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For a fresh take on aromatherapy, look no further than Jovian, the new Montreal-based fragrance company that takes a psychoactive approach to scent. With a background in both fragrance and theatre, founder David Bernstein started his company in 2020 while looking for a way to alter his personal environment through aromatherapy.
He explains that the reason why our emotional connection to scent is so powerful is that it bypasses the regular channels that the brain used to process information. “Scent is hippocampal – you’re not experiencing it rationally,” he says. “It’s almost like a secret side door into your own psychology that a lot of other art forms can’t access. Jovian is geared toward eliciting an altered state of mind through Bernstein’s avant-garde blends of natural ingredients, with formulas for both room and body.
My recommendation: I’ve been bewitched by Jovian’s House blend that includes lavender, rose de mai, blue cypress and frankincense. That might be because it was created to evoke the qualities of my sun sign, Virgo. A whiff of House as I sit down to my computer in the morning creates a sense of focus and productivity, ideal when working from home comes with a never-ending series of time-sucking distractions.
Jovian House Eau de Parfum, $38 through jovian.website.
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