In 2017, perfume found a new purpose. Although it has always been a pick-me-up when you spray on a fragrance, new launches promised to enhance a wearer’s mood via his or her nervous system.
Perfumers such as Valeur Absolue produced Psychoactive Scents that included ingredients that are scientifically proven to affect one’s mood. Valeur Absolue’s range uses Areaumat Perpetua, an odourless ingredient derived from the immortelle flower, to convey a signal to the nervous system, helping to alleviate stress.
‘It has been measured and clinically tested that when people apply the extract to their skin, the level of cortisone in their saliva is reduced – cortisone is the marker for stress,’ Foucart told LS:N Global. ‘It’s like when you go into the sun or you get a massage, it has that effect of reducing your stress.’