There is something about the smell of warm, fresh linens that’s just comforting and uplifting at the same time. An interesting thing about our olfactory function is that it can actually initiate thoughts and nostalgia. Our sense of smell can evoke detailed memories and we often associate scents to significant experiences in our life.
That’s why whenever we sense a scent that’s similar to fresh laundry it evokes a feeling of peace and purity. We are reminded of the simple pleasures of soft, clean linens and we suddenly experience a warm comfort from it. The scent doesn’t only trigger your sense of smell. It also takes you back to the feeling, the texture, and the visuals of being around freshly washed linens. You are suddenly transported to calm weekend mornings when you can lounge around in fresh white sheets in bed all day. It can also remind you of crisp white shirts you wear after a refreshing morning shower.
Aldehydes
In fragrances, the note that can trigger such emotional responses are aldehydes. Aldehydes come from a variety of perfume ingredients with a range of different scents. The type of aldehydes used in perfumery is aliphatic or fatty. This type of aldehyde produces a pleasant fragrance in different tones –soapy, metallic, waxy, citrusy, and green.
The aldehydes note is used in a lot of laundry products and detergents for the sparkling, fresh scent it brings. When we sense these notes in a fragrance, we then associate it to our emotional responses to fresh linens. We are instantly reminded of the pureness of freshly washed textile. Aldehydes can come from citrus ingredients like lemon, neroli, bergamot, grapefruit, and oranges. Some herbs like clary sage and coriander leaf oil can also produce the same effects. Green notes like lily-of-the-valley and violet leaf also has aldehydic qualities to them.
Olfactory Fatigue
To be able to get that bright freshness in laundry detergents and fabric conditioners, a whole lot of materials and fragrances are actually blended into a composition that need to retain its scent even in high heat. All of these notes can bombard your sense of smell all day, every day while you’re wearing clothes that were soaked in fabric softeners. Your olfactory functions also process these scents as you sleep in your bed with sheets that carry the same perfumes from laundry detergents.
This leads to olfactory fatigue. With olfactory fatigue, scents found in unassuming materials around us such as clothes and fabrics, end up having their scents blurred out as they dry down. Our sense of smell can no longer identify them so the scents will seem as though they’ve died or quieted down.
This is why fresh smelling perfumes have been notoriously tagged as poor performing or not long lasting. Perfumes that contain similar notes to laundry detergents and fabric softeners often end up in the weak performing category of fragrances. Although these scents usually open brightly and refreshing, some notes are easily blurred out after a small amount of time.
Scents That Smell Like Fresh Laundry
Davidoff Cool Water
A classic fresh scent that was launched in 1988 is the Davidoff Cool Water for men. It has top notes of mint, lavender, coriander, rosemary and green notes. At the heart you find notes of geranium, jasmine, neroli and sandalwood. Cedarwood, musk, amber, and tobacco notes cap off this fragrance at the base. A spritz of this scent can easily remind you of a white crisp shirt you wear right after a nice shower to start your day.
Cool Water will not have everyone buzzing around you, complimenting you on just how incredible your scent is. But, it is definitely a safe choice. You just can’t go wrong with it. That’s something most clean smelling fragrances usually do. They simply give you a fresh, safe scent. It’s likable but not necessarily impressive. This is a common fragrance and you won’t stand out in the crowd with this one.
Performance and Occasions
As mentioned earlier, this has a tendency for olfactory fatigue. You will keep smelling fresh for several hours but the sillage will definitely fade out quickly. It does open brightly but don’t expect that brightness to last for a very long time.
Since it’s quite a versatile, inoffensive scent, Davidoff’s Cool Water is a good scent you can wear every day at the office or any casual occasion.
Mont Blanc Individuel
Mont Blanc Individuel was launched in 2003. This is heavily laden with top notes of rosemary, pineapple, coriander, cinnamon, lavender, juniper berries, mint, bergamot and cardamom. In the middle there’s orange blossom, violet, jasmine and geranium. You get sandalwood, amber, patchouli, musk, raspberry, vanilla, dark chocolate, oakmoss and vetiver at the base. The combination of all of that blasts you into a huge opening that can be pretty overwhelming and off-putting at the start. The spiciness and the berries at the middle will really hit you as the scent peaks.
