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I was standing in front of the skin care products in a local discount store when I spied a jar of Ponds face cream. I opened the lid, and there it was. It was the same scent I remembered while standing at my Mother's dressing table.
Do you remember when Mothers had dressing tables? Anyway, I almost purchased the cream just for the memorable smell when I realized that I had an ample supply of such products at home. What a grand marketing scheme. I'm sure they have already thought of this, but how many senior citizens would purchase products for their nostalgic scent? Ummmmmm, I recall several instances when I did just this. On one occasion, I recall buying a tube of Jergen's hand lotion with the Cherry Almond scent because my Mother used it when I was in grade school. Another time I bought a bottle of Heaven Sent cologne because as a child I received a bottle at a Sunday School gift exchange, and the smell reminded me of happy childhood days spent at my local church. Every year, in the fall, I look all over town for a bottle of Golden Autumn perfume because I wore it the first autumn my now husband and I were dating, and the fragrance brought back memories of a happy and exciting time in my life. You can still buy Coty's loose face powder in the same container that was sold when I was growing up. In fact, my Mother and Grandmother both used it. I often have picked it up, only to put it down again because loose powder is inconvenient compared to newer products now on the market. I wanted to buy it though, because it reminded me of people in my life that I loved. Of course, there are scents that remind us of unhappy times. I can't bear the smell of Avon, "Roses Roses" because it was in my Mother's hospital room when she passed away. Isn't it funny how we associate smells with occasions both good and bad in our lives? Whenever I smell fresh baked bread, I remember the summer my family went on a fishing trip up north, and we bought fresh baked bread down the road at a country restaurant. My cousin and I ate it with Skippy peanut butter and jelly. Best bread I ever ate, and the smell of it always brings that day back to me. Hickory smoke always reminds me of this bar-be-que place my Dad would take my Mother and I to for a treat. People didn't eat out very much when I was growing up, and when you did, it was an occasion. Recently, I bought a bar of Dove soap because I was missing my Aunt. This was her favorite face soap, and her bathroom always smelled of it. When I had it in my bathroom, being able to smell that fragrance seemed to bring her closer to me. I found it to be comforting. Likewise, I purchased a bottle of baby lotion because it reminded me of my now grown children when they were babies. I love the smell of cedar. As a child, I had a small cedar chest that held hankies and such. I was very fond of the little cedar chest. Do you think that is why I still love the smell of cedar so much? When my daughter was small, I bought her a tiny cedar box. She still has it. Perhaps it reminds her of her childhood, and the time we took her to a state park in the fall of the year and bought it for her. Can you recall memorable scents from your childhood, I bet you can? Senior citizens are now a large percentage of the population. Do you think we could market scents from the past and make a million or two?
 
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