Skin Is In

The best scents this summer smell like you, intensified, and are a perfect antidote to modern sensory overload

- Fiona Mckim

Do you ever feel bombarded, sensorially speaking? Nowadays, moments that would once have been idle are full of stimuli, and even a quick walk in the park can include plugging into a podcast while speed-scrolling through Facebook and sipping a grande skinny latte. No wonder experts say we should take ourselves to a quiet room for five minutes a day and focus on being, not doing. It’s a bit much out there, isn’t it?

Plenty has been written on the subject of mindfulness, and whether you’re into it or aren’t really bothered (guilty), there are many ways to find a sense of quiet in this shouty world. Take fragrance, for example. Our sense of smell has the power to draw us inside our own minds and memories in a flash, just like dipping your head underwater at a noisy swimming pool. Tellingly, feelings are now overtaking fashion in driving fragrance sales, too. Today, people want to explore notes and be transported, emotionally, by their perfume.