Air care and snacking: There might not be a more fitting F&F pair in the time of COVID-19. As American life has shifted away from the office, restaurants and other public-facing places—and into the home—the domestic sphere has become the center of the universe: where we work, where we learn and, thanks to technology, where we shop.
Yet it is still the place we go to recharge and to break bread with our families, to escape from whatever is happening on the other side of the front door. To maintain that feeling among all the stressors that have found their way inside our dwellings, people turn to food and fragrance. In this issue, Eddie Bulliqi takes a look at the resurgence of “comfort” snack foods—everything from chocolate to Eggo waffles—in the time of COVID-19, which serve as a reminder of simpler times and, in some ways, fly in the face of the better-for-you movement that has dominated food and beverage over the last several years (page 36).
Amy Marks-McGee provides a deep dive into the smells wafting through homes around the world via candles, diffusers and more (page 22), while associate editor Alex Mackenzie looks into the fragrances consumers flock to in the name of self-care (page 54).
One day, however, we will have to strike back out into the world—and when we do, we will likely be a bit more apprehensive to get as touchy-feely with our surroundings as we were before lockdown. Olivia Jezler offers a look at the fragrance innovations that harness technology to make experiencing scents safer but just as effective (page 48).
Because, of course, we cannot stay holed up in our homes forever, nor would we want to. But until “the new normal” safely sets in, we can light a few candles, unwrap a bar of chocolate and take in the world from the comfort of our living rooms. After all, there is no place like home.
Best,
D. Eden Stuart
Associate Managing Editor
