Anosmia awareness day

If you’re here, reading this, I would guess you’re pretty into fragrance. So perhaps you appreciate your sense of smell more than the average person. But living with anosmia doesn’t just mean missing out on all the exciting niche perfume out there.

Imagine waking up one morning, brewing a fresh cup of coffee, and taking a deep breath – only to realise you can’t smell a thing. The rich aroma of coffee? Gone. The scent of your favourite flowers? Missing. The comforting smell of home? The smell of your kids, your partner… nothing.

Anosmia Awareness Day, on February 27th, is dedicated to raising awareness about anosmia (the loss of smell) and other related conditions like parosmia (a distortion of smells). While many people may not give much thought to their sense of smell, those who live without it understand just how much it impacts daily life.

What IS it?

Anosmia is the complete loss of the sense of smell. It can be temporary – caused by colds, sinus infections, or COVID-19 – or permanent due to head injuries, neurological conditions, or congenital factors. Many people don’t realise how much they rely on their sense of smell until it’s gone. It affects taste, memory and emotions. After all, scent is deeply tied to nostalgia and personal experiences.

Parosmia is when smells become distorted – often unpleasantly. Imagine biting into a bit of pizza and being hit with the scent of rotting rubbish instead. Or finding that your favourite perfume suddenly smells like burnt plastic. Parosmia often follows anosmia, especially after viral infections, and can make eating and daily activities a real struggle.

Think it doesn’t sound that bad?

Beyond the obvious loss of pleasure from food and fragrances, anosmia can be dangerous. It affects the ability to detect smoke, gas leaks and spoiled food. It can also lead to mental health struggles, as smell plays a big role in emotions and social connections. Many people with anosmia report feelings of isolation, anxiety and depression. In fact, I learnt at an IFRA event that, people who have lost their sense of smell are more likely to end up depressed compared to those who have lost their sight. Quite a shocking fact.

Living with anosmia or parosmia is challenging. Everyday experiences become different, frustrating and even upsetting. People with anosmia may:

• Struggle to enjoy meals, since taste is heavily linked to smell
• Miss out on scent-related memories
• Need extra caution with safety, using smoke alarms, gas detectors, and checking food expiration dates more carefully

Those with parosmia often face difficulties with eating and can end up losing weight unintentionally because so many foods smell unbearable. Or conversely, gaining weight because they’re continually seeking the pleasure they knew they used to get from food. The mental toll of these conditions can be huge.

Love thy snout

Many people don’t understand these conditions unless they’ve experienced them firsthand. And no shade because it’s difficult to imagine isn’t it? I’ve thought about it a lot – and not just because I make perfume.

I had an uncle who, due to a brain tumour, lost his sense of smell. He really struggled with it. My cousin developed parosmia after contracting COVID 19 – everything smelt and tasted like sewage or petrol to her. Understandably, that made her pretty depressed. And many years ago, I had a tumour in my sinus. At the time, changes to my sense of smell didn’t enter my head. But you better believe they do every time I’ve been scanned since! (So far, so good.)

If you wanted to support an organisation dedicated to smell disorders, you’d help to fund research and/or provide resources for those affected.

Here are a couple of charities that work to support people with smell disorders:

• Fifth Sense (UK) – A charity dedicated to helping those with smell and taste disorders
• Monell Chemical Senses Center – A research institute working on understanding and treating smell and taste disorders

Alternatively, on February 27th, just take a moment to really appreciate your sense of smell. Consciously smell as many things as you can, and tell your mates to too. It’s an under appreciated sense, let’s give it some love.