Petrichor

Scent Profile:  Top notes of Green Leaves and Lemongrass give way to middle notes of Grass and Earth accentuated by hints of Rose and Lily of the Valley, with long lasting base notes Ozone and Moss.  The Inspiration:  Have you ever noticed the intoxicating scent of rain, especially after a prolonged period of hot, dry weather? The scent of fresh rainfall is such a clean, green scent.  Friends, this delightfully earthy scent is called ‘Petrichor’ after the Greek terms ‘Petros’ for stone, and ‘Ichor’ for blood of the Greek Gods of mythology.  Microbes that live in soil produce a volatile organic compound called Geosmin.  In fact, the term, ‘Geosmin’ is formed from the Greek words ‘Ge’ for earth and ‘Osme’ for odor.  We humans are particularly sensitive to Geosmin and are able to smell it in concentrations as low as 5 parts per trillion (biology is awesome!). I never would have imagined that I would enjoy walking in the rain, but having spent plenty of days hiking along the Appalachian Trail in a gentle rain, I found it quite pleasant and relaxing.  The varied sound of the rain drops falling on leaves, or plunking down in puddles, or splashing off rocks and leaves is extremely soothing.  The sound along with the fresh clean smell creates a meditative state, just putting one foot in front of the other, no other thoughts running around like livewire in the brain.  It’s necessary to shut down sometimes, and just focus on the things that automatically happen.  Breathe in. Breathe out. Just. Keep. Hiking. This candle is made using natural US grown soy wax.