Fragrance or scent is a pleasant sweet smell or aroma. It can be natural or synthetic. It is perceived in almost everything. It has become an integral part of our society. You perceive scentsin bathing and washing soap tablets, liquids or powder, in body lotions, in deodorants, to mention but a few, and it is designed with the intent to stay for a long time on our bodies and in the air before fading off because of the presence of phthalates as part of its content. With this, it creates a soothing and lasting impression on us.

Of all other organs of sense, the smell is very vital. And when fine fragrance is perceived, it has a form of connecting to our being. It touches our emotions, rejuvenates memories. Jeffery Staphkoff, in The Orchard, rightly puts it, “good fragrance is really a powerful cocktail of memories and emotion.” As the convoy of the fragrance passes through our organ of smell, they are received by the olfactory cells (chemoreceptor) located behind the nasal cavity. The cilia, which are traps this chemical, located at one end of the olfactory cell transports the information to the olfactory bulb and then to the brain. This is why when a smell is perceived it evokes emotions and unique memories of a familiar person that wears the fragrance.

Fragrances possess a very powerful aromatherapeutic effect such that it alters our moods. It can be beneficial or detrimental as they are memory driven. Positive moods can boost our productivity and behavior at specific times. It can also increase alertness. Sweet fragrances always bring back traces of unforgettable and fond memories at that are quickly brought back through the power of smell. Sweet scent brings alive and is motivating. Studies carried out by Stephen Warrenburg on the effect of Fragrance on emotions and Physiology in 2005, should that there is a fragrance that helps relaxing muscles, mood elevation, and stress relief.

There are different types of fragrance scents. However, a few will be mentioned, and the how they affect our boost productivity and mood will be outlined as follows.

1.    Sweet: A sweet fragrance will definitely improve your mood and make you happy. It is noticed that people that wear sweet fragrance on their body are more accepted and liked. This is because the sweet fragrance gives a more relaxed and attractive atmosphere and improve moods by making people more relaxed. In most establishments, a sweet fragrance is deliberately left hanging in the air to make visitors and employees more relaxed.

2.    Citric: Citric fragrance is usually associated with fruits, such as lemon, oranges, tangerine, and grapefruits. They provide such a relaxing, light, uplifting and energizing feeling or mood. The citric fragrance helps in calming the mind, promotes concentration and uplifting when you are feeling angered or anxious. It is also important in fighting bacteria and virus for most of the sources of the citric fragrance are from fruits other sources that have these abilities.

3.    Vanilla: The Vanilla fragrance is a natural aphrodisiac that relates to attraction, and this is the best fragrance for men and women. It creates such welcoming and relaxing mood, and it is used mainly for sexual advances because of its calming effect on the mood of people. The vanilla fragrance affects relaxing, calming and causes excitement.

4.    Floral: Floral fragrance may be regarded as feminine, and it has a soft and refreshing feel when perceived in the olfactory system. They are naturally perceived in flowers and can be made from jasmine, rose, gardenia, and iris. The floral scent is usually popular among the females and can create a soft and help in relaxing the mood when someone is feeling stressed or tensed.

5.    Fruity: The fruity fragrance is refreshing fragrances that have become very popular and as the name implies most of the fragrance made of fruity scent are made with some kind of fruit in mind. The fruity fragrance is sweet, refreshing, airy, and light and creates an exciting mood. It helps relaxes when one is feeling tired and boost a happy mood.

As we have mentioned earlier, a fragrance can leave a lasting memory as the quotes say: “A good fragrance is really a powerful cocktail of memories and emotion.” This is one of the reasons one has to be conscious of the kind of fragrance one is wearing as a fragrance can be a turn on as well as a huge turn-off.  A fragrance can leave a memorable and lasting view on a person or visitor to an establishment and this why fragrances are now being discreetly placed to help establish a more relaxing environment. This has been proven to improve employee’s productivity.