As you probably know, smell is the most closely linked of our five senses with memory. When you smell a certain scent, it can instantly take you back to the time you first smelled it. Why is that? Well, it’s a fairly scientific process involving scents going into your olfactory bulb, and then being transmitted throughout your brain. Researchers think that the close physical connection within our brains between that olfactory bulb and the amygdala (responsible for emotions) and hippocampus (responsible for memories) could be why smells not only conjure up a memory, but a feeling with that memory as well.
Why do we have so many scents linked to childhood memories in particular, bringing about that lovely dose of nostalgia? It could be because we are experiencing a lot of smells for the first time as children. So today, we’re going to take a look back at some of the most memorable smells of our childhoods to hopefully evoke a good memory or two. Are you ready to imagine some ’90s scents? Let’s go!
Gap Scents
Gap came out with a handful of scents in the ‘90s, some more successful than others (who wanted Grass? Ew.) The two that were the most coveted were definitely Dream and Heaven. They came in matte glass bottles or small metal spray bottles with subtle illustrations of a cloud or a wing, and pretty much every girl in the ‘90s tried these at least once. Apparently, these are either still available or have been re-released as you can find them on Amazon!
VapoRub
Oh yeah, you know you had some VapoRub slathered on your chest at some point as a child. With its distinctive menthol smell and cooling sensation, VapoRub was there to calm your cough or open up your nasal passages like no other. If you smell it today, it will undoubtedly take you back to lying sick in bed on a school day.
Bath and Body Works
Bath and Body Works was founded in 1990 and quickly shot to popularity throughout the ‘90s, thanks to some of their amazing scents. You definitely had a bottle of Cucumber Melon somewhere, but you might have also tried Country Apple or Plumeria if you wanted to be on trend but not too on trend. And don’t worry, most of these scents are still around as well.
Crayola Crayons
Was there anything better than cracking open a new box of Crayola Crayons in elementary school? Debatable. You knew you were in for a fun time of coloring up a storm whenever you smelled some crayons, whether it be at school or even at a restaurant with their little mini packs.
Victoria's Secret Love Spell
Victoria’s Secret came out with a signature scent in 1999 with Love Spell, an awesome mixture of grapefruit, peach, and cherry blossom. And honestly? You can’t really go wrong with this scent even to this day — it’s still great!
Scratch N Sniff Stickers
If you were a sticker fan in the ‘90s, then no doubt you had yourself a variety of the Scratch n Sniff stickers to really liven up your collection. While the smells typically wouldn’t last very long, it was always super satisfying to give a quick scratch to a sticker and smell some very chemical-ly strawberries.
CK One / Clinique Happy
Now if Gap, Bath and Body Works, or Victoria’s Secret weren’t your jam in the ‘90s, then you might have gone for something slightly more sophisticated with either CK One or Clinique’s Happy. CK One features notes of bergamot, cardamom, pineapple, papaya, jasmine, violet, rose, nutmeg, and musk while Clinique’s Happy features ruby red grapefruit, bergamot, Hawaiian wedding flower, and spring mimosa.
Lip Smackers
Everyone had some variety of Lip Smackers hiding in their pocket, purse, or locker in the ‘90s. You probably had a favorite flavor as well, that you both smelled and tasted for some lip smacking goodness. Were you into something traditional like Vanilla, or was the more interesting Dr. Pepper your go to?
Gak
Ah yes, Gak. That weird smell of… what? It has its own distinct smell that’s really hard to describe, but you’d know it if you smelled it. And if you smelled it again, it would definitely take you back to that time when Nickelodeon was all the rage thanks to Double Dare and Clarissa Explains it All.
Love Gak? Check out our article: Nickelodeon’s Gak: Fun, Gross, and So Totally ’90s
Mr. Sketch Scented Markers
Mr. Sketch scented markers have been around since the ‘60s, and they’ve been popular with kids pretty much ever since. ‘90s kids were no exception, though can we all agree that the black licorice smell of the black marker was just terrible?
