A lingering waft of scent can transport us to another time and place with extraordinary vividness. Our sense of smell is directly connected to the limbic system, the primitive part of our brain where emotions and memories are stored and processed.

Fragrance and memory are clearly intertwined: whether it is the pervasive herby aromas of a first Mediterranean holiday, the woody scents of an autumn evening, the heady perfume of roses in your parents’ garden, the exotic smell of spices simmering in your grandmother’s kitchen, or the fragrance worn by your first partner.

Fragrances do more than stimulate memory and desire, they can also affect our behaviour in the present moment, triggering a physiological response. Many fragrances possess strong associative properties, and work easily to alter the mood, promoting increased alertness and positivity, or creating feelings of calm, tranquillity and relaxation. They can be helpful in alleviating stress, easing insomnia, providing clarity and focus. Refreshing and revitalising scents include: orange, citrus, grapefruit, lemon, lime, cypress, eucalyptus, peppermint, pine, tea tree, thyme. Calming and relaxing scents include: vanilla, lavender, sandalwood, rosewood, frankincense, neroli, chamomile and jasmine.

Fragrances: Key Facts

Fragrances are broadly divided into the following categories:

• Citrus

Fresh and energising, these are essential oils obtained by extracting the zest of fruits such as lemon, mandarin, orange, grapefruit or bergamot, combined with orange flower products. Citrus eau de colognes are worn by both men and women.

•Floral

These fragrances use a single flower as their main component, for example rose, violet, jasmine, lily of the valley.

•Fougère

Meaning ‘fern’ in French, but not actually representing a fern fragrance. They are made of a blend of woody and mossy notes (eg lavender, oak moss), with a bergamot top note.

•Chypre

Warm leathery notes, combined with citrus freshness. They were originally intended to capture the smell of Cyprus – dry warmth, tree resins, eg oakmoss and labdanum (a resin from the rock rose plant), citrus, and a hint of white flowers.

•Woody

Warm and opulent, this group is dominated by scents such as cedar, patchouli, sandalwood, vetiver, with top notes of lavender.

•Oriental

Inspired by ‘mysterious’ Eastern smells, these fragrances combine woody notes with incense and spices (vetiver roots, patchouli leaves, sandalwood, amber etc) and soft powdery notes, such as vanilla.

•Leather

Designed to reproduce the fragrance of leather (patchouli, birch tar, tobacco), with floral top notes.

•Fruit notes

From a range of berries to lush juicy fruits, such as peaches and apricot and tropical fruits such as coconut and pineapple, there is a wide range of fruit-based fragrances to choose from. These are very prevalent in products such as shower gel, soaps and lotions.

The Evolution of a Scent

Citrus and top notes: fragrances will, for the first 20 minutes, be dominated by fresh, fruity and citrus notes. These are the instant hit, the first odour you’ll smell, but they are short-lived – they are there as a scented handshake to welcome you.

Heart notes: after 20 minutes, the heart notes will begin to emerge from the citrus notes. They were always there but were just overpowered at first. These are the flowery, spicy and woody smells and they should last for two or three hours. Essentially, this is what your fragrance will smell like for most of the time that you wear it.

Base notes: once the heart notes have evaporated, the base notes are left. Often there to act as fixatives for the skin – they can be vanilla, musky, woody or smoky notes – these are the smells that are noticeable on your clothes the morning after.

Why You Should Wear a Fragrance

By choosing to wear a fragrance you are finding an effective way to enhance your wellbeing and self-esteem and boost your confidence. A scent will increase your personal space, too, as your fragrance will extend the area you inhabit. Conversely, if you overuse fragrance, other people will feel that their space is being invaded by your over-powerful and dominant aroma, so it is best to treat fragrance with caution.

Given the undeniable power of scent to influence mood, it seems sensible to use fragrance as tool in your armoury, which along with your choice of clothing and your perfect grooming, can project strong and positive associations to the world. A signature fragrance will become something that confers distinction upon you, that will make you stand out from the crowd and will make you memorable.

While women often choose to wear a fragrance as a reflection of who they are, men tend to wear it an accessory, in the same way as cufflinks might be. They have a ‘wardrobe’ of fragrances to fit with the mood, the occasion and their clothes.

Buying Scent

Faced with an array of different fragrances, the temptation is to start spraying willy-nilly. Don’t go into sensory overload: it is best to try a maximum of just five different scents. Choose ones that you think you like and spray a few squirts onto a paper scent strip.

Take it away and smell it again 20 minutes later. By then, the fresh citrusy top notes will give way to the flowery, spicy and woody heart notes, which is how it will generally smell on you.

If you still like it, then spray it on your skin, but make sure you do it when you’re feeling in fine physical fettle and in a good, upbeat mood, as your body will be balanced, and your olfactory sensory system will be functioning at its peak. Fragrance should be sprayed onto body areas that are naturally warm, which will allow the scent to develop to its full potential. The first area should be your pulse points – your wrists and around your neck – as these are warm places where the blood is close to the skin.

Give a fragrance time to develop on your skin; after about 20 minutes you should be able to judge if this is the fragrance for you. Bear in mind that everyone experiences fragrances differently, because of the unique personal emotions that are associated with them. However, recent scientific research has proved that most people tend to prefer scents that they can correctly identify, such as vanilla or cut grass.

Beware: your nose adapts to familiar smells, making them seem less strong. If a smell has been around you for a while, your brain will assess it and, if it is safe, will regard it as part of the background ‘noise’. It’s a primitive function that means recognisable smells seem less strong than new and potentially dangerous ones. You will therefore not be able to smell your fragrance as clearly as you did on the day you first wore it, so resist the urge to splash it on more thickly.

A Time and a Place

Some fragrances will suit different times of day better than others. In the office, a lighter fragrance is generally more suitable; a heavier fragrance is best at night.

Bear in mind that, if eating out, there are some scents – like fougère fragrances – that will overpower the plate in front of you. Oriental fragrances with vanilla or other edible notes, however, often go well with food.

There is a seasonal element too: the smell of incense and wood is out of place in the summer, while citrus and fresh flower notes make little sense around the fire on a cold winter’s day.

When applying fragrance your aim is to titillate and tantalise, not to smother and overwhelm. Bear in mind that there is one failsafe method of testing whether a fragrance is right for you: if your partner doesn’t like it, bin it. Ideally, choose fragrances when your partner is present and listen carefully to their feedback – ignore a negative response at your peril, as an unappealing olfactory stimulus is a powerful deterrent.

If you choose well, wearing a good, distinctive fragrance shows that you care. The fact that you have taken trouble to attend to your physical presence in the world shows that you respect the people with whom you’re interacting, the hallmark of good manners.