Nightclub Scenting Replaces Cigarette Smell

Clubs worldwide are faced with a smelly dilemma. In the old days, nightclubs smelled like cigarette smoke, but in many entertainment venues, smoking has been banned. You might think this is a good thing, since most people agree that cigarette smoke smells bad. However, without the strong masking odor of smoke, a lot of other even less pleasant odors are noticeable including body odor, stale beer and vomit.

Researchers in the Netherlands decided to test how people would respond to ambient scenting in nightclubs since club owners are looking for a solution to their smelly situation. They infused three different scents into separate dance clubs: orange, peppermint and seawater, and compared results to the same clubs in an unscented condition. About 850 young club goers were given short questionnaires asking them to rate the quality of the evening, the music, the club and their feelings.

Consistently, those in the scented environment reported that the music was better, the club was more fun, and their mood was more cheerful than in the unscented clubs. Scent also increased the dancing activity in the clubs. The researchers were surprised to see that there was no significant difference between reactions to the different scents; all of the scents had roughly the same effect.

The scientists concluded that ambient scenting is somthing that nightclub owners can use to differentiate themselves from competitors, increase visitor return rate and boost revenue. Scents should correlate with the lights and music, so that high arousal music is paired with stimulating scent. Some innovative clubs are now using "aroma jockeys" who generate and disperse multiple smells throughout the evening that are congruent with the music that is playing.

Radio Interview with Rachel Herz

Click on the link below to listen to a great radio interview with researcher Rachel Herz, author of Scent of Desire: Discovering Our Enigmatic Sense of Smell.

Here On Earth: Radio Without Borders

Click on the Listen button to stream the audio. You will need a Real Media player to listen; if you do not have one, you can download the player for free at www.real.com.

Something Stinks in Portland

City Council members in the city of Portland, Oregon are considering and are expected to approve a fragrance-free policy for city workers. City employees would be banned from using perfume, aftershave, and strongly scented powder, deodorant and other personal hygiene products at work. If the measure is passed, workers could be penalized for wearing too much scent. It is not clear how much is “too much.”

The reason is to protect employees who are sensitive to perfumes as well as those who suffer from asthma. However, perfume allergies are primarily skin contact allergies. The chemicals in fragranced products seep into the skin and can cause eczema, characterized by itchy rash, dry skin and redness. People who have perfume allergies are advised to scrutinize their perfumes and body products for the specific chemicals that trigger their symptoms and avoid them or to spray perfume on their clothes, rather than directly on their skin. However, other people’s perfume typically does not affect them.[1]

Those with asthma, however, are a different story. Although it is not clear which of the multiple compounds within perfume are responsible for aggravation of their symptoms, the fact is that perfume does affect them negatively.

Perhaps, instead of banning fragrances for everyone outright, Portland could make decisions on a case-to-case basis where there is a legitimate health issue. And if you are a perfume wearer, and you know a co-worker is sensitive to fragrances, you should have compassion and save your fragrance for the weekend.

If Portland does pass the measure, let’s hope that city employees don’t start complaining about their co-workers’ au natural body smells.

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[1] The Relationship Between Perfumes and Allergies, http://www.brighthub.com/health/allergies-asthma/articles/90680.aspx

Scent-Releasing Shirt Combats Body Odor

A Japanese company has created a shirt with micro capsules that release a rose fragrance when the collar rubs against the skin. The shirt is called the Otoko Kaoru, which translates as “the good smelling man.”

The scent is released slowly, and only when the shirt is worn. The company says that the scent will last up to 10 washes. Sold for around 3000 yen, or the equivalent of $35 US, it is affordable enough for men to stay fragrant on a regular basis.

If the shirt sells well, expect to see pajamas and polo shirts with the same technology. For now, the Otoko Kaoru is only available in Asia.

The shirt is a follow up to a product released in Japan with great success in 2007 with the same name: a scented chewing gum. But all gum has a smell, you say? While all gum has some amount of breath freshening capability, the Otoko Kaoru gum actually has a scent (again, rose) that is absorbed into the body and emitted by the pores.

Now, thanks to the Otoko Kaoru, noses across Japan have some relief from overly smelly men.