“To wear this scent, you must resist tradition, fight conformity, and disregard aromatic conventions.” That time the Sex Pistols launched their own perfume to “feed your inner rebel”

Once upon a time, when punks talked of disregarding “aromatic conventions”, as they so frequently did, they simply meant that they’d been avoiding soap and water, a bold, taboo-shattering stance which shocked western civilisation to its very core, and ushered in a new wave of philosophical debate which ultimately led to a radical transformation of global cultures.

{Note: We’re pretty sure that’s what happened, though it’s entirely possible that this is hastily-invented bullshit. But let’s say, for the sake of this story, that it definitely happened, right?]

Anyways, within this make-believe fantasy world, everything changed in August 2010, when the Sex Pistols began packaging “revolution” in a bottle, or to speak more plainly, began selling their own perfume in France [in conjunction with Paris-based perfume brand Etat Libre d’Orange].

“To wear this scent, you must resist tradition, fight conformity, and disregard aromatic conventions,” potential purchasers were warned in advance. “In the spirit of punk, you must be willing to express yourself with abandon. You take risks and you wouldn’t be adverse to creating a little mayhem.”

Quite a bit of responsibility to take on, we think you’ll agree.

The 50ml Eau de Parfum bottles were packaged in tartan-patterned boxes referencing Jamie Reid’s iconic artwork for the Pistols’ 1977 single God Save The Queen, bearing the teasing question “Is this the scent of anarchy?”

[Spoiler: No.]

The unisex Sex Pistols perfume was created after Etat Libre d’Orange, licensed the name from the band’s merchandising partner, Live Nation Merchandise, who said that the quartet were “closely involved” with the decision.

“They know who they are better than we do,” Michael Krassner, executive vice president of worldwide retail and licensing for Live Nation Merchandise, exclusively told the Fashion Network website. “That’s difficult (for us) in some respects, as opposed to someone who just approves everything.”

Yeah, God forbid that just anyone would start knocking out irrelevant tat with zero connection to the band, that would never do.

This official product offered a “fresh, restless bite of lemon, sharpened and intensified by a defiant black pepper” and invited potential buyers to “Feed your inner rebel”.

Lovely stuff.

At the time of the perfume launch, there were suggestions that it would be followed up by the creation of an official Never Mind the Bollocks-branded soap, but we cannot find any concrete evidence that this actually happened.

Sadly, the Sex Pistols perfume is no longer commercially available. But not long after it was discontinued, a new perfume called Malaise of the 1970s, with a not entirely dissimilar scent, was created by the same company. This one was apparently “inspired by a wealth of seventies pop culture references, from Star Wars to The Stranglers” and captured “the resistant and tumultuous spirit of the times”.

Bet it did.