I started thinking about this topic when I read that Domino’s Pizza, an American multinational pizza restaurant chain, for the recent Valentine’s Day had launched a limited edition perfume, Eau de Passion, inspired by their most popular pizza, Pepperoni Passion. It wasn’t openly sold, but you could enter to win a bottle of it somehow (I’m not sure about details). They liked that idea so much that recently they continued the theme in their April’s Fool FB post. It wasn’t a completely novel idea: Demeter had their version of Pizza perfume in 2012, and it looks like it’s still in production. And it looks like at least a couple more of the less known brands cooked up their own pizza-inspired perfume recipes. So, let’s talk about pizzas and perfumes. And taking into consideration how geographically diverse my loyal audience is, I thought this topic might be deeper than it seems on the surface.
Saturday Question #259:
Do You Like Pizza? How About Pizza Perfume?
Do you eat pizza? If yes, do you have a favorite? Have you ever smelled any of the pizza-inspired perfumes? What do you think about the idea?
My Answer
Story time! Since I haven’t done real perfume stories for a while, I’ll use this SQ post to tell one of my stories.
I grew up without pizza in my life. We just didn’t have that in my native country. I am not sure I even knew about that food. Many other foods, even more exotic, I knew at least from books or movies, but somehow pizza wasn’t a part of that learning avenue. And then around the time I started university, the first pizza restaurant opened in my city. Chicago-style deep-dish pizza was the closest our first pizza resembled. It smelled divine, it tasted great, and it seemed totally worth the 40-50-minutes waiting in line to get seated and order it.
Even before coming here, from the friend who came here first with his parents and worked for a while delivering pizza, we learned that local pizza was completely different from what we knew as “pizza” back at home, which was confirmed when we moved to the US. The fact that pizzas would be usually ordered from (as I still think horrible) chains didn’t help. I refused to eat it.
After many years in the US, I kind of accepted the tradition of ordering pizzas to the office or improvised parties and resolved to eating just toppings leaving most of the crust on my plate. My co-workers and friends laughed looking at me scraping the toppings from the next slice, but at least I participated.
And only decades later, I discovered that pizzas made by good Italian restaurants were quite tasty. So, from time to time, we order a pizza at one of my favorite restaurants (to dine in or to take home). The one I like the most is a pizza with prosciutto, burrata cheese, eggplant and arugula. I am still not a fan of any “traditional” pizzas. Pepperoni is not something I would eat in any form, and as a pizza topping it seems even less attractive.
As to pizza perfume… Definitely no. I am not even curious to smell it. There are not that many food-related scents that I would find attractive as a personal scent. And nothing about pizza, even the best one, is associated for me with perfume I would wear.
How about you?
Undina's Looking Glass 
I love good pizza. Thin crisp crust, a smear of San Marzano sauce, mozzarella & basil. Deelicious! Even better, add capers, olives & anchovies.
I do like pepperoni pizza in a push, preferably with jalapeños.
Why would anyone want to smell like pizza though? Gak
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As much as I love anchovies (periodically, I open a jar and eat them “as is” with a slice of bread), I can’t even imagine them as a pizza topping. I’d rather have pepperoni (but not really :) ).
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Anchovies on thickly buttered sourdough with chopped shallots is a revelation!
On pizza they almost melt & with a few capers & black olives make the pizza very savoury & umami. It’s a proper Italian topping, one of the few.
I’ve never ordered from a pizza chain, when I yearn for pizza I either make it, always thin crust, always sourdough or order from a local takeaway that hand makes them, including the crust
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Life’s too short to wear pizza perfume! I wouldn’t want to smell like that, ever! Years ago I remember some perfumer came out with a tomato sauce perfume, maybe called Ragu?, and it was supposedly good, but I had no interest in trying. There was a time when I was interested in gimmicky perfumes, but no longer!
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Ragu, huh? No, not for me either.
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Just no! ;)
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Lol
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The concept of a pizza perfume isn’t entirely novel. In 2012, Pizza Hut, one of the largest pizza chains in the U.S.at the time, launched a pizza perfume called “Eau de Pizza.” I even wrote a post about the release on PER FUMUS, which includes a hilarious video review from Katie Puckrik. I had the chance to experience this novelty firsthand, and let me tell you, it was a letdown. I can’t even imagine that Domino’s “Eau de Passion” could be any better. I’ll leave the aroma of pizza to my dinner plate.
As for my favorite pizza style, I’m torn between thin and deep dish. I tend to lean towards thin-crust, but I’m not afraid to go for deep-dish if it’s particularly good. I mostly prefer homemade pizzas, and I can honestly say that I’ve never ordered a pizza from any home delivery service.
When it comes to toppings, I prefer the traditional options, but I’m open to trying new things. The only toppings that make me cringe are pineapple and fish.
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Pineapple on pizza is so surprisingly polarizing! I’m in the other camp of liking pineapple on pizza… with barbecue sauce (another love-or-hate for some)!
The only thing that gives me hope for a perfume that smells like pizza is the fact that the bacon perfume released a few years ago smelled nothing like bacon, so maybe this will be an impostor as well.
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Do tell, Nose Prose. What other toppings would you pair with pineapple?
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Haha… usually banana peppers! Thin crust, from Domino’s, in a pinch when nobody wants to cook.
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Not even anchovies?
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🤔 Let me think about that.
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Thank you for the mini-review and a nostalgic looking back on one of Katie’s reviews.
For the longest time, I didn’t accept fish on pizza, but eventually I agreed to a couple of small slices of pizza with salmon at my favorite restaurant. Still, not something I would order myself. But pineapple! Hawaiian pizza was probably the closest to what I can characterize as “enjoyable” when pizzas were delivered to the office :)
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You’re welcome, Undina. Katie is always entertaining.
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I love pizza, but I do not want a perfume that smells like pizza. The thought of such a fragrance is rather nausea inducing.
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We’re in agreement here.
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My favourite pizza ever was had on holidays in Italy. A simple caprese on a thin but surprisingly fluffy and light base. Haven’t ever had another one like it. Second place is the bistro in my daughter’s village, they make from scratch and have a lovely mix of toppings. Absolutely no anchovy will ever touch anything I have to eat. My jury is still out on pineapple. Pizza perfume? Just no.
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I spent almost 20years working at a university where almost every student event or program included vast quantities of chain store pizza, since it was a cheap way to attract and feed students. So no, I don’t care for it, and I’ve never liked pepperoni. But I do enjoy an occasional “real” pizza from a restaurant, or we make our own at home using store bought thin crusts. I love goat cheese, so that is usually an ingredient.
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