Rare Beauty turns New York billboards into scratch-and-sniff fragrance experience

Rare Beauty has reimagined out-of-home advertising by transforming billboards across New York City into scratch-and-sniff experiences to introduce its debut fragrance, Rare Eau de Parfum. The activation invites passersby to do more than simply view the creative—they can physically interact with it and discover the scent firsthand. 

Designed around the question, “What Does New York Smell Like?”, the campaign features oversized perfume bottle visuals integrated with scented panels printed using microencapsulated fragrance technology. By scratching designated areas of the billboard, pedestrians release the fragrance, turning the advertisement into a live product demonstration rather than a static visual display. 

The experiential execution addresses one of fragrance marketing’s biggest challenges: allowing consumers to experience a scent outside of a retail environment. Instead of relying solely on imagery or messaging to communicate the perfume’s notes, the campaign enables audiences to sample the fragrance directly on the street, bridging the gap between advertising and product trial.