Weed-scented perfumes are old news. Now, get ready for a fragrance inspired by… MDMA?
Last week, Dutch authorities unveiled a new perfume that smells like the fumes produced from MDMA labs. The scent, called Xtacy, resembles the bittersweet essence of anise. Anise oil is often used as a precursor to manufacture MDMA in underground facilities.
“Smell is the most important way that people can recognize an ecstasy lab,” prosecutor Antoinette Doedens said in a public statement. “That is why we want to spread the smell over the entire country, so that everyone knows what to look out for.”
Xtacy comes in a bottle that resembles Chanel No. 5 perfume. Ironically enough, Chanel No. 5’s logo is a popular branding stamp on illicit MDMA pills. The tagline for Xtacy goes: “Because: XTC. There is a breath of fresh air.”
Dutch authorities hope that by educating the public on how to detect MDMA labs, they can curb the nation’s black market for ecstasy. The Netherlands is currently Europe’s central hub for illegal MDMA distribution.
In recent years, MDMA has gained notoriety due to deaths associated with the drug’s misuse, as well as its increasing potency. Some pills have been discovered with three times the suggested dose for an adult male, though many pills analyzed by police contain dangerous adulterants or no MDMA at all.
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