Four facts about fragrances

* The goal of many of the newest fragrances is to comfort you. Stress relief is a prime motivator when creating a new scent.

* Scents can trigger intense feelings/emotions. The reason: Our scent receptors are closely linked to the emotional centers of the brain.

* Fragrances can smell different from one moment to the next. Scents have top, middle and bottom notes. First, you smell the top notes (often citrus, fruity or "green"); next, you smell the middle notes (usually florals); and finally, you take in the bottom notes (woody, musk and vanilla are common). These final notes linger the longest on your skin.

• Most fragrances aren't made from real flowers anymore. As soon as a flower is cut, its scent changes--why perfumers use a method called head space technology to analyze the natural scent of a living flower with computers and duplicate that aroma in a lab.