IFRA-UK’s annual Fragrance Forum is back this autumn, and will be examining, and unpicking, the interaction between our sense of smell and our brains.

Taking place on Thursday 19^th October 2023, media are invited to join us for what’s set to be another fascinating day of lectures, insights and conversation.

Chaired by Professor Barry C Smith, Director of the Institute of Philosophy at the Centre for the Study of the Senses, questions such as: can a strong sense of smell protect us against dementia? What does a declining sense of smell mean for us in our later years? What role does smell and memory play in the longer term? will be discussed and answered by leading experts in olfaction, memory and neuroscience.

This year’s inspiring line-up includes:

Dr Thomas Hummel: Technische Universität Dresden, Germany

Dr Hummel researches the chemosensory systems at the Smell and Taste Clinic of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the Technische Universität Dresden.

At this year’s Fragrance Forum Dr Hummel will enlighten attendees on how the olfactory function works, present ways to assess odour memory and share what happens to these memories when we lose our sense of smell.

Professor Maria Larsson: Stockholm University, Sweden

Prof. Larsson is the Professor chair in Perception and Psychophysics at Stockholm University’s Department of Psychology.

Prof. Larsson’s talk will discuss odour memory and its impact as an emotional time machine, covering emotional resonance, the importance of well-being and how odour associations and memories are used in marketing and branding.

After these two keynote lectures, an interactive creative session in which the audience will hear from four early career perfumers who have created a fragrance from a personal memory will take place. This will really focus on smell and memory and the role of olfaction in our lives. This will be followed by an open discussion and a panel discussion to end the day.