Vanilla Dust

Ever Wonder Why Old Books Smell Good

Recently, I happened to wander down one of those candle aisles in Target, or Marshals, you know which I mean. And there it was - Old Books Scent. Curious, I checked the ingredients and it appeared to be some combination of soy and vanilla.

I mean, that DOES smell good, but what…?

So I checked. And I’ll be darned if it’s not true! I’m not a chemist, but Smithsonian Magazine hired a bunch of them to figure out just what it is that we love about the scent of wandering through an old book shop.

Vanilla. It’s really vanilla.

The Books at the NH Capitol Visitor Center don’t smell like Vanilla. Yet.

Turns out that lignin is present in all wood-based paper, a chemical closely related to vanillin. As books get old and break down, the lignin grants old books that faint vanilla scent.

A recent flavor survey of commercial ice cream flavors concluded that nearly 30 percent of the super market flavors use vanillin. Thus, we can conclude that the next time you crack open a carton of Ben and Jerry’s, odds are pretty good you’re smelling old books. And visa versa of course. Keep the licking to the ice cream though.