Scent moves through time, binding past and present in ways we don’t always recognize. The connection between smell and memory is among the strongest in the brain, rooted in the limbic system—the space where emotion and recollection intertwine. A single inhale can unlock decades, resurfacing moments long forgotten with startling clarity.
For our founder, Frederick Bouchardy, (spotted above) scent is a thread—delicate yet unbreakable, holding onto fragments of the past. The aroma of French toast on the griddle—browned butter, egg, batter meeting heat, sweet-lactonic, inevitably smoky—returns him to childhood. A scent made for him then, now made for his own. And then there are the scents we don’t choose, the ones that find us anyway. A perfume once worn by someone from the past—disliked, yet impossible to forget. Some fragrances fade, but their presence lingers.
We asked some of our team members, "What scent brings back a specific memory from your past?":
"Playing in the cul-de-sac at end of our street as a kid. Dry summer asphalt, sand, occasional sweet flower wafting by. Playing softball and football for hours - with a timeout here and there to let a neighbor pull their car past us and into a driveway." -Brian, Partner
"The scent of 3-in-1 tool oil, bay rum, and English Leather instantly takes me back to warm tropical mornings in Puerto Rico as a kid—walking in on my grandfather as he tidied up his worn tools after a fresh, close morning shave." -Derrick, Head of Creative
"Mine is like pasta water or a similar aroma, which reminds me of when I lived with my grandparents and in the evenings my grandmother cooked on a wood stove and we lived in a house made of wood and palm." -Henry, Production Specialist
"Fresh cut grass is mine, but a specific fresh cut grass scent I cant really pinpoint. Kind of like the spring air mixed in. It brings me back to when I found out I was having a baby. Windows open and the warm breeze of spring. It's a feeling/memory I continue to have that catches me going back to that day." -Mayra, Account Manager
"A vivid scent memory for me ties back to a humid Southern summer evening, sitting on my childhood best friend's porch. The air was thick with the perfume of blooming magnolias—creamy, almost lemony—and mingled with the sweetness of honeysuckle. It’s a blend of nostalgia and warmth that will always remind me of home." -Kirby, Marketing Manager
"The scent that has forever captivated my memory is the fresh fragrance of eucalyptus. As a child, the end of the year meant venturing into the forest to gather eucalyptus trees, building houses for what we called the old and new years. The crisp, invigorating aroma clung to our clothes, our skin, and even the air around the city—a fragrant reminder of tradition, laughter, and the passage of time. Even now, the scent of eucalyptus carries me back to those cherished moments, filling me with warmth and nostalgia." -José Luis, Production Manager
"One of them is the Vanilla from the Dominique Ansel poured candle and the chocolate syrup and milk from the Katz's Deli candle. Both remind me when I was a child and my mom prepared something hot for those rainy sunday nights, all the family ready to watch a movie." -Cristian, Purchasing/Logistics/Shipping
"Eucalyptus takes me back—to my best friend, who never went anywhere without her eucalyptus essential oil, and to the wild tenderness of our carefree youth." -Woo, Head of Marketing
"Campfires and black powder - my dad and I would take weekend trips to my uncle's cabin in New Hampshire at Lake Winnipesaukee. We'd light small fires from the morning until night, and light fireworks off in the back yard. By the end of the trip my clothes would always smell like fireworks and campfire - so when I smell it today it brings back fond memories." - Garrett, Account Manager
This bond between scent and memory is deeply physiological. Unlike sight or sound, which are filtered through layers of cognition, scent bypasses rational thought entirely, landing directly in the amygdala and hippocampus—the centers of instinct and emotion. That’s why scent doesn’t just recall a place or person; it revives the feeling of being there, the presence of what once was.
We surround ourselves with scent, intentionally or not. Some are chosen, others inherited. But all of them remain, carrying echoes of the past into the present, shaping the spaces we live in and the memories we hold onto.
Explore our collection of candles and perfumes—crafted to evoke memory, emotion, and presence. Discover more.
