Love potions—those enchanting elixirs from fairy tales that promise to make someone fall deeply and madly in love with you. But is it genuinely possible to control emotions like this? While we can’t precisely bottle feelings, Charlotte Tilbury has come close with their new fragrance line.
This six-scent collection is designed to evoke emotions such as joy, calmness, and, yes, even love. This has led many to wonder, “Can a perfume truly spray on a feeling?” Charlotte Tilbury believes so and is eager to prove it. Keep reading to uncover the truth.
Spoiler: the answer is yes but also no.
The Science Behind the Magic
Did you know that our sense of smell is directly linked to the limbic system, the part of the brain responsible for emotions and memory?
Neuroscientist Rachel Herz explains that scent is processed in the same part of the brain as our emotions, which is why certain smells instantly bring back memories or alter our mood. This unique connection allows scents to trigger emotions more effectively than any other sensory input.
Using this unique scientific fact, Charlotte Tilbury brings her fairytale dream to life and us with the Collection of Emotions. The makeup guru tapped into this scientific insight by collaborating with the International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) team and utilizing their ScentCube technology.
This technology helps decode how different scents can influence emotions, allowing perfumers to craft fragrances that evoke specific feelings. The algorithm measures the emotional impact of ingredients, allowing perfumers to craft scents tailored to influence how wearers feel.
The Fragrances
Let’s take a closer look at the Charlotte Tilbury fragrances from Collection of Emotions and the feelings they aim to evoke:
1. Love Frequency
With a romantic rose scent, Love Frequency evokes love and warmth. This scent balances sweetness and spice with notes of the queen of the flowers and pink pepper. It represents a floral bouquet with a hint of intrigue, perfect for moments when you want to feel love.
2. Joyphoria
True to its name, Joyphoria is a warm, uplifting floral fragrance that aims to enhance happiness. Featuring notes of neroli oil, coconut water, and ylang-ylang, it has a sunny, tropical vibe that reminds you of a joyful summer day. Joyphoria is the ideal perfume when you need a little burst of sunshine in your life.
3. Magic Energy
Connecting you with the four elements of nature, Magic Energy has an earthy citrus scent that offers a splash of energy. With top notes of bergamot and palo santo, this fragrance is inspired by nature’s vibrant green, offering a grounding yet energizing effect. It makes you feel like you’re walking in a lush forest, bringing clarity and vitality to your day.
4. Calm Bliss
Calm Bliss is a serene aquatic floral fragrance that envelops you in tranquility. Notes of neroli and lavender create a calming scent that feels like a gentle ocean breeze. If you’re seeking a scent to soothe and relax, Calm Bliss might be your new go-to.
5. More Sex
For those looking to channel their inner seductress, More Sex is a musk leather fragrance that exudes confidence and allure. With hints of sandalwood oil and juniper berry oil, this scent is bold, captivating, and magnetic, perfect for nights when you want to channel the aura of attraction.
6. Cosmic Power
Cosmic Power awakens the sense of empowerment and self-assurance. A spicy amber fragrance with notes of black pepper and cinnamon, it has a warm, rich aroma that feels grounding and uplifting. Cosmic Power is the perfect choice when you need an extra boost of determination.
The Look That’s Truly Enchanting
Rachel Herz says visual and verbal cues can significantly influence how we understand scents. Considering that, Charlotte goes beyond dreamy fragrances and captivates the wearer with its 18th-century alchemy bottles, or the “magic portals of light,” as she describes.
The design doesn’t stop at the enchanting shape; each bottle features its own crystal-inspired hue. It matches the color to the feelings and memories the perfume inside has been created to evoke. “The color, symbol, crystal, and number of each bottle all work in harmony with the fragrances,” Tilbury says. “They’re the sensory juncture between sound, sight, scent, and texture—it’s like multisensory magic,” she adds.
The Spritzing Ritual
Charlotte Tilbury recommends a specific spritzing ritual to maximize the emotional benefits of her perfumes. By applying the fragrance to pulse points—such as the wrists, neck, and behind the ears—the wearer creates a “scent halo” that surrounds them throughout the day. This makes the perfume last longer and enhances its impact, allowing the scent to blend with the wearer’s body heat and amplify the intended emotion.
Can Perfume Truly Control Our Feelings?
While perfume may not have the power to control our emotions entirely, it can certainly enhance and influence them. We are deeply connected to our sense of smell, so certain scents trigger specific memories or feelings. With Charlotte Tilbury’s Collection of Emotions, she taps into this connection by creating fragrances that boost certain emotions and moods.
However, how a perfume makes us feel depends on the individual wearing it. What one person may find uplifting or calming could have a completely different effect on someone else. However, with the right blend of scents and the mindset, perfume can be a powerful tool in setting the mood and enhancing our emotional state.
The world of perfumery is as mystical as it seems. Every new introduction enchants the world unlike any other: first, the Glossier You Perfume, which smells like you had got us all talking, and now this, the Collection of Emotions by Charlotte Tilbury, which sprays on a feeling is the new scent-sational.
Channeling the power of scents and emotions, these Charlotte Tilbury perfumes are a sensory delight. So, the next time you head somewhere special, ask yourself, “How are you feeling today?” “Who do you want to be today?” Then, spray on the desired feeling and spend your day with the right feelings.
