If the internet had a scent, what would it smell like?
Internet users and perfumeries alike have explored the scent of the internet, and the aromas emitted aren’t to everyone's taste.
Image by Getty/Roger Ressmeyer
Internet users and perfumeries alike have explored the scent of the internet, and the aromas emitted aren’t to everyone's taste.
We experience the internet through sight and hearing alone, but for most, it feels that we’re inextricably connected to the online world.
Parasocial relationships and the habit of oversharing online give the illusion that the cyber landscape is tangible.
But of course it's not, the internet is comprised of zeros and ones and remains totally intangible.
While we explore the incorporeal cyberscape with our eyes and ears, there’s one very important sense that’s missing: smell.
Users have long asked what the internet smells like, prompting online discussions that have returned a variety of answers.
One Reddit thread, found by Dazed, which first reported the story, shows what users really think, with many returning similar answers.
From the perspective of Redditors, the internet seems to smell like burnt plastic, sweat, and rubber.
This seems to be a heavily industrial scent with the top notes unabashedly invading your nostrils while the base notes are weak and lack longevity, like a TikTok trend or an online craze.
Niche perfumeries have imagined the smells attributed to the internet and created some scents that are sold for a pretty penny.
Blackbird created a perfume called “Y06-S,” which “starts off as a friendly floral with a clear and contrasting electronic note.”
This fragrance received mixed reviews online, with some plainly saying “it smells bad” and others saying “it smells nice but not [their] cup of tea.”
One notable review said that it smelled like synthetic banana and burning plastic or electronics, and while it was “horrible,” it was “hard to stop smelling.”
“I kept going back for another sniff of this horrendous odour,” the reviewer said.
Other fragrances that have attempted to capture the essence of the internet's aroma include Xyrena’s “Y2K” parfum, which promises to transport you back to the good old days of dial-up internet and frosted tips.
“Y2K” is a “fresh blast of nostalgia” that is said to last “longer than you ever kept a Tamagotchi alive.”
Another perfume in this genre comes from “The Hmm,” a platform that hosts events, publishes online editorials, and holds educational programs that reflect on users' online behaviours.
The scent, dubbed “Hmmosphere,” closes an essential gap in the market by capturing the scope of the internet in a single bottle.
“Hmmosphere” was developed in collaboration with "opinion maker” and artist Cesar Majorana, whose work is concerned with internet life, and attempts to encapsulate the scent of the online world.
“Creative, experimental, critical, and weird – the world of The Hmm is translated into this diverse scent experience.”
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