Humans, like all mammals, have the ability to smell at least 10,000 odors. Whether a complex blend or a single note, when it comes to perfume, many of us are drawn to classic fragrances such as florals, vanilla, citrus, and spice.
Choosing a scent is uniquely personal. Not only that, the same fragrance can smell different on everyone. Whether you come up smelling like a rose or the soil that it’s planted in has as much to do with your physiology as your personality or mood.
Smell activates the limbic system in the brain, which triggers memories and emotions. It can transport us back to places or experiences in our past. For book lovers, a blend of sandalwood, leather, dried flowers, or candle wax could evoke a favorite old library, a well-thumbed book, a cedar shelf loaded with first-edition classics, or an afternoon with Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Not only that, it can evoke the feelings—and memories—we had while having that experience.
For those of us who have spent a lot of time inhaling the aroma of old paper, a favorite velvet chair at Trinity University Library, a leather-bound book or a special herb tea that was part of our reading ritual, these scents may trigger it and take us back.
Here are some of our favorite evocative scents for those who love books.
Mythologie Candles, Dark Academia
The Dark Academia candle collection from Mythologie (pictured on the next page) takes you on a scent journey through gothic library basements to cozy upstairs reading rooms. Stroll in a Storm is inspired by Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, infused with the smell of gathering storm clouds tinged with rain. Oxford Hall, with notes of hickory and suede armchairs and a hint of loose-leaf tobacco, is inspired by A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. And Poet’s Elegy, with notes of ripe gourds, oranges, and earthy patchouli leaves, takes inspiration from the work of Edgar Allan Poe. mythologiecandles.com
Demeter, Paperback
Demeter specializes in what I like to call situational scents—simple fragrances such as Baby Powder, Salt Air, Sunshine, Thunderstorm, and Paperback (a blend of violets, potpourri, and the smell of well-thumbed paper) that are transportive. Clean scents in clear glass spray bottles, they are perfect to toss in your purse and reapply. demeterfragrance.com
Firelight Fables, Ancient Library
These candles are made with a luxe vegan coconut-apricot cream wax blend, and the Ancient Library fragrance oil is infused with cedarwood, patchouli, vetiver, elemi, fir balsam, geranium, orange, and cade natural essential oils. You will be transported, olfactorily, to an English manor house library or a historical scriptorium. firelightfables.com
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, Philologus Perfume Oil
Philologists are scholars who study the history of languages by closely observing literature. They are philosophers, relentless in the pursuit of knowledge. This perfume oil evokes a dark, romantic, gothic time and place, with notes of incense, candle wax, and cracked parchment—very mysterious and seductive. blackphoenixalchemylab.com
Sucreabeille, The Librarian
The Librarian by Sucreabeille has nothing to do with looking like a sexy librarian and everything to do with smelling like one. Imagine if you could loll about in a massive historic university library with vaulted ceilings, nursing a mug of hot buttered rum laced with espresso. (Unfortunately, food and drink are not allowed!) Add notes of patchouli to the catalog, and you’ve got the Librarian—an enticing, seductive scent. sucreabeille.com
Smells Like Books Candle Co., Sassenach
Outlander fans who may have wondered what Sassenach smelled like can find out with Smells Like Books Candle Co.’s spicy, smoky Sassenach candle. With top notes of petitgrain and heather; cypress, pine, and juniper heart notes; and base notes of oakmoss and smoke, this smells like a stormy night on the Scottish Highlands, cozy by the fire. There are many divinely scented candles and fragrances with a literary pedigree, such as Mr. Darcy (notes of bergamot, fig, nutmeg, sandalwood, amber) and Enchanted Library (amaretto, teakwood, dark rum, musk, oud). smellslikebooks.com
Byredo, Bibliothèque
Byredo’s Bibliothèque started as a candle but quickly made it up the rungs to become an elegant perfume that is complex and long-lasting, reminiscent of a wood-paneled library filled with leather-bound books. With a blend of fruity top notes, a patchouli base, and subtly sweet violet and heart of peony, the powdery scent kicks in with a perfect blend of leather and soft vanilla. byredo.com
