International workspace company Spaces recently teamed up with Dutch lifestyle brand Marie-Stella-Maris to create ‘Spirit de Travail’ a fragrance that can allegedly boost productivity and make people feel more at ease in the workplace.

Productivity at work can be influenced by a variety of factors, of which smell is one of the least obvious. According to research done by Prof. Gary E. Schwartz from the University of Arizona, negative feelings like irritation, annoyance and stress can effectively be countered by fragrances that induce positive effects like happiness, relaxation and productivity. The findings of this study inspired Spaces, a company that specializes in building custom workspaces for businesses and professionals, to come up with a fragrance that both relaxes users and boosts their productivity.

Photo: Spaces

Spaces didn’t have any experience creating fragrances, so they teamed up with Marie-Stella-Maris, an Amsterdam-based lifestyle brand that sells luxurious care products and natural mineral water. A small percentage of every item Marie-Stella-Maris sells is donated to water projects all over the world, as the company is dedicated to making clean water available to everyone. It was this social mission that greatly influenced Spaces’ choice of a partner for their productivity-enhancing fragrance.

Called ‘Spirit de Travail’, the special smell created by Marie-Stella-Maris and Spaces consists of a combination of citrus notes from Calabrian bergamot and ingredients like cinnamon bark, vetiver, musk and sandal wood.

 

“The scent we created actually opens very fresh, so it energises you, but’s it’s also very warm so I think people will feel more at home when they work in Spaces,” Mieke van Engelen, sales manager at Marie-Stella-Maris, said. “A lot of people forget how important smell is, actually. It can really affect your mood, how you feel, and you don’t even notice it.”

Spirit de Travail will be used at all Spaces across the globe, but you don’t need to be working in a Spaces workspace to enjoy the benefits of this productivity-boosting fragrance. You can purchase it at any Spaces location, or at Marie-Stella-Maris stores and on their online store. Spirit de Travail is available as a 50ml roomspray (€15) or as a 240ml scent difuser (€39).