Scratch And Sniff Technology Small Products Scent Putting Piece Image

"Scratch-and-sniff products" are items that "release" (emit; allow to escape) a scent when the "surface" (top part) is "scratched" (lightly scraped). The user scratches the item and then "sniffs" (breathes in air to perceive the odor of something) it. The technology involves putting very small "capsules" (very small beads or containers) filled with a scent onto a piece of paper, so that those capsules "break open" (open and release their contents) very easily when they are touched.

Scratch-and-sniff products are often "stickers" (a small piece of paper with an image on one side and an "adhesive" (a sticky substance) on the other side). Children enjoy putting scratch-and-sniff stickers on their artwork and sharing them with friends. "Valentines" (small cards exchanged on Valentine's Day) sometimes have scratch-and-sniff "features" (characteristics), especially with strawberry, cinnamon, or vanilla scents.

Sometimes scratch-and-sniff technology is used to educate people. For example, "utility companies" (companies that provide electricity, water and/or natural gas services) sometimes put scratch-and-sniff cards into "bills" (written statements of how much a person needs to pay a company) to teach customers how to recognize the smell of a dangerous "gas leak" (when gas escapes from a "pipe" (tube) into the air).

Scratch-and-sniff technology can also be used to sell products. For example, magazines sometimes have advertisements for perfumes that invite readers to scratch the ad to smell the new perfume.

One recent use of scratch-and-sniff technology was when "pop star" (a very popular musician) Katy Perry sold CDs with a sticker that smelled like "cotton candy" (colored sugar that is very fluffy, wrapped around a stick), matching the image of cotton candy on the cover of the CDs.