Unscented fragrance draws crowds

Dubbed as a 'joke in art', the scent, named 'Choix', is retailing for £40 and was designed by a Paris-based art production company called Dadadandy in a bid to challenge the perceptions of the mind, body and soul. However, the scent was not intended for functional use, instead was seen as a way for consumers to affordably purchase a collectors piece from the Dadadandy art collection. In an interview with the London Metro, Karen Wells, head of Selfridges beauty said, "Choix is a dressing table artwork, a collector's item that will appeal to lovers of surrealism and objets d'art, and is an affordable way for our customers to buy a piece of Dadadandy's work,"​ she said. Showing at the This Is Not a Shop outlet that has taken over a whole floor within the Oxford Street store, the fragrance-free scent is amongst many surrealist items on sale, including huge inflatable pencils and oversized lollipops made from popcorn. The designers of the intriguing 'scent', Dadadandy artists Simon Moretti and Paul Heber-Percy, created the perfume as a mix of cosmetic alcohol, distilled water and some colouring - thus generating a smell of alcohol when initially sprayed that then disappears quickly, leaving little to no trace of smell. However, this is not the first time Selfridges has been the launch pad for more diverse perfumes, with the first anti-depressant fragrance, Smiley, showcased in-store last July. Created by Ora-Lto, the fragrance was designed with techniques derived from the aromatherapy world said to have mood altering benefits.