/Interview: Ethan Imboden on Scent
AFTERGLOW, aphrodisiacs, and the logic of wit, charm, and kink
Photography by Noah Kalina
We've tried Jimmyjane's AFTERGLOW candles - they're amazing. The quality of the oil (because massage candles bear more resemblance to oil than wax) is phenomenal, adding the perfect degree of slip to the skin, and the light that's reflected from the porcelain edges of the container is both direct and diffuse and looks stunning when held close to the skin. And then there's the scent.
The scents are familiar and unusual, among them dark vanilla, cucumber water, bourbon, and pink lotus. Some scents are warm, others cool, some are stimulating, others comforting. So we asked Ethan Imboden, designer and co-founder of Jimmyjane, about his thinking behind the scent selection and how scents might have an aphrodisiac effect.
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The AFTERGLOW scents are described as being derived from the elements of attraction, of Wit, Charm, and Kink. What does that mean?
When I first started working with fragrances, I was determined to capture, in a single scent, the essential element of attraction. Not surprisingly, this proved to be impossible, and was a neophyte’s conceit.
As I was working on the project, however, I came to believe that there are three major components to attraction – the intellectual, the emotional and the physical (or carnal). I refer to these as Wit, Charm and Kink. Each relationship we have (including those that are platonic) can be viewed as a combination of different ratios of these three elements. A non-sexual friendship, for example, might be predominantly Wit and Charm, with an absence of Kink. A tryst, on the other hand, might consist primarily of Wit and Kink. Perhaps love is the unique balance of all three that is appropriate to a couple.
How do Wit, Charm, and Kink play into scent?
Different scents engage different aspects of our mood. More energetic scents, often top notes, can have a stimulant effect and trigger the intellect. I categorize these scents as Wit scents. Typically they’re bright and fresh, such as a citrus scent or a grassy one. Similarly, I categorize warm, engaging scents – often middle or “heart” notes such as florals and lighter spices – as Charm scents. Kink scents are dominated by deep, rich base notes and are often dark or earthy. Oak moss, vetiver and sandalwood are good examples. Any one of these types of scents can be aphrodisiac – but they convey different types of sexual energy.
In your research of scents, what is aphrodisiac to us? What triggers us? What sort of effect does it have on us?
Fragrances have an incredibly strong and immediate effect on our moods. When we encounter a scent, the sensory signals actually bypass our conscious mind, and are sent directly to our limbic system – the seat of emotion – before they’re relayed to the cortex where cognitive recognition occurs. In essence, a fragrance will affect our mood before we even realize we’re immersed in it. This enables them to trigger a deeper emotional response and make them a uniquely powerful mechanism for shaping mood. Pushing this idea further, with the Jimmyjane AFTERGLOW massage oil candles, we play with scents that have aphrodisiac associations, as well as with ones that directly trigger neurological responses and put us “in the mood”.
How did you come to decide on the six scents?
Jimmyjane fragrances are a result of continual play and experimentation. We’ve developed hundreds of fragrances, but only very few ever make it into full production. We’re very conscious of offering a balanced and tightly edited range – nine of which are available for AFTERGLOW.
The six primary AFTERGLOW scents represent an even distribution across the spectrum of Wit, Charm and Kink fragrance types, and offer an excellent palette of moods. Our three Special Edition scents are personal favorites of mine – they’re unexpected pairings of aphrodisiac scents, one scent to set the tone, the other to guide the action.
I have them all, and rotate through them seasonally, or as inspiration strikes. At times my whole home is one fragrance, at other times it shifts as you move from one room to the next. It’s amazing how scent can change the space – and the people within it.
Fragrances have an incredibly strong and immediate effect on our moods. When we encounter a scent, the sensory signals actually bypass our conscious mind, and are sent directly to our limbic system – the seat of emotion – before they’re relayed to the cortex where cognitive recognition occurs. In essence, a fragrance will affect our mood before we even realize we’re immersed in it. This enables them to trigger a deeper emotional response and make them a uniquely powerful mechanism for shaping mood. Pushing this idea further, with the Jimmyjane AFTERGLOW massage oil candles, we play with scents that have aphrodisiac associations, as well as with ones that directly trigger neurological responses and put us “in the mood”.
How did you come to decide on the six scents?
Jimmyjane fragrances are a result of continual play and experimentation. We’ve developed hundreds of fragrances, but only very few ever make it into full production. We’re very conscious of offering a balanced and tightly edited range – nine of which are available for AFTERGLOW.
The six primary AFTERGLOW scents represent an even distribution across the spectrum of Wit, Charm and Kink fragrance types, and offer an excellent palette of moods. Our three Special Edition scents are personal favorites of mine – they’re unexpected pairings of aphrodisiac scents, one scent to set the tone, the other to guide the action.
I have them all, and rotate through them seasonally, or as inspiration strikes. At times my whole home is one fragrance, at other times it shifts as you move from one room to the next. It’s amazing how scent can change the space – and the people within it.
- 02/05/2011
