OFF STAGE: Scent as Sanctuary

These bottles aren’t just perfume.. they’re memory keepers. Fragrance has always been a lifeline for me, something passed down from my mom, who built a beautiful collection over the years. Most of it is gone now, but the few bottles and samples I still have of hers feel like treasures. Every detail of the ritual matters to me: choosing a scent, holding the bottle in my hand, noticing the way it’s packaged, and setting an intention for when I wear it.

The first time I was gifted Rag & Bone Bergamot, I remember feeling like I’d been handed the keys to a 67 ford Bronco or a 6 carat diamond. That’s the kind of joy perfume has always carried for me: luxury wrapped in scent.

All of this is why fragrance is more than a personal passion. It’s become the heartbeat of my page and cornerstone of the business I’m building now.

⸻

The Science Behind Why Smell Stays With Us

Unlike sight or sound, smell has a direct line to memory and emotion. When we catch a familiar scent, the signal travels straight to the amygdala (where emotions live) and the hippocampus (where memories are stored). Harvard researchers have confirmed what most of us already feel in our bones: odor evoked memories are stronger, more vivid, and more emotional than visual ones.

It’s why one whiff can pull you back decades.. in the blink of an eye. It’s why scent has always felt like a portal.. one of the few reliable ways my brain can hold onto the past.

⸻

When Scent Becomes a Trigger

That same power can be devastating for trauma survivors. Studies show that people with PTSD often experience flashbacks when they smell something linked to their trauma. Combat veterans, for example, have reported intense responses to the smell of burning hair, gunpowder, or fuel. Survivors of abuse can freeze at the cologne of someone who hurt them.

The science explains this too. When an odor is paired with something frightening, neurons tied to that smell actually change becoming hypersensitive. The association imprints on the brain, which is why a single whiff can bring the body right back into survival mode.

⸻

Reclaiming Scent as Healing

Here’s the hopeful part: scent can also be reclaimed. Research led by Pamela Dalton has shown that if a fragrance is introduced in a safe, neutral environment before trauma, the brain can weaken its negative association later on. In other words, our scent memories aren’t fixed. They can be rewritten.

Therapists and scientists are exploring how intentional fragrance rituals might help trauma survivors. A UC Irvine study even found that nightly diffusion of natural oils improved memory in older adults by over 200%. And for people with depression, familiar scent cues have been shown to bring forward more positive, vivid memories than words ever could.

That’s why I use fragrance with purpose. For me, every bottle is more than a luxury; it’s a grounding tool, a reminder that I get to choose what stories my senses hold on to.

⸻

Why Fragrance Is the Heart of My Work

My brain holds onto life in fragments: photos, scents, and songs. Without one of those triggers, I can lose whole pieces of memory. Living with cPTSD means there are gaps I can’t get back, but fragrance helps me build new anchors, intentionally and on my terms.

That’s why fragrance isn’t just a hobby for me. It’s how I connect with my past, how I ground myself in the present, and how I carry my mom’s memory forward. It’s also why I’ve made scent a core part of my page and my business structure. I want this work to feel like more than commerce.. it’s about offering people the same sanctuary I’ve found in fragrance.

⸻

My Favorite Fragrance Houses

Here are some fragrance houses that inspire me, bulk my collection, and remind me why I fell in love with perfume in the first place:

• Snif Co

• Rag & Bone

• Burberry

• Commodity

• Maison Margiela

• Ralph Lauren

⸻

Closing Thoughts

Fragrance is memory. Fragrance is comfort. Fragrance is survival. For some, it’s just perfume. For me, it’s the thread that ties my past to my present and a tool I’ll keep reaching for as I build my future. My work here isn’t selling you what’s on the top shelf, this isn’t bottle service. It’s about creating sanctuary through scent.