The Biologist 0004- Scents of Home

Welcome to THE BIOLOGIST, your weekly dose of inspiration at the intersection of fragrance and culture. 

This week, we're exploring how scent connects us to family, home, and the deepest memories that shape who we are.

Our earliest memories are often tied to smell. Neuroscientists have found that the olfactory bulb has direct connections to the amygdala and hippocampus—the brain's emotional and memory centers. This explains why a simple fragrance can instantly transport us back to grandmother's kitchen or a childhood home.

Try This: Create a Family Scent Archive

This archive can be a guide for connecting key scent notes that evoke memory and connection with new fragrances that you adopt in your life - from skin to home.

Calm was formulated from a place of deep personal connection, inspired by the camphor and menthol scents of Tiger Balm that was often used by Steve’s mother to combat painful headaches. But instead of a sharp medicinal aroma, Calm blends the gentle, therapeutic qualities of lavender, floral essence of ylang-ylang and the calming properties of calendula to create a functional fragrance that both alleviates tension and envelops the senses in serenity.

Every family has its signature scents. Maybe it's the lavender sachets in your grandmother's dresser, the specific aftershave your father wore, or the cooking spices that define your family's cuisine. 

What are the timeless aromas in your family that have created an invisible thread across generations?

Your home has a unique fragrance fingerprint. It's a blend of cooking, cleaning products, personal care items, and the subtle scents of the people who live there. Across cultures, the approach to olfactory home identities reflect deeper values, like Japan's seasonal awareness or Middle Eastern cultures' emphasis on communal connection and sensory hospitality. 

We love the idea of creating your own specific scent rituals for different bonding moments - whether it’s welcoming guests into the home, cleansing a spiritual energy or celebratory & religious ceremonies. Not only do these connections to scent help reinforce lifelong memories, they can also create deeper bonds across extended families, generations and broader cultural communities.

This year, assemble your own Family Fragrance Collection - a set of fragrances inspired by family recipes, childhood memories and scents that make us feel at home and connected to previous and future generations.