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Across several prisons in northern England, an innovative initiative is using scents to unlock memories and inspire new possibilities among inmates. Known as the Perfume Stories project, this program harnesses fragrance as a tool to stimulate reflection, creativity, and moments of hope within the confines of prison walls.
The experiences evoked by the project range widely: the scent of violin rosin, the atmosphere of a football changing room, or the smell of rosewater concealing a shipment of ketamine. These memories are not sparked by visuals or sounds but through the powerful sense of smell. Michael O’Shaughnessy, the illustrator behind the project, explains the process: “It starts with a very simple premise. They smell a perfume, and I ask what it reminds them of. It can stop them in their tracks. Sometimes it’s like a light going on.” His sessions, held in prisons across northern England, use a carefully curated mix of classic French perfumes alongside custom blends created with a perfumier, offering participants a brief mental escape and a glimpse of redemption through recollection.
Originally developed in O’Shaughnessy’s illustration classes at Liverpool John Moores University, the method uses scent to awaken childhood memories and inspire storytelling, particularly aiding students who might struggle with conventional learning techniques. He describes it as “a multisensory approach to developing storytelling,” noting how scent serves as a “great leveller” that engages all students effectively. The idea gained new dimensions when introduced behind bars after Novus, a prison education provider, invited him to work with inmates. Despite initial concerns that participants might leave if disinterested, O’Shaughnessy found the approach successful, often opening sessions with a quote from Gabriel García Márquez’s *Love in the Time of Cholera* to set a tone of sensory exploration: “It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love.” He describes how these fragrances transport prisoners away from their present constraints to happier times and places from their past.
The workshops offer more than nostalgia—they serve as a gateway to learning and self-expression, encouraging participants to write and share their stories aloud. O’Shaughnessy remarks on the difficulty many men have with education but highlights how the project fosters valuable conversation, camaraderie, and confidence. Participants frequently recount positive memories, often centered around maternal figures or childhood experiences such as playing with a grandmother’s beauty products or enjoying treats from a local shop. Feedback includes descriptions like “mental escapism,” “positive experience,” and colloquially, “It was boss.” Despite obstacles such as noise, disruptions, and shifting prison populations, the innovation has been embraced, with prison staff sometimes attending sessions to understand the method better.
Expanding beyond its initial setting at HMP Liverpool, Perfume Stories has grown to other prisons in the northwest, partnering with Lancashire-based perfume manufacturer Caravansons to produce custom scent kits and training prison staff in the northeast to lead workshops themselves. This approach has even inspired related vocational training programs in cookery
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