These are bleak times we’re living in. What with coronavirus and the devastating impact it’s having. Not since the Second World War has the world experienced a crisis like this. A crisis so overwhelming that no matter which way you look, it’s staring you in the face: in our newspapers, on our TV screens, in our mobile conversations. Make no mistake about it - the sensory impact of COVID-19 is huge and it’s growing by the day.
Of all the senses to have been impacted by coronavirus, however, it’s our sense of smell that I’m most interested in. Notwithstanding the tragic stories of smell loss to COVID-19 and the obvious hindrance mask wearing brings, our sense of smell seems to be doing pretty good job of weathering the storm. Of occupying a world neither dominated by coronavirus, nor upended by it.
Indeed, for many of us, our sense of smell has provided a much-needed escape from coronavirus. A cocooning from the visual and auditory worlds which have all but been dominated by sight and sound of the virus’s growth and spread. This might explain the rise in demand for home scents, or perhaps the uptick we’ve seen in online fragrance sales. A change of pace touched on in my earlier article Don’t test in-store: buy online samples instead.
Driving this trend, I would argue, is a search for freedom. Freedom from lockdowns, freedom from mask wearing, freedom from social distancing. A freedom that only smell and, by extension, perfume can offer right now.
Submitted for your approval are seven examples of how perfume offers hope in dark times.
A reminder of life before coronavirus
Nothing says reconnecting with the past like an old fragrance. Not least if your scent memories are of a time when social mingling was allowed. Whilst lockdowns may restrict our movement, there is no such ban on olfactory recollection (thank god!), making fragrances a brilliant reminder of times gone by whilst we wait on a way out.
A deserved confidence booster
You’ve seen the adverts - fragrances are there to make us feel our best. What better time for such a boost than now? Deep winter (for those in the northern hemisphere), mid-pandemic. When we’re looking and feeling groggy. Heck, if it puts a smile on your face, spray on something summery - I won’t judge you.
Strong ties to holidays
Of all the occasions for wearing a fragrance, holidays are, by far, one of the most popular scenarios and account for some of our greatest scent memories. In our current climate of restricted travel, however, what better way to venture abroad than through a holiday-themed fragrance. Whether to a beach in the Caribbean or a ski slope in the Alps, it can all be achieved with a simple spray of perfume.
A provider of intimate encounters
Remember when we wore fragrances to draw people to us? In a club, in restaurant, in a bar. Those moments haven’t disappeared, they’ve just been temporarily bottled away. As grim as things are right now, as shit as social distancing is, those intimate encounters that we know and love will return. And when they do, so too will the fragrances which give their occasion meaning.
Deeply rooted in the physical world
Few experiences are more deeply rooted in our physical world than fragrance wearing. You don’t see perfume or hear perfume, you smell it - in person, face-to-face, up to close. It’s a physical thing. And as social creatures who depend on physical proximity for bonding and such, fragrance is a glorious reminder of our basic state as human beings. A state which we’ve all but suppressed during the course of this virus.
A source of aspiration
Fragrances are all about aspiration. About looking the part, smelling part and trying to be a more sophisticated you. Who doesn’t want a bit of that in their life? With the year we’ve had so far, I’d say we could all do with a bit of encouragement. Even if it is just a reminder to put on a bit of aftershave every once in a while.
Healing divides
In times of great divide, like the chapter we’re living through right now, what’s needed is unity. More reconciliation. What better provider of unity than fragrance? A cosmetic used the world over, with a central aim of bringing people together. Popular amongst men, women and everyone in between. If fragrance isn’t the remedy to life’s problems, then I don’t know what is.
So, there you have it: some top examples of how perfume offers hope in dark times. What do you think of my choices? Do they coincide with your own? How does perfume embody hope for you?
Leave a comment below and keep the discussion going.
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