How to improve your sense of smell
ADELE FADILI
Today, the Versatile team has put together an exercise for you (or rather, a game) to improve your sense of smell.
How does the sense of smell work?
It's the first sense to develop, right from birth. In fact, it's thanks to smell that newborns begin to recognize their mother. Humans have 25 million olfactory cells. But it's actually the brain that identifies smells: the olfactory cells send it the information so that it can recognize them.
Everyone has the ability to smell in their own way (so every perception will be unique). You should know that we only become aware of what we smell after about half a second. The olfactory message arrives on the underside of the brain, just above the eyes. Very often, when we sniff something, we immediately ask ourselves “Do I recognize this smell?” “Do I like it?”
Did you think smells held no mysteries for you?
And yet you've noticed that some fragrances are still a real mystery to you... The sense of smell, like everything else, can be trained. Whatever your level, it is possible to build up your olfactory knowledge and learn to identify different notes or accords. With a few simple exercises, you'll quickly be able to sharpen your sense of smell and decode the scents around you.
Are you ready? Here are 4 exercises to train your sense of smell:
The guessing game
For this first game, choose two or three ingredients with strong scents and try to identify them with your eyes closed. You can start with simple, easily identifiable things like vanilla or mint.
If you want to make the exercise a little harder (and feel up to it), ask someone close to you to pick three different products. They can go for smells that are harder to identify (nutmeg, smoked tea, mimosa flower, etc.)
Big Brain
For the second exercise, you'll need to memorize perfumes. Any perfumes will do. Take the time to associate them with a memory, a word, a place or a person. And don’t hesitate to go back and smell the sample several times to really take it in.
These are techniques used by professionals (perfumers, to be precise) who want to become noses. They'll also help you get a better grasp of the scents around you and identify the ones that are most like you.
Dream: there's nothing more beautiful
Another exercise that can help you improve your sense of smell: imagining smells in your head. For example, visualize a delicious hot croissant and try to imagine the smell wafting from it (our mouths are already watering)
Repeat the exercise with different scents and practice it regularly.
Little bonus: take yourself (in your head) to your favorite restaurant and focus on the aromas of the food and drinks that come to mind. Yet another exercise worthy of the top perfumery schools!
Photo: Croissant café/Versatile Paris
Take care of your nose
IMPORTANT: Pamper your sense of smell
To improve your sense of smell, you first need to take care of it. Some substances should be avoided, like chemicals that give off fumes, or cigarettes (sorry, smokers). Cigarettes are particularly harmful to your sense of smell.
In fact, you've probably noticed that your sense of smell changes for about 30 minutes after smoking. Bad smells can also have a negative effect on your sense of smell. So it's best to avoid them (and anyway, smoking is bad).
Take your time
Let's admit it, we don't pay enough attention to all the smells of everyday life. And yet it's the best way to improve your sense of smell. When you make your coffee, for example, take the time to describe the aromas rising from the coffee maker.
Do the same with your cooking, your tastings and the drinks you're served. We recommend keeping an olfactory journal. You can jot down how you feel whenever a scent reaches you, pleasant or not. Anything goes when it comes to training your senses.
Photo: “Croissant café” breakfast/Versatile Paris
Is smell really useful?
You should know that some cultures take training the sense of smell very seriously. In Japan, for example, “Kôdô” involves creating fragrant compositions, mainly from scented woods. These are then presented to an audience of connoisseurs, who smell them during a ceremony called “Kôkai”. This technique helps people distinguish and memorize different smells.
How can you tell a good nose from a bad one?
Every nose is different; there are no rules. Some are more sensitive than others. If you can't tell apart or identify basic smells (vanilla, orange, etc.), your level probably isn't very high.
A severely weakened sense of smell can be linked to diseases and viruses such as Covid-19, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and diabetes.
(Re)discover our article Mayday, I can't smell (myself) anymore!
Note: people lose part of their sense of smell around the age of 65. Hence the need to train your nose to limit this.
Versatile is here to help
Our perfumes make great olfactory exercises too. Take Croissant Café for example: breathe in the delicious smells of coffee-cappuccino, buttery croissant and creamy almond, enough to leave a lasting impression!
Gueule de Bois, the one that makes peace with the morning after a rough night. With its very ambery, woody rum accord, it makes for a perfect exercise.
Finally, the one that puts a spring in our step, Rital Date, which is a refreshing change from boring colognes and wins us over with its notes of pesto, pistachio, limoncello... the perfect sweet-savory mix.
What's more, our perfumes are concentrated at between 30 and 38%, so they're powerful enough to smell properly!!
To sum up, smell is one of life's pleasures, whether for simple scents or for food. Our little nose strengthens our comfort zone, our memories... It can also be a source of comfort in difficult situations, when we feel fear, sadness...
Our sense of smell is also essential for warning us of certain dangers, such as fires or toxic fumes. When we don't stimulate our sense of smell enough day to day, or when we lose it, we're somewhat vulnerable in these kinds of situations.
In short, it's all about practice. Like a muscle, your sense of smell needs constant work to perform well. And these training exercises are actually pretty enjoyable.
