Voice of the Plant: Cannabis terpenes lead by the nose to wellness and beauty

Mario Guzman and Victorine Deych (courtesy photo)

 (This is the second installment in a regular column from “Voice of the Plant” in collaboration with MJBizDaily.)

The first time I experienced cannabis, I didn’t see it or smoke it.

I smelled it.

Growing up in New York City, the smell of cannabis drifted through the background of everyday life, unmistakable and layered. Even before I had the language to describe what I was experiencing, I knew not all cannabis smelled the same.

Some were bright and citrus-forward, others were soft, floral, or musky. And I just knew I was drawn to certain profiles more than others.

Looking back, that was my first real understanding of the plant — not through consumption, but through scent.

I was drawn to it.

Cannabis’ path to wellness starts with aromatics

As a young businesswoman, in 2015 I opened a wellness variety store and began selling CBD tinctures when cannabis-related products were still relatively taboo.

There was no clear blueprint for how cannabis fit into wellness at that time, but I could see the overlap. People were already reaching for plant-based alternatives. They just lacked accessible or trusted entry points.

My entry point was always aromatics.

With a heightened sense of smell and a desire to create things that were not only beautiful but beneficial, I began studying seriously. That path took me far beyond cannabis.

I sought out generational medicine practitioners in East Africa and the southeast United States, learning how plants were used generations before they were commercialized.

I completed certifications in aromatherapy and natural perfumery, building a foundation rooted in both tradition and formulation.

Cannabis was always part of that exploration—but I became increasingly focused on how to translate it into everyday experiences.

I became obsessed.

How are cannabis terpenes personal?

Terpenes are natural aromatic compounds found throughout nature — in fruits, herbs, flowers, trees and even some insects — responsible for the distinct smells and flavors we associate with things like citrus, pine, or lavender.

Cannabis is one of many terpene-rich plants, but what makes it unique is how those terpenes interact with cannabinoids to shape not just aroma and taste, but the overall experience and effect.

Terpenes are often treated as secondary compounds in cannabis, reduced to flavor notes or marketing language. But in practice, they are one of the most defining elements of the plant. They influence experience and create distinctions between cultivars that go far beyond THC percentages.

They’re also deeply personal.

Long before lab reports, people relied on smell to guide their choices. I’ve come to believe that attraction to certain aromas—citrus, floral, herbal, gas-heavy—is not random. It reflects how we respond to specific terpene profiles, both physically and emotionally.

The industry is only beginning to take that instinct seriously.

Is the cannabis industry taking terpenes seriously?

At the same time, research is starting to catch up. Scientists are increasingly studying how terpenes and flavonoids interact with cannabinoids in what’s often called the “entourage effect.” While still evolving, this research points toward a more complete understanding of cannabis—one where outcomes are shaped by the full chemical profile, not isolated compounds.

That shift matters beyond cannabis.

As wellness and beauty industries continue to move toward plant-based formulation, terpenes are emerging as a bridge between categories. These compounds are already foundational in fragrance, skincare, and aromatherapy. Cannabis-derived terpenes simply extend that language with new complexity.

In my own work, that realization became a practice.

I spent two years working specifically on infusing cannabis terpenes into fine fragrance. The goal was to translate the plant without combustion—to make it wearable, familiar, and accessible in a completely different context.

That process eventually became my brand, Dusted.

How cannabis operators can identify and monetize terpenes

At the time, terpenes were difficult to source. They were, quite literally, “liquid gold.” I remember sourcing Blue Dream out of Colorado early on, just to understand how different profiles translated outside of flower. My search didn’t stop there.

Eventually I found my way to meeting Mario Guzman, whom you may know as Mr. Sherbinski, and he shared terpenes from some of the original Gelato cuts. That lineage carried something unmistakable—structure, depth, and identity.

Dusted today is infused with Bacio Gelato (Gelato 41), a profile that reflects that intersection of genetics, aroma, and culture.

What became clear through that process is that terpenes are not just technical inputs—they are memory, identity, and signal.

As cannabis expands into wellness and beauty, this is where the real opportunity sits. Fragrance and sensory products allow the plant to exist outside of consumption entirely. They create access points that feel familiar, while still carrying the complexity of cannabis genetics.

But the industry still tends to lead with potency.

Are terpenes the key to ending the cannabis industry’s THC obsession?

That framing flattens the plant. It reduces experience to a number, when in reality cannabis has always been more nuanced than that. Consumers already know this intuitively—they are drawn to specific aromas for a reason, even if they can’t always explain why.

If the industry is serious about expanding into wellness and beauty, it must shift its focus, not away from cannabinoids, but toward the full expression of the plant.

Terpenes offer that path.

They connect science with instinct, tradition with innovation, and product with personal experience. And in many ways, they bring cannabis back to its most honest starting point:

What you smell first has always mattered most.