My father died. I bought his perfume, but it doesn't smell the same anymore. "Another goodbye": mourning for lost scents

Smell is the sense that leaves the deepest mark on our memory. That's why when a perfume is discontinued, an inevitable feeling of being orphaned arises.

Social media can be tiresome, other times it can be infuriating. But it also has the ability to move you to the core. This is what happened with a recent post on X where Juan Mas (@juan_mas) openly confessed the pain of having lost his father twice. The first time, when he died. The second time, when he finished the bottle of Esencia de Loewe , the fragrance always worn by the man who had given him life. The simple and humble story captures the soul: “When he died, I kept the bottle, and I had been using it until it ran out recently. Yesterday I bought a new one, but they've reformulated it. It doesn't smell the same anymore, nor does it smell like him. Another goodbye, I guess.” “I understand you, Juan… Sometimes, when I pass by a perfume stand , I go up and smell the one my mother and sister used. There are fragrances that permeate the memory and the heart and are never forgotten…” one user replied. Others offered to send her bottles of that Loewe fragrance that they still treasure.

If neurologists, ENT specialists, and perfumers agree on one thing, it's that aromas leave a much deeper mark on us than other senses. "Each of us has a unique smell. This aroma is the result of different chemical processes that occur in our body depending on our microbiome and our diet," explains biologist Laura López-Mascaraque , a Meritorious Academician and Orchid Chair at the Perfume Academy and a researcher at the Scientific Council of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).

Because our skin is like a vast luxury resort where a million bacteria coexist per square centimeter. This army of diverse bacteria is dedicated to breaking down the various substances that pass through our skin, from sweat to our favorite fragrance. Breaking them down generates different molecules, and the percentages vary from person to person. This is what gives each person a unique scent, a bit like an olfactory fingerprint. That's why your knitted sweater smells different from your best friend's, even if you both wear the same perfume. It's the gateway to an invisible universe of intense emotions and memories through smell.

Orphans of a fragrance

In the opening lines of Lichtenberg, the Indian poet Rudjard Kipling expresses that "smells can move the heartstrings more firmly than sounds or sights." Knowing how olfactory sensations work, it's easy to empathize with the tweeter who opened this article. The realization that his father's perfume is no longer made as he remembered it hits like a point-blank shot to the depths of the soul. A feeling of orphanhood that recurs every time a brand stops producing a certain fragrance, which in slang is known as 'discontinuing.' A relentless unease arises, leading one to comb perfumeries in search of the last units and to anxiously scour secondhand shops in case of luck.

But the perfume industry thrives on innovation, surprising each year with new launches that capture the zeitgeist of each season. “Sometimes changes in the formulation respond to regulatory changes, as some ingredients are no longer permitted. Perfumers try to keep tweaks minimal, almost imperceptible, but changes are inevitable over the years,” says Luis Sans, director of the iconic Santa Eulalia boutique in Barcelona. The boutique features 12 of its own fragrances inspired by Barcelona, which they continue to produce as faithfully as possible to the original edition.

A perfume expert who asks to remain anonymous states that “it's not uncommon for us to be asked not to retire a fragrance because it has such a strong emotional value. In my courses, for example, I get asked a lot about Gucci Rush for Men .” It was one of three men's launches during Tom Ford 's years as creative director and was discontinued years ago. “It's a fragrance that shaped an entire generation: many remember it because someone they loved wore it. For others, it was the first luxury fragrance they bought or were given. It's much more than a perfume: it's a living memory of a very special time in their life,” the expert emphasizes.

The memory of a smell

Technology is fabulous and gives us gigabytes of Technicolor memories. Smell does the same, but it doesn't take up any space. In fact, science has already shown that the evocative power of sight is limited to 5% of reality. Hearing only lasts a paltry 2%. Smell, on the other hand, can revive up to 35% of our memories from a specific moment.

Nenuco comforts us because it takes us back to childhood; Chispas, Don Algodón, and Azur de Puig catapult us back to our early adolescence; and Coppertone, like the sunscreen used for our first swims at the beach. There's a reason why smell is known as the "Proustian memory," a scientific homage to Marcel Proust and his immortal Madeleine passage in his novel In Search of Lost Time.

But how is it possible that olfactory sensations leave such a lasting mark on memory? Humans have neurons in the upper part of the nose with approximately 5 million receptors grouped into 350 different types that allow us to perceive millions of odors. These are the only neurons in contact with the outside world; they perceive chemical signals (olfactory molecules) and transform them into electrical signals that travel directly to the brain. “They are not processed through the thalamus, as is the case with the images we see with our eyes, but rather connect directly with the limbic system and the hippocampus, the areas of the brain related to the management of memories and emotions. So to speak, olfactory signals reach the brain unfiltered,” adds López-Mascaraque.

To top it all off, we can't help but smell scents when we breathe, and breathing is essential for staying alive. So we have a stimulus we're unable to rationalize and a sense that doesn't ask permission to gift us with aromas that, in certain situations, can make us emotionally collapse. "My first boyfriend wore Pure Blanc by Karen . Every time I see someone wearing that fragrance, I blush like I'm 15 again. And I've been happily married to someone else for three decades! It's a reaction I can't turn off," says Judith Gross, vice president of communications at International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), one of the giants specializing in creating molecules and fragrances for the perfume industry.

The marketing of fragrances that excite

For years, brands launched perfumes seeking the beauty of a well-composed fragrance. They were purchased because they conveyed a corporate philosophy: the femininity of Chanel, YSL, or Dior, the luxury of Montblanc, or the familial essence of Álvarez Gómez. Over time, a fragrance became associated with certain values and the person who wore it. Angelina Jolie acknowledges that Mon Guerlain evokes the classic accords of the powder compact her late mother always used to apply her makeup. An emotional connection that influenced the actress's decision to become the face of the fragrance.

New-century neuromarketing goes even further: fragrances are now created with the intention of stimulating emotions for no reason. “ Givenchy's Irresistible was designed with a rose extract created by LMR for IFF, whose fragrance is linked to happiness. For Rochas Girl, neroli extract was used, with its relaxing effects,” explains Gross.

Brand values and human connotations take a backseat, eclipsed by individual emotions, which are much more powerful, profound, and stable over time. A guarantee of customer loyalty, which is expected to continue purchasing to keep receiving their dose of joy.