How to Turn Emotion Into Brand Power

The most successful fragrance brands don't just sell. They connect. They stir something deeper. They make us feel.

As a perfumer, I learnt that that emotion is a brand’s most valuable currency, and fragrance is one of the most direct, visceral ways to spend it.

If you're ready to make your brand not just seen or heard, but felt, then let's talk. As a perfumer, I help translate emotional ideas into olfactive expressions that customers will remember and love.

In this article of Scent of Tomorrow newsletter, I explain why scent is the missing link in your brand strategy and how you can harness it to build a strong customer loyalty. Let's dive in!


The Science Behind Scent And Emotion

Perfume is a neuroscientific superpower. Unlike sight or sound, which are processed through multiple brain regions before we consciously interpret them, scent takes a direct route to the brain’s emotional core. Here is a brief overview of how this works:

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• When you smell something, odour molecules travel through the nose to the olfactory bulb (part of the olfactory system). These molecules are like tiny chemical “keys”, and they interact with olfactory receptors, specialised proteins located on sensory neurons.

• The olfactory bulb has direct connections to two critical brain areas: the amygdala (which processes emotion) and the hippocampus (which handles memory).

• These are key components of the limbic system, often referred to as the brain’s emotional centre.

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A 2004 study published in Science by Linda Buck and Richard Axel (Nobel Prize winners in Physiology or Medicine) helped explain this unique neuroanatomy. It showed how scent is wired to bypass the thalamus, which is the brain’s relay centre for other senses, and go straight to the limbic brain.

This is why the smell of sunscreen can instantly transport you back to childhood beach holidays, or why the scent of leather can evoke feelings of luxury, confidence, or even power. This is all done within seconds, and without a single word or image.

Another study published in Chemical Senses (Herz & Schooler, 2002) found that odour-evoked memories are more emotional, more vivid, and more often relived than those triggered by visual or verbal cues.

In branding, that’s not just fascinating — it’s commercially potent.

If your brand can trigger a specific emotional memory through scent, such as comfort, safety, freedom, elegance, then you have created something no algorithm can replicate: a feeling that lingers.

In a time when customer attention is fleeting, fragrance gives your brand a permanent place in the emotional memory bank.


‍The Hidden Layers of Brand Identity

Most brand owners think in visuals: logos, fonts, colours. Maybe even audio branding (think Intel's sound logo). How your brand smells however is just as important, especially in places such as:

• Retail environments.
• Hotel lobbies.
• Packaging and unboxing experiences.
• Events and pop-ups. High-end products (from cars to cosmetics).  

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This is called olfactive branding, and it’s a strategic tool to create emotional consistency across all customer touchpoints.

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How to Use Fragrance Strategically in Your Brand

If you are a brand owner wondering ''How do I make customers feel something real?'' you are asking the right question, but you are using the wrong tools to do that.

Visual identity, tone of voice, and UX are all essential. However, they are all fighting for attention in an over-saturated world. Fragrance doesn’t compete. It connects. It does so directly, subconsciously, and emotionally, for the reasons I mentioned above.  

So here’s how you can use scent to give your brand a powerful new dimension:


1) Define Your Brand's Emotional Core

‍Before you choose how your brand smells, you need to know how your brand feels.

Ask yourself:

• What emotion should people feel when they encounter your brand for the first time?
• How do you want them to remember you?
• If your brand were a person, what kind of energy or vibe would they give off?

You might land on words like:

• Confidence
• Warmth
• Joy
• Sophistication
• Freedom
• Trust
• Rebellion
• Sensuality

2) Translate Emotion into Olfactive Notes

Working with a perfumer allows you to craft a bespoke fragrance architecture that communicates your values without words. This creates emotional resonance from the very first breath.

Just like music has rhythm and harmony, fragrance has structure and each note category contributes differently.


3) Activate Your Fragrance Across Brand Touchpoints

Once your brand scent is defined, you can start to infuse it across your brand ecosystem. The key is consistency and subtlety. It will start reinforcing emotional memory over time and space.

Here are some ideas:


Retail & Physical Environments: Diffuse your signature scent in your store, showroom, or office. Studies show that scent increases dwell time, improves mood, and boosts perceived product value.

Packaging & Unboxing: Infuse scent into packaging, tissue paper, or scent strips. Make the unboxing experience multi-sensory. Customers will associate your brand with a feeling of excitement and emotional depth.

Print Collateral & Direct Mail: Scented business cards or brochures create a lasting impression. It’s tactile, intimate, and far more memorable than digital.

Custom Branded Products: Candles, oils, incense, room sprays, or diffusers make wonderful loyalty gifts or high-end merchandise. They can turn your brand into something people bring into their homes.

Events & Experiences: Brand activations that include fragrance create immersive, emotional environments. Think scent zones at a product launch, scented wristbands, or scented invitations.

Product Integration: If you create physical products (cosmetics, clothing, tech accessories, etc.), you can integrate scent as a value-add, from subtly perfumed fabrics to signature scented cases or wrappers.


Remarks

Many brand owners would think that scent doesn't add any direct value, but they couldn't be more wrong. Fragrance isn’t just a "wow factor." It builds long-term equity.

With consistent exposure, your signature scent becomes a conditioned emotional trigger. Just like a song can bring back a memory in seconds, your brand scent becomes a shortcut to trust, desire, and recognition.

It can increase brand recall, deepen emotional engagement, drive customer loyalty, differentiate your brand and most importantly, it creates something intangible that is unforgettable.