3 lights of primary colours (red, green, blue) can be mixed in suitable proportions to produce any other colour, except black, by an additive process. 3 pigments of primary colours (cyan, magenta, yellow) can be mixed in suitable proportions to produce any other colour, except white, by a subtractive process.
Here is what my kids noticed.
(smell of coffee) + (smell of vanilla) = (smell of chocolate)
Are there such things as "primary smells" which can be mixed in suitable proportions to produce any other smell? There may be equivalents of complementary colours, colour triangles and chromaticity diagram for smells.
A complementary smell would cancel a target smell, as opposed to today's deodouriser which overwhelms all other smells than itself.