another study done in london hospitals, showed that mother were more sucessful in identifying the small recieving blankets their babies had been wrapped in (sans baby!) then they were identifying photo's of their newborns.

mother's know what their babies smell like, even when they have been taken from them, minutes after birth, and washed!

likewise, its rather common, as kids reach sexual maturity to find that parents think they smell rank. My daughter's father made a comment about body odor that sent her into a shower frenzy (2 or more showers a day!)--only i never noticed it. but i used to think my son as teen age stunk- his room and clothes seem rank and no else in the family noticed! i think this too is part of a natural selection against insest. the same body odor that once was so appealing (in an infant) becomes repellent when kids are teens.

as for whether different brands of perfumes are better (is J-Lo( offical) brand better than the Jay-Lo (copy-cat) brand
--that depends on the perfumes/scents.
the chemical fixatives in more expensive perfumes are often better, and the choices used to create a mix are sometimes better.

all perfumes fade, and many change as they fade during the day. some compound are voilital, some longer lasting. some start out great, and fade to nothing , others fade to something so different, they become un appealing.

i tend to like spicy, woodsy scents. most woman dislike sandlewood, or clove, i rather like them. but once in while i like a single note floral scent like lily of the valley.