Coming in more than ten years late to the party… I had read about Deo Perfume Candy (later rebranded to Aroma Candy) before, so my excitement was really piqued when I saw bags of it casually hanging from a rack at the souvenir counter at the Rose Museum in Kazanlak, Bulgaria. I had thought it was no longer in production, and this felt like I was encountering something that had come back to life. The dates on the bag reassured me that the candies were fresh.

They were very cheap—about the equivalent of USD$2 per bag—luckily I didn’t get too carried away and bought only one. Then I waited for the right time and set of circumstances to try them out properly.

Last weekend, when it was hot, I ate 2 candies and went to sit outside and read. However, the sunny side was crowded, so I ended up sitting on the shady side, until the scent of incense wafting from someone’s apartment—which I found pleasant at first—started to become too much for me. By the time I moved to the sunny side, it was turning shady as well… all this to say that I did not sweat as anticipated.

My other half had also eaten 2 candies and gone on a long bike ride, but surprisingly he also did not sweat much. Neither of us smelled like roses.

Today, I ate 3 candies, one after another. They each took 8 minutes to melt in the mouth. After about an hour, I went to the gym and worked up a sweat. It smelled like… nothing.

I started looking up some information online. During the hot minute starting in late 2012 that this novelty was sold in the United States on Amazon (for a much higher price), each bag contained 16 candies (mine had 18) and apparently the dose for the same body weight was 4 candies (not 2). So, I ate a fourth, just in case I metabolize geraniol more slowly… and also to remember the flavor.

The “natural flavor” listed is tangerine. To me, the candy starts mildly rosy and then becomes not so much citrusy as generically fruity before it loses flavor. It makes the breath rosy while it lasts.

My other half decided to eat 5 candies for good measure right before going on another long bike ride. He came back profusely sweaty a couple of hours later, but still not smelling at all like roses.

Reviews online from others were very mixed, with some people swearing by the results and perhaps most others disappointed like us. (Although I didn’t have my hopes up too high because I figured it was discontinued for a reason…)

Deo Aroma Candy can still be purchased from various sellers and shipped from Bulgaria. Newer versions include a lavender-flavored one—also with geraniol as the active ingredient, so would you end up smelling like lavender or rose?!—and a citronella-flavored one tagged as a “natural repellent,” though it does not specify of what.

I’m glad I got to try it, but I’ll stick with the more reliable way to reek of roses… wearing one of my many rose perfumes!