Scent and Memory: Episode 4

Written by Rowen Holder

Scent and Memory – Episode 4: Isabel Finston

Have you ever opened up an old box of clothing from the attic and been taken to another time and place? 

This startling—yet beautiful—experience is explainable by science. 

In an article released from The Harvard Gazette, Collen Wash explains: 

“Smells are handled by the olfactory bulb, the structure in the front of the brain that sends information to the other areas of the body’s central command for further processing. Odors take a direct route to the limbic system, including the amygdala and the hippocampus, the regions related to emotion and memory.”

Yet, despite this phenomenon being a result of brain chemistry, the emotional charge that smells can provide humans is undeniably an act that transcends mere science—smells can act as a scrapbook for past moments in our lives. 

In this video and blog series, Olfactory NYC seeks to gather the memories of our team and create a scrapbook of our own memories, demonstrating that fragrance is far more than a cosmetic purchase—it’s a vessel of memory, weaving invisible threads that bind the scent community in shared experiences.

The hair salon.

Bellingham, Washington

Isabel closes her eyes as her hairstylist adds the finishing touch to her new hair cut and style—a styling mist that adds gold sparkles and a sweet gourmand smell to her curls. Looking into the mirror in front of her, she shares a soft smile with her reflection. Not only does she feel beautiful, but Isabel knows that the fragrance of this hair product will turn heads when she steps into school the next day.  

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 “One of my first foundational memories of beauty will always be associated with having just left the hairstylist,” Isabel Finston says. “It was one of the few times I really felt good about my hair and that is one of the reasons why the smells of the hair salon are so ingrained in my memory.” 

Finding a hairstylist in her hometown in 2010 was always a difficult task for Isabel. Her head of natural thick, tight brown curls is not something that every stylist can handle. 

As a young girl, she always loved going to the hair salon for the sensory aspects of the experience— the sights, the sounds, the smells. She was also enraptured by the vast displays of beauty products, which were stationed floor to ceiling on 11-foot shelves, containing anything from shampoo and conditioner to specialized curly hair products containing coconut oil. 

“The salon to me growing-up was always a very bakeryesque place because all of the products she would use on me had all of these lactonic or sweeter gourmand nuances to them,” she says. 

The hair styling mist that acts as a pivotal scent memory for Isabel smelled like a blend of toffee, burnt sugar, and vanilla notes. This emotionally enriched blend of notes strangely bears a strong resemblance to an accord at Olfactory NYC, which contains salted caramel, saffron, toffee, and oud. 

“The smell of the mist would linger for days and days. I remember going to dance class and all of the girls remarking on what the smell in the studio was,” she says. “Then, someone came up to me and sniffed my head and they said, ‘It’s Isabel’s head! It’s Isabel’s head!’” 

Isabel’s encounter with this pivotal sensory memory during her early career days in the fragrance and beauty world feels fateful, especially as she now finds herself a member of the product development and education team at Olfactory NYC. 

“My parents had joked that I was going to own my own comestic’s line growing up because I was always into beauty, fragrance, makeup, and cosmetic chemistry,” she says. “Working in the beauty industry, especially in product development, was something that my parents had joked about me doing from the time I was four or five onwards.” 

In her new role and sales associate work with Olfactory NYC, Isabel always remembers the remarkable power fragrance had on her as a young girl—how it both made her feel beautiful and the center of attention of a room because of its lingering tentacles.

Follow us on TikTok or Instagram to hear more about this scent memory.

Comment and share your own scent memories @olfactorynyc.