You may forget a face you see over time. You may struggle to replay a melody you hear in your mind. However, the scent of a fig tree you smelled on a summer evening 10 years ago instantly transports you back to that moment, that warmth, and that feeling.
My respect for the Limbic System, the oldest and most “unhackable” hardware of the human brain, is boundless. While our senses of sight and hearing pass through the logical filter (thalamus), the sense of smell has a direct highway to the centers of emotion and memory (amygdala and hippocampus). Marcel Proust called this “involuntary memory.”
In the digital age, everything can be reduced to pixels and binary code (0s and 1s); however, scent is the last bastion that cannot be digitized. In a Zoom meeting, your presence is limited to a square on the screen, but the “Sillage” you leave in a physical room is proof of your existence.
Here’s a neuro-strategic perspective on managing the psychology of scent and designing the trail you leave behind.
The Physics of Sillage
Sillage (pronounced “si-yah”), which means “to wake up” in French or “the wake left by a ship in the water,” refers to a perfume’s diffusion power. However, psychologically, it means “spatial occupation.”
Sillage begins not when you enter a room, but when you leave it. Even when you are no longer physically present, the molecules of your scent remain there and continue to speak for you. A bad sillage (too aggressive, synthetic) is noise pollution. A good sillage, however, is like the “sustain” of a good guitar solo, a graceful ghost lingering in the air.
Proust Effect
You can use scent as an “emotional state trigger.” Our brain associates scents with events.
If you consistently use a specific scent (such as dry vetiver or cedarwood) while doing tasks that require deep focus, you create a Pavlovian conditioning in your brain. After a while, the moment you smell that scent, your brain automatically switches to “work mode.” This is a biological trick to maintain discipline.
What do you want to convey?
Perfume notes are not random; each one has a different psychological trigger on the other side.
- Citrus (Bergamot, Neroli): Provides energy, clarity, and confidence. Strategic for morning meetings.
- Woody and Resinous (Oud, Sandalwood): Evokes a sense of authority, mystery, and rootedness. Creates an image of someone who is "grounded" at evening gatherings.
- Leather and Tobacco: Evokes nostalgia, a sense of lived experience, and an analog warmth.
A Hint
Spray your signature scent lightly onto the inside cover of your frequently used leather notebook or the lining of your jacket (from a distance that won’t damage the fabric). Leather and fabric retain the scent in a different profile than skin and for a longer period of time. When you give someone a business card or note, that piece of paper carries not only information but also your “signature.” This is the most powerful hook planted in the subconscious.
To make your scent memorable, use “Layering,“ but apply it not only to your skin but also to your belongings.
Actionable Recommendations
Do you have an important trip coming up or a new phase in your life (a new job, a new education)?
Get a new perfume or one you’ve never used before for that period. Use only this scent throughout that trip or process. Months later, when you smell that bottle again, you won’t believe how vividly and clearly your brain transports you back to those days.
Back up your memories not to the cloud, but to scent molecules.
