You May Hate the Smell of Our Candles, Here’s Why

You May Hate the Smell of Our Candles, Here’s Why

I know this is a very odd title if you are trying to sell scented candles. But, have you ever wondered why something that smells great to you can absolutely repulse others? Our sense of smell is very personal.

Although I love all of the scents in our introductory collections. I still have my favorites. There are those scents that just appeal to me a little more. I really love Sea Mist, Morning Rain and Hope. I am actually a little scent sensitive. Strong smells give me a headache; I don’t even wear perfume or use strongly scented soaps, but something about these scents I instantly loved. If you happen to purchase either, I would be curious to know if you feel the same.

Anyway, let’s talk about the science behind why we react to smells differently.

It’s all in our DNA

How we experience smell is determined by the order of amino acids on genes. According to MedicalExpress, there are approximately 400 genes that code for our olfactory or smell receptors. Even more astonishing is that on these 400 genes there could be around 900,000 variations. What receptors and how they react determines how a person experiences smell.

Just the slight difference of one amino acid on a single gene can be the difference between how you and I experience the smell of any one of our candles. And while we may both find a scent appealing, we still will not experience it in the exact same way.

So, when you smell one of our candles, a group of receptors will be triggered and send a signal to the brain. We’re hoping the signal triggers a pleasant experience!

Back to blog