Olfactory Fatigue

Olfactory fatigue is not a myth but a real thing, and it deserves some attention. Nose saturation happens when your nasal receptors become less and less sensitive to some scents, and they stop alerting you, making you think there’s no scents there. Smelling coffee beans during perfumes testing can actually cleanse out your nasal receptors and give you an untainted smelling palate.

What is the solution for Olfactory Fatigue?

Coffee as an olfactory palate cleanser was discovered by the neuroscientist Noam Sobel. He stated:

“Smelling coffee aroma between perfume samples, as compared to smelling unscented air, actually works. The perceived odor intensity of the perfume from sample to sample stayed the same after smelling coffee aroma while it decreased when smelling air between samples. The pleasantness of the perfume, however, was similar after smelling coffee or air.”

Human skin is another “cleanser” for the nose. And according to another opinion, the best way to deal with olfactory fatigue is to simply smell your own skin.