I love how our bodies keep reaching for beauty, for things without an obvious purpose, no matter how much we try to optimize and control them.
You've probably noticed the huge rise in gourmand scents in the last few years — fragrances that smell like food but aren't. Caramel, banana, toast, salted vanilla.
I don't often hang out on Reddit, but after reading some new scent research, I've been down the rabbit hole with people who have developed a strange new obsession since starting GLP-1 drugs — they can't stop buying perfume, especially gourmands. And it might be why the whole category is booming.
Is it displaced desire? One delight rising as another fades? Either way, I love that our bodies demand sensory pleasure, and scent, our oldest sense, has always been a way we reach for it.
— Emily
