Can Smelling Certain Scents Curb Food Cravings? What Research Shows About Smell and Appetite

Can smelling certain scents curb food cravings? Possibly, briefly. In small laboratory studies, sniffing a neutral or non-food scent such as jasmine reduced self-reported cravings for chocolate and other desired foods, likely by distracting the brain’s limited capacity to imagine food. Stronger food aroma while eating also led people to eat about 9 percent less soup in one study. No long-term trials show that scents alone cause weight loss.

Smell is closely tied to appetite. The aroma of fresh bread or frying onions can make people hungry within seconds, and losing the sense of smell often makes food seem bland and changes how much people eat. This connection has inspired products and tips promising that sniffing peppermint, vanilla, or other scents can tame cravings and help with weight control. Some of these ideas have a basis in research, but the studies are small, short, and done in laboratories. This article explains how smell influences eating, what experiments show about using aromas to curb cravings or eat less, and how to apply the findings realistically.

How Does Smell Affect Appetite?

Smell works in two ways during eating. Orthonasal smell happens when you sniff odors through the nostrils, such as the aroma drifting from a kitchen, and it mainly signals what food is nearby. Retronasal smell happens when aromas from food in your mouth travel up the back of the throat to the nose while chewing, and it accounts for much of what people call flavor. A 2017 review in Perception by Sanne Boesveldt and Kees de Graaf concluded that smell mainly plays a priming role: exposure to a food odor increases appetite specifically for that food, while its influence on choice and total intake is less clear and may depend on awareness, odor intensity, and individual traits. Taste and texture, by contrast, play larger roles in how fast people eat and when they feel full.

Do Food Smells Make People Eat More?

Not as reliably as many assume. A 2014 study in Physiology & Behavior by Harriet Zoon and colleagues exposed 50 women, half overweight and half normal weight, to ambient odors signaling high-energy foods, low-energy foods, or non-food items, both when hungry and when full. Hunger strongly increased how much they ate and their preference for high-energy foods, but the odors themselves did not change energy intake or food preference. The authors suggested that context, exposure duration, and the type of food available may determine whether food smells trigger overeating in real life, such as in malls or bakeries where scents are pumped out to attract customers.

Can Sniffing a Scent Reduce Cravings?

Small studies suggest it can, at least for a short time. A 2012 study in Appetite by Eva Kemps and colleagues induced chocolate cravings in 67 women by showing them photographs of chocolate, then asked them to smell green apple, jasmine, or water. Jasmine, a non-food odor, significantly reduced chocolate cravings compared with both the food odor and water. A 2013 follow-up in Addictive Behaviors by Kemps and Tiggemann found that smelling a neutral, unfamiliar odor reduced cravings for highly desired foods compared with an auditory task or no task, and a second experiment replicated the effect for chocolate. The researchers explained the results through competition for limited mental resources: cravings involve vivid imagery of food, and focusing on an unrelated smell occupies some of the same mental capacity.

Can More Aroma While Eating Help You Eat Less?

Possibly. A 2014 study in the British Journal of Nutrition by Marielle Ramaekers and colleagues had 38 healthy women eat a bland soup base while tomato soup aroma was delivered through a tube into the back of the nose, simulating the experience of eating tomato soup. With each sip, the researchers varied how long and how strongly the aroma was released. When aroma exposure was longest and most concentrated, the women ate about 9 percent less soup before feeling comfortably full than in the other conditions. This suggests that foods releasing more aroma per bite, or eating in ways that increase aroma exposure, such as chewing longer, may help people feel satisfied with smaller portions. The effect has not been tested over weeks or months.

Why Would Distraction Reduce Cravings?

Psychologists describe food cravings as more than hunger: they involve a desire for a specific food, often accompanied by vivid mental images of its taste, smell, and texture. Because the brain can only hold so much in working memory at once, tasks that compete for the same mental resources can weaken craving imagery. Studies have found similar effects from visual tasks, such as watching a flickering pattern or playing a simple puzzle game, and from imagining non-food scenes. Smelling an unrelated odor appears to work the same way. This explains why the effect is usually short-lived: once attention returns to the food, cravings can come back unless the person moves on to another activity.

What About Peppermint, Vanilla, and Other Popular Scents?

These are widely promoted, but evidence is thin. Claims that sniffing peppermint suppresses appetite or that vanilla reduces sweet cravings come mostly from small, older studies, company-sponsored research, or anecdote, and results have been inconsistent. The craving studies above suggest the specific scent may matter less than whether it is unrelated to food and engaging enough to hold attention briefly. A pleasant non-food scent you enjoy, such as jasmine, lavender, or eucalyptus, may work as well as any other. Food-related scents, such as vanilla or fruit, could in theory strengthen cravings for related foods, which is one reason the green apple scent did not help in the 2012 study.

What Happens to Appetite When People Lose Their Sense of Smell?

