Meet the Panelists: An Interview with Avery Gilbert

The World Taste & Smell Association will present Unleash Your Sensory Potential: Smell Edition on June 6. This digital panel will explore the phenomenon of synesthesia, the extraordinary blending of senses, and how it can inspire innovative and groundbreaking product opportunities for the modern consumer. 

Smell scientist, entrepreneur, and author Avery Gilbert will moderate the panel featuring Ariella Halperin - Founder & Creative Director of Storied Senses, Natalie Kuhles - Founder & President of Artistscent and Kelly Jones - Creator, Founder, and Scent Sommelier of Kelly+Jones.  

Stephanie Feuer recently interviewed moderator, Dr. Avery N. Gilbert. He is a scientific pioneer in the area of human odor perception, as well as an entrepreneur and author. He created a sensory psychology research group for the international fragrance company Givaudan and founded three olfactory-related startups. He is president of multisensory research consultancy Synesthetic, Inc. and founder of Headspace Sensory LLC, a company engaged in the sensory analysis of cannabis. Gilbert’s book What the Nose Knows: The Science of Scent in Everyday Life has been nominated for literary prizes and translated into eight languages. Gilbert writes on the science and culture of smell at Substack and lives in Fort Collins, Colorado.

SF: You’ve been involved in all areas of olfaction – as a researcher, as a VP of the fragrance house, Givaudan, and as a writer. It might surprise some people that you are working with cannabis now. What’s the connection?

AG: As usual, I just followed my nose. When I moved to Colorado a few years ago, I sniffed around some dispensaries and was amazed by the enormous range of aromas across the different varieties of cannabis. And yet there was no published research about it—plenty of analytical chemistry and lots of haphazard online commentary, but no sensory science. So I got some investors, founded Headspace Sensory LLC, and set to work. Along with chemist Joseph DiVerdi, I conducted the first descriptive sniff studies of cannabis flower. This led to some forensic legal work and another study on how well people can detect the smell of weed through various forms of packaging. Now I’m consulting with companies on cannabis malodor reduction, terpene aroma and mood—all traditional fragrance industry topics!

SF: Your company, Synesthetics, Inc. “orchestrates a brand’s multisensory symphony.” What are some examples of this multisensory approach to scent?

AG: The consulting I do via Synesthetics, Inc. covers the multisensory gamut: besides scent, it includes bottle shape, product color, graphic design elements on the label, and the integrated user experience. There are natural affinities between sensory features and fragrances. People recognize and respond to these alignments, but are rarely able to verbalize their reasoning. So I design intuitive consumer research protocols to find the best design paths during product development and to confirm successful multisensory harmony.

SF: Many studies say vanilla is a universally favorite scent. For you, what color and sound do you associate with vanilla?

AG: It's a honey-colored melody played on a violin, of course!

SF: Your book, What the Nose Knows: The Science of Smell in Everyday Life is a wonderfully accessible read on the science of smell. Could you suggest one way people can explore the power of the scent in their own lives?

AG: There’s no substitute for direct experience. The best way is to start sniffing and pay attention. Visit a rose garden or a spice shop or order a sample flight at a craft brewery. Try some recipes from a new cuisine. (I’ve been making my own kimchi; my chemist collaborator makes his own limoncello.) Exploring with an experienced leader is very helpful. The Institute for Art and Olfaction has a lot of events and courses. https://artandolfaction.com/

SF: You worked on the National Geographic Smell Survey, where 1.5 million readers responded to a scratch and sniff test included in the magazine in 1986. Among those results, you found that people were not good at judging the acuity of their own sense of smell. Why do you think we are not aware of how well – or poorly – we smell?

AG: Even at the best of times, smell is a sense that hovers at the edge of awareness. As a result, gradual changes in odor perception can creep up on us without being noticed. I also believe that some people are just less “tuned in” to smell than others. They may have a perfectly adequate ability to detect and discriminate smells, but they are relatively indifferent to their olfactory surroundings.

SF: One goal of The World Taste and Smell Association is to elevate our appreciation of our senses of smell and taste. What’s one “hidden power” of smell you think people should be more aware of?

AG: In much of life, scent marks transition: from one place to another, from one physical state to another (dinner’s ready!), and from one mental state to another. We can harness the power of smell by making it part of a practice or routine—as in yoga or meditation, for example. Used this way, scent becomes a bridge to a new state of mind, be it relaxation, mindfulness, or mental focus.

Hear more from Avery Gilbert during our webinar, 

Unleash Your Sensory Potential: Smell Edition

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

11:00 AM  12:00 PM

Tickets are $25 and available here.