"Aromas can enhance your mood and change your behavior," says Danielle Fleming, a fragrance expert and founder of Note Fragrances. "Fragrance plays a huge role in how you feel and has the ability to elicit a range or emotions from feeling confident to sexy, happy, relaxed and more." According to one study, 90 percent of women surveyed (ranging from teenagers and up) said they feel more confident when wearing a fragrance compared to when they aren't. That's because your olfactory system (aka your sense of smell) is directly connected to the limbic system, a primitive part of the brain responsible for interpreting memories and emotions.

Fragrance plays a huge role in how you feel."

However, there isn't a one-size-fits all confidence-boosting eau. Here's why: "From a physiological perspective, it's about how you connect to a scent on an emotional level," explains Fleming. And how that plays out is two-fold. The first is how you code the aroma in your brain. Meaning when you smell a fragrance, your brain quickly interprets if it as a pleasant or unpleasant odor (think skunk or rose) and those associations typically reign true for your entire life. The second is how you emotionally connect to an aroma. "How we feel about certain scents goes back to when we are first exposed to it in our early childhood," says Fleming. "As scientists, we believe that you're born with a clean slate in terms of scent preferences but you gain your preference by your first exposure to it or the experience occurring when you first smell it." And it's this aspect that creates the fragrance and confidence connection. Think about it: if a certain perfume makes you feel amazing whenever you wear it (may be it was the aroma you had on when you rocked a work presentation or grabbed the attention of a date), then in turn, your brain will forever connect it to being all that. "When you put on a fragrance that you connect to positively, it can instantly make you feel confident and in a great positive mood—I see clients literally light up, stand a little taller and have a smile on their face when it happens," says Fleming.

"When you put on a fragrance that you connect to positively, it can instantly make you feel confident."

So, how can you know which fragrance will make you feel like you can conquer the world? First, trust your gut and find a scent you love the smell of, says Fleming. "Perfume is really instinctual, which is why perfumers say to smell with your brain, not your nose—your brain works hard to decipher all of this for you and tells you pretty quickly Yeah, I like it or No, I don't." But Fleming does offer this confidence-boosting cheat sheet. If you naturally tend to be more of an extrovert, look to floral orientals and gourmand notes to "push the boundaries a little bit," she says. (Try an all-over scent such as Caress Mystique Forever Body Wash, which can last up to 12-hours on skin, or a classic eau such as Mugler Alien Eau de Parfum Spray.) If you're more of an introvert, "you want a scent that will make you feel confident but won't draw too much overt attention to yourself," says Fleming, who suggests fresh, clean, aquatic-based fragrances perhaps with a hint of sparkly citrus notes. (Try a perfumed body lotions like Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Body Moisturizer or a light scent such as Marc Jacobs Cucumber.) Next, simply wear your fragrance of choice whenever you want to bring your A-Game. And just like that, it will become your confidence-boosting scent.