Primary School Chic Is Back & You're Gonna NEED This '00s Beauty Staple In Your Life

The human sense of smell is a powerful thing. It can help identify danger or bring back childhood memories, as well as a ton of other things, and olfaction (as it's known in the scientific world) is now being pushed into the beauty industry in a big way. Yes, the best scented make-up from your primary school days is making a comeback.

Forget glittery lip glosses and sickeningly sweet eyeshadows. These innovative new products are way more grown-up. For example, L'Oreal has finally brought its chocolate-scented lipstick range over to the UK. Comprised of 12 nude shades, the beauty brand may have put us Brits behind Americans in getting our hands on the product, but that means that plenty of reviews have already been posted so you won't have to waste your money on a dud item.

As always, L'Oreal has delivered with social media confirming that the brand's liquid lipsticks are good enough to eat. One person even described them as smelling "like chocolate icing" if you're keen to know what level of goodness to expect.

L'Oreal is only the latest name to get on board with the trend. While many of the previous scented offerings have been strictly U.S.-based (boo), more and more brands are bringing perfumed goods to UK shores. There's Too Faced's line which spans peanut butter, peach, and, yes, more chocolate. Maybelline's range is decidedly summery with mascara smelling of coconut and eyeshadow hinting at the scent of freshly made lemonade.

But why are we so fascinated with scented stuff? Think about it. One whiff of a random person's perfume and you might be transported back to days spent with your nan. Scents have the power to remind you of family, home, and times when you felt secure. There's even a proven link between smell and memory. The most notable study, published in Neuropsychologia in 2004, examined the two and found that smelling a recognisable scent resulted in greater brain activity.

Dove's skincare research and development manager, Katherine Frizoni, explained the connection pretty well, telling The Telegraph:

“Our sense of smell is the most evocative sense but it is often overlooked because we rely so much on what we see and what we hear. We very rarely think about what we smell. But actually when you smell something it brings back a memory much quicker than any of your other senses can. It is immediate. The olfactory bulb is part of the brain’s limbic system, which is really closely associated with memory.”

So it makes sense that the beauty industry is trying to capitalise on this sense of security. By infusing make-up with scents of widely-loved things, beauty brands are hoping that those positive memories will encourage you to buy, buy, buy.

I, for one, am sold. Here are all of the scented make-up items that you can get your hands on right now. If this trend has any longevity, stay tuned for many many more.