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
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: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
Serb, the men’s cologne
In the midst of the Bosnian War, two Serbian designers came out with "Serb" the cologne. I can't think of any other cologne inspired by a war.
Arizona Republic - Apr 17, 1994
St. Louis Post-Dispatch - May 9, 1994
Posted By: Alex - Wed Mar 28, 2018 -
Comments (2)
Category: 1990s, Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents
Nuts & Bolts Toiletries
More info here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Mar 06, 2018 -
Comments (1)
Category: Advertising, 1960s, Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents
Pullman Fragrance
For the man that wanted to smell like a train.Pullman puts you on the right track to an enlightening new experience in good grooming. Use it without reservation... Pullman's subtle scent underscores, never overpowers your masculine assurance. Board the Pullman train decisively with After Shave... Eau de Cologne... Talc... Deluxe bath soap... Shower soap on rope.
Someone has a bottle of this stuff for sale on eBay, if you wanna try some 50-year-old fragrance. Only $180!
Philadelphia Inquirer - Oct 29, 1967
Posted By: Alex - Sun Feb 25, 2018 -
Comments (1)
Category: 1960s, Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents
Fragrance-coded card catalog
In 1974, the public library in Upper Arlington, Ohio added scratch-and-sniff scents to its card catalog. They called it the "Stick Your Nose in the Card Catalogue" program.The idea was that the card in the catalog would have a scent, and then the book on the shelf would have a matching scent. So you could find your books by smell. There were about 60 scents in total, including apple, chocolate, garlic, lemon, roses, root beer, leather, pizza, orange, strawberry, candles, pine, cheddar cheese, clover, and smoke.
I was curious what became of the scented catalog, so I emailed the library and asked. The reply came just a few minutes later:
And they also emailed me a news clipping about the catalog (in extended, below) from the local Upper Arlington paper.
The Vernon Daily Record - Feb 9, 1975
San Antonio Express - Apr 11, 1976
More in extended >>
Posted By: Alex - Tue Jan 16, 2018 -
Comments (9)
Category: Libraries, 1970s, 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 |