That Smells Good!--the changing appeal of scents, in and out of context

Peppermint, cinnamon, lemon--what do these scents have in common? Not much, considered strictly in terms of how they smell. One is minty, one is spicy, and the last one is citrusy. But they are all flavors as well, and I like them both as flavors and as fragrances.

That last connection isn't automatic. Not every delicious food aroma is also good as a fragrance in its own right. For instance, the smell of chocolate--of brownies baking--is heavenly when I anticipate that I may get to eat some of them. Chocolate-scented stationery, however, does nothing for me. I'd rather perfume it with bergamot.

Oddly, I feel this distinction even more strongly when it comes to vanilla. I like the smell of vanilla in cookie dough or pudding, but I really dislike vanilla-scented candles, air fresheners, and heavily vanilla-based perfumes. Given how many of these vanilla-scented items are out there, I am clearly in the minority on this.

Most people (including me) would be reluctant to perfume their clothes or hair with the odor of sauteed onions and garlic. Onion-scented air-freshener? Ick. And yet, when I walk into the house and discover that the kitchen is fragrant with sauteed onions and garlic, my mouth waters and I say, "Wow, that smells good!" And it does. But only in the right context.

There are other fragrances that are pleasant so long as they aren't in a food context. For some people, rose is one of these, while other people like rosewater-flavored desserts. I'm guessing that no one really wants their food to smell of lilacs or hyacinths, though, or Chanel No. 5. Bleah.

Is there any context that affects the appeal of a scent besides food? People do develop a familiarity with some scents in a cleaning context (lemon, peppermint), but nonetheless cleaning products do manage to be popular in a variety of other fragrances (floral, grapefruit, lavender, "sea salt",...) Maybe personal fragrance--do we really want our bodies to smell like peppermint candy? Peppermint soaps and lotions certainly exist, but I'm having trouble imagining a perfume called "Fresh Mint Seduction" or "Lemon Heat".

Can you think of any other contexts?

Till next post.