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Do you remember when you were a kid, and you did a good job in school, and your teacher gave you a sticker? Do you remember how excited you were when you realized you got a scratch-and-sniff sticker? It was always so fascinating that a piece of sticky paper could smell like fruit or candy or something else pleasant. Today, we’d like to answer your childhood question: why, exactly, do these stickers smell?
First, scented oil is blended with water and water-soluble polymer. Once the blending is completed, the microscopic droplets are combined with a chemical to make them insoluble in water and increase the weight of the polymer. The polymer encapsulates each individual droplet of oil.
The capsules are then cleaned and mixed with a water base and adhesive. This mixture is then applied to paper.
When you scratch a scratch-and-sniff item, you’re breaking those microcapsules and releasing the scented oils. When the oil molecules enter your nostrils, they stimulate receptors located on the olfactory sensory neurons in the back of the nose. Those neurons send messages to your brain, which identifies the smell.
If you are having difficulty smelling anything, not just scratch-and-sniff stickers, make an appointment with a CEENTA ENT doctor. They can discover the source and develop a treatment plan that best suits your needs to help you once again enjoy those pizza-, banana-, and cotton candy-scented stickers of your childhood.
This blog is for informational purposes only. For specific medical questions, please consult your doctor.
If you've been struggling with a stuffy nose, learn more about chronic nasal obstruction with ENT specialist FP Jons Langford, MD.
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