Scenting the Dawn of 2026
By Katharine MacDonald
It is one of the great ironies that the beginning of a new year, the time when one is supposed to stretch upwards and outwards, spring into action and be wildly productive, is the time when the outside world is tempting us to crawl into a ball. We wonder if we are working against our natural rhythms, ought to be following the pattern of the light and should indeed be hibernating like bears.
With the festive season behind us and the long slog of the tail end of January, February and the still dreich first days of March ahead, it can truly feel like Mr.Tumnus’s lament of “always winter, but never Christmas” and so easy to disappear into a fug. But wait! The strongest and yet simplest of arsenals can be found in unassuming little bottles that – like the genie within the lamp – contain a myriad of worlds and senses and hopes far belying their small size. A few drops in warm water, eyes closed, a couple of deep breaths and you are transported from the gloomiest environments into a phantasia of perfumes, a plane of possibilities and a world – and you – made new.
While summoning the imagination, the science behind the joys of a good bath is strong with our parasympathetic nervous system activated and scent the fastest hack to our memories. Smell conjures past images faster than taste, sight or sound as it bypasses the thalamus and goes straight to the hippocampus and amygdala, our emotional nerve centres. The delicious wafts of Proust’s madeleines fresh out of the oven would have brought his childhood to mind quicker than that famous tea-drenched mouthful.
Cinnamon, frankincense and the like, whilst wonderful at Christmas, can at this time of year feel too much like rummaging around the bottom of the recycling bin in the hopeful search of finding an overlooked chocolate Christmas tree decoration to snaffle in the throes of a new year diet sugar-craving frenzy. It smacks of trying to recapture past joys that belong to the previous season rather than embracing the invigorating opportunities of a fresh new page in the diary of one’s life.
Two magical concoctions are your strongest assets against the murk of winter: royal favourite (granted the warrant by King Charles last year) Olverum bath oil, has long been renowned for its truly alchemical properties, packing a punch far above the ingredients of its intricately and scientifically blended composition. Fir, eucalyptus and lavender are the main notes and it is a wonder potion indeed, soothing and reinvigorating in equal measure, making you feel ready to ride the rosy-fingered dawn of the new year, relaxed and reborn to face whatever the day may throw at you.
World domination (or a scintillating Powerpoint presentation) having been achieved, at the end of the day you can sink into the warming sensation of whisky with none of the hangover courtesy of Noble Isle’s Whisky and Water bath and shower gel. A brand that literally encapsulates all that is best of British heritage, craftmanship and native botanics, they have scoured the isles for the finest scents and produce to bring you stories from our rich history evoked by their wonderful potions with an impressive commitment to cruelty-free formulas and sustainability.
The Whisky and Water collection delivers all the comfort of a roaring log fire in a cedar library, with none of the particulate matter concerns. A sense of a day well accomplished and fresh inspiration for new mountains to conquer tomorrow will be your reward.
Don’t miss: Rosewood Courchevel Le Jardin Alpin has opened – The Sloaney
