Why does the smell of freshly washed clothes make us feel better?

From candles to cleaning products, most shoppers prefer scented versions of household products over unscented ones. This is no accident: scents can affect people in many different ways, increasing attention, evoking memories, and influencing mood, cognition, and behavior.

The word perfume comes from the Latin “per fumum”, meaning “through the smoke”, which reflects its most ancient use: the burning of resins and aromatic trees to perfume the air during religious rituals and ceremonies. Scented household products also have a long history, dating back to the incorporation of herbs and spices into cosmetics, candles and soaps. Ancient housekeepers sprinkled scented water on clean floors and pillows, sprinkled aromatic herbs on bedding, and stored clothes in cedar chests. The XIX and XX. The scientific discoveries of the 20th century ushered in a period of technological innovation that led to the first synthetic fragrances made by organic chemists.