‘MEMORY IN A BOTTLE’
They were the decades that saw the introduction of disco and white-suited, medallion-wearing Travolta wannabes, the rise of Yuppies and the decline of the coal industry, and the musical dominance of the Spice Girls and Britpop. Now these iconic events have been ‘bottled’ to create three limited edition scents designed to capture the nation’s favourite memories of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
The ‘Scents of a Decade’ were put together by Friends Reunited after thousands of its users uploaded their own memories of each decade and a perfumer used them as inspiration to create Night Fever (70s), Vice (80s) and Take Spice (90s).
For those looking for an unusual Valentine’s Day gift, Friends Reunited has produced a limited supply of the ‘Scents of a Decade’ to give away to its members who can apply to win the fragrances via our Facebook page.
The genuine glitter flakes in Night Fever brings back the sparkle of the disco era. Its musky and seductive smell evokes the tropical heat and thunder of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier’s legendary boxing battle, the Thriller in Manila while Liverpool FC’s European Cup glory era is represented by the hint of menthol recreating the lingering smell of deep heat in the team’s changing rooms.
Designed for those who still hanker to live the life of a Gordon Gekko-style ‘yuppie’, Vice contains actual particles of shredded £50 notes. This decadence is balanced with essence of coal to represent the dramatic impact Thatcherism had on the UK coal mining industry. Nuances of leather and hints of Miami sea air brings Don Johnson’s pastel wearing, crime fighting era in Miami Vice to life. A slight acidic edge presents the smell of perming lotion and hair crimpers which were so popular at the time.
A combination of fragrant and heady spices in Take Spice celebrates the individuality of the Spice Girls. Britpop’s iconic battle between Blur and Oasis is brought to life with the addition of hay celebrating Blur chart victory with Country House, and essence of coconut creates a fresh breezy aroma taking us back to the shores of Baywatch and David Hasselhoff’s red shorts and sun block-wearing hey day.
Professor Tim Jacob, an expert in olfaction [the study of smell] at Cardiff University, commented on how smells can evoke memories. He said: “Smell is unique among the senses in that it recalls the emotions surrounding the memory. The regions of the brain handling smell and memory are next door to each other and many connections run between them but, uniquely, smell also connects with the centres of the brain dealing with emotion.
“Strong memories are formed when an ambient odour accompanies an experience with strong emotional content, such as childhood Christmases, or meeting your first serious boyfriend or girlfriend. These are sometimes called “autobiographical” memories because they relate to significant events or people in our life.”
Matt Bushby, Head of Friends Reunited, said: “ Friends Reunited now helps you remember all of your most cherished moments so we thought it would be really fun to see if we could evoke a sense of nostalgia amongst the British public by attempting to bottle the nation’s memories of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
“We took the ‘Scents of a Decade’ onto the streets and talked to people about their memories of those times. They all got a really positive reaction, so we’re now considering putting the fragrances into full production.”
To see the public’s reactions to the scents and to share your own memories of these decades please visit Friends Reunited and join the conversation on Twitter #Scentsofadecade.
ENDS
For more information, please contact:
Kamran Haider / Alice Harper
Mission PR
T: 0207 845 7800
Email: friendsreunited@thisismission.com
Notes to editors
About Friends Reunited
Friends Reunited is the original social network with over 24 million members. Launched in 2000 as a back-bedroom hobby to put old school friends back in touch, it swiftly became a British media phenomenon. Today, the site has evolved to celebrate every blast from the past, becoming a central part of the Brightsolid mission to safeguard the nation’s history.
