Olfaction/smell/scent is super-ancient and interesting for numerous reasons. I think it’s undervalued as way to improve quality of life, and it may have some performance and/or health benefits. For two fun reads related to scents, I highly recommend Perfume by Patrick Suskind, and Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins (also about longevity!).

Budget ingredients:

• Travel spray bottle (Walmart, $1)
• Essential oil(s) (Amazon, usually <$5 per oz. –> cents per drop). Blends I use:
  • amber + vanilla + cherry + almond + honey + coconut (social)
  • orange + spearmint + cucumber + rose (pre-workout, lighter social scent)
  • lavender (sleep)
• Carrier oil – I use liquid coconut oil from Walmart. $13/bottle –> ~$0.50 to mostly fill a spray bottle
  • coconut oil is also good for your skin, so I spray my palm and rub it on my face 🙂

I actually had the (dis)pleasure of working with two of the worst-smelling chemicals known to humanity in the Kaeberlein lab:

• Trimethylamine: responsible for the small of rotting fish
• Hydrogen sulfide: responsible for the smell of rotting eggs

I also personally acquired a small bottle of putrescine from a pretty awesome olfaction scientist. Putrescine, along with cadaverine, is a polyamine molecule for the smell of decomposing human flesh. So, I smelled the “essence” of human death. Morbid? Yes. Fascinating? Also yes. More on polyamines in another article, probably more on olfaction soon…