Abstract
In order to assess the possible skin temperature change in humans induced by smelling a fragrant compound, we continuously recorded the temperature changes with a multi-channel skin thermometer of subjects inhaling the fragrance of essential oils. The body temperature is recognized to be elevated slightly during emotional excitement, and a distinctive feature of fragrance is the genesis of emotions. Sensors were affixed to the tips of the left fingers and the left palm of each subject and the obtained data were stored every 15 s by a personal computer connected to the skin thermometer. The skin temperature curve was then plotted from an arithmetic summation of the data from each channel.
The essential oils examined in this study were those of basil and peppermint, as a previously conducted sensory test had indicated the opposite effect of these essential oils when mental work was undertaken; the inhalation of basil produced a more favorable impression after work than before work, whereas peppermint produced an unfavorable impression under these circumstances. The multichannel skin thermometric measurements indicated an elevation of skin temperature with the inhalation of basil after mental work rather than before work, while no such temperature change was apparent in the case of peppermint.
