Charles Jensen | Writer

When I was in college, Gap started selling its first four fragrances: Om, Earth, Day, and Grass. They were strange smells, really—Earth was, well, earthy; Day was bright and citrusy; Om was sweet and spicy; and Grass smelled like (yes), cut grass.

At the time, I fell in love with Om. It’s still one of my favorite smells. But Grass? I thought it was disgusting

I grew up in a small town, “the country” by most people’s standards, and the smell of cut grass was everywhere. I couldn’t bear it. And to put it in a bottle, I thought, was just crude.

After a few years, Gap stopped selling these four unisex fragrances and introduced an ever-changing array of scents for women. Of the original four, only Om was still sold, but only at Gap Outlet stores.

A couple weeks ago, I was at my neighborhood Gap Outlet and I saw it—a special gift set of Grass for the holidays. I couldn’t believe it. Why’d they bring it back?

But then I realized I craved the smell of cut grass. That anytime I smelled it in Arizona, my mood lightened. It was relaxing and comforting. It so odd how smell operates in the mind: what was so common was unnecessary, but what was rare and amnesiac: that was the real beauty.

I bought the Grass gift set for myself today (eau de toilette, body wash, and lotion). It smells so realistically like cut grass, it’s uncanny. I’m sitting here in a cloud of cut grass, in December, and I’m loving it.