A Scent-sational Journey: My Love for Byredo and the Healing Powers of Aromatherapy

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Talking about something I feel is a common misconception and categorization — Beauty Products. Somehow, when offered as a category, it has pigeonholed itself into an induced image of Botox, fillers, and all things palette and painting a face out of recognition. But beauty and its paraphernalia are so much more than that! Today, let’s chat perfume and the overall health and well-being benefits of finding the right scent for you! My product that has captured my heart and nose (well there are two) are La Tulipe & Gypsy Water perfumes by Byredo.

Now, I know what you might be thinking. How can a perfume do more than just make you smell nice or be used as a mammalian scenting ritual to attract? Well, it turns out that certain scents can have a powerful impact on our mood and well-being. And that’s where the practice of aromatherapy comes in.

Aromatherapy has been around for centuries and involves using natural plant extracts to promote physical, emotional, and spiritual health. It’s all about harnessing the power of scent to create a relaxing and healing atmosphere. So, let’s dive into one of my favourite places — SCIENCE!

Our sense of smell is one of the most powerful senses we have, and it’s all thanks to the olfactory system. When we inhale a scent, it travels through our nasal passages and directly to the olfactory bulb in the brain. This is a unique pathway compared to our other senses, which usually travel through the nervous system first before reaching the brain.

Because of this direct pathway, scents can have a powerful impact on our emotions and memories.

One of my favourite subjects in the world of Natural Medicine is aromatherapy, where I learned that our sense of smell is closely linked to the part of our brain directly responsible for emotions and both the formation and recall of memories — the limbic system.

This is why certain scents can bring back strong memories or emotions — because they’re directly triggering the limbic system!

I bet you can think of a time where you have been somewhere, and upon you sets a scent. Suddenly you are transported back to a place in time where a song is playing and now you remember all the words. The temperature on your skin is prickling from the past, and there he is, right in front of you. Yep — you’re back to the place you fell in love. Well, that is a romanticized version of the power this sense has, but you get my gist. It has the ability to teleport us! It could be the memory of Mum baking in the kitchen or the smell of jasmine signaling the beginning of spring, or the smell of strapping tape and liniment… Yeah, my dad was a footy coach on the weekends, I wasn’t sneaking into men’s change rooms as a child! The point is, he is gone now, and that smell will always remind me of my times with him.

It’s amazing to think that a simple scent can have such a profound impact on our well-being and memories. It is why aromatherapy can be such a powerful tool for promoting relaxation, reducing stress, and promoting healing. General scents like lavender or chamomile trigger the limbic system and create a sense of calm and relaxation in our minds and bodies. Essential oils like lavender, peppermint, and eucalyptus have been shown to improve mood, enhance cognitive function, and even boost the immune system.

And there are so many ways to incorporate aromatherapy into our daily lives. Speaking of which, let me tell you a little bit about why I love La Tulipe by Byredo so much. Its notes of rhubarb, cyclamen, freesia, and tulip make it smell like a fresh, blooming garden. For me, it feels like me and gives me peace. It’s like walking aromatherapy.

Gypsy Water, also by Byredo is a scent that transports me somewhere more mystical and bohemian. It’s a mix of bergamot, juniper berries, lemon, pepper, and incense that’s both refreshing and earthy. The scent has a way of capturing the essence of wanderlust and adventure, making it perfect for when I am craving freedom and spontaneity.

So one simple lifestyle choice can have a healing effect on the body. There are other easily accessible and commonly used forms of aromatherapy we use. I would hazard a guess that every home has a scented candle of some sort, a basket of potpourri sitting on Nana’s dining table, body wash we lather, or hair oil we slather. Everything is a choice based on an attraction we personally have to heal.

So, the next time you reach for the products and practices of your “beauty” routine, know that it runs so much deeper than aesthetics. Lighting a scented candle (my personal cannot go past is Kyoto in Bloom by Glasshouse), diffusing some essential oils, or spraying a spritz of a calming fragrance like La Tulipe — trust me, your mind and body will thank you!

Keep It Simple — Sugar

Rach xx