The International Fragrance Association UK recently established Changing Lives Through Fragrance, a working group to improve wellbeing and educate the community about the vital role our sense of smell plays in helping us navigate through life.
It’s a mission that has become all the more important in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and the virus' impact on smell and taste.
Lisa Hipgrave, Director of IFRA UK, tells Cosmetics Business more.
What inspired IFRA UK to create the working group Changing Lives Through Fragrance?
Through the work we have done over the last decade with the IFRA Fragrance Forum we have become acutely aware of the impact that our sense of smell can have on our lives. One of the reasons we run the Forum is we believe IFRA UK has a responsibility to help people understand the wider benefits that fragrance can bring to their lives.
This motivation is also behind the creation of the Changing Lives Through Fragrance group, which is about changing lives for the better using the many benefits of fragrance to help people – from inspiring young people to connect with others, to improving wellbeing for people with dementia.
The group was started just prior to the pandemic, as we recognised IFRA UK members had a collective will to help and in many cases were already planning or doing activities within the community. By working as a group, we can share ideas and develop new ones.
Since then, the impact of the virus on loss of smell and taste has meant people are even more aware of the importance of our sense of smell in keeping us connected to the people and world around us. It has increased our resolve to work collaboratively and spread the message as much as possible.