The most closely linked sense to smell is taste. In fact, so closely linked that our sense of smell is actually responsible for most of what we taste! If our sense of smell is taken away, we are restricted to only the basics of taste - the flavours of sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. When smell is involved, we can perceive more complex flavours and flavour combinations (cue Homer Simpson drooling sound). This is why referring to taste is really helpful in describing fragrances.
In fact, there is an entire fragrance category dedicated to the relation between smell and taste - gourmands! “Gourmande” is the French word for someone who loves to eat and drink, who derives great pleasure from indulging in only the best food and beverage. Therefore naturally, gourmand fragrances are those that smell good enough to eat; usually sweet, candy-like or desert-ish, but they can also be lactonic, savoury, boozy, umami… the list goes on!
Interestingly, the most popular fragrances at the moment all seem to be gourmands. Logically it makes sense they would be - when we smell something that reminds us of a great meal or treat we’ve had, it can conjure up the memories and emotions we associate with that pleasurable experience, therefore making us feel good. But, as we’ll discover with this next fragrance, there are a few more reasons why our gourmand obsession might have come about.
