Sense of Smell and Skin Chemistry - figment and myth?
10 years ago
Why it smells gorgeous on me, and like monster burps on you or vice versa.
There is a wealth of information online to explain what we all have experienced. Here is just a taste:
On the sense of smell
Why perfume smells different to each of us: Receptors in the nose vary by 30% in two different people, an article in the Daily Mail on a paper published by Monell Chemical Senses Centre in Philadelphia.
(Wow! I did not know that! But it certainly explains A LOT!)
On skin chemistry
Why the Same Perfume Smells Different on Different People, published on EzineArticles, sums up the reasons for variations in how each of our skin treats a given fragrance.
An excerpt: "Many people decide to purchase a certain perfume because they like the way it smells on someone else. However, after they try the perfume themselves the result is often disappointing because the fragrance smells different than expected.
Something you may have noticed about perfume is that certain scents will smell different on different people. This is because each person has a unique body chemistry that reacts with the substances of the fragrance. Things such as hormones, diet, medications, and stress can all affect how the perfume reacts to your body. The skin itself is a very complex mixture of compounds. These compounds include things such as fat, salt, sugar, proteins, and fibers. As you know, people also have different skin types such as dry and oily skin. All these factors work together to produce a unique scent. The way the scent is released will be different for each person because certain compounds of the fragrance, called notes, will be released more quickly and slowly than others. These differences can be very subtle but are still detectable by our sensitive noses."
As my good friend who has earned his living for the last 30 years as a molecular biologist said, "yeah, that sounds about right."
There is a wealth of information online to explain what we all have experienced. Here is just a taste:
On the sense of smell
Why perfume smells different to each of us: Receptors in the nose vary by 30% in two different people, an article in the Daily Mail on a paper published by Monell Chemical Senses Centre in Philadelphia.
(Wow! I did not know that! But it certainly explains A LOT!)
On skin chemistry
Why the Same Perfume Smells Different on Different People, published on EzineArticles, sums up the reasons for variations in how each of our skin treats a given fragrance.
An excerpt: "Many people decide to purchase a certain perfume because they like the way it smells on someone else. However, after they try the perfume themselves the result is often disappointing because the fragrance smells different than expected.
Something you may have noticed about perfume is that certain scents will smell different on different people. This is because each person has a unique body chemistry that reacts with the substances of the fragrance. Things such as hormones, diet, medications, and stress can all affect how the perfume reacts to your body. The skin itself is a very complex mixture of compounds. These compounds include things such as fat, salt, sugar, proteins, and fibers. As you know, people also have different skin types such as dry and oily skin. All these factors work together to produce a unique scent. The way the scent is released will be different for each person because certain compounds of the fragrance, called notes, will be released more quickly and slowly than others. These differences can be very subtle but are still detectable by our sensitive noses."
As my good friend who has earned his living for the last 30 years as a molecular biologist said, "yeah, that sounds about right."