It isn’t always possible to sniff the real
thing if you want a reference for a new
fragrance oil. For example Camelot
Theme Park asked us to make a dragon’s
breath smell. Our scent designers had to
do some research into how dragons
were described in medieval times. They
researched reptile smells (so… lizard
sniffing? Ed) and they already knew
how to make smokey scents. This mix
led to the perfect recipe. When it comes
to creating a new smell, it’s often a case
of researching, smelling real subjects
and then experimenting with
ingredients.
Polly: Who decides whether an aroma
like that is right or not?
Liam: Most of the time visitors to an
attraction are the best judges of our
scents, but everyone experiences smell
differently. Years ago we made a rotting
flesh smell for a scare attraction. Some
people thought it smelled like delicious
meat! It was hilarious. We soon made
the smell even more ghastly.
Polly: What is the weirdest smell you
ever produced (in a lab, not, you
know… organically)?
Liam: No scent is too weird for us, in
fact pretty much all of our smells are
out of the ordinary. We have produced
a penguin sick smell for zoos, and that
never fails to amuse people. The actor,
Richard E. Grant once sampled it on TV.
Polly: Has it ever gone really wrong?
Liam: Flatulence is one of our
bestsellers. In 2003, a Roman museum
wanted to use it for their replica
Roman toilet. Silly smells are always
fun and get you engaged with the
past, but on this occasion, the museum
set the strength of their smell machine
too high. The pong ended up being far
too strong and four schoolchildren
were sick when they sniffed it! This was
a very long time ago. Customers are
always advised on the best ways to use
stinky odours, but it is a very amusing
story. It even made the news!
Polly: What’s your favourite smell?
Liam: Lemongrass is lovely! I am a
writer in my spare time, and I’ve been
writing a novel that involves
outlandish aromas – one of the main
characters smells of lemongrass. The
villains are more odious.
Polly: If you could only ever smell
one thing for the rest of your life,
what would it be?
H ave you ever wondered what a T-rex’s toenail
smelled like? How about Sherlock’s socks, or the
Duke of Wellington’s…erm… Wellingtons*?
Well, now is your chance to find out!
Our mates at AromaPrime are offering one very
lucky AQUILAnaut the chance to smell anything
they like. All you have to do is tell us what
historical smell you’d most like to experience.
We’ll pick the most interesting one and the lucky
winner will receive their custom-made fragrance
and a special device to propagate their pong.
*Use your imagination. Your own entry does not need to be foot or sock related!
Liam: If I could only smell one aroma
for the rest of my life, it might be the
smell of the Timewalk – the attraction
from my childhood. It’s comfortably
musty, and it has a personal appeal to
me because of my fond memories.
There’s a perfume called Aramis that’s
quite similar, although not everybody
finds it appealing! I suppose I’m more
used to strange pongs than most
people.
Polly: Why do we remember
smells?
Liam: The smell receptors in our
nose are directly linked to the part
of our brain that processes
memories and emotions. This
means that scent has the amazing
ability to influence your feelings.
So, if you’re walking through a
recreation of the trenches, a
horrible odour can really help you
imagine how awful it must have
been for soldiers who had to fight
there. Alternatively, if you’re an
older person, you might visit the
replica of an old-fashioned house,
and the smell of the food, the soap
and the coal fire can cause all sorts
of childhood memories to rush
back. The way themed smells
bring back memories is actually
useful in care homes too. Our
products can help people with
dementia to remember their past.
Send your answer on the back of
an envelope with your name and
address on the inside to:
AQUILA History Stinks Competition
Studio 2, 67a Willowfield Road
Eastbourne
East Sussex
BN22 8AP
Email entries also accepted at:
[email protected]
Closing Date: Monday 4 November
York
Polly: How do you even start
designing a smell? Especially for a
time or a place you could never
actually visit?
Liam: We have an amazing laboratory
full of bottles with labels like Granny’s
Kitchen, Dinosaur and even Bear Poo!
We have a long list of scent recipes but
sometimes an attraction will ask for a
smell we’ve never made before.