The Forgotten Purpose of Perfume

There was a time when perfume was more than a signature scent — it was a form of healing.

Thousands of years ago, perfumers were also herbalists, alchemists, and healers. They distilled petals, resins, and herbs not to impress a room, but to restore balance to the body and soul.

In ancient temples and royal gardens, fragrance was a bridge — between the spiritual and the physical, between what we could see and what we could feel. Scents like myrrh and frankincense were burned not just for their beauty but for their power to cleanse, calm, and connect.

Somewhere along the way, that purpose was lost.

Perfume became synthetic, decorative, and disconnected from nature — a layer to put on rather than a presence to live within.

At Great Lakes Olfactory, I believe perfume should return to its roots — functional, emotional, alive.

Each blend I create is inspired by the way the natural world makes us feel.

A walk along Lake Michigan at dusk, the mineral air, the grounding scent of driftwood and wind-warmed grass — those aren’t just pleasant aromas. They’re functional elements of a larger emotional ecosystem that supports calm, creativity, and connection.

Natural fragrance does more than scent your skin. It harmonizes with your own chemistry — adapting, shifting, and evolving as you move through the day. It’s a quiet reminder that what we breathe in becomes part of us.

Perfume was never meant to mask. It was meant to mend.

And as we rediscover the power of plant-based perfumery, we rediscover ourselves — whole, balanced, and beautifully human.

💧 This is the heart of GLO — perfume that remembers its purpose.

-Connie