Effects vary. Loss of smell, which can follow viral infections including COVID-19, head injury, sinus disease, or aging, often makes food taste flat because much of flavor depends on retronasal smell. Some people eat less and lose weight because food is less enjoyable, while others add more salt, sugar, or fat to compensate. A 2006 review in Physiology & Behavior by Nicholas Hays and Susan Roberts listed changes in taste and smell among the physiological contributors to the reduced appetite and food intake common in older adults, alongside social, psychological, and medical factors. For older people at risk of undernutrition, enhancing aroma and flavor with herbs and spices can make meals more appealing.

How Can You Use Smell to Manage Cravings?

A few practical strategies draw on this research. When a craving hits, smell a non-food scent you like for a minute, such as a small bottle of essential oil, a scented hand cream, or fresh herbs, and then shift to another activity. Brush your teeth after dinner; the mint flavor signals the end of eating for many people. During meals, choose aromatic foods, chew slowly, and pause between bites, which increases retronasal aroma and may help you feel satisfied sooner. Use herbs, spices, citrus zest, and garlic to boost flavor so you need less sugar, salt, or fat. Reduce exposure to tempting food smells when possible, for example by avoiding the bakery aisle when hungry.

Why Do Taste and Texture Matter More for Portion Size?

According to the 2017 review by Boesveldt and de Graaf, taste and texture largely determine how quickly people eat, and eating rate strongly affects how much they eat before feeling full. Foods that require more chewing, such as whole fruits, vegetables, and less processed grains, slow eating and give fullness signals time to catch up. Soft, easy-to-swallow, highly flavored foods allow large amounts to be eaten quickly. This helps explain why ultra-processed snacks are easy to overeat. Choosing foods with more texture, taking smaller bites, and putting utensils down between bites are practical ways to use these findings.

Do Stores Use Scent to Influence Shoppers?

Many do. Bakeries, coffee shops, cinemas, and some supermarkets deliberately release food aromas near entrances, and retailers use scent marketing to create pleasant atmospheres that encourage browsing. Research on how much these scents change purchases is mixed, but the practice reflects the priming role of smell described above. Being aware of this can help: shopping after eating, using a list, and avoiding lingering near bakery counters or food courts when hungry reduce the chance that an aroma turns into an unplanned purchase.

Is Using Essential Oils for Cravings Safe?

Briefly sniffing a scent is generally safe, but essential oils deserve some care. Undiluted oils can irritate skin and eyes, some people develop allergies to oils such as lavender and tea tree, and strong scents can trigger headaches or breathing symptoms in people with asthma or migraine. Several essential oils are toxic to cats and other pets when diffused heavily or applied to fur. Oils should never be swallowed unless directed by a professional. Our article on organic and natural skincare discusses essential oil allergies in more detail. A simple alternative is smelling fresh herbs, coffee beans, or a scented candle you already like, while ventilating the room.

What Else Drives Food Cravings?

Cravings have many triggers beyond smell. Stress, boredom, and strong emotions often lead people toward sweet or salty comfort foods. Strict dieting that forbids favorite foods can intensify cravings for them. Seeing food, advertisements, or social media images can set off craving imagery. Poor sleep matters too: a 2004 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine by Karine Spiegel and colleagues found that when 12 healthy young men slept only four hours a night for two nights, their levels of the fullness hormone leptin fell by 18 percent, the hunger hormone ghrelin rose by 28 percent, and hunger and appetite rose by about a quarter, especially for calorie-dense, carbohydrate-rich foods. Addressing these underlying drivers usually does more than any single trick.

Which Strategies Have the Strongest Evidence for Controlling Appetite?

Several everyday habits have more support than scents. Eating enough protein helps people feel full; a 2015 review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition by Heather Leidy and colleagues concluded that higher-protein diets can improve appetite control and weight management, particularly when people stick with them. Fiber-rich foods such as vegetables, beans, and whole grains add bulk and slow digestion. Regular meals prevent extreme hunger that fuels cravings. Adequate sleep, stress management, and limiting ultra-processed foods also help. Scent-based distraction can be a useful extra tool for a moment of temptation, but it is not a substitute for these foundations.

How Do Craving Strategies Compare?

Strategy	Evidence	Best use
Sniffing a non-food scent	Small lab studies; short-term craving reduction	In-the-moment distraction
Visual or mental tasks	Lab studies show similar short-term effects	Distraction when scent is unavailable
Eating slowly, aromatic foods	Lab evidence of modestly lower intake	Every meal
Protein and fiber at meals	Reviews of trials support better appetite control	Daily eating pattern
Adequate sleep	Experiments link short sleep to more hunger	Long-term foundation

Can Smell Training Help People Who Have Lost Their Sense of Smell?

It may help some people recover. A 2009 study in The Laryngoscope by Thomas Hummel and colleagues asked 40 patients with smell loss to sniff four strong odors, rose, eucalyptus, lemon, and cloves, twice a day for 12 weeks, and compared them with 16 patients who did not train. Those who trained showed improved overall smell function compared with their starting point, while the untrained group did not. Smell training became widely used after COVID-19 left many people with lasting smell loss. Anyone with sudden or persistent smell loss should see a doctor, since it can sometimes signal other conditions, and smell training is typically recommended alongside medical evaluation.

How Long Does a Craving Last?

