Choosing certain scents provides a playful form of self-expression
By JULIE HUANG – arts@theaggie.org
Perfumery has been around since antiquity, and it is not going away anytime soon. The personal care and cosmetics industry and its consumers are always finding new ways to engage with scented products, whether through perfume, body mists, body washes, candles or a combination of each.
Recently, the idea of consciously emphasizing specific scents through personal care products has been gaining in popularity as online creators on platforms like TikTok and YouTube curate hygiene routines. Featuring shower care, lotions, deodorants, body mists and perfumes that are all meant to complement and enhance each other’s scent performance, these assortments of products are designed to allow wearers to radiate a scent of their choosing.
Popular scent choices include vanilla, coconut, florals, a myriad of different fruity fragrances and just about anything that smells good.
Khadydiatou Ndiaye, a second-year linguistics major, pointed out the age-old wisdom in choosing a traditionally popular scent.
“There are certain scents that just attract most people, like vanilla or shea butter,” Ndiaye said.
When wearing a more conventional fragrance, the social aspect of scented care is able to take the spotlight and create opportunities for connection and confidence boosting.
“You know that you smell good when you go outside and people give you compliments,” Ndiaye said. “You just feel some type of confidence, like it boosts your ego.”
However, layering different scents is another great option that can help you find more creative freedom in cultivating your own personal scent.
The idea of using fragrance to differentiate oneself from the crowd is a key aspect of scented care. Consistently sporting a chosen scent becomes not just a personal preference but also a means of nonverbal communication to others regarding one’s presence and identity.
“If somebody walks by me, they’re going to be like, ‘Oh, Khadyjia’s here,” Ndiaye said. “My scent is like a signature.”
Scent also provides a form of sensory stimulation that can affect one’s mood as well as the mood of people nearby, often adding depth and character to the surrounding environment.
Lily Hatch, a second-year art studio major, often uses scented candles to bring a positive atmosphere to her personal space.
“Lighting candles helps set the tone for the room and the vibe, and it kind of calms you down,” Hatch said.
Other forms of scented products, such as body mists and perfumes, subtly enhance different aspects of daily life by providing chances to play around and experiment with pairing seemingly unrelated items.
“I will choose [my scent] based on if it fits my outfit, or if I’m wearing sunscreen that smells kind of like vanilla, I’ll spray something that complements it,” Hatch said.
Jessica Alvarez-Cruz, a second-year chemistry major, noted that the mere act of choosing to wear a fragrance makes a statement in itself.
“Whether they thought about the way they wanted to smell or they just put something random on, what someone smells like can definitely say a lot about that person,” Alvarez-Cruz said.
Useful for creating positive sensory experiences, fragrance simultaneously functions as a form of communication, exploration and personal expression. Whether you notice it or not, adding scented products into your daily routine is truly one of the most rewarding forms of self-care that we can do for ourselves.
Written by: Julie Huang — arts@theaggie.org
