April 25, 2025
Welcome to THE BIOLOGIST: notes on fragrance, culture and the senses.
A Shortcut To Joy
This week, we’re exploring what it means to feel joy: how it often hides in places we’ve passed a hundred times, or in objects that feel quietly sacred - well-worn books, ripe fruit, the right song at the right moment. In scent, as in life, joy is often found in the unexpected - a burst of neroli on warm skin, the grounding comfort of sandalwood in a familiar room. Sometimes, joy is less about seeking and more about noticing.
FUNCTION/Scent As A Shortcut To Joy
Joy doesn’t always throw a party. Sometimes it whispers. It shows up in the middle of your to-do list as a shaft of sunlight, a forgotten playlist gem, or the burst of citrus oil on your fingers after peeling an orange.
Fragrance can act as a fast-track to this feeling. Certain ingredients have been shown to create real physiological and emotional shifts: bergamot helps reduce cortisol and elevate mood, while jasmine is known to boost energy and makes the world feel a little more golden. Tuberose, rich and sultry, is prized for its aphrodisiac qualities, and sandalwood is your nervous system's favorite cozy blanket.
That’s why we built JOY around them. It’s the formula that started everything: jasmine and tuberose for radiance, bergamot and sandalwood for balance. A scent that doesn’t just smell good, it feels like a deep exhale and a full-body grin. Each note plays a role:
- Jasmine for the lift
- Tuberose for the heat
- Bergamot for the calm you forgot you needed
Scent isn’t just background. It’s chemistry. It’s emotional memory. It’s possibility. And when formulated with intention, it becomes a tool - not just for calm or focus, but for pleasure, levity, and joy.
TRANSPORT/Simple Ways To Feel Good
You don’t need a vacation or a crystal singing bowl to feel joy. You just need your senses and a little willingness to notice. Try one (or all) of these this week. No cost, no pressure. Just tiny acts of resistance against the overwhelm.
- Sit in the sun for five uninterrupted minutes (no phone, just you)
- Peel a citrus fruit and inhale like it’s perfume
- Brew something herbal—mint, rosemary, ginger—then pause and sip
- Crack a window, breathe in the shift
- Play a song that makes your whole body smile
- Light a candle just because
- Stand outside barefoot for 30 seconds and connect to the earth
- Carry a rollerball with you for mid-day resets
You don’t always need to chase a different location to find Joy. Sometimes, it just needs to be invited.
BOND/Choosing Joy, Especially Now
Let’s be real: the world feels like a lot right now. Most of the time, it is a lot. We’re tired. We’re overstimulated. Our browsers have 23 tabs open, and so do our brains. That’s why joy matters more than ever.
Not the performative kind. Not the “look at my perfect life” kind. But the kind you feel in your chest when a breeze hits just right, or you smell something that reminds you of being a kid and everything felt possible.
This isn’t about escaping the chaos. It’s about softening the edges. Letting a scent, a song, or a slow breath pull you back into your body. Choosing joy doesn’t mean ignoring reality—it means balancing it. Refusing to forget that you're allowed to feel good, even in the middle of everything.
Wear the scent. Light the incense. Laugh harder than necessary. Savor something small.
Because joy? It's the most radical thing we’ve got.
Until next week…may your rituals be rich and full of joy.
