GREASE LIKE ROSES

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 40, 15 August 1930, Page 7

GREASE LIKE ROSES

MAGIC OF CHEMISTEY

NEW SALES APPEAL

(Copyright.)

Motor grease diffusing the fragrance of roses and glue which smells pleasant^ ly of fields of violets! Modern "chemistry rubs its Aladdin's lamp, shakes up its test tubes, aud presto, the'evil smells which are the natural accompaniment of these products are changed into the perfumes of Araby.

Until recently adhesives, such as glue and library paste, were permitted to be themselves. To-day, thanks to the new experiments of chemical' wizards even the backs of American : postage' stamps emanate a faint sweet perfume.

Manufacturers are beginning to rea-; lise the tremendous possibilities in the, appeal to the sense of smell. ...'Witii chemical combinations or a. little*esse'n^ tial oil, the makers of, viscous substances are enticing customers by plea* sant odours. '• '~■:■■ ;.■

Grease is the handmaiden : of -the machine age. "Without lubricating pil3. great dynamos would burn out and., motor-cars cease to run. Eaw animal fat, which is the foundation of all the greases, has a rancid odour. For many} years the- sale of perfumes was limited almost entirely to toilet goods. ..Tito fatty acid smell in soap has long been disguised by a thousand varieties .of fragrant scents. And anyone who has ever smelt the old-fashioned goose grease can realise how far it was from modern cold creams. '; "■'■'■.'- •'"■"■ V FOLLOWING SUIT. ( Now the manufacturers of industrial greases are following suit by perfuraing their products. The customer wha used to give his order to the salesman, who did the most handshaking will now* select the grease which smells most pleasing to him. Each brand ha's .itf own distinctive scent. It may be r* Variation of a rose, or it may be a combination of aromatics like cinhamoa and clove. , And the makers •are,a» fussy about the bouquet of their particular axle-greaso as perfumers ait| about their work. The name has become its trade mark, yet the familiar lemon oil that induces such a high polish on antiques : was never a lemon. The delicious lemony fragrance is produced by oil extracted from a grass which comes from Java and Borneo. Known to the trade as lemon grass, it contains 70 per cent. "of. citral, and costs half as much as'wouli oil from the rinds of real lemons. '""•'" Many fabrics acquire a faint rancidity in thb finishing process. Americaii chemists are said to be working on .-.a treatment which will make it .possible for domestic woollens to emanate the same alluring smoky smell that.Bairn tweeds gain by association with the peat fires in weaver's cottages. And the oils and starches used in dressing cotton were an offence to the nostrils, until cotton mills took to neutralising tha odour by appropriate perfumes. 'Since the new departure, experienced manufacturers and buyers can tell the make of pillow case merely by sniffing at it. If cotton can be made to smell like lavender, why should not blankets add to their sales appeal by savouring of pine woods? And why should not silk advertise itself by a faint scent of mulberry, blossoms'? • . ALWAYS IMPORTANT. From the earliest times the sense of smell has' had a tremendous influence on human emotions. It is woven deep into the love-life of primitive men., The song of Solomon is full of references4p perfumes and flowers. And memory clings to a delicious familiar smell eyeii more tenaciously than it does tourer membered music. .'V Working on.the theory that, since the olfactory sense is so important, it could have a wider application to mer? ehandising, manufacturers are bringing aromatic odours into a field previously occupied almost exclusively by appeals to the eye,. and ■ ear. - The Little Company are pioneers in the fieldi Thc^e "chemist-engineer-managers'* claim that goods are, more frequently; trade-marked by odour than is generally appreciated. "The sense of smell is pressed into service, not only in examining articles that we expect to be scented, but also in examining such things as leather and dress goods, which are ordinarily classed as odourless.'* That "lovely new smell" in a freshly; decorated apartment has caused mote than one'prospective tenant,to. take ,it without stopping first to _ inquire, first whether any water, runs out of the. faucets.. :•■-.■." PERFUMED MOTORS. Women are reputed to be about 89 per cent, head of the ways and mean* committee for spending the family budget. Hence manufacturers are out to engago feminine interest. - Directly aimed at women's noses is the; appeal o5 a certain high-priced motor-ear, which it is said, creates an attractive air of luxury, through- the judicious use of * delicate perfume. , However, motor authorities disagree. The sales promotion department of another important firm/turned their thumbs down on the idea. They believe the important thing is to let the customer find that smelly combination, of paint, leather, and varnish which he has learned to expect in'a new car. The head of this department claims that, since in'the matter of perfumes you can't hope to please every individual taste, he would probably lose as maiiy; clients as he • might gain. Besides, * strong odour of lily of the valley emanating from a new car might cause .customers to suspect that there was' some-: thing unpleasant in Denmark, v