Hello, my name is Frauke.

I really love to smell the world around me. And I tell anyone who’ll listen to connect with this beautiful, and under-appreciated, sense as much as possible. It’s why I’ve been given the nickname “the smell lady.”

Let’s be honest, most of us don’t think about our sense of smell much at all. In fact, a 2021 study led by Dr. Rachel Herz, revealed that a quarter of college students would give up their sense of smell in order to keep their phone, and nearly half of all women would give up their sense of smell to keep their hair! Crazy, but true. 

I actually notice it everyday in how my friends and family interact with the world, how the media speaks to us, and how we consume information. Our Western culture is sight-centric. Maybe we also appreciate our sense of sound a little. But who cares about our sense of smell.

Which is why I decided to start this Substack: to elevate the sense of smell in a culture dominated by sight and sound. I’ve actually been talking about this for a while now, primarily through my podcast, An Aromatic Life, and also through social media. 

But, as you probably know, the hamster wheel of social media, including the need to cater to an algorithm that reaches only a fraction of your audience… Well, that all made me realize that I wanted a more authentic space to express my thoughts about all things olfactory. 

Incredibly, it seems that Substack has no algorithm (yay!), which means the people who choose to engage with you are all able to see what you do. What a concept. What a refreshing idea indeed. And this space allows you to create real community and connection, which is my biggest aim. 

More About Me

Today I’m a smell coach, aromatherapist, and podcaster, but I spent the first part of my professional career in the fragrance industry. More than 20 years to be exact. That time made me see first-hand how scents touched people’s lives. I also learned a great deal from the many talented perfumers I had the privilege to work with. 

But, in February 2019 something incredible happened that changed everything for me. 

I was on YouTube searching for something about our sense of smell and I came across a curious video…It was called “This is what it’s like to live in a world without smell” by filmmaker Jacob LaMendola and it introduced me to a world I had never thought about - a world where people aren’t able to smell.

I’m embarrassed to say it, but I had never thought about people not having a sense of smell. I mean, I was surrounded by people who were always actively smelling for a living. Didn’t everyone smell? It was a big deal for me to discover back in 2019 because we didn’t have COVID yet. Nobody was talking about smell loss, or people not being able to smell. 

So, in June 2020, as scientists were realizing that smell loss was a symptom of COVID, I reached out to the UK charity Fifth Sense, an organization that provides support and advice to people affected by smell and taste disorders, to see how I could help. I began doing smell training classes, and became a global ambassador for them with my primary role being to bring awareness  about smell disorders to the smelling community.

All that being said, today more than anything, it’s my mission, as a person with “smell-ability,” to bring more awareness and compassion for people with anosmia, those affected by the inability to smell. My aim is to bring closer those who have the privilege to smell with those who are unable to smell because, through perspective, we can all learn from, and support, each other.

This substack will focus on all aspects of our sense of smell - the good, the bad, and the ugly. I’ll explore it all.

You might wonder, what makes me qualified to talk about our sense of smell? Well, who knows if I am. I’m not a scientist, but rather a student of the subject. I devour all articles, books, and whatever else I can get my hands on related to smell. And then I try to find anyone who’s also deeply invested in this beautiful sense - to exchange ideas, get new perspectives, and nourish our mutual passion for all things smell related. Check out my podcast An Aromatic Life and you’ll get an idea of what I mean.

I welcome everyone to browse here, to explore a bit about our sense of smell. If you do enjoy what you see, a paid subscription to support my work is always greatly appreciated.  

Thanks for making it all the way to the end.

Frauke