Synesthesia, Neurodivergence, and Fragrance

[Westcoasty]

Hello, everyone! I've been trying all kinds of sample packs of fragrances, looking for ones that will work for me. I've recently discovered that I'm neurodivergent because I have synesthesia and am "highly sensitive". (Also, my sister has ADHD and I definitely have some of the traits, plus I discovered that I identify with some traits on the autism spectrum as well. But I haven't been formally diagnosed, so won't claim those as fact.)

My primary synesthetic trait is seeing sound (for those of you going WTF?, research suggests that in someone with synesthesia, some of the sensory data that our brains take in gets cross-connected to other senses during processing). However, I realized the other day that I also have synesthesia with my sense of smell. I bought the CLEAN RESERVE Mini Clean Classic Rollerball Perfume Set to try, because I really like the scent of Skin (applied carefully in small quantities) and thought I might have good luck with other scents in the line.

However, I tried smelling Rain, and was disgusted by its nasty pink smell. Rain smells blue, darn it. LOL

So my question is, are there other synesthetes out there who have experiences like this with fragrance? (I also suspect being neurodivergent and highly sensitive to environmental stimuli is why I can't wear strong fragrances for more than a few minutes - I'd love to hear if others experience that too.)

What do you say, Sephora community? We're an inclusive bunch - anyone else out there want to let their neurodivergent flag fly? (And if you're still keeping your flag furled, feel free to shoot me a message instead.)

[sister13]

Just wanted to post a message of support and thanks for posting your experience. I don’t experience this but I’m just always so interested in how others experience beauty (and the world) and it helps remind us differences and sensitivities that we all have. My husband’s nose is very sensitive and he always smells things before I do and he can be super sensitive to fragrances I wear, so I try to be understanding even when I really love a scent and want to wear it more, I’ll put it aside for when he’s not around! @Westcoasty 

[Westcoasty]

@sister13  That's really thoughtful of you! I hope he appreciates you for the goddess you are. 😀

There's quite an interesting book (IMHO) called The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive When The World Overwhelms You, by Elaine Aron. You and/or your husband might find it a useful read. I know I was surprised when I read it and went, You mean not everyone experiences life this way? Once you know that you're highly sensitive (if you are), it becomes easier to find strategies for adjusting to a world that can be awfully fast, bright, and loud at times.

[sister13]

Thanks for the recommendation! @Westcoasty 

[pocketvenus]

@Westcoasty I wouldn't say I have synesthesia but I definitely associate some scents with colours. Not all, just some. Noir Epices is magenta for example. I don't know why.

There's a nose, Dana El-Masri, who has synesthesia and has talked about it, you might be interested to look her up, she makes great perfumes.

[Westcoasty]

@pocketvenus  Interesting! I think I would expect a magenta scent to be, hmm, spicy fruit, perhaps? Something that would likely give me a headache, TBH, but that's very interesting that you experience that form of synesthesia some of the time as well.

I'll have to look up Dana El-Masri. I knew at least one musician who used her synesthesia to help her with music dictation in university, but I haven't heard of people using synesthesia professionally for fragrances before. Thank you so much for telling me about your experience and Dana El-Masri. 😀

[pocketvenus]

@Westcoasty You're welcome! It's such an interesting topic. To be honest, what associations I have are very weak. It's more like my mind being imaginative. From what I've read, synesthesia is a different experience.

[Westcoasty]

@pocketvenus   I would say that ultimately that's something you'll need to decide for yourself. Some of my synesthesia cross-connections are a lot stronger than others - my one for seeing tastes, for instance, is barely there at all. I've had people say to me, "Oh that's just so and so [not synesthesia]", or even, "I believe YOU believe that's happening", implying that I'm being fanciful or downright delusional. Rather offensive, really!I was grateful when books began to come out on the topic, and I could point to them and say, "See, it's real!" So I say that you get to decide for yourself, because nobody else can see inside your head. 😀

Thank you for this lovely discussion. I really appreciate it.

