There’s something I hear a lot in the studio. Someone will pick up a candle, have a sniff and just go quiet for a second. Then they’ll say something like “oh, that smells like my nan’s house” or “that smells like bonfire night.” It happens more than you’d think and it’s one of my favourite parts of the job, watching a fragrance take someone somewhere before they’ve even said a word.

Fragrance travels straight to the part of your brain that handles memory and emotion, more so than any of your other senses. That’s why a single breath of clove, amber or woodsmoke can drop you straight back into a favourite kitchen or a walk through the woods, before you’ve worked out why. Autumn fragrances seem especially good at this.

We think about that a lot when we’re putting a new fragrance together, not just what it smells like, but what it might remind someone of. Here are a few from the current collection that seem to do exactly that.

Autumn Fruits – Blackcurrant, Raspberry & Fig

This is the one that smells like the first proper day of autumn. When leaves just start to turn gold and drift down, that crunch underfoot on a walk with the crisp air. There’s a hint of cedarwood and pine underneath the fruit that stops it feeling too sweet, so it’s got real depth to it. Light it after a walk like that, when you’ve come in with cold hands and pink cheeks and it’s hard not to feel completely content.

Available as a candle, wax melt and hand & body wash and lotion.

Fireside – Guaicwood, Amber & Cedarwood (Limited Edition)

Bonfire night, basically, bottled. This one took us three years to get right. It’s built around that unmistakable smell of woodsmoke, the kind you get standing by a log burner or round a bonfire on a cold night. It’s a proper deep, warming fragrance. It’s limited edition, so once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Available as a candle only.

Pomegranate Delight – Pomegranate, Plum, Cedarwood, Musk & Leather

This one’s a bit different. It’s a bit richer, moodier the sort of fragrance that suits a dark evening with the curtains drawn and nowhere to be. Pomegranate and plum give it a deep fruitiness, but the cedarwood, musk and leather underneath pull it somewhere much cosier and more grown-up. Available as a candle, reed diffuser, wax melt, and hand & body wash and lotion.

So what’s yours? The fragrance that catches you off guard and takes you straight back somewhere, no warning at all. If you fancy finding your own “memory fragrance,” pop into the studio at the Ferrers Centre.