Why are “good smells” like perfume or flowers more likely to fade quickly than “bad smells” like smoke and rotting food?

Question

Why are “good smells” like perfume or flowers more likely to fade quickly than “bad smells” like smoke and rotting food?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

This is based on a false assumption. If you had a field of flowers beside you, the smell would not fade quickly.

Comparing perfume with rotting food is not a fair comparison. It would be better to compare perfume from the smell of smoke that you get when you put out a candle. They both make a scent in the air, but they both fade over time.

This is because they dilute into the air until they drop below a point where you can detect them.