New Yorkers are encountering an unusual aroma wafting through the streets, and it’s not the typical summer stench.
Three scratch-and-sniff billboards promoting Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty have appeared in Manhattan, inviting pedestrians to engage with the new Rare Eau de Parfum, the brand's inaugural fragrance. By scratching designated areas on the billboards, curious passersby can experience the scent firsthand.
“This makes me feel like I’m in elementary school,” remarked Melanie Peralta, a 34-year-old consultant from Bushwick, after trying one of the billboards located at Grand and Lafayette in Soho. “It reminds me of those smelly markers growing up.”
After a few missteps—five scratches in total—she finally caught a whiff of the fragrance. “It smells good, like light vanilla,” she added, expressing newfound interest in the actual perfume.
The billboards, measuring up to 25-by-7 feet, are also positioned at Canal Street and Broadway, as well as the Highline and West 27th. To create this unique experience, Rare Beauty developed a scented ink encapsulated in microbubbles printed on various sections of the billboard. When scratched, these microbubbles release the fragrance. Installed in late July, the billboards will remain active until August 10, with regular refreshes to maintain their aromatic appeal.
“The activation was inspired by something many of us remember from growing up, those iconic magazine perfume peel-offs,” explained Ashley Murphy, Vice President of Consumer Marketing at Rare Beauty. “We wanted to reimagine it in a way.”
While some individuals hesitated to engage with the billboards due to concerns about public hygiene, others were drawn in by curiosity. Simon Sakhai, a 37-year-old entrepreneur, expressed his reluctance: “I don’t want to touch something all these other people have touched. This is Manhattan! You don’t touch things and then smell them. You never know what you’re going to get.” Yet he added, “For $100, I’d do it.”
A local pottery studio worker, 38, echoed similar sentiments about public health but ultimately succumbed to her admiration for Gomez. “Selena is perfect; she’s just adorable. I love her,” she said, opting to try the scent despite her initial reservations. “I decided I just wanted to try it.”
Concerns about public perception lingered for her as well. “I don’t want people to wonder what I am doing sniffing a wall,” she admitted.
Fans eager to experience the scent can scan a QR code on the billboard that directs them to a Shopify app for a free sample. Although it’s difficult to quantify how many have participated in this olfactory adventure, an announcement video about the billboards garnered over six million views on social media, marking it as one of the company’s top-performing posts this year.
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