[pocketvenus]

@Westcoasty I'm sorry you've heard those kinds of skeptical responses. I thought synesthesia was better understood! I have definitely met people for whom this is very strong and specific, it never occurred to me to doubt their own experiences!! ❤️

[makeitup305]

@Westcoasty I have always found the concept of synesthesia super interesting. I personally don’t experience it but smell is known to be very connected to memory and there’s scents that I associate with people I haven’t seen in years. I love the CLEAN RESERVE Reserve - Skin Eau de Parfum 3.4 oz/ 101 mL  , which is different (and better IMO) than the  CLEAN RESERVE Classic - Skin . It’s been a staple in my fragrance wardrobe for years and I enjoy more light scents. If you’re looking for similar “skin” scents, I would suggest trying DedCool Milk Eau de Parfum 0.5 oz / 15 mL  Juliette Has a Gun Not A Perfume  #PHLUR Missing Person Eau de Parfum Travel Spray 0.32 oz / 9.5 mL . I don’t find any of them overpowering. I also enjoy DedCool 01 "Taunt" Eau de Parfum Travel Spray .5oz / 15 mL which is slightly more intense (but still quite mellow). Commodity fragrances have different levels of intensity, Personal scents being the lightest ones.  Commodity Milk- Personal Eau de Parfum with Marshmallow & Skin Musk 3.4 oz / 100 mL  is definitely creamy and soft. Commodity Paper- Personal Eau de Parfum Travel Spray 0.34 oz / 10 mL  and Commodity Gold- Personal Eau de Parfum Travel Spray 0.34 oz / 10 mL  are nice too. # Something more on the fresh side would be Lake & Skye 11:11 . 

If you smell any of these, tag me! I would love to know what they look like to you. 

[Westcoasty]

@makeitup305Thank you for the fragrance recommendations! That's really helpful. I always prefer to get trial sizes first if I can, but I'll put these on my list to try. I appreciate the guidance. I was already interested in sampling the Commodity Personal line, as they seemed most likely to be the kind of light fragrance I prefer.

I loved your request to let you know what different fragrances smell like to me, so trotted into the bathroom to pull out my samples. It turns out the trial size of Clean Reserve that I thought was Skin is actually Radiant Nectar, which smells (amusingly enough) similar to the colour of Caucasian skin, sort of a light peach tone. I have Clean Classic Skin in my sample set, which is an interesting one, and pleasant enough as it's quite light. I see it as sort of a creamy custard colour. I noticed, though, that the colour and texture changed as it dried down, as my first whiff was all of the whiteish grey scent of the alcohol evaporating!

I have the Maison Louis Marie Discovery Eau de Parfum Sampler Set and those scents are so complex that each scent itself has multiple colour and texture notes in it on one smelling. Some of the scents are better than others - at least one has patchouli in it, which I loath and perceive as a nasty puce colour. And patchouli, I find, is always very dominant in a fragrance, like one person yelling in a room full of quiet conversations.

I have a sample of Juliette Has a Gun Not A Perfume and have put a spritz on my wrist. I'm still picking up a lot of alcohol evaporation from it, even a few minutes later, but the colour is deeper than the Clean Classic Skin scent, closer to salmon.

I'll try a few more after I wash these off and my nose has reset, though maybe not till tomorrow. If I smell too many fragrances I run the risk of getting a headache.

[Margalee]

@Westcoasty  very interesting. I have heard of this before in someone highly sensitive. I think she deals with cosmic energy. Very curious to know do you see pink or blue when smelling Rain or is it more the same reaction you get as when viewing the colors? As a side note, I haven't found a Clean I like. Many people love the line but I kind of gave up trying to find one I like.

[Westcoasty]

@MargaleeI maybe didn't explain very clearly about being "highly sensitive" - I don't mean any kind of extrasensory perception. I am highly sensitive to environmental stimuli such as noise, lighting, pattern change, facial expressions, and a number of other things. Apparently roughly 20% of the population is highly sensitive, and the theory is that it used to be a useful survival trait, as we would be the people who noticed when something looked or sounded different in our environment, alerting us (and hence others) to potential danger.

When I smell the fragrance Rain, I see what can best be described as a cloud of pink. However, when I smell real water or rain, the colour is a blue-gray. Snow, on the other hand, is a different colour of blue, and a different texture as well. It's always hard to describe what I see as we don't really have the language for it, most people not having synesthesia!

As for the Clean line, I've been buying sample packs of fragrances from different brands to find one fragrances that I like. One scent that has worked out well for me if applied sparingly is the NEST New York Turkish Rose Perfume Oil Rollerball 0.20 oz / 6 mL - I took a gamble and bought it without sampling it first, since some (though not all) of the Nest fragrances work for me in their line of scented candles.

[tsavorite]

@Westcoasty ,

Perhaps you will like the Nest Balinese Coconut Perfume Oil then?  I really like the Nest Turkish Rose Perfume Oil, too.

[Westcoasty]

@tsavorite  I have that one on my list to try, for sure! I like coconut fragrances in general, so now it's just a matter of finding my preferred version. Thanks for the recommendation!