an addictive smell
"book smell" Just reading those words, the characteristic aroma comes to mind. For a reader, it is an omen, a gift, the prelude to all the good that is to come.
We like of course the immaculate smell of a new book -running your thumb across the whitish sheets near your nose-, but also that old bookstore fragrance which causes the treasure hunter mode to be activated immediately. So, so addicted is the reader to these two aromas that there are even perfumes that emulate them , like Paperback, which, with a pinch of violets and a bit of potpourri, tries to recreate that slight aftertaste of damp pages.
He's not the only one: prestigious brands like Byredo bottle the smell of a second-hand bookstore in the form of colognes and candles, and even Maison Margiela recently launched Whispers in the library, a perfume inspired by old oxford libraries with notes of spicy vanilla and precious woods. But What elements does the evocative smell of a book really consist of?
WHY DO BOOKS SMELL?
To find out, we talked to Odournet, an international group of experts in the sensory field and in odor consulting and management. "There isn't a single chemical that causes books to smell," they tell us. " It is the result of a complex mixture of volatile chemical substances produced by the chemical products used in its manufacture, as well as the gradual degradation of chemicals inside the paper.
The unmistakable book scent could rival that of roses
In the case of new books , it is "a mixture of volatile chemical substances that originate on the adhesive, the ink and the type of paper used in the book". Adhesives, which are often based on copolymers such as vinyl acetate, are partly to blame, although in reality, most of the components do not have their own odor. However, as explained by the bookstore barnes&noble, when interacting with each other, they give off certain aromas which, in short, are reminiscent of the vanilla . And who doesn't love the subtle scent of vanilla?
In the case of old books, the reason is different: "Over time, the decomposition of the cellulose and lignin contained in the paper leads to the production of different organic compounds . Vanillin is one of the molecules that is released from the paper when lignin is oxidized. Other volatiles such as benzaldehyde or furfural, responsible for the smell of burnt sugar, almonds, bread and sweet ", they explain from Odournet.
"These volatile compounds that are released in both the new book and the old they have pleasant olfactory notes, and that is why they catch us . Smell also has very important social and emotional implications: certain smells can change our mood, arouse emotions or evoke memories ", they say. And, for a lover of reading, nothing like the aroma of a book to trigger a myriad of memories, those of all those pages in which he has been happy.