Do you consider perfume a luxury or a wellbeing essential?

In fairness, it would be quite difficult to genuinely describe perfume as a wellbeing essential. But equally, when we apply perfume, the benefit is more than just making us ‘smell nice.’ Perfume can list our spirits and give us more confidence, as well as additional wellbeing benefits gleaned from the aromatics used. Perhaps this article may change your views on whether you consider perfume a luxury or a wellbeing essential!

The importance of perfume in our lives can be gauged, to a degree, by what has happened in the last eighteen months which have been without a doubt some of the most stressful, confusing, and downright strange times the world has ever seen.

Latest studies show that one of the major problems that the pandemic has caused has been a significant increase in mental health issues with most people suffering from some form of stress, anxiety, or depression.

According to a recent study referenced in the UKs The Guardian newspaper, one in five people report suffering from what mental health experts have described as “Covid-19 anxiety syndrome”.

And this upturn in mental health issues can also be attributed to not just the primary stress of the pandemic itself, but the overwhelming lack of consistency, stability, and structure throughout the pandemic.

Whilst working from home was initially an exciting opportunity to relax in your PJ’s whilst firing off emails, long term this has translated into a large swathe of the populace getting stuck in a rut and not taking care of themselves properly.

Beauty industry experts reported seeing a massive drop off in consumers purchasing beauty, cosmetics, and self-care products and with no reason to go out its easy to understand this trend.

However, there has been one notable exception to this; the perfume industry.

Unlike the make-up, hair and beauty industries, purveyors of perfume have done a brisk trade during the pandemic and when looked at in greater detail it is easy to understand why.

Fragrances have an extensive list of positive attributes that can actually help improve both physical and mental health. for many people, perfume is not a luxury item – it is an essential aspect of maintaining their wellbeing.

Many people who have felt isolated and disconnected from their usual routines have begun to combat the stresses of working from home by dressing up and empowering themselves as they would if they were going into the office rather than working via Zoom.

By purchasing perfume, the user is making a concerted effort to take care of themselves and make themselves feel better – even if that isn’t evident on a Zoom call!

Of course, besides the obvious effect of smelling better, using your favourite perfumes can also have mood-altering effects as well.

Perfumes created with calming ingredients like jasmine, sandalwood and ylang-ylang can help improve your mood as well as relieve stress.

Alternatively, a fragrant, fruity scent built around citrus tones, such as lemon, can help people concentrate as well as spark inspiration and boost energy.

Interestingly it is not just specific notes and tones that can help improve your mood either, using a favourite scent can actually trigger happy memories so, for example, by wearing a sweet scent reminiscent of carefree summers, you can conjure up all those happy memories again.

These sorts of positive effects may seem inconsequential at first but this ability of fragrances to heighten concentration, relieve stress and make us reminisce over happier times gone by have a noticeable and positive impact on wearers mental health.

As well as this, the aromatherapy-like effects of fragrances that contain ingredients such as patchouli, lavender and vanilla are clear for all to see.

These types of well-known and well-used fragrance bases help the perfume to calm the mind and soothe the body and for anyone suffering with stress, indulging in a favourite fragrance might just be the perfect thing to help take away your blues.

Of course, many people after the pandemic are also suffering with the added stress of money troubles and indulging in a high-end luxury purchase such as perfume could be seen as just not affordable.

Whilst this way of thinking is perfectly natural and understandable, the inability to treat oneself and the lack of resolution in relation to your mental health problems that could potentially occur by nor indulging, may mean that you end up saving yourself more money and troubles in the long run anyway.

Additionally, there are several other ways that you can indulge in your favourite scents without having to break the bank and stress yourself further.

Most perfume retailers keen for business are offering discounts on selected products but if this remains still too unaffordable, there is always the option of discount code websites, auction or bulk buying sites or better yet changing to an alternative brand.

For instance, FM Fragrances is a new and emerging fragrance company that offers a collection of scents, that use the same ingredients and base layers as the major perfume retailers but can offer their fragrances at excellent prices due to a clever and innovative marketing structure.

FM Fragrances offer a 33% discount to customers for life – perfect for customers who are looking for value for money.

With companies like FM Fragrances are capitalising on consumer desire for affordable fragrances, there has never been a better time to indulge in perfumes and help ease your worried mind and get back to being your best self.