Brianna Lapolla

There’s so much more to fragrance than top, middle, and base notes. If you’ve ever caught a hint of something and been immediately transported to a distant, fond memory, you won’t be shocked to learn that scent is the strongest sense tied to recollection. Also known as the Proustian moment, this phenomenon points to “a sensory experience that triggers a rush of memories often long past, or even seemingly forgotten,” according to The Harvard Gazette. That’s why something as typical as mint Chapstick can bring you back to a high school dance, powdery floral perfumes remind you of your grandma, or a warm oud brings on memories of a former flame.

Here’s the science behind the notion: “Smells are handled by the olfactory bulb, the structure in the front of the brain that sends information to the other areas of the body’s central command for further processing. Odors take a direct route to the limbic system [i.e.] the regions related to emotion and memory,” says Harvard’s Venkatesh Murthy, Raymond Leo Erikson Life Sciences Professor and chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology.

Equipped with the knowledge that smell is the closest thing we have to time travel, I jumped at the chance to test one of my mom’s favorite fragrance lineups: Jo Malone London, which also happens to be a favorite of Kate Middleton (she wore Orange Blossom on her wedding day). And, hello, who doesn’t want to have what she’s having?

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