23 of the Best Smell in the World

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Which scents or fragrances add a touch of sweetness to your life and evoke cherished memories from the past? Someone recently asked, “What can be considered the best smell ever?” and we’ve noted the top 23 answers below.

Early Frosty Mornings

“There is a smell, which only happens after a really cold snap of weather; the first day of the cold snap, early in the morning, there’s this super cold, fresh smell, and everything is cold and frozen around you. I love it.”

“Glad I’m not the only one who knows that smell. It should have its own word.”

Freshly Baked Bread

“In the main square in Cuernavaca, Mexico, they must have had at least five big ovens baking bread. You could smell it for blocks; I’m still thinking about it!”

“The smell of bread always makes me hungry.”

Fresh Laundry

“Yes! That smell of humidity leaving the dryer as fresh laundry dries.”

“This is my favorite smell also – especially if it’s been hung outside to dry.”

“Yes; nothing beats the smell of a freshly made bed.”

Old Pine Forest

“It reminds me of hanging out in the woods at my grandfather’s summerhouse as a kid.”

“Ponderosa pines have bark that smells like vanilla or butterscotch. You look a little strange with your nose all up in the tree trunk, but it is worth it.”

Campfires

“It’s just wood and dry leaves; why does it smell so good?”

“I live in a relatively humid climate where trees are very abundant. I use dry leaves along with tinder to get the fire going and then add some fallen branches that are about the right size. Once it is going relatively strong, the smell is amazing.

Soil After Rain

“I literally just learned that the unique smell of soil after a rain is called petrichor.”

“Humans are, by orders of magnitude, more sensitive to the chemical that generates that smell (geosmin) than sharks are to blood in the water.”

“An evolutionary theory is that it alerts us to damp ground and a possible food bounty.”

The Pirates Of The Caribbean Ride (Disney Land)

“I can smell the swampy chlorine now!”

“Ah yes, the smell of pirate booty is glorious!”

“I think they use bromine, not chlorine, mixed with moldy old rope.”

Freshly Brewed Coffee

“A freshly brewed cup of coffee; nothing can beat that!”

“I have a coffee pot in my office at work, and I’m known for being a coffee snob. I’ve had so many co-workers tell me how much they love the smell of my office in the morning, even though they aren’t coffee drinkers. It really is an amazing smell.”

Summer Night Rain

“Summer nights, when it’s still kind of light outside, and you’re by the lake with a fire, and then it starts raining; just a little, and you see the rain drops falling on the water. That smell, in that specific moment, for just a few minutes, is the best smell there is.”

“There is a unique smell of rain falling on a lake at night-time.”

Vanilla

“The smell of vanilla extract is addictive.”

“According to a 2022 study by The University of Oxford, vanilla is indeed the most popular smell.”

“I put vanilla bean skins in rum; the bottle’s been in the fridge almost two years now, smelling more and more heavenly. I can’t drink it when it smells this good!”

Brand New Computer Games

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com.

“I grew up with Nintendo; the smell of the new game when pulling the plastic of the cartridge and flipping through the glossy instruction manual was incredible.”

“I thought it was just how air smelt in Japan.”

Fresh-cut Grass

“Fun fact: the grass gives off that scent as a cry for help and a warning to other grass.”

“The lower it is cut, the more it screams to the other grass to grow faster.”

“Agreed! The smell of freshly cut grass after rain on a sunny day. That’s the best!”

Lilacs

“That is the one thing I miss about my old house. It had a lilac bush right next to the front door, and it was so nice when it bloomed!”

“Lilacs bloom when the weather turns, and everyone can finally open all the doors and windows to clear the stale winter air from the house. They remind me of home.”

Frying Garlic

“Just garlic, onions, and ginger in olive oil are guaranteed to have everyone else who comes into the kitchen going, “that smells amazing!”

“Exactly! My standard response is that I haven’t even started cooking yet. So funny!

Bacon

“I like the whole breakfast blend of bacon, singed toast, and coffee brewing. But, yes, bacon is the best smell.”

“Just the thought of that smell, and now I need to go make bacon pancakes.”

Children’s Heads

“The smell you get when kissing your child’s head before school is incomparable.”

“I could smell my baby boy’s head all day. And I do.”

“I kept a tiny bit of my daughter’s first shampoo for this reason! That, mixed with her natural scalp scent, makes me nostalgic and takes me right back.”

Old Books

“The almost vanilla smell of old books is actually due to the paper breaking down, which is unexpectedly morbid. But I love it too!”

“This is so true; old books smell amazing.”

Elementary School Smells

“If you had a great time in elementary school growing up, then going back when your kids are enrolling is great; you walk through the doors, and the smell hits you.”

“Yes! It’s a mix of glue, markers, crayons, construction paper, etc., and I always get a happy flashback to my childhood.”

Lemons

“Lemon is the most popular smell in the world because it reminds people of clean surroundings due to all the cleaning products that use it.”

“Citrus fruits are definitely in my top five best smells!”

Jet Fuel

“I always associate the smell of the airport with really exciting travel experiences.”

“Yes! Preferably burning out of an APU or something. I worked at the big airport as a kid, and I loved that smell.

My Dog

“My dog, when she’s been soaking in the sun, she smells lovely to me.”

“Agreed, especially behind the ears!”

“Doggy paws smell good, too; in between the toes.”

Baking Cookies

“If you ever get the opportunity to go in a bakery before they’re open, then that smell! All the smells of fresh bread and cakes being baked are heavenly, but cookies are the ultimate good smell!”

“I vote for freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.”

Sandalwood

“I’ve got a very old bottle of sandalwood essential oil, which is almost impossible to get anymore. I don’t use it for anything anymore because I’m hoarding it; I only open it to take a sniff now and then. Oh man, it’s heavenly.”

“The scent of sandalwood is pretty awesome.”

Source: Reddit