Alpha Aromatics Proving Smell Can Be A Powerful Sensation

A recent video released by KDKA CBS Pittsburgh featured a presentation hosted by news anchor, David Highfield, interviewing Roger Howell, chief perfumer and Vice President of Alpha Aromatics located in O’Hara Township. The topic at hand concerned the importance of scent in modern commerce and how the right fragrance in the right setting can increase both traffic and profits.

A chemist of immense skill and experience, Howell’s work never stops. He is constantly seeking new formulas for unique fragrances and pushing the boundaries of accepted knowledge in the field of industrial science. Harnessing the commercial power of scent is his life’s work and here he reveals how the retail world can take advantage of the fact that scent is the most powerful of all of our five senses.

Howell loves fragrances and they seem to love him back as evidenced by the tour of the company Repertoire Room which houses more than 5,000 distinct scents. Names capture the essence of each aroma such as: “Fireworks Sweet Sizzle, Morning Freshness and Cucumber. When asked if he had a personal favorite, he indicated that the choice would be as difficult as it would be for a parent to claim a favorite child.

Howell stresses that smell is a powerful vehicle, boosting sales and productivity in any type of commercial venue. Alpha Aromatics has clients all over the world, although Howell was not at liberty to release their names out of respect for their privacy. They include however, creators of air-fresheners, many colognes and scents created expressly for luxury hotels and store chains (signature scents). “A lot of people don’t even know we’re here,” he stated, “but we’ve been doing this for a very long time.”

Howell stresses the need to understand the “industrial smellscape,” and accept the fact that appealing to olfactory powers is fast catching on. He used the example of popcorn. He said: “There’s the scent for popcorn that movie theaters will put out, and they’re blowing that in the air. It tempts people to buy it.” He went on to mention that new car smell, which is often manufactured because it encourages sales. “Some businesses,” he said, “seek an elegant signature scent. You’ll see these a lot in hotels in their lobbies. They want you to feel you are entering a luxury hotel.”
In speaking with Tim George, Alpha’s Vice President of New Account Development, CBS News learned that several studies have examined and confirmed scent’s influence on consumer behavior.

For example, a European study featuring melons in grocery stores were shown to increase sales. Baked apple pie in homes for sale encourages a homey feeling and often induces purchases.
Scent is powerful advertising. Coconut and vanilla dispersed in department stores where swimwear is sold attracts consumers and keeps them in the store longer than they would otherwise remain and makes them more likely to make a purchase. Tim believes that creativity is everywhere even though a great number of their clients are located in the New York area. In his own words: “We create fragrances (synthetic, natural and certified organic) for all applications, specializing in personal care and fine fragrance development, along with home and environmental air care. Our chief perfumer has developed fragrances for many well-known consumer products, as well as numerous “celebrity fragrances.”

According to Nathan Urban, PhD, neurobiologist and associate director of the Pitts Brain Institute at the University of Pittsburgh, smell has a powerful affect on the human brain. A recent study he conducted with D-PhD candidate, Annie Liu, indicated how early experiences shape the waythe human brain processes our sense of smell. In his own words: “There is this well-known connection between smell and memory. If citrus makes you feel energized, it’s because of an early association. And just because it’s from an association, doesn’t mean your reaction isn’t real... It could put you in a better state, and that’s a physiological change. I mean you could measure hormone levels, you could measure a whole variety of things...”

Roger Howell, Tim George and all of the researchers that comprise the scientific team at Alpha Aromatics are well aware that the true power of scent lies in its genuine connection to scientific fact. Our sense of smell is directly linked to the limbic system, which is the brain’s center for memory and emotion. The human nose can detect thousands of scents and recall fragments of memories associated with them that can be either positive or negative. Tapping into this phenomenon is the key to developing potent consumer and signature scents that both create and cement brand loyalty.

While Roger’s work is always behind the scenes, the client's needs are always his top priority priority. When asked if his brain works in such a way that all he does is walk around and smell things, he replied wistfully: “Unfortunately, I wish it wouldn’t, but absolutely, it does.”