為什麼同一瓶香水在不同人身上有不同味道？ Why Perfumes’ Scents Change on Different People

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文章主講 Wesley

Perhaps the following scenario is familiar to you: You smell a certain fragrance on one of your friends or colleagues. (F)The smell is wondrous to you, and you ask your friend or colleague what brand they are wearing so you may purchase it later. However, upon applying said fragrance to your own skin, you are disappointed to find its scent is suddenly not so fabulous.

也許以下的場景你很熟悉：你在一位朋友或同事身上聞到某種香水。你覺得這種氣味極棒，你便詢問朋友或同事他們所擦的香水品牌，以便你之後可能去購買。但是，將前面提到的香水塗在自己的皮膚上後，你很失望地發現它的香氣突然變得沒那麼好聞。

延伸學習｜各種「氣味」的英文怎麼說？

1. smell 為表示「氣味」的中性詞，沒有特別指香味或臭味。
2. perfume [ ˈpɝfjum ] 指香水或香味，尤指由花精中所散發的香味。
3. scent [ sɛnt ] 常指天然或人造的淡淡幽香，亦可指香水。
4. fragrance [ ˈfregrəns ] 可指香水或各種愉悅、甜美的香味，通常指花香。
5. odor [ ˈodɚ ] 在本文中指「人體的自然氣味」，但一般常用來指讓人感到不愉快的氣味，或是對某些人來說獨特的氣味。
6. aroma [ əˈromə ] 除了形容植物清香之外，還常用來指合成香料或食物的香味。
7. stink [ stɪŋk ] 指惡臭或難聞的氣味。

Although the concept of a fragrance smelling different on the skin of two different people may seem bizarre to some, it is actually something well known in the perfume industry. (E)As detailed below, there are multiple reasons why perfumes take on different scents when used by different people.

儘管同一種香水在兩個人的皮膚上聞起來不一樣的概念對某些人來說似乎很古怪，但實際上這在香水業是眾所周知。如下文所詳細描述的，香水用在不同人的身上時會呈現出不同的氣味有許多種原因。

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First, the word “perfume” is most commonly used to describe fragrances for the skin; however, it can also refer to other fragrant substances. (A)A great example is herbs and spices, which can be considered “edible perfumes.” Eating herbs and spices affects your natural odor, which in turn influences any additional scents you apply to your body. Also, people’s hormone levels fluctuate throughout their lives. (C)One example is estrogen; when an individual’s estrogen level is low, they tend to sweat more. This also affects that individual’s natural odor and thus their perfume’s odor. Lastly, some people have a neutral skin type, meaning their skin is neither very oily nor very dry. For such people, the scent of an applied perfume may seem largely unchanged. (D)By contrast, very oily or very dry skin can accentuate or mask certain ingredients in perfumes. Naturally, this alters a perfume’s aroma.

首先，perfume 一詞最常用來描述用於皮膚的香水；然而，它也可以指其他芳香物質。香草植物和香料就是很棒的例子，它們可以被視為「可食用的 perfume」。吃香草植物和香料會影響人體的自然氣味，進而影響你另外塗抹於身體的任何香水。而且，人的荷爾蒙水平在其一生中都會波動。一個例子是雌激素；當一個人的雌激素處於低水平時，他們往往比較會流汗。這也會影響這個人的自然氣味，因而影響其塗抹在身上的香水氣味。最後，有些人是中性肌膚的類型，意味著他們的皮膚既不會非常油膩也不會非常乾燥。對於這樣的人來說，也許塗抹的香水氣味似乎不會有很大程度的變化。相比之下，非常油膩或非常乾燥的皮膚會加重或掩蓋掉香水中的某些成分。當然，這會改變香水的香味。

In summary, do not be surprised the next time a perfume’s scent changes when you wear it. Make sure to always try a perfume on your skin before purchasing it to learn how its scent will react to you.

總而言之，下次當你塗抹香水而香味改變時，不要驚訝。務必在購買香水前，先在你的皮膚上試香，以了解此香水的氣味會在你皮膚上會起什麼反應。

 

篇章結構測驗選項
(A) A great example is herbs and spices, which can be considered “edible perfumes.”
(B) The industry is developing scents that react to a person’s mood to address the problem.
(C) One example is estrogen; when an individual’s estrogen level is low, they tend to sweat more.
(D) By contrast, very oily or very dry skin can accentuate or mask certain ingredients in perfumes.
(E) As detailed below, there are multiple reasons why perfumes take on different scents when used by different people.
(F) The smell is wondrous to you, and you ask your friend or colleague what brand they are wearing so you may purchase it later.

 

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