Scenting your car: new-car smell or clean-car smell?

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Did you know ‘New car smell’ is a Wikipedia entry?  It is indeed. According to the largest free online encyclopaedia, the term “refers to the odour that comes from the combination of materials found in new automobiles”. Wikipedia also refers to the fact that some people find it to be a very pleasant smell, and that there are ‘new-car smell air fresheners’ that can reproduce the smell of a brand new vehicle in old cars. In fact, some workshops and dealers use it after a repair and with second-hand cars.

Did you know ‘New car smell’ is a Wikipedia entry?  It is indeed. According to the largest free online encyclopaedia, the term “refers to the odour that comes from the combination of materials found in new automobiles”. Wikipedia also refers to the fact that some people find it to be a very pleasant smell, and that there are ‘new-car smell air fresheners’ that can reproduce the smell of a brand new vehicle in old cars. In fact, some workshops and dealers use it after a repair and with second-hand cars.

You may remember that a while ago we talked about quite a curious car-related job: the odour assessor. The odour assessor is responsible for that new-car scent, together with a team of chemists who try to always get this characteristic smell right.

Aromas are actually used as a marketing tool, to associate a particular smell with the values to be transmitted by a company. Olfactory marketing uses scenting to generate a specific effect in buyers or to create a unique and differentiating experience. Scientific research supports these strategies and argues that we are able to remember what we smell to a greater extent than what we see or hear. Our sense of smell has a huge evocation power and stimulates recollection, emotions and sensations.

That is why a great many brands do not only have a logotype but also an odotype.  Think about it. You are likely to know some odotypes. For example, toyshops smell of chewing gum, and travel agencies have a characteristic smell of suntan lotion. Numerous clothes shops use their own fragrances as air fresheners at their premises and the smell of popcorn -as a real smell from the popcorn machine but also as a scent- enhances ticket sales at movie theatres. What about night clubs? The use of the aromas of well-known energy drinks is not at all unusual...

When it comes down to marketing, not only the product is king. Users and their experience also come first. And scenting plays a key role. We are well aware. When you wash your car, you definitely want it to smell clean if it no longer has that new-car smell. That is why we have a wide range of car wash chemical products with fragrances that suit all tastes. Foams with different smells: peach, apple, mandarin, cherry, spa... Waxes with a fruity or vanilla scent... We also have a hyper-concentrated perfume to be added to neutral shampoos and foams, for car-wash owners to customise their clients’ experience in line with their preference. Sweet aromas of strawberry and chocolate, fruity ones like cherry, mango or pineapple, or citrus smells like mandarin.

What about the car interior? To finish up, nothing better than giving the interior a final touch to neutralise odours and create a clean-car smell. Jet washes are equipped with sprayers for you to freshen up the interior of your car. Lemon, apple or piña colada for fruit lovers, pine for those who are more traditional, candy with strawberry and chocolate if you like sweets, floral aromas, marine or SPA scents reminiscent of water, and other scents that remind us of well-known perfume brands. And of course, odour removers for those who just one that clean-car smell. What is your favourite?

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