But, after a little while, the freshness of vetiver slowly stands out and you’re left with an uplifting fragrance as it dries down. Once the scent settles, that’s when you suddenly get an association to warm, freshly ironed linens.
Performance and Occasions
This is a dynamic scent that changes throughout its wear. Although there’s a disparity between its opening and its dry down, the scent won’t be lasting for a very long time. The vanilla and oakmoss makes it more resilient than the Davidoff Cool Water. But, it still won’t last the whole day on you.
Since this has such a large opening, this can actually wake up your senses at the start. Spritz this on if you want a sudden boost of energy that slowly fades out through the day.
Azzaro Chrome
Now, this one has that fresh-out-of-the-shower quality to it. Crisp, clean, freshly ironed shirts –that’s what Chrome Azzaro is all about. With top notes of rosemary, pineapple, neroli, bergamot and lemon, middle notes of cyclamen, coriander, jasmine and oakmoss, and base notes of sandalwood, tonka bean, musk, oakmoss, cedar, brazilian rosewood and cardamom.
It may look like the typical blue juice in a clear bottle but it’s actually an impressive, uplifting scent that dries down smoothly. Chrome Azzaro opens up in herby, fruity, citrusy tones and settles into a smoky, woodsy musk. It’s a playful and dynamic scent that’s hard not to notice.
Performance and Occasions
For a fresh fragrance, Chrome Azzaro is the exception. You will still get whiffs of the scent after a long day of wearing it. It does open in a sharp synthetic way but it isn’t too much that it’s already headache-inducing.
This would be a perfect date night scent. It’s noticeable but it wouldn’t choke your date to death.
Coty Aspen for Men
Coty Aspen for Men was launched in 1989. Yes, 1989. But there’s a reason why this cologne has stood the test of time. It actually smells timeless and incredible. At the top, you are greeted with notes of bergamot, galbanum, green notes and lemon. This makes it so fresh and invigorating as it opens.
The heart of the scent has notes of coriander, cyclamen, geranium, jasmine, lavender, juniper and orange blossom. This turns the scent spicy and bright. All of these settle into a blend of amber, cedar, oakmoss, musk and balsam fir at the base.
You just get fresh, fresh, fresh, and you are catapulted to a warm weekend morning, enjoying your stress-free day in the sun. The green and citrusy notes in this one really do make up a scent that’s pretty much equivalent to laundry detergent. But the interesting spicy tones from coriander and juniper make it a more fun, energizing fragrance.
Performance and Occasions
Although this is a wonderful scent to have in your collection, don’t expect so much longevity on this one. The fresh notes in Coty Aspen will quickly fade out. You’re getting this more for the amazing smell more than the longevity.
This is best to wear during the day when you just want to seize the moment and start the day right.
Demeter Laundromat, Linen
Demeter perfumes can be the most literal interpretations of the themes they come out with. Laundromat from Demeter can be a little confusing at the start. It opens up in a metallic, soapy scent that will remind you of the actual washing appliance in laundromats. This can of course be odd at first especially since the company tags it as a comforting scent. But wait a while and you slowly notice that pleasant, cozy smell you get from washed linens as it dries down. If you’re looking for a fresh laundry scent then this could be the closest scent you can get to the experience of collecting your washed clothes from the laundromat.
Performance and Occasions
Laundromat from Demeter is a functional scent you can wear casually. Functional since it’s not really something you will wear to impress everybody in the room. It’s just an enjoyable scent that you can wear for any occasion.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t really last long on the skin. You will have to keep reapplying if you want to get the scent going throughout the day.
At the end of the day, looking for a perfume that smells like fresh laundry is more about the nostalgia you get from it. The notes can only elicit certain memory triggers that will remind you of your own experiences.