As for youth, the time has come to choose the first fragrance that will accompany us, played by different actors.
It is often during puberty, first emotions, and during college or high school that the question of first perfume arises. Then it’s a matter of choosing a scent that will be an ally to the teenager who is discovering herself, to the adult in the making, but also to the child that we are no longer. And often it is this childhood that determines the scents we will touch. And this is where olfactory memory comes into play. “Our first contact with a perfume should evoke emotions, and these are stronger when they correspond to an olfactory memory, something we encountered in childhood., explains Muriel Jacquet, neuroscience development manager at fragrance and fragrance house Givaudan. The richness of this memory is really tied to the context in which we encountered this smell. Joy, pleasure, or… the opposite.”
There is a kind of rather primal emotion. we return to look for what we discovered the first few times and what calms us down.
Mary Salaman
Marie Salamagne just signed Nue d’Iris perfume for La Petite Madeleine; a brand that understood the importance and power of olfactory memories, hence the name, a tribute to Proust. For the perfumer, when we celebrate a discovery, “there’s a kind of quite primal emotion. we return to look for what we discovered the first few times and what soothes us. When it transports us in this way, there is a kind of sensual spark, like in love, and we cannot control it. We don’t need to explain it. But something is happening.” Remembering our grandmother’s rice pudding or the wake of someone who comforts us…
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Memories memories
All these smells, which mark memories and first times, are not insignificant and affect our sensitivity. And sometimes it all starts very, very early. “There is an impact of growth in the womb. The mother’s diet affects the fetus and can already lead to preferences. And because at the neuronal level we are on the same memory system, those experiences unconsciously leave traces. Then they will come in contact with what we experience after birth,” continues the neuroscientist.
The latter also reminds us that olfactory memories are part of a certain structure at the brain level; they have a very low loss rate (5 to 10%), unlike other memories where about 50-60% of information is lost. gradually erase. “We see how the scent trail remains extremely strong and vivid afterward.” That’s why when a teenager is offered perfume, the magic doesn’t always work. “Emotions are the key to feedback. Some perfumes can cause very strong positive aspects, others, on the contrary, will cause negative ones, because they can be associated with moments of strong emotional charge.
Pleasure of the senses
Gluttony and sugar instinctively impose themselves on the collective imagination when we evoke the perfume of a teenager. For Marie Salaman, who created Black Opium by Yves Saint Laurent and Fame by Paco Rabanne, it’s “because the teenager is looking for pleasure. And when we think pleasure, we think sugar. But what seems essential to me is the joy of living. An explosion of colors that can be expressed in musky, fruity or floral notes… No straight jacket, dark stuff, no austerity…”
The first perfume will not be neutral whether we like it or not
Mary Salaman
Reassuring them with the scent of childhood, but also helping them find their way, or even integrate, is another mission of perfumes for teenagers. “He can encourage a child to be more confident and also calm him down in specific situations. I remain convinced that it is an undervalued but fundamental element in the relationships we have with others,” adds Muriel Jaco, who remembers that smell is also a means of communication. He also claims that it is important to educate the nose from an early age, and why not at school. “Smell is still the only sense that cannot be blocked. He always accompanies us. By teaching children to recognize smells, we can return its place to smell,” emphasizes the scientist.
Codes have changed
And what about the evolution of society and mindset since Mee-Too? Are teen perfumes less sexualized and nosey panties different? “It is not written in black and white. But instinctively I have the impression that there is a permeability between these two universes. Girls dare much more woody notes, powerful, well structured, less sad and greedy. They are more assertive and aren’t afraid to embrace this more masculine side. On the other hand, guys are attracted to more gourmand or more exotic notes like peach, coconut, vanilla. But don’t say it loud and clear. they catch this gluttony and assume it, very simply. Boundary and disrupted codes to better embrace this diversity, even this non-gendered trend.
“For me, a non-gender perfume is an extremely interesting perfume because we don’t once focus on whether it’s for men or women. It allows you to focus again on smell, perception. We will be able to make choices that are truly connected to the awakened emotions and therefore more in line with our personality, less susceptible to codes. We are going to refocus the communication on the perfume itself, not the advertising around it. I think then a teenager can have a wider palette of possibilities in front of them and thus find something that resonates with them and engages this affective and emotional side. In any case, gender neutral or not, the first perfume will always have its own place. “We can evolve, but this first perfume will not be neutral, whether we like it or reject it.” concludes Marie Salamane. And if it’s a gift, we often never forget the person who gave it to us.
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Source: Le Figaro
