The Olfactory Project

𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐂𝐇 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐋𝐘 | 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐔𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚 𝐌𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬

Scents hold memories — this profound connection was brought to life during the first of the four Chemistry Youth Lectures of the Department of Chemistry, held on March 25 at Labrador Hall. The session, titled “Olfactory Influence: The Psychological Power of Fragrance Chemistry,” was led by Ms. Louise Erika Z. Vargas, RCh. The lecture served as a deep dive into the invisible molecules trapped inside a bottle and how they influence mood, emotions, and personal recollections.

Read more through the link in the comment section.

Written by: Sandra Santos
Photos by: Trinity Burns

RECAP ON OUR FIRST EVER UNIVERSITY WORKSHOP

✨ 𝐒𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 & 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: 𝐀 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠! 🧪

What a way to kick off MEOOWS 2026! Our first week of the College of Science Centennial Celebration started with a literal "scent-sation."

In the first day of the Chemistry Youth Lecture, "𝙊𝙡𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙄𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙨𝙮𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙮," by 𝑴𝒔. 𝑳𝒐𝒖𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝑬𝒓𝒊𝒌𝒂 𝑽𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒔, 𝑹.𝑪𝒉., took our visiting high school students on a deep dive into the world of aromas.

🧪 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧:
• 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭: Exploring how fragrance evolved from ancient rituals to a multi-billion-dollar industry.
• 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐦 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞): Breaking down the specific chemical compounds that trigger emotional responses in the brain.
• 𝐓𝐨𝐩, 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞, & 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞: A masterclass in perfume notes and how they harmonize over time.
• 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬-𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲: Students from various schools didn’t just listen, they got their hands on engaging experiments, creating their own olfactory profiles!

It was more than just a chemistry lesson; it was a look at how science shapes our moods, memories, and daily lives. We are so proud to share this centennial milestone with the next generation of scientists!

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue celebrating 100 years of scientific excellence! 🎓🔬

📸: Hazel Balermo and Ria Danika Umayan (UST Chemical Society)

Grateful to share my expertise in fragrance creation with UST Chemistry students and high school students from Ateneo Casa Famiglia yesterday 👩‍🔬

I've shared a short lecture and games with our attendees. Our high school students got the chance to create their own signature scents in the workshop. I'm beyond glad that these young scientists get their hands creative in creating scents.

I'm happy and still can't move on with the lecture and workshop we had yesterday. It's fun and fulfilling sharing all I know to the new generation of scientists and artists. This is an avenue for them to create a link between arts and sciences, learning and enjoying at the same time! 🧪⚛️

Thank you once again to my Alma Mater, University of Santo Tomas, to our dearest organization, UST Chemical Society, and of course the UST Chemistry Department. Such a wonderful experience for curious and artistic kids! 🩵🤍

We are so giddy to share our favorite hobby, fragrance blending, to everyone! 🩵

See you soon, our Alma Mater! ⚛️🧪

Glad that I was able to share my journey in the personal care industry, moreover on how I grew in this career as a cosmetic formulator and fragrance developer. The beauty industry is rapidly growing in the Philippines, specifically on skincare and fragrance. That's why this talk is so important to encourage our future chemists to create something beautiful not just beautifying themselves, but also understanding what really our skin, hair and body needs 🧴

So grateful to Adamson for having me as their speaker for The Professional Formula: A Chemistry Career Symposium 🧪⚛️

We've got news! Our Basic Candle-Making (for noobs & curious makers) Workshop is back again this 2026 on February 21 & 28 and March 21 & 28 💗 Bring your friends and bond over stories and fragrance!

Workshop is inclusive of candle-making kit (including your own-made candle), snacks and drinks. Training area can only accommodate 4 people per workshop time. Parking is limited, please inform us ahead of time.

Time slots may vary, but our standard schedule per day is 9-11am and 1-3pm. Your workshop date will be confirmed once 70% downpayment is settled.

Book your slots now! 🕯️We'll be opening more slots per month!

Lactonic Leather 🥛👞

Our client requested our Matcha Ivory to lean on a masculine side. We added thyme and a leather accords as desired. Came out good! 😌

On its first spray, it's matcha-milky-tea scent. However as it dries down, the leather quality sprawls out. Maybe a weird combination, but hey, turned out well (as for me) 😅

It's been a month we had our first workshop. Here's one of our student's creations.

For Good by Ayla: White Tea, Sandalwood and Lavender

A perfectly relaxing scent for a quiet and delicate atmosphere

We're opening classes for Q2 2026! Message us your preferred slot 🥰

315 candles for 🖤🤍

Grateful for considering us and trusting in our craft. We appreciate it so much 🥺

We are now accepting orders for February 2026 onwards, everyone! We'll take a short break in accepting orders from December 30, 2025 to January 31, 2026 🩵

For orders placed before December 30, we'll still push thru in making your souvenirs, don't worry! 😉

Advanced happy holidays to all! 🎄🎅

Reed Diffusers for Ms. Jessieca 🩵