Pride & Prejudice 'Excellent' Boiled Potatoes Candle

Content advisory: This post is littered with alliteration

You may have sensed I'm on a scentscrusade.

I went on a condiment quest with Hellman’s mayonnaise cologne, which did not, in fact, smell anything like mayo.

My disappointment was disproportionate — or was it?

Scent is a shortcut to emotion, memory, and nostalgia. It’s been underutilized in experience design, but that’s changing. More experiences are incorporating scent, but fragrance is complex and deeply personal; perfumery is an art.

Compared to live experiential productions, perfumeries and consumer brands have a longer history of scented symbiosis. Candles are a common offering and past partnerships have leaned towards the traditional end of the spectrum: floral, musky, or citrus-based notes. Familiar enough, bespoke concoctions that supposedly communicate luxury and exclusivity.

Lately, it’s been getting weird, but not weird enough.

After the mayo misfortune, I tried my hand again. This time with Pride & Prejudice’s Excellent Boiled Potatoes candle.

A collaboration between Focus Features and Mise En Scent (!), the candle is a chance to “celebrate the 20th anniversary of Pride & Prejudice and relive one of the most memorable scenes with the scent of excellent boiled potatoes.”

Does it smell like (excellent) boiled potatoes?

Nope.

How do I know?

I boiled potatoes for direct comparison, because science.

The potatoes (Yukon Gold, peeled, whole, boiled for 30 minutes) tendered airy notes of loamy starch and a faint powdery richness, like the smell of melted butter but earthier.

The candle is a sticky-sweet caramelization, as though crème brûlée and stale movie popcorn had a baby. It’s a smothering of burnt sugar, an assault of plasticky vanilla lip gloss. It has all the subtlety of an emu careening through a library.

So… where do we go from here?

Did my enthusiasm wane after the Hellman’s hellscape? No. Has it dwindled after the potato plight? No. More than ever, I’m convinced we can do weird better than this.

While there may not be a shortage of strange, surprising, or even horrifying scents, brands — and experiences — are only dipping their pinky toenail into the ocean of scentsational possibilities. Which is why I keep hoping someone will get it right.

(Has anyone tried Ministry of Scent’s Pasta Water candle? Even at an astronomical $70, it’s currently sold out.)

P.S. This Is Not an Experience has been quiet for exciting reasons. Stay tuned!

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