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Perfume

Possible Reasons for Why We Differ in Our Perception of Scents

written by Laurie April 9, 2009

I thought this was an interesting post on another blog by scent scientist Avery Gilbert about research into why we perceive the same scent molecules differently: Is Fragrance Preference Written in Your DNA?

He begins by saying “How is it that the same odor molecule smells strong to one person and not at all to another? Or that some find an odor disagreeable while others judge it mildly pleasant? Extreme person-to-person variation is the hallmark of odor perception. It intrigues and frustrates sensory scientists—not to mention fragrance designers and chefs.”

I think about these issues when I work on new scents, so it was interesting to me to read his post on new research into differences in our olfactory receptors that can cause these differences in the way we smell things. The differences go beyond some people being anosmic to musks, and they go beyond preferences and personal experiences. As Gilbert says, people can “disagree about an odor’s basic olfactory character (e.g., is it like musk, urine, or sandalwood?).”

The person-to-person variation is fascinating and challenging all at the same time.

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2 comments

More on the sense of smell « Perfume in Progress March 11, 2011 - 3:40 am

[…] concerning the differences in the way people experience the same scents (for example this post and this post and this […]

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More Discussion About Individual Scent Perception « Perfume in Progress September 28, 2011 - 8:17 pm

[…] posts I’ve made on this topic: More On The Sense of Smell Every Human May Have A Unique Nose Possible Reasons For Why We Differ In Our Perception Of Scents Our Own Scent Truth Like this:LikeBe the first to like this […]

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