Though many of the most ancient applications of, aromatherapy were rooted in therapeutic or magickal concerns, in modern times there is an entire industry related to the social and cosmetic usage of scent.
Many of the perfumes and colognes that we see on the market have names that seem to promise love or success, the height of mas-culine or feminine virtue. They are scents that are named for regal personages, champions, and artistic individuals. They seem to promise wealth, love, and victory.
Is this a hint of the ancient magick at work, or just the work of some clever marketing personnel? Perhaps it is a bit of both. While there is probably little conscious intent on the part of the perfumer to utilize a blend’s traditional ingredients to elicit responses embracing the thrill of competitive victory or the realm of the amorous, aromatherapy remains an art of gaining response from the deepest natural instinct.
For a product to bring out feelings contrary to its inferred promise—embedded in the name bestowed by the marketing pros—could kill the success and longevity of the commercial offering. Perhaps the most successful blends are the result of both modern marketing techniques as well as the effectiveness of the ancient art of the old magickal cultures.
Today, we treat our homes with scent. We address matters of personal hygiene with fragrance as well as with cleansers and shampoos. We can hardly use any commercial product for the treatment of our bodies or our surroundings without encountering the introduction of aromatherapy into our lives. Floor cleaners, cosmetics, soaps, shampoos, lotions, and even some topical medicines have fragrance added to them.
There are products that are aimed strictly at introducing fragrance in our lives, like perfumes, body deodorants, carpet deodorizers, and scented room sprays. Potpourri burners, incense, and scented oil lamps have known some enduring popularity.
There is little evidence that fragrance will disappear anytime soon from the mainstream of our lives or the arena of commercial production. Of the myriad of commercially developed scented products, the formulae included in this section are but a few. Yet they serve as a fine overview of the magnitude and scope of how the world of aromatherapy has permeated the lives of those who may be far from the study of the ancient art or even scoff at the idea that fragrance can have some effect on their daily lives.
Many of these same individuals, however, could hardly stand to live with themselves if their dishes were not lemon fresh or if they were to use a fabric softener that did not have the scent of springtime.