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Jenny Mathiasson

As I break out my 1990s scented letter writing paper and marvel at its still strong scent, I find myself wondering:

Does anyone out there know anything about the science behind scented stationery? ⚗️

Even better, do we know if it affects the long term preservation of the paper?

Boost for reach! :boost_ok:

@curatedjenny I have no specific knowledge to the industry, just chemistry in general.

By and large, scents are volatile oils that your nose is extremely sensitive to. It may not take much. They may be reasonably well sealed in a stack of paper, but I’d expect some loss, particularly on the outer sheets and edges. But, again, depending on the scent, your nose may be extremely sensitive.

@curatedjenny The nostalgia! Did the scented paper yellow by now? Because some of my books printed in the 90ties have yellow pages now. If not it might be a good sign that it'll last indeed.

@LanaArts Amazingly no, it looks as crisp as ever! It can't be high quality paper so that's a pleasant but baffling surprise.

@curatedjenny Maybe it'll be safe then? I mean it's 30 years already, it's a good time for paper.