Category:
Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents
Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents
Obsession for Cats
The Calvin Klein fragrance Obsession for Men has the odd distinction of being known to be an aphrodisiac for cats. And not just house cats. The larger, wild variety as well. The NY Times explains:This fragrance for men includes civetone, a compound originally derived from the scent glands of a civet though now often made synthetically. Obsession has been billed as irresistible to women. But because of the civetone, it is also scientifically proven to make wild cats go gaga. They roll around it, they take huge sniffs, they luxuriate in the smell for several minutes.
Louise Ginman, of Sydney's Taronga Zoo, further clarified to Scientific American:
They don’t react to all perfumes - with some of them they’re like, “meh,” just like us I guess, some of them they’re not real keen on. But others, like the Calvin Klein one, whatever is in that, cats love it. They really, really roll and cheek-rub and they just look to be in heaven.
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jul 29, 2019 -
Comments (0)
Category: Cats, Sex, Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents
L’Orange Variee Perfume
From 1925. It came in small bottles designed to look like segments of an orange. Not many bottles of this stuff survive. When intact sets do come up at auction, they can easily fetch over $1000.More info: Box Vox
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jul 22, 2019 -
Comments (0)
Category: 1920s, Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents
Macho Cologne by Faberge
Does the bottle resemble a manly hammer?
Or does it resemble something else?
Entry at perfume database.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jul 08, 2019 -
Comments (3)
Category: Ambiguity, Uncertainty and Deliberate Obscurity, Innuendo, Double Entendres, Symbolism, Nudge-Nudge-Wink-Wink and Subliminal Messages, 1970s, Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents
Bic Perfume
Bic is known as a maker of disposable lighters, pens, and razors. But back in 1989, the company decided it could extend its brand to French perfume. So, it debuted Parfum Bic. Syndicated columnist Rick Ratliff (Detroit Free Press - Mar 27, 1989) explained the reasoning behind the product:Made entirely in France and packaged in little portable spritzers that look more than a bit like Bic lighters, Parfum Bic will retail for just $5 a quarter-ounce, one-tenth the price of a typical French perfume. Parfum Bic already is selling briskly in Europe, the company reports. Already, cocooned in decidedly downscale blister packs, the product is hitting the speed racks of American supermarkets, drug and variety stores. With this product, Bic hopes to create a whole new low-price perfume category by advancing the notion of perfume as a product that can be bought and used spontaneously.
If it's gamble had succeeded, the Bic executives would have looked like marketing geniuses. But of course, Parfum Bic didn't succeed. Within several years, it had disappeared from shelves.
If you're curious to try it, you can pick some up on eBay for about $50.
Posted By: Alex - Tue Jun 11, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: 1980s, Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents
Vector: The Smell of Space
On April 1, Lockheed Martin announced that they had created a perfume that recreated the smell of space: "blends metallic notes... with a sterile feel, balanced by subtle, fiery undertones that burn off like vapor in the atmosphere."The timing of the announcement indicates it was an April Fool joke, except that Lockheed Martin really created some of this stuff, sent out samples of it, and is giving away bottles of it to people who sign up on its website. Which I think makes it a legitimate addition to our ongoing exploration of weird fragrances. It recalls the moon-smell fragrance created by French designer Barnabé Fillion.
Posted By: Alex - Wed Apr 03, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: Spaceflight, Astronautics, and Astronomy, Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents
I Am Trash Perfume
French perfumier Etat Libre d'Orange announced earlier this year that it would launch a perfume made from the amount of waste that is left over from the industry's process of fabricating perfume. Now it's here: a luxury fragrance named "I Am Trash: Les Fleurs du Dechet."
So, what does I Am Trash smell like? Apparently a bit like strawberries. More info: adage.com
Posted By: Alex - Tue Oct 23, 2018 -
Comments (0)
Category: Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents
Old Milk Perfume
Created by Swedish grocery chain Coop as a way to promote their campaign of lessening food waste. The logic here being to teach people that they shouldn't throw out their milk until it actually smells rotten. More info: CNET
Posted By: Alex - Sun Oct 14, 2018 -
Comments (4)
Category: Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents
Bacchus After-Shave
Very strange 1969 ad campaign for Bacchus after-shave. The premise is that instead of leaving a giant horse outside of Troy, the Greeks actually left a "towering bottle of Bacchus," and that this caused the Trojan women to become so wild with lust that the Trojan men no longer had time for fighting.It then follows this up with the tagline: "The Romans conquered an empire with it. Go out and conquer yours."
But what do the Romans have to do with the Trojan horse? Rome didn't even exist at the time of the Trojan war. I guess there's a vague connection because the Romans believed they were descended from the Trojans, but even so the history seems hopelessly muddled.
Esquire - Jan 1970
Posted By: Alex - Sun Sep 16, 2018 -
Comments (4)
Category: History, Advertising, 1960s, Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents
Donut Cologne
Invented in 1996 by three California firefighters turned entrepreneurs. Their explanation of how they got the idea:"We were coming out of a fire one night and we walked past this policeman who smelled like donuts. We were like, 'Wow, we love that smell.' And we started laughing that cops hang out in donut shops so much, they actually are starting to smell like donuts."
More info: LA Times - May 3, 1996
San Bernardino County Sun - Aug 7, 1996
Los Angeles Times - May 3, 1996
Posted By: Alex - Thu Jul 12, 2018 -
Comments (2)
Category: 1990s, Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents
Ambush Perfume
Apparently, women who wore this perfume were inclined to hide behind vegetation--then presumably leap out upon their prey.
History and description of perfume here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue May 22, 2018 -
Comments (3)
Category: Business, Advertising, 1950s, 1960s, Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction books such as Elephants on Acid. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Our banner was drawn by the legendary underground cartoonist Rick Altergott. Contact Us |