From fresh pine needles on a Christmas tree and woodsmoke from a roaring winter fire, to the warm and fruity notes of spicy mulled wine, it really is the season for engaging all the senses.

Here’s our pick of our favourite seasonal smells – what’s  yours?

• Cinnamon
• Clementines and satsumas
• Winter spices, cloves and nutmeg
• Woodsmoke
• Pine trees

The results of our innovative study designed to explore the benefits of using scents in an educational environment has revealed some fascinating results.

Working with the Seashell Trust – a UK school for young people with multi-sensory impairments – over recent years had already shown us the power of fragrance in helping students identify people, places and objects.  We wanted to explore this relationship further and planned the study around specific goals; to investigate whether olfactory cues could improve the students’ understanding, communication and ability to make choices.

A full report of the study’s approach, considerations and challenges will be published exclusively in the December issue of Perfumer and Flavorist.  In the meantime, take a look at our inspirational video – meet the people behind the study, the children it benefits and gain insight into why this project is so important to all those involved.

Boosted by these encouraging findings, Seven will continue to invest in research into this complex and exciting area.

Photo credit: Karen Hewitt for Manchester International Festival

Following its success at the Manchester International Festival, the Oily Cart theatre company is taking its multi-sensory ‘Gorgeous’ show on tour around the UK.  The show uses scents created by Seven’s perfumery team to communicate effectively with children – a particularly appealing element for those with profound and multiple learning disabilities or an autistic spectrum disorder.

The young audience is able to spend time prior to the performance with the cast to create specific perfumes from a selection of fragrances which are then used in the final performance.  This interaction and innovative  use of smell helps the children to fully engage with the story.

Taking place at nine different schools around the UK, Oily Cart will entertain children of all ages.  You can read coverage of the tour’s opening performance here:  http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/local/wandsworthnews/9267152.School_prepares_to_welcome_sensory_show/

If you would like more detailed information about where and when Oily Cart is performing ‘Gorgeous’ throughout October, please visit:  http://www.oilycart.org.uk/complex_disabilities/current/

Eight fragrances have been created and aligned with a specific theatrical scene.  From the oily, smoky smell of diesel at the Ghost Train, to the aroma of burnt pork and fresh meat in the abattoir, through to the unsettling blend of surgical and metallic notes in the hospital – each has been formulated to deliver impact and atmosphere.  Even the classic, heavy, floral fragrance created for the Bride of Frankenstein which initially seems pleasant has been carefully injected undertones of earth and mould to overpower and turn the stomach.

The challenge for the Seven perfumery team was how to use its knowledge in a completely new creative format to create a negative effect.  Some of the butyrates that traditionally give a lovely lift to fruity fragrances, for example, were overdosed to create a revolting smell of vomit around the Exorcist scene.  Dispersed using fans, these smells create an added dimension to the experience where no smell is left untouched.

Farmaggedon was inspired by the immense popularity of the american Halloween industry and adapted by its creator, Mark Edwards, for the UK.  The venue is literally alive with packs of zombies and other creatures who roam around the horror houses – Terror on the Farm, Insanity and Psychosis – making it a truly interactive experience.

Visit www.farmaggedon.co.uk if you dare.

It is a journey she describes in an interview with The New York Times as “adding colour back into a black and white movie.”  It brought her to the realisation that smell is intrinsically linked to taste; “Without smell it was temperature in my mouth.  It’s like the whole world was muted.”

Molly’s story is a topic of discussion in BBC Radio 4′s Midweek programme which you can listen to here (main interview at 32 minutes into the programme): http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b014flg2.   

You can also read the full interview with The New York Times and how - against the odds – Molly recovered her sense of smell: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/15/dining/molly-birnbaum-the-cook-who-couldnt-taste.html?_r=1&pagewanted=allI

We are all very aware of the impact of fragrance in our homes.  It is only logical that if you make an environment more pleasurable, you are more likely to change behaviour.  In our homes it may be to make it more relaxing. Retailers, however, are aiming to improve the shopping experience and encourage sales – this is something that bakeries with the irresistible smell of freshly baked bread have known for a long time.

With international brand such as M&Ms pumping the smell of chocolate into its new London megastore and the latest Spy Kids film featuring ‘aromascope’ as an added fourth dimension, it is clear that the business of fragrance is now firmly on the marketing agenda.

This is a positive development but, like all marketing concepts, it needs to be used effectively and responsibly to avoid a negative reaction from consumers with a hugely influential social media voice.

For a more detailed view, take a look at The Independent’s article on the subject via: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/advertising/the-smell-of-commerce-how-companies-use-scents-to-sell-their-products-2338142.html

Photo credit: Edward Brownrigg for Manchester International Festival

Children from age two upwards will enjoy a multi-sensory performance of ‘Gorgeous’ as part of this year’s Manchester International Festival, thanks to support from Seven.  The interactive show, produced by theatre group Oily Cart, involves characters who each have their own individual fragrance created by Seven’s  perfumery experts.  With each player given a unique scent, such as Rose, the children are able to identify and connect with the show much more easily – it is a particularly beneficial aspect for those with sensory impairments.  Click on the link below to hear Tim Webb, artistic director of Oily Cart, explain why Seven’s scents are so important:  http://www.salfordonline.com/educationnews_page/29053-video:_springwood_sc%20hool_goes_arty_for_mif.html

Photo credit: Edward Brownrigg for Manchester International Festival

The ‘Choco-Orange’ handwash created by Seven for Global Handwash Day is still proving popular with youngsters with the news article below appearing in a recent edition of The Independent Schools magazine.

Creative Perfumer Kate cleans up with the expert panel

We all know that fragrance is the deal-breaker when it comes to persuading people to choose toiletry products. So when we started thinking about how we could make children wash their hands more often and more thoroughly, we thought that rather than asking parents, we’d ask kids themselves.

We worked with some great children and their teachers at East Didsbury School in Manchester and then polled 1200 kids asking about the hand-wash scents they said would make them wash their hands.
Chocolate orange was voted top of the class by the nation’s children. Thanks to Carex, the number one anti-bacterial handwash in the UK, we made a prototype of the nation’s favourite handwash… as you’ll see, the folk at the children’s newspaper, First News, loved it:

http://www.firstnews.co.uk/bored/you-wont-believe-this-soap-that-smells-like-food-i2563

They’ve even come up with a poll of their own. http://www.firstnews.co.uk/polls/

…Popcorn or pizza handwash anyone?