In the novel Perfume: Story of a Murderer, author Patrick Suskind tracks a man born with no scent.  He explains how the absence of smell leads the man to abandonment, loss, anger, and - eventually - a lot of blood and guts.  And while the book is both haunting and elegantly gross, it points out a total impossibility:  everyone, everywhere smells like something.

But apparently that's not enough for Nudite, the fragrance company with a new scent called Nudite Intense.  The brand promises that each whiff is "a sheer, diaphanous wisp of nude skin... best appreciated by a close embrace... To be sensed intensely."

To be sure, the Nudite clan was influenced by various sex studies, which insist that human pheremones attract partners more frequently than looks, status, or tickets to a Strokes concert.

But would you pay $48 for the strong smell of skin?  Or just take an extra shower?
--FARAN KRENTCIL

Available at Beauty Habit