Will Fragrance Replace Ringtones?

Will fragrance replace ringtones? Researchers at Keio University, Japan, are working on broadening the use of the Fragrance Jet II, a device that has the ability to emit pulses of fragrance to help doctors determine a patient’s sense of smell.  At least that’s what the brilliant folks at Keio U designed it for in the first place. But they’re out-of-the-tissue-box thinkers and thought that by shrinking this thing down to fit in a cell phone, you could customize it for all of your callers and do away with ringtones.

Imagine the possibilities.

Your cell phone bursts out with the smell of your favorite childhood food and you know it’s your mother calling.  In my case, for example, if my phone smelled suddenly of Aveda hair products, I’d know it was my daughter, Victoria. Chocolate chip cookies? It’s my daughter, Emily.

While this technology is still a faint whiff on the horizon, it does conjure up interesting associations.  You read it here first …

For more fragrance news, read about Jade Jagger’s redesign of the classic Shalimar bottle.