Scent.

We don't have words for smells the way we do for colors or sounds.

We can say red.
We can say loud.
But there’s no single word for the smell of rain on hot pavement,
or even the scent of a new car.

Instead, we reach for comparison.
“It smells like a new car.”
“It’s… musky? Woody? Floral?”
We circle around the scent, never quite inside it.

I try to keep a database of perfumes I’ve tried,
not for collection’s sake,
but to build a vocabulary for what language can’t name.

If I note:
Majestic by Arabian Oud — rose, bergamot, musk, incense, oud, woody —
I’m training my perception through smell.

Later, when I catch bergamot somewhere else,
maybe I can recognize it and trace it back through memory and air.

Olfactory literacy is just pattern recognition across air.

The more I document, the more I can describe.
The more I can describe, the more I actually smell.

Scent is memory in motion; it lingers, fades, returns.
It teaches us that presence isn’t always visible.

Scent is memory as data.
Systems intelligence here is recognizing how the faintest trace can hold the fullest story.

How Scent Connects to the Other 7

TASTE → Aroma makes up a large part of flavor.

TOUCH → Perfume interacts with skin chemistry.

SIGHT → See perfume, candle, flower, and expect scent.

SOUND → Share structure: notes, layers, resonance, fade.

SPACE → Scent builds atmosphere.

TIME → Unfolds in sequence: top, heart, and base notes

SYSTEM → Ingredient sourcing, fragrance supply chains.

Where Scent Becomes Experience

These aren't sponsorships, just examples:

Perfume Houses:

• Olfactory NYC

• Kayali

Olfactory Innovation:

• Osmo

• Firmenich

Scent Design in Space:

• Abercrombie & Fitch

• Bath & Body Works

Discovery Platforms:

• Luckyscent

• Fragrantica