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Your Nose Has a Direct Line to Your Brain

Of all the human senses, olfaction is neurologically unique. Where sight, sound and touch are processed through relay stations before reaching conscious awareness, scent travels a direct pathway to the brain's emotional and memory centres, the amygdala and hippocampus.

This is why a scent can return you instantly to a moment, a feeling, a version of yourself. Neuroscientists call it the Proust Effect.

Scent Associations Are Learned

Research published in Nature Neuroscience found that pairing a scent with a specific emotional or behavioural state can change how that odour is represented in the brain. Repeated exposure can strengthen the learned association between the scent and the experience or state with which it has been paired.

Research in Brain Sciences confirmed that when an odour becomes a proxy for the emotional properties of an experience, re-exposure can reactivate aspects of the associated emotional and physiological response.

What the Research Shows

A 2022 EEG study measuring real-time brainwave activity found that specific aromatic compounds produced measurable neurological responses. Lavender increased alpha wave activity associated with relaxation, while ylang ylang was associated with changes in measures of brain activity. Across all compounds tested, systolic blood pressure decreased significantly in the study population.

Research published in Phytotherapy Research found that bergamot essential oil inhalation produced significant improvements in positive feelings and reductions in anxiety, heart rate, blood pressure and stress.

Athletes exercising with aromatic exposure reported more positive emotional states and lower perceived fatigue.

What This Means

The science does not claim that fragrance creates performance. It demonstrates that scent can act as a conditionable cue, so that when paired with training and competition experiences, they can help reactivate an associated cognitive and emotional state.

The scent is immediate. The conditioned response is built through repetition.

Then, by selecting notes with the required known associations, PACE® Hyperformance Parfum becomes a trigger for the cognitive state required in competitive sport.

PACE® doesn't replace mental-performance training, sports psychology or preparation. It gives athletes a portable sensory cue to reinforce the state they've worked to build.

ENGINEERED FOR PERFORMANCE

Working with our formulation lab and our athletic colleagues, Matt took PACE® through multiple rounds of prototype development to achieve the final product. 

We approached formulation the same way we approached the fragrance: every element has to earn its place.

We set the bench high in order to support our 100% natural origin fragrance, and opted for premium grade, naturally derived ingredients with proven functionality.

THE RESEARCH BEHIND PACE®

PACE® draws on established research into olfaction, associative conditioning, emotional memory and the psychophysiological effects of aromatic compounds. The studies below informed our approach to fragrance architecture and the PACE® conditioning protocol. They do not constitute clinical trials of PACE® Hyperformance Parfum itself.

REFERENCES Plus

*Han, X., Gibson, J., Eggett, D.L., & Parker, T.L. (2017). Bergamot essential oil inhalation improves positive feelings in the waiting room of a mental health treatment center. Phytotherapy Research, 31(6), 812–816. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5434918/

*Choi, N., Wu, Y., & Park, S. (2022). Effects of Olfactory Stimulation with Aroma Oils on Psychophysiological Responses of Female Adults. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(9), 5196. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095196

*Kwon, S., Ahn, J., & Jeon, H. (2020). Can Aromatherapy Make People Feel Better Throughout Exercise? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(12), 4559. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124559

*Murthy, V. (2020). How scent, emotion, and memory are intertwined — and exploited. Harvard Gazette. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/02/how-scent-emotion-and-memory-are-intertwined-and-exploited/

*Herz, R.S. (2016). The Role of Odor-Evoked Memory in Psychological and Physiological Health. Brain Sciences, 6(3), 22. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5039451/

*Frank, M. et al. (2019). Associative conditioning remaps odor representations and modifies inhibition in a higher olfactory brain area. Nature Neuroscience, 22, 1844–1856. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-019-0495-z

*Bhatti, S.F. et al. (2015). Olfactory memory networks: from emotional learning to social behaviours. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 9, 36. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00036

*Zhu, Y. et al. (2025). A Neural Circuit For Bergamot Essential Oil-Induced Anxiolytic Effects. Advanced Science. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11714174/

Matt Saunders - PACE® Founder