian Angels’ Share, $245, bykilian.com.
A complex mix of cinnamon, tonka bean, praline, and sandalwood, this scent evokes a warm vibe of holiday music, chunky knit sweaters, and making yourself sick on too many sweets.
Pearfat Bread + Roses, $45, pearfatparfum.com.
Pearfat is known for brilliant, unique, and bizarre scents, and Bread + Roses is no exception. One sniff and you’re suddenly breaking open a homemade baguette and sniffing a rose bouquet given to you by a hot new lover on Valentine’s Day.
Zoologist Snowy Owl, $175, zoologistperfumes.com.
It’s nearly impossible to describe what snow smells like, but if anyone can do it, it’s Zoologist, a perfumery that makes edgy scents inspired by animals. Snowy Owl is cool and refreshing yet soft; a mix of lily, mint, coconut, iris, cedar, and musks.
Effrontè et Evocateur Champagne House Harvest, $165, chronotope-perfume.com.
This scent perfectly captures the effervescence of Champagne. With notes of rhododendron blossom, apricot, green cognac, and davana, you can almost climb inside the bottle and experience the pop when the clock strikes midnight.
Top Image: Eauso Vert Vanilla Embers, $185.
