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Cosmic Variance
« Gullible of Tunbridge Wells
Theoretical Physics Goes Corporate? »

Eau de Stilton

by JoAnne Hewett

Wanna smell like dirty socks? Old fashioned folks may opt to forego doing their laundry, or wear weeks-old clothes from a gym locker. But the in crowd has a new option: a perfume based on the aroma of Stilton cheese! Yep, kid you not, the Stilton Cheese Makers Association commissioned an aromatics firm to create Eau de Stilton. It is part of their Stick on the Stilton 2006 campaign, to encourage people to eat more Stilton cheese. The perfume is described as featuring a

symphony of natural base notes including Yarrow, Angelica seed, Clary Sage and Valerian

And the manufacturer claims the scent is more “earthy and fruity” and not like “old socks.” A Stilton association spokesman was quoted as saying:

Blue Stilton cheese has a very distinctive mellow aroma and our perfumer was able to capture the key essence of that scent and recreate it in an unusual but highly wearable perfume

A rather brave female employee of the manufacturer tried out the product and noted

I’ve had the perfume on all day and none of the men complained.

I don’t know about you, but on the rare occasion I sport perfume, I’m looking for a little more than “nobody complained.” I wonder if it makes people hungry? Perhaps a new form of aromatherapy – a perfume that makes you eat cheese?

The cheesemakers are approaching a British model/actress Cat Deeley to hawk the product, with the theme The Cat that got the Cheese (groan…). For those cheese-lovers out there , the perfume will be available on the official Stilton cheese website above. Personally, I’m holding out for Eau d’Epoisse – if you’re going to smell like dirty socks, you might as well go all the way!

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May 12th, 2006 2:26 PM
in Food and Drink, Humor | 11 comments | RSS feed | Trackback >

11 Responses to “Eau de Stilton”

  1. 1.   adam Says:
    May 12th, 2006 at 3:19 pm

    Stilton is great.

    However, stilton doesn’t smell so great.

  2. 2.   Elliot Says:
    May 12th, 2006 at 3:20 pm

    As a non-cheese eater, I think I’d prefer the dirty socks. I take Valerian Root sometimes as a natural sedative but the smell is horrific. It does work well in concert with melatonin to cure insomnia without the morning hangover from prescription sleep aids but I sure wouldn’t want to smell like it. Or date someone who did.

    Its still a couple of hours before dinner so I will have a chance to get my appetite back….;)

    Elliot

  3. 3.   Cynthia Says:
    May 12th, 2006 at 4:14 pm

    Evidently, The British Cheese Board determined that 75% of men and 85% of women experience bizarre dreams after consuming Stilton cheese 30 minutes before retiring to bed. Perhaps the brainchild of this cheesy aroma campaign arose from one of these Stilton-induced nightmares.

  4. 4.   Uncle Al Says:
    May 12th, 2006 at 5:08 pm

    Start with a bottle of cologne. Add one small drop each of vanilla flavoring and 3-methyl-2-hexenoic acid plus 50 mg of androstenedione, alpha-androstenol [(5{alpha}-androst-16-en-3{alpha}-ol], or a few drops of Boar Mate. Mix well, apply.

    OTOH, it is an amazing babe magnet.

    [Remainder of comment edited to comply with family blog values - JoAnne]

  5. 5.   Elliot Says:
    May 12th, 2006 at 5:44 pm

    ah… the pheremone formula….

    This looks like a very interesting experiment….. :)

    data shows clear differences in brain activity upon smelling phermones.

    Now OTOH I’m not particulary interested in attracting boars.

  6. 6.   jfaberuiuc Says:
    May 12th, 2006 at 6:13 pm

    Valerian works pretty well for some people (including myself) as a natural sleep aid that has very few side effects, but I thought it was pretty much universally described by friends and foes alike as smelling like animal poop. They usually recommend you don’t touch the caplets directly if possible, lest people wonder where your hands have been.

  7. 7.   jay Says:
    May 13th, 2006 at 3:45 am

    will this new perfume induce cultural evolution or genetic evolution for human beings? or extinction of the non-fit? anyway, it looks to me the evolutionary pressure is acting in all directions.

  8. 8.   Uncle Al Says:
    May 13th, 2006 at 12:05 pm

    [Remainder of comment edited to comply with family blog values - JoAnne]

    Inorganic Chemistry 43 3521 (2004)
    “{trans-1,4-Bis[(4-pyridyl)ethenyl]benzene}(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) Complexes and Their Supramolecular Assemblies with beta-Cyclodextrin”

    http://pubs3.acs.org/acs/journals/doilookup?in_doi=10.1021/ic0352250

    If the American Chemical Society publishes and posts that for unrestricted public view with a doi referent, you can mount no sustainable complaint about a statistically efficacious pheromone attractant’s necessary and moral use caution.

  9. 9.   Richard Says:
    May 13th, 2006 at 4:01 pm

    As far as I’m concerned, all perfumes, colognes, and artificially scented whatever, should be labeled, in the interest of public health, Eau de Sinus Pain.

  10. 10.   Theo Says:
    May 15th, 2006 at 12:17 am

    All I can say is:

    “Blessed are the cheese-makers.”

  11. 11.   Paul Munds Says:
    June 13th, 2006 at 5:59 am

    Hmmmmm,
    There has been a lot of scoffing by innocents about eau de stilton as a concept.
    However consider this…….stilton has its addictive qualities, a lot more subtle than nicotine I grant you, but once you get hooked man, you are truly hooked.
    Just look at the phenomenal growth of Stilton Sniffers Anonymous. It took me ten years of secret stuffing before I could even dare whisper it……..
    Yes I AM a stiltonolic.
    Whassat smell…..hmmmmm…….I feel the munchies coming on…….anyone else feel like a sesh?
    Is there any hope?





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