Imagine if you could find the key to supercharging every single one of your self-care practices.
If you could make your meditation more peaceful, your at-home workout more invigorating, or ensure that your slow morning coffee truly sets you up for the day in the best way possible.
Whilst you may be sceptical about the power of scent, we’ve spent a huge amount of time researching and practising both aromatherapy and aromachology. We’ve not only experienced first-hand how they can improve self-care, but have dived deep into the evidence to back up what we’ve witnessed.
Aromatherapy and aromachology may sound extremely similar, but they have some key differences that make them a match made in heaven when it comes to up-levelling your self-care routines.
To explain how you can harness both, let’s dive into what each term actually means.
What is aromatherapy?
You probably know a fair bit about aromatherapy already if you’ve found yourself on this part of the internet!
Aromatherapy is the use of scents, specifically essential oils, for their physical and emotional benefits. The term was coined by René-Maurice Gattefossé, a chemist who explored the healing properties of plants.
The use of essential oils for their aromatherapy benefits has been practised for generations, though. Even folk medicine showed an interest in which scents lead to a particular emotional response.
What is Aromachology?
Think of aromachology as aromatherapy with a degree in psychology!
Whilst aromatherapy looks at which scents lead to certain physiological effects, aromachology focuses on exactly why certain scents have these effects. It’s the study of how scents work to trigger the human body in the ways that they do.
To put it simply, it is considerably more scientific and also looks at all scents, not just essential oils.
Aromatherapy is often based on anecdotal evidence, but aromachology actually uses the study of scent psychology. It is therefore often used more commercially, with some shops even utilising particular scents to trigger people to buy. And that’s just one of many examples!
How aromatherapy and aromachology can make your self-care practice work harder for you
Aromatherapy and aromachology combined can allow you to truly harness the power of scent, to increase the benefits of any self-care practice.
The two complement each other.
Aromachology allows us to scientifically validate the anecdotal evidence behind aromatherapy. So, whilst many have experienced the calming effects of lavender, aromachology has lead to the study of lavender’s physiological impact and why it has a calming influence.
By utilising aromatherapy and aromachology combined, you get fragrances that are truly functional. You can use them in your self-care routine, confident that they are actually assisting you in the ways that they promise! This is true whether it’s a candle whilst meditating to help you stay relaxed, or a scent to maintain focus whilst you work.
How we use aromachology and aromatherapy at Halcyon Naturals
At Halcyon Naturals, we are committed to creating freedom through the power of aromachology.
Every single scent that we formulate is based on the scientific findings of aromachology, alongside the benefits of aromatherapy. We offer four “moods”, each a curated collection of scents crafted to have a particular impact on your emotional state.
- Relax is your go-to for calming the mind. It’s perfect for bringing peace to simple acts of self-care like taking a bath or any moment of mindfulness. This collection utilises essential oils including lavender, chamomile and lemongrass.
- Relate helps you to focus on your loved ones, making this collection the perfect choice for any social acts of self-care. It uses the power of plants including palmarosa, ylang-ylang and yarrow.
- Release is ideal for spiritual grounding, meditation and prayer, utilising lavender and rosemary, alongside other soothing scents.
- Renew helps you to gain clarity and a fresh perspective, with naturally motivational scents including basil, grapefruit and black pepper.
Whether it’s our hand-poured vegan candles, luxury room sprays or heavenly diffusers, each and every one of our scents has been carefully formulated based on evidence. That way, you get the joy of a beautiful smelling home, along with truly impactful scents to add a touch of mindfulness to each day.