A perfume that smells better as you sweat

Imagine applying a perfume that smells better the more you sweat as you go out to woo your girl! One such "wonder" perfume is here, say scientists at the Queen's University, Belfast.

The team from the Queen's University Ionic Liquid Laboratories (QUILL) research centre has developed a unique perfume delivery system which releases more of its aroma when it comes into contact with moisture, meaning a person smells nicer when his sweat levels increase.

This innovative perfume system has been created by tagging a raw fragrance onto an ionic liquid (salt in the form of liquid) which has no smell.

The "perfumed ionic liquid" releases its aroma when it comes into contact with water, allowing more of the perfume's scent to be released onto a person's skin.

In addition, the perfume system also has the ability to remove the bad odours that come from sweat.

The "thiol" compounds that are responsible for the bad sweat smell are attracted to the ionic liquid, attaching themselves to it and losing their potency.

"Not only does it have great commercial potential and could be used in perfumes and cosmetic creams, but it could also be used in other areas of science, such as the slow release of certain substances of interest," explained project leader Nimal Gunaratne in a statement.

The researchers are currently working with a perfume development company to identify a number of product ideas that could eventually be sold in the market.