Fragrance Guide

The human sense of smell is highly sensitive - a single smell or fragrance can take you back to your childhood home or a winter holiday in the mountains. The tantalizing aroma of baked cookies can make you feel pangs of hunger or a familiar cologne fragrance can remind you of a loved one. The olfactory nerves can provoke feelings of fear, agitation, serenity or arousal. Since time immemorial, people have been using fragrances created from natural products such as flowers and spices.

Perfumes, deodorants, talc, soaps and a host of other toiletries are prepared with fragrant oils. Look up the make up shelves of most women and you can catch various brands of parfums, eau de toilettes and the like. For long, perfumes have been associated with luxury and sensuality. The tantalizing aroma of an oriental perfume or the woody smell of cologne or the floral aura of a designer perfume have never ceased to fire the senses.

Our section on fragrance looks at various aspects of scents - French perfumes, deodorants and soaps. The Fragrance Guide carry tips on choosing and using perfumes. We discuss the use of aromatherapy and various products that seek to bring about relief from physical and psychosomatic illnesses. How do these aromatic products affect our body, our nerves and feeling of well-being? What is a 'nose'? What are some popular designer fragrance brands? All this and more ... in our Fragrance Guide.