The Quest for Long Lost Scents

"For a year I bought up every bottle I could find, and in the end probably collected about 50. The stash lasted me a decade, until 2002, when I had only a half bottle left. I stowed it at the back of my closet, to be opened only when I really needed to remember what my twenties smelled like. In the last few months, I’d been taking out that old, now discolouring, bottle more and more often. On a few nights I wore the ancient skin cream as if it was the most precious lace. It still smelled fine, a bit weak and baking soda-ish, but still nice, although the lotion had separated and quite frankly I felt like a weirdo slathering the stuff on. So we’ll leave the psychological analysis of what my renewed interest in a 19-yearold baby lotion says about my current state of mind for a different day. Best to tell you instead that this week I am in New York City, and I brought the bottle with me, and I have made a hobby of stealing out at lunchtime to various perfume shops, intent on replicating its contents".

Thus describes Mireille Silcoff her memories-loaded baby lotion by Johnson's & Johnson's in an article named "Smell is the Nearest Thing we Have To Bottled Time Travel" at The Ampersand on the National Post. The article includes a New York City touring of perfumeries, such as Aedes de Venustas and CB I Hate Perfume.
The piece will ring several bells for anyone who has stockpiled perfume in a spree to curtail possible shortage and will have you reminiscing about formative smells in your own past. Highly recommended reading.

thanks to 5oaks on POL for bringing it to my attention