neighborhood news

Scent Company Plans to Perfume Entire South Bronx Low-Income Building to Make It Happy

International Flavors and Fragrances, an international perfume company, is planning a social experiment in the South Bronx. In the low-income Saint Theresa Apartments, they hope to infuse the air with one of their nice-smelling concoctions to test whether it can make residents happier. The scent is called L’Eau Vert du Bronx du Sur. According to Bloomberg Business Week, by pumping it into the air in the hallways and common areas, “the 200 residents will be infused with optimism and happiness.” Says consultant and neighborhood resident Majora Carter, “The part of your brain that senses scent can allow you to feel really bad about what you see in front of you — or really good — depending on what it is … The question is: How do you evoke a certain feeling without imposing on people in any way?” Seems like forcing people to inhale something called “Green Water of the South Bronx” is an imposition, but then, we start to choke when someone next to us at the movie theater is wearing too much Drakkar Noir.

Scent Branding Sweeps the Fragrance Industry [Bloomberg Business Week]

Scent Company Plans to Perfume Entire South Bronx Low-Income Building to Make It Happy