Our sense of smell is incredibly powerful. Studies show we can remember smells with about 65% accuracy after a year, while visual recall fades to about 50% accuracy after three months. Certain aromas can instantly transport us back in time to a long-forgotten memory, or across the globe to a far-off place.
Evolu’s Kati Kasza has been aware of fragrance and its power all her life, thanks to her winemaker father and her mother’s work as a horticulturalist and herbalist. “As children we were taught about food and wine quality at an early age,” she remembers. “We tasted and smelled wine and learnt what made an excellent wine as opposed to an ordinary wine. Everything we ate and drank had meaning to it. This has led me to blend every fragrance in our products with the utmost care and attention.”
Each Evolu product has a different aroma as each one has a unique combination of ingredients selected for maximum performance. Kati says: “The challenge lies in keeping the products uncomplicated. I liken it to creating a beautiful recipe where each and every ingredient is of the highest quality. If there are three or four botanical extracts, the potency of these will be much higher than using, say, eight. We can identify the individual plant fragrances in Evolu products. The palate is much cleaner and more elegant.”
And while fragrance preference can be deeply personal, the most appealing ones are always balanced. Kati explains: “I love floral, but I can’t stomach anything too sweet. Blending green and peppery notes with floral gives it more balance.”
Here are some ideas to experiment with to make your world more fragrant:
• Add a combination of fragrant herbs to your next salad. Start with mint, coriander, basil, parsley, rocket, watercress, lemon balm or chives.
• Toast some whole spices in a frypan and grind them to make a spice mix for cooking with or for dipping with bread and oil. Try cumin, coriander, cinnamon, star anise or peppercorns.
• Light a couple of different scented candles at home, or blend a few different drops of fragrance oil in an oil burner.
• Layer a scented body moisturiser and a perfume, or add a drop of essential oil to your facial moisturiser.