Play-Doh
Though you can make your own version of Play-Doh at home, it won’t quite smell the same as the real deal. When you first open up a new container of Play-Doh, the unique combination of the sweet, slightly musky, vanilla-like fragrance, with slight hints of cherry, and the natural smell of a salted, wheat-based dough hits you straight in the face, taking you back to those childhood days of making your own little creations out of the many different Play-Doh colors.
Pencils in the Pencil Sharpener
Though mechanical pencils became all the rage as the ‘90s wore on, when you were first starting out in elementary school in the ‘90s, it was all about the regular, old-fashioned style of pencil that you had to use a sharpener to get a nice, sharp point. You can probably imagine the smell in your head of a freshly sharpened pencil, right? Takes you right back to second grade, doesn’t it?
Herbal Essences
If you didn’t try Herbal Essences in the ‘90s, did you even live through the ‘90s? Even though it was invented in the ‘70s, Herbal Essences really took the world by storm in the ‘90s thanks to some interesting advertising and some kick-ass scents like, uh, pink and yellow? Did they have names? Who knows! But you definitely tried a scent or two, right?!
Want even more Herbal Essences? Check out our article: Herbal Essences: A Totally “Organic” Experience
Cherry Merry Muffin Dolls
Each of these dolls had a different scent depending on the type of doll, each scent corresponding with the doll’s name. Besides Cherry Merry herself, you also had Chocolottie, Banancy, Apple Amy, and Betty Berry, to name a few. Honestly, these are pretty much a ripoff of Strawberry Shortcake (click to read more about Strawberry Shortcake) and her friends, but that didn’t stop ‘90s kids from enjoying them.
Teen Spirit Deodorant
As you entered your teen years, your body started doing all sorts of wacky things. Like, you know, making its own smells. Every kid was introduced to deodorant at some point, and in the ‘90s, it was probably Teen Spirit. Even if you didn’t need it yet, you probably slathered on some Teen Spirit anyway just to smell like the cool, older kids.
What memories did these scents conjure up for you? Any favorite smells of yours that we missed? Let us know in the comments! But first, check out four of our favorite ’90s scents still going strong to this day, in case you want to give yourself an extra strong dose of nostalgia, or pass the smells on to the next generation:
- Vicks VapoRub was first sold all the way back in 1905! It was originally manufactured by the family-owned company Richardson-Vicks, Inc., based in Greensboro, North Carolina. Richardson-Vicks was sold to Procter & Gamble in 1985 and is now known as Vicks.
- Play-Doh was originally invented in the ‘50s by Noah McVicker of soap manufacturer Kutol Products, and was devised at the request of Kroger Grocery, who wanted a product that would clean coal residue from wallpaper.
- The original Crayola crayons were introduced in 1903, and the name came from the words “craie” which means chalk in French, and the word “oleaginous,” which references the wax the crayons were made from.
- Teen Spirit deodorant was first introduced in 1991 and soon after, Nirvana released their iconic song “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” which helped boost sales, though Kurt Cobain didn’t know Teen Spirit was a deodorant, and meant it as more of a revolutionary slogan.
- CK One debuted in 1994 and was considered a unisex fragrance. In its first 10 days, it made more than $5 million — 20 bottles were sold every minute.
- Vicks VapoRub was first sold all the way back in 1905! It was originally manufactured by the family-owned company Richardson-Vicks, Inc., based in Greensboro, North Carolina. Richardson-Vicks was sold to Procter & Gamble in 1985 and is now known as Vicks.
- Play-Doh was originally invented in the ‘50s by Noah McVicker of soap manufacturer Kutol Products, and was devised at the request of Kroger Grocery, who wanted a product that would clean coal residue from wallpaper.
- The original Crayola crayons were introduced in 1903, and the name came from the words “craie” which means chalk in French, and the word “oleaginous,” which references the wax the crayons were made from.
- Teen Spirit deodorant was first introduced in 1991 and soon after, Nirvana released their iconic song “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” which helped boost sales, though Kurt Cobain didn’t know Teen Spirit was a deodorant, and meant it as more of a revolutionary slogan.
- CK One debuted in 1994 and was considered a unisex fragrance. In its first 10 days, it made more than $5 million — 20 bottles were sold every minute.
