The Magic of Scent: Celebrating Our Most Underrated Sense

The Magic of Scent: Celebrating Our Most Underrated Sense

In a recent and deeply personal announcement, Jo Malone shared that she has lost her sense of smell — a profound loss, especially for someone whose career has been built around fragrance. It’s a moment that reminds us how much we often take scent for granted, and how essential it is not only to memory and emotion, but to identity, creativity, and wellbeing.

At Vocā, our entire philosophy is built around the power of scent. While the world often rushes to focus on sight and sound, we believe smell is the most intuitive, emotional, and transformative sense we have. It’s the only one directly connected to the limbic system — the part of the brain that processes memory, emotion, and mood. That’s why a single breath of lavender can calm the nervous system, or why the scent of frankincense can slow your heart rate. It’s not just fragrance. It’s biology, psychology, and healing — all in one.

That’s why, from the very beginning, Vocā has rooted its night-time rituals in aromatherapy. But not just any aromatherapy — ours is crafted in collaboration with Danièle Ryman, a pioneer in the field and the very woman who trademarked the word ‘aromacology’ in the 1990s. Long before scent became a luxury or a lifestyle trend, Danièle was advocating for the therapeutic science behind inhaling essential oils — rediscovering ancient practices and applying modern understanding to the way scent supports sleep, wellbeing, and emotional balance.

Her expertise is why every Vocā blend is created not just to smell beautiful, but to do something powerful: ease anxiety, slow racing thoughts, ground the body, and prepare the mind for deep rest. She doesn’t simply work with essential oils — she listens to them, understands their language, and combines them in precise ways that honour the body’s natural rhythms. Her extraordinary sense of smell is her gift — and it’s the foundation of ours.

As Jo Malone’s story reminds us, scent is precious. It shapes how we feel, how we connect, and how we remember. At Vocā, we don’t just celebrate scent — we protect it, respect it, and build entire rituals around it. Because sleep is essential, and scent is the pathway in.

So as the world reflects on the value of this underestimated sense, we honour it — and we honour the master who helped us turn it into a ritual: Danièle Ryman, our founding aromacologist, and a true pioneer in the science of scent and wellbeing.

Breathe it in. It matters more than you know.