A pub in Chippenham, U.K. has launched a full English breakfast fragrance, with top notes of smoky bacon and sizzling sausages on a base of fresh toast, to create ‘a tantalising aroma for breakfast fans.’ But would YOU want to waft bacon wherever you go…?
In Perfumes: The A-Z Guide, co-author Tania Sanchez wrote a witty introduction that pontificated on ‘The question that women casually shopping for perfume ask more than any other… “What scent drives men wild?” After years of intense research, we know the definitive answer. It is bacon. Now, on to the far more interesting subject of perfume.’ But if you were secretly yearning to wear a bacon scent all along, it seems your fragrance fairy godmother has answered your porcine-perfume dreams.
The Rowden Arms say the 50ml bottle of scent was specifically composed ‘to evoke the feelings of contentment and pleasure experienced when tucking into a hearty English breakfast.’ But, like most novelty-themed fragrances, it was actually created to promote something: in this case, the Hungry Horse pub chain’s new breakfast menu.
Rob Calderbank, business unit director at Hungry Horse, commented that ‘Everyone loves the smell of sizzling bacon in the morning, so what better way to celebrate your favourite meal than with a new fragrance that lets you smell like breakfast all day long?’
Well, Rob, we can think of a few reasons why smelling like breakfast might not cut the mustard (or, indeed, the ketchup or brown sauce) come 3pm, but the point of these jokey perfumes has never been to actually wear them.
Every year we see pearl-clutching headlines pizza perfumes and Stilton cheese scents (NB – our Perfume Agony Uncle, expert James Craven, actually says the blue cheese one smelled really good, a bit like jasmine!) In the past we’ve also reported on Richard Branson’s No.1 Ship perfume, which promoted his new cruise ship, with the tagline ‘it smells like ship.’ This isn’t the first meaty fragrance, either – we’ve endured burger-scented spritzes and even a Peperami-infused perfume (that was meant to lure lost dogs).
Though novelty fragrances can be somewhat groan-worthy, it’s interesting that scent – and our sense of smell – can cause such a stink. So, will we be wafting bacon wherever we go? Uh, no. But at least it gets people talking about it. And we think that can only be a good thing.
By Suzy Nightingale
