Making memories - the sense of smell

As the wonderful aroma glides out of your new candle, it instantly transports you back to childhood memories like a time portal, sweeping you from your home to a sunny meadow on a hot summers day. Here we discover how scent evokes countless memories and inspires the senses.

The sense of smell, also known as olfaction is one of our five senses and has a powerful physiology ingrained within our brain.  Able to instantly trigger a multitude of feelings and positive emotions, it is theorised to be around 10,000 times more acute than any of our other senses.

When human beings inhale scent molecules through the nose, they are registered at the top of the nasal cavity and sent to the brain where the information is processed and distributed to various body systems.

The limbic system of the brain is directly associated with memory and links smell molecules with specific events through memory ‘anchoring’, where a single fragrant molecule can trigger the thoughts and consciousness related to an event, no matter how deeply rooted in our subconscious mind; even if the memory is from decades ago.  

The positive memories triggered evoke feelings of happiness and allow us to reminisce of days gone by. The warm recollections we experience from the memory soothe the mind and inspire the senses, in turn helping to give a feeling of contentment and happiness.

Having such profound effects on our feelings and emotions means that owning candles with our favourite scents is not lavish, but beneficial for our wellbeing and emotional health.

As well as evoking memories from the past, we can make new happy memories  when we enjoy a new scent, especially when associated with an event.

Here at Make a Wish Candle Company, we carefully match fragrance oils in our sentimental range to be reflective of the occasion the candle gift is for, from the luscious birthday cake aroma in our Birthday Dream Candle, the spa day fragrance in our True Friendship Candle, through the celebratory scent of pink fizz and grapefruit in our Celebrate Candle.

Take a look at our range of sentimental candles, to give a gift they will truly remember.