Perfumery

This academic volume examines fragrance from the standpoint of biology, psychology and commerce. It opens with the biological basis of scent, covering how humans have historically used odour in a zoological context, the molecular side of perfume making, and the role that steroids found in underarm odour play.

The middle sections turn to how people develop their liking for smells and how perfume is used to shape impressions in social and workplace settings. They also explore how the brain processes odour, including the contingent negative variation measure and the emotional response to smell, followed by a look at the use of fragrances and essential oils in therapy, with particular attention to reducing anxiety.

The final section focuses on the consumer, asking how people choose a fragrance, how perceptions of perfume relate to the products themselves, whether selling perfume is better understood as a technique or an art, and how education about smell can be approached. The book closes with a reference list and an author index, making it a resource for students and researchers in the field.