The Science of Aromatherapy

An investigation into scent as a legitimate wellness tool

Credit: Madeleine_Steinbach/iStock/Getty Images Plus

If you’ve ever lit a scented candle to relax or soaked in a lavender bubble bath, you’re already familiar with the power that smell can hold over mood. Of all five senses, it’s the one most closely linked to emotion and memory — likely, scientists think, because the brain’s olfactory processing center is so close to the…