Maybe they’re born with it, maybe it’s an off-season April Fools gag: PostFinance, the bank owned by the Swiss postal service, has announced a new fragrance based on cryptocurrency. The so-called Le Crypt Eau de Parfum is currently being handed out for free at branches across Swiss cities and cantons.
In a statement, PostFinance announced that it was branching out from mortgages and savings accounts by launching a fragrance of its own, Le Crypt Eau de Parfum. Rather than take inspiration from flowers, wildlife or the inner workings of a celebrity's ego, their fragrance is meant to be based on cryptocurrency and the “values of PostFinance.”
To try and find out what cryptocurrency - digital currency that has no physical form - smells like, PostFinance used AI to find the signature scent. However, instead of basing the new bottle of smelly on a sweaty Bitcoin convention in Zug or Silicon Valley, the AI instead said the perfume should have a "silver tone" and include coriander, bergamot, mint and lavender.
On the PostFinance website, famed perfume creator Uwe Manasse said that all of the ingredients were steeped in meaning. “First, a silver-tone…which represents the metaphor of a coin… the coriander with its bright, clear tones… especially reminiscent of banknotes, and lavender to finish… [representing] the trust [and security] of Post Finance,” he mused.
After much refining, Manasse said he was able to create a finely tuned fragrance based on the AI recipe. “It’s crypto for your nose”, he concluded.
For those interested in getting a whiff of the digital future, PostFinance confirmed that it would be giving 1.000 bottles of Le Crypt Eau de Parfum out for free from select branches. Those interested should check out the official website, and if you do get a bottle, let us know what it smells like in the comments below!