Home Fragrance—A Makeover for Your Mood

Home fragrance industry trend-spotters say home fragrance is no longer only for special occasions, but for everyday use. Home fragrance is arguably the fastest, least expensive and most available room makeover, but the same case could be made for home fragrance as mood makeover. Why is that, you ask?

Scientific research has proven that the sense of smell affects mood—easy to understand since aromas are processed by the brain's limbic center, also responsible for memory and emotions. This phenomenon called aromachology, as defined by The Fragrance Foundation, is the scientifically observable influence of smell on emotions and moods.

The average person has 10,000 “scent memories” stored in the brain. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2004 was awarded jointly to Richard Axel and Linda B. Buck who proved this with their discovery of "odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system."

"[The sense of smell] helps us to respond to those we meet, can influence our mood, how long we stay in a room, who we talk to and who we want to see again," according to www.senseofsmell.org, the organization that founded National Sense of Smell Day.

When we talk about “home fragrance,” we often think of kitchens, baths and living spaces that we like to keep smelling fresh. It's important to remember that we spend the majority of our time in our workplaces (if we work outside the home) and in our bedrooms. Many of us spend time traveling for work or leisure and many spend hours commuting each week. So as we venture further afield, so must our "home" fragrance.

Fragrance adds a rich dimension to life. Instead of just letting smells happen, it's empowering to put a personal stamp on indoor environments by choosing fragrances that soothe the spirit, sharpen creativity or lend excitement to a time or place. In light of what we've learned from aromachology, there's never been a better time to adopt the Barcelona Bath & Body home fragrance philosophy of scent layering—moisturizing soaps, soy candles and Room Refresh® sprays—into all these environments where we spend our time.

Your mood will thank you—and most likely so will your friends, family and co-workers!

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