Many cravings rise and then fade within minutes if they are not acted on, especially when attention shifts elsewhere. This is why short distractions, such as smelling a scent, taking a walk, drinking water, or texting a friend, can be enough to let a craving pass. Some people practice noticing a craving without acting on it, observing how it builds and falls. When cravings are frequent and intense, it helps to look at patterns: skipping meals, poor sleep, stress, and keeping tempting foods within easy reach all make cravings more common.

When Should Someone Seek Professional Help?

Occasional cravings are normal. If eating feels out of control, cravings are tied to distress, or food and weight are causing significant worry, talking with a doctor, registered dietitian, or mental health professional is a better step than relying on tips like scent distraction. Support is available, and approaches tailored to the individual work better than general advice.

Common Myths

“Sniffing peppermint melts away pounds.” No trial shows scents alone cause weight loss.

“Food smells always make you overeat.” In a controlled study, ambient food odors did not change intake.

“Any scent works the same way.” Food-related scents may strengthen cravings for similar foods.

“Cravings mean your body needs a nutrient.” Most cravings reflect habit, emotion, and cues rather than deficiency.

“Losing your sense of smell always causes weight loss.” Some people eat less, while others add more salt, sugar, or fat.

Key Terms

Orthonasal smell: Smelling odors through the nostrils.

Retronasal smell: Smelling food aromas from the mouth via the back of the throat, central to flavor.

Food craving: An intense desire for a specific food.

Satiation: The process that ends a meal as fullness builds.

Working memory: The limited mental space used to hold and manipulate information, including craving imagery.

The Bottom Line

Smell strongly shapes appetite, mainly by priming desire for the food you smell. Small laboratory studies show that briefly sniffing a non-food scent such as jasmine can reduce cravings for chocolate and other favorite foods, likely by distracting the mind, and that stronger aroma while eating may help people eat somewhat less. These effects are short-term and have not been tested for weight loss. Scents are a cheap, harmless tool for a moment of temptation, but protein, fiber, regular meals, good sleep, and managing stress have stronger evidence for controlling appetite.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can smelling something stop a food craving?

Small studies suggest it can, briefly. In laboratory experiments, women who sniffed a non-food scent such as jasmine or a neutral unfamiliar odor reported weaker cravings for chocolate and other desired foods than those who smelled a food odor, water, or did another task. The effect likely comes from distraction and fades if attention returns to food.

Which scents reduce appetite?

Research does not identify a single best scent. Non-food odors such as jasmine reduced chocolate cravings in one study, while a green apple scent did not. Claims about peppermint or vanilla rest on limited evidence. A pleasant non-food scent you find engaging is a reasonable choice, used briefly before moving on to another activity.

Do food smells make you hungry?

Food odors increase appetite specifically for the food you smell, according to research reviews. However, a controlled study found ambient food odors did not change how much women ate or which foods they preferred, while being hungry had a large effect. Context, such as how hungry you are and what food is available, matters a lot.

Can aroma help you feel full sooner?

Possibly. In one study, delivering tomato soup aroma longer and more intensely with each sip led women to eat about 9 percent less soup before feeling comfortably full. Eating slowly, chewing thoroughly, and choosing flavorful, aromatic foods may increase this effect, though long-term results have not been tested.

Does losing your sense of smell affect weight?

It can, in either direction. Loss of smell makes food taste bland, so some people eat less and lose weight, while others add more salt, sugar, or fat to boost flavor. In older adults, declining smell is one contributor to reduced appetite. Herbs, spices, and varied textures can make food more enjoyable when smell is impaired.

References

1. Boesveldt S, de Graaf K. The differential role of smell and taste for eating behavior. Perception. 2017;46(3–4):307–319. PMID 28056650
2. Kemps E, Tiggemann M, Bettany S. Non-food odorants reduce chocolate cravings. Appetite. 2012;58(3):1087–1090. PMID 22407134
3. Kemps E, Tiggemann M. Olfactory stimulation curbs food cravings. Addictive Behaviors. 2013;38(2):1550–1554. PMID 22766488
4. Ramaekers MG, Luning PA, Ruijschop RM, et al. Aroma exposure time and aroma concentration in relation to satiation. British Journal of Nutrition. 2014;111(3):554–562. PMID 23981570
5. Zoon HF, He W, de Wijk RA, et al. Food preference and intake in response to ambient odours in overweight and normal-weight females. Physiology & Behavior. 2014;133:190–196. PMID 24880099
6. Hays NP, Roberts SB. The anorexia of aging in humans. Physiology & Behavior. 2006;88(3):257–266. PMID 16769094
7. Hummel T, Rissom K, Reden J, et al. Effects of olfactory training in patients with olfactory loss. Laryngoscope. 2009;119(3):496–499. PMID 19235739
8. Spiegel K, Tasali E, Penev P, et al. Sleep curtailment in healthy young men is associated with decreased leptin levels, elevated ghrelin levels, and increased hunger and appetite. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2004;141(11):846–850. PMID 15583226
9. Leidy HJ, Clifton PM, Astrup A, et al. The role of protein in weight loss and maintenance. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2015;101(6):1320S–1329S. PMID 25926512

Last updated: October 10, 2026