From Beethoven to Bottle: The Slow Evolution of The Social Nose

As someone who has spent most of my life immersed in music, I’ve often thought about how taste evolves. The social ear, for example, has changed drastically over time. Pieces that were once considered dissonant or unplayable are now beloved staples. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, once seen as wild and excessive, went on to set the benchmark for the compact disc’s length. Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring was met with chaos at its premiere, yet today it’s considered a masterpiece. Schoenberg’s departure from tonal harmony, though controversial, opened the door to entirely new modes of expression. These artists took risks. They trusted that, over time, the listener’s ear would adapt.

I find myself wondering if the same kind of evolution is possible, or perhaps already happening, in perfumery. While there are certainly bold and experimental fragrances out there, the broader cultural conversation around scent seems to be moving more slowly than in music, fashion, or visual art. Perhaps this points to a social nose that is still in the process of awakening.

Some research seems to support this idea. A 2015 Monell study showed that people struggle far more to name smells than sights or sounds. Another study in Nature pointed out that many languages, especially in the West, lack precise vocabulary for scent. This linguistic limitation might be one reason we’re slower to develop a shared, nuanced understanding of fragrance.

Of course, perfumery faces unique challenges. Scent is intimately tied to memory and emotion, and its impact is more immediate and less consciously processed. That may make people more cautious when confronted with unfamiliar olfactory experiences. And the fragrance industry, with its understandable focus on marketability, tends to favor the familiar. Risk can be costly.

Unlike the visual and auditory arts, which have long benefited from public institutions like galleries, orchestras, and schools, perfumery has evolved largely within the confines of private industry. Without the support of cultural infrastructure or critical discourse, scent has often been shaped more by marketing strategy than by artistic ambition. This commercial framework has historically left little room for risk-taking or experimentation, limiting fragrance’s evolution as an art form in the public imagination.

Still, I can’t help but wonder what might happen if perfumery were allowed to stretch its wings a little more. In music, even the most complex or unexpected ideas can eventually become beloved. We experience this every time a lush film score pulls us into an emotional landscape built on tension, texture, and release. Consider the soundtrack of Steven Spielberg's Jaws and its iconic score by John Williams, a masterpiece of audio primitivism and tension made possible by Stravinsky. Might scent be capable of something similar?

As a musician stepping into the world of perfumery, I’m excited by the possibilities that lie ahead. Maybe the social nose isn’t stagnant, but simply asleep, waiting for the right spark to wake it. It might only take a few bold compositions to stir this dormant sense. For me, it’s at the fringes where we should be paying attention. There, a vibrant movement is thriving, pushing the boundaries of scent and making remarkable progress. This is where I sense the exciting future of fragrance is unfolding. With hope, the social nose will awaken, embracing the innovation blossoming at the edges.

OR perhaps the evolution in perfumery has been happening more than we realize. It’s just been subtle, and we may need to know where to look to fully recognize it. Stay tuned, as I’ll be diving deeper into these shifts in an upcoming post.

A few perfumers, artists, brands, and organizations pushing the boundaries of scent appreciation:

• Eris Parfums (Barbara Herman) – A vintage fragrance scholar turned perfumer, Herman brings provocative storytelling and forgotten olfactory aesthetics back to life with a bold feminist slant.
  
  
• Yosh Han (Founder of Scent Festival) – Through her work with Scent Festival and her spiritual, inclusive approach to perfumery, she expands the conversation beyond commerce into healing, identity, and storytelling.
  
  
• Dawn Spencer Hurwitz (DSH Perfumes) – An independent American perfumer with an art-forward approach, often creating museum collaborations and historically inspired scent works.
  
  
• Antonio Gardoni (Bogue Profumo) – An architect by trade, Gardoni creates perfumes that are richly textured and often bewildering in their construction—more akin to scent sculptures than wearable fragrances.
  
  
• Toskovat – A rising, conceptual force in experimental perfumery, Toskovat’s creations often dwell on themes of identity, longing, and emotional dissonance, reflecting a literary sensibility.
  
  
• Institute for Art and Olfaction – Based in Los Angeles, the IAO is a nonprofit devoted to advancing public access to scent as an art form. Their awards platform and experimental programming support artists working outside traditional models
  .
• Zoologist Perfumes (Victor Wong) – Based in Toronto, Zoologist commissions perfumers to interpret animal themes in eccentric, challenging, and unconventional ways. Scents like Bat and Tyrannosaurus Rex are cult classics in the niche world.
  
  
• And many many more from the indie perfumery community – Independent perfumers, often self-taught, are breaking rules and reshaping the olfactory conversation from the ground up, away from corporate expectations.
  
  
• Add your favourite(s) below in the comments!