BBC News Online: World: Europe

Old spice on new banknotes

Eu de toilette's predecessor - the scent of $100

"In order to make the process of changing currencies psychologically easier for people, we will sell 10 euro notes that still smell of the national money," says Robert Jelinek of Sabotage Communications.

Sabotage Communications has already been selling a bottled perfume called Cash which it says is based on the scent of a $100 bill.

Ink and mahogany

Like Cash, the "EU de toilette" will be produced by the Austrian company, Dracoco, which develops artificial scents for perfumes in its chemical laboratories.

The scent of the dollar was created by imitating some of the components of the note: metal, ink, paper and mahogany.

The same technique will be applied to conserve the smell of other bank notes of the other currencies.

Apart from the Schilling, the Deutschemark and the French Franc, one more national currency has yet to be selected.

Fresh smells

However, only be the smell of fresh notes will be created.

"We don't want the EU de toilette to stink like sweaty hands so that it can only be used in the toilet", explains Robert Jelinek.

The scent will then be applied to regular 10 euro notes and sold in small plastic vacuum-packs for 11 euros.

"The EU de toilette can for example be hung up in the car as air-freshener and after four weeks, when the scent is gone, the note can be used just like any other. So it will be worth the money", says Jelinek.