Freshen Up!

What exactly does clean” smell like? Is it the scent of a new set of linen, or the herbaceous wafts of cut grass that lingers in the air? The answer lies in one’s open interpretations of freshness. Anything goes: from from blossoming floral accords to an aquatic airiness that reads like a breath of fresh air.

-  Ed Chong

In the official olfactory playbook, fragrances are rarely described as clean. The term has been mostly reserved as a descriptor for the makeup of one’s cologne, serving as a positive green-light indicator to those that are skin-safe and chemically non-toxic. The concept of “clean” is thus one that may present itself as intriguingly nuanced.

After all, “clean” has historically been linked to sterility — a concept found in unromantic and often clinical settings. However, in the realm of fragrance, “clean” has less to do with literal sterility. Instead, it is a fantastic, all-encompassing term to describe a fresh fragrance and a sensory experience that evokes purity — never complicated or complex on first whiff.  So, a great way of whittling down and analysing a clean-smelling fragrance would be in the image-fashioning of nature.