It’s difficult to picture an Aesop store without catching an imaginary whiff of its aromas. The unique interiors created by high-profile firms are always memorable (a rarity in today’s apocalyptic retail reality), but it’s the distinctive fragrances given off by the brand’s botanical-rich products that leave a lasting impression. This week, Aesop follows its scent trail to the next logical step with its first line of aromatic room sprays.
“It was a natural evolution,” says creative director Marsha Meredith. “For Aesop, scent is a key component of the design of an environment, affecting the exterior and the interior, the physical and the psychological. We create our environment as an external expression of our interior selves, and with scent it’s much the same: We perfume our skin and our homes to reflect our current state of being, or to transform it in some way.”
The three fragrances feature new botanical blends for Aesop. Istros has a floral, smoky aroma made of pink pepper, lavender, and tobacco; Olous bears a vibrant citrus quality from a mix of galbanum, grapefruit, and jasmine; and Cythera offers a warm, woody, spicy scent that incorporates geranium, incense, and patchouli. (Three of these ingredients—tobacco, pink pepper, and galbanum—are new additions to Aesop’s repertoire.)
“Scent wields quiet influence over our daily encounters, connecting directly to the emotional centers in the brain,” Meredith says. “[It] has the ability to transport and intriguingly to shift your state of mind.”As the sixth sense of design, scents can invisibly tie a space together—and perhaps even persuade us to remember it.