Of paper boats & puddles...
The sky is overcast after an unusually warm day and droplets of cool water start to drizzle from the clouds above making their way toward the dry earth. A fragrance, better than fresh chocolate chip cookies from the oven, freshly mowed grass or for some of you, petrol – fills every bit of your senses. This sweet and scintillating fragrance is the first sign of a splashdown and it has an effect on everyone. We truly believe it is nature’s way of saying that it’s time to wake up to celebrate. Ever wondered what this fragrance was called? It’s called petrichor. Yes, that’s a real word.
Petrichor, the sweet whiff of wet sand, a pleasant aroma that accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather. It brings back memories; of sand, paper boats, colourful umbrellas, mossy colours, fresh breezes and splashing about in gumboots. Ah, what a time to be young and carefree.
Now as adults, we wouldn’t jump in puddles or make a paper boat. We’d be complaining about the traffic and the sticky mess. I bet some of you didn’t breathe in that first waft of wet earth this season. Maybe you were too busy in your air conditioned cubicle. That just made me think, maybe you don’t think of paper boats and puddles when you think of the monsoons anymore. Now, sadly, the monsoons make you gloomy and a downpour gets you worried.
So there I was, deeply breathing in the aroma of petrichor and I thought what is it that one could do to bring back the memories; why not I tell you about certain fragrances that could bring in memories as strong as that of petrichor?
If the rains have got you dreary, all you need is to uplift your spirits with fragrances infused with warmer bases. For instance, a sporty, refreshing and absolutely tingling citrus fragrance infused with base notes of oakmoss and cedar can leave a man smelling fresh all day and particularly muscular. Women, on the hand, I recommend you should try a fragrance that gives you a hint of coconuts and vanilla infused with the aroma of fresh Jacaranda wood. This is ideal for patrons who are active all day and not even endless hours of rain can get you down.
Now for those of you who think monsoons are a time to snuggle up and stay cosy (I hear you), I think you need a pick-me-up. So ladies, you should look for an infusion of water based flowers like lilies or lily of the valley with base notes of iris or vanilla. It’s soothing, calming and yet it’s fresh enough to make sure you’re not lazing around. Gentlemen, I recommend warmer and spicier notes like clove or nutmeg infused with thyme and with base notes of white musk and sandalwood.
If you truly love the monsoons like I do, I know you would want to smell like a fresh breeze wherever you go. So my recommendations for such a person would be to dab with notes of litchi and roses infused with white musk and amber. You could even gift a male friend a perfume with tones of lavender, rosemary blended with oak moss and rosewood and I bet he’d smell oh-so-deliciously appealing.
From your words, I can smell your fragrances and it makes me dream of that time... Thank you Rajiv !