If you haven’t heard of the Danish concept of hygge you are forgiven. But you should know that hygge is a thing that has gathered international attention and fascination.  Possibly the biggest thing since Marie Kondo urged us all to discover the joys of tidying up. In fact, Collins English dictionary named hygge the runner-up (after Brexit) as the word of the year in the UK in 2016.

Since Denmark is consistently at the top of the list of the happiest countries in the world, it’s no wonder that everyone else wants to learn their secret.

As it turns out, the Danish term dates back to the 18th century and is somehow connected to the English word hug. Pronounced “hoo-gah”, hygge is the Danish concept of living life cozily and happily. In both Danish and Norwegian, hygge refers to “a pleasant and highly valued everyday experience of safety, equality, personal wholeness and a spontaneous social flow.” (Wikipedia)

I love this concept and so I recently decided to delve a little further. I specifically wanted to learn more about the olfactory aspects of hygge, for obvious reasons. Lucky me to quickly come across a book devoted to the topic, written by Meik Wiking (pronounced Mike Viking, I kid you not).

In it he writes:

What makes a smell hyggelig differs very much from person to person, because smells relate a situation to ones experienced with that smell in the past. For some people, the smell of cigarettes in the morning is the most hyggelig thing there is; to others, the smell may provoke nausea and headaches. One common element of all the smells of hygge is that they remind us of safety and being cared for. We use smell to sense whether something is safe to eat, but we also use it to intuit whether a place is safe and how alert we should be. The smell of hygge is the smell that tells you to put your guard down completely. The smell of cooking, the smell of a blanket you use at home, or the smell of a place we perceive as safe can be very hyggeligt because it reminds us of a state of mind when we felt completely safe,

“The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well” by Meik Wiking

He goes on to say that some of the scents most commonly associated with hygge are baked bread, vanilla, fresh coffee, fresh air, clean laundry and cozy fire/woods.

“Research shows that people who are able to be kind to themselves rather than harshly self-critical tend to have better mental health and higher life satisfaction,” says Dr. Mark Williamson director of think tank Action for Happiness,”and allowing ourselves some hygge time to boost our own wellbeing leaves us better placed to contribute and help others.” Hygge’s emphasis on spending quality time with family and friends is part of what makes Danes more content, he explains. “The most important contributor to our psychological wellbeing is the strength of our relationships, and hygge definitely tends to encourage more close and intimate time with loved ones.”

Hygge is also a form of escapism. It’s about allowing yourself to retreat into a comforting, warm bubble. With all of the insanity in the world right now, it seems only natural that people are looking for a safe and familiar place away from all of the chaos. 

It’s no surprise that candle companies and home decorating businesses  have been quick to take advantage of hygge as a marketing opportunity. Fragrances not so much, although it started me thinking about what my favorite hygge perfumes are. Most are ones that contain primarily light floral notes, some with a hints of musk, woodsy notes or vanilla that bring me to my happy place:

In no particular order, I would say:

Lys 41 (Le Labo) – notes of lily, jasmine, tuberose, woodsy notes, vanilla

Kai (Kai Fragrance) – notes of gardenia, jasmine, tuberose, lily

Child (Susan D. Owens) – notes of tuberose, jasmine, violet, vanilla, musk

James (Rosie Jane) – notes of fig, amber, gardenia

Flower Market (Maison Martin Margiela) – notes of crushed leaves, freesia, jasmine, tuberose, peach, cedar wood, oak moss

California Reverie (Van Cleef & Arpels) – notes of jasmine, orange blossom, mandarin orange, frangipani, vanilla, beeswax

Knot (Bottega Veneta) – notes of orange blossom, neroli, peony, musk, tonka bean

These are my top choices for when I want to get my hygge on. When wearing these familiar and comforting scents it makes my day seems a little brighter.

What about you? Do you have a favorite fragrance that gets you into hygge mode?

Until the next time,