The smell of Auntie Anne’s pretzels has been a shopping mall staple for decades. Now, the pretzel chain is bottling up its scent so that people can enjoy the nostalgic aroma at any time.
Auntie Anne’s, founded in Downingtown and now headquartered in Lancaster, has created a fragrance inspired by the aroma of its fresh baked goods. The salty scent, called Knead: Eau De Pretzel, goes on sale online Wednesday.
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Knead is being sold in 1-ounce bottles for $25, and 3.4-ounce bottles for $45. The wearable scent is infused with notes of buttery dough, salt and a hint of sweetness, according to Auntie Anne’s. Based on that description, a simple spritz likely will remind wearers of the wafting scents of the pretzel shop that serves as a beacon of hope to weary shoppers – and their sometimes unwilling companions – that the food court and much-needed snacks are near.
“There are few scents more recognizable than the aroma of Auntie Anne’s,” Julie Younglove-Webb, Auntie Anne’s chief brand officer, said in a release. “Smell is a special and powerful sense. Over the years, fans have shared their memories and experiences that began with just a whiff of our pretzels. We’ve bottled that moment and can’t wait for fans to enjoy it in a whole new way.”
Pretzel perfume may sound uncanny, but there have been stranger fragrances out there — like a bacon-inspired perfume that was released by Tyson Foods-owned Wright Brand in 2022. Even more peculiar, Philly’s own Cork & Candles released a limited-edition candle that was meant to smell like retired Eagles star Jason Kelce. Plus, salty scents are all the rage right now in the fragrance world, if Cosmopolitan’s recent list of the 26 best perfumes is any indication — several fragrances are described as salty.
If you prefer real pretzels to pretzel-inspired fragrance, though, there are nine Auntie Anne’s locations in Philadelphia and many more in the region. Auntie Anne’s was founded in 1988 by Lancaster County-native Anne Beiler, who opened a concession stand at a busy farmers’ market in Downingtown to help support her husband’s dream of offering free counseling services to the community. The rest is history, as Beiler’s husband Jonas was able to achieve his goal and Auntie Anne’s is now considered the world’s largest soft pretzel franchise.