Lore Lore 283: On the Nose
Jun 30, 2025
Discover the innovative French startup capturing scents of lost loved ones to create custom fragrances that evoke memories. Trace the historical journey of perfume from ancient rituals to extravagant 17th-century European obsessions, unveiling surprising ingredients. Explore the mystical ties between fragrance and witchcraft, along with the cultural significance of Florida Water. Learn how scents can powerfully trigger emotions and memories, especially those linked to the Titanic. Finally, delve into the science of fear and its olfactory connections with therapy.
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Perfume as a Ghostly Essence
- Scents can encapsulate memories and emotions, acting as intangible ghosts of the past.
- Perfume essentially isolates and preserves a fleeting essence, much like capturing a person's spirit.
Titanic Perfume's Haunting Revival
- Conservators recovered 65 vials of perfume from the Titanic wreck that still smelled fresh after nearly a century underwater.
- The scent brought the ship alive in the lab, connecting present witnesses to life a hundred years ago.
Perfume Preserves Spirits
- Perfume isolates the smell of a living presence long after they're gone, effectively preserving their spirit.
- This ability creates a ghostly connection between past and present through scent memory.