Dawn and Samantha Goldworm, founders and sisters, have combined their expertise in perfumery and consumer insights to try and liberate, heal and bring joy through the emotional power of scent with their new brand, Scent for Good. Scent for Good is a multi-faceted company founded on its shared belief in community, compassion, and care to change the culture around health from everyday luxuries to manage experiences.
As a professional nose and olfactive expert, Dawn Goldworm has dedicated the past twenty years of her life to learning the craft of perfumery, the insights behind consumer behavior, and the neuroscience responsible for our sense of smell. All of this expertise led her to create Scent for Good. A company designed to use essential oil formulations to protect, heal and spark joy. She has worked with the biggest names and brands globally and now yearns to extend her passion and commitment to her community and humankind.
Throughout her career as a Consumer Insights Global Market Lead, Samantha Goldworm found success by asking, “Why consumers act, buy, engage and trust,” in brands. Working with Fortune 500’s most profitable brands (L’Oréal, American Express, Unilever, Kraft) and then founding 12.29, the premier olfactive branding company, she learned how to engage brand loyalty using all of our senses. Today, with a continued passion for consumer research and a stark realization that while she can assist brands towards customer loyalty, she would rather help companies do good in the world, she is fulfilling her desire to create more care, compassion, and community with Scent for Good.
“Scent for Good was born mid pandemic,” said Samantha. “We felt the strong calling to serve humanity. We’ve been working with smell and emotion to change lives for years. Through the luxury experience, we decided to use these skills and make people feel better when they need them most. Scent for Good transforms feelings of anxiety, fear, and discomfort-into moments of safety, comfort, and wellness. With our expertise in perfumery and consumer insights, we hope to liberate, heal & bring joy through the emotional power of scent.”
This includes their new children’s book, The Smell of a Rainbow, written by Dawn. Almost everyone associates the same colors and feelings with certain smells. The Smell of a Rainbow is a scented and shaped board children’s book. The book features seven exclusive scents and fun familiar colors written and created by a sought-after fragrance designers. Dawn Goldworm is an internationally recognized olfactive expert and Nose behind successful fragrances for Lady Gaga, Nike, Valentino, Fendi, Ritz Carlton, Cadillac, and many more. Her perfumery expertise results from years of training and her work at Avon and Coty Beauty.
The Connection between Scents and Autism
As per Dawn Goldworm, “Children especially use color to express themselves during the pre-schematic … DAWN AND SAMANTHA GOLDWORM
People with autism use different brain regions than typical people do to distinguish between the scents of familiar and unfamiliar individuals. According to a study at the 2018 International Society for Autism Research annual meeting in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, they also use more of their brain to detect odors.
One example was research done in 2017 that found that men with autism respond differently than neurotypical men to sweat from skydivers, which may emit the ‘scent of fear.’ Previous research has found that some people with autism are sensitive to certain scents and inhale differently from most people.
“Color is a universal and fundamental part of the human sensory condition,” Dawn explained. “Through my primary research in color and odor, I know that a strong link between color, smell, and emotion exists in the brain and is used to guide behavior. Children especially use color to express themselves during the pre-schematic stage of development, roughly between 4-7 years of age. However, we know that children with autism tend to have vision problems, thus commonly making it difficult to choose a color for expression either in art therapy or simply drawing. My hypothesis is if children with autism are given scented color tools, such as scented markers, that have the same odor and emotional connection. Through this additional layer of olfactive understanding, the child can express their feelings.”
When asked what prompted her to write a book focused on colors, feelings, and smells, Dawn responded, “The part of our brain responsible for the odor, emotion, and memory is the limbic system. Together, these three neuro responses provide a foundation for understanding our environment and the world around us throughout most of our childhood. Because the formation of this trifecta predates birth, our sense of smell, ability to feel, and memory storage is fully formed during the third-trimester invitro. Our capacity to process and use language comes years later; we cannot communicate these experiences. However, color is also experienced in the amygdala and hippocampus, the two parts of the brain responsible for emotion and memory in the limbic system. Thus, color naturally becomes the language of odor. The opportunity to educate children with this language from a young age can help in emotional communication, understanding, and development as they grow.”
Dawn also shared that all children should have the tools to express themselves. According to the National Autism Association, 40% of autistic children are non-verbal. While smell might seem strange as a tool for communication, Dawn stresses that part of their mission is to give children access to education and the capacity for emotional connection and understanding. This includes all of the senses.
“The book is a platform for understanding color, emotion, and smell, fun, colorful, and positive,” Dawn adds. “Through The Smell of a Rainbow, I hope it brings kids, families, educators, and caregivers moments of learning, understanding, and joy.”
Paying it Forward
Dawn and Samantha Goldworm, founders and sisters, have combined their expertise in perfumery and…DAWN AND SAMANTHA GOLDWORM
Scent for Good is also doing its part to benefit future generations. With their powerful belief in community, humanity, and love, they have partnered with the Lower Eastside Girls Club. This independent, community-based organization connects girls and gender non-conforming youth to healthy and successful futures. In 2020, they expanded their core mission and service population with the new Center for Wellbeing and Happiness.
“Girls are disproportionately affected by global change, whether pandemics, wars, natural disasters, etc.,” Samantha said. “They are the first to be taken out of school and miss their education. Scent for Good partners and gives back to organizations that empower girls through access and education. The Lower East Girls Club connects girls and non-conforming youth to healthy and successful futures while building a more equitable future.”
The team is also launching a foundation to provide federally funded hospitals and other places of care access to Scent for Good services helping to ease pain through scent in these institutions.
“We are committed to changing the culture around health through community, compassion, and care,” Samantha shared. “In addition to working with healthcare spaces to change the emotional experience through scent, we are also donating The Smell of a Rainbow to many children’s hospitals, healthcare foundations, and schools.” Next year, Scent for Good will also partner with Voice in Sport (VIS) to continue to support girls and empowerment.
Currently, The Smell of a Rainbow is available at all major bookstores and online.
Source: How A Children’s Book Offers Scent As A Resources For Autistic Children
