There’s Now an App That Alerts You When You Smell Bad

Technology is now taking on a very touch-and-go category: body odor.

Beirersdorf-owned company Nivea just unveiled what it calls “the world’s first electronic nose for smartphones.” The olfactory app, appropriately named NOSE, promises to help signal users when it may be time to take a shower via a special phone case that has hardware designed to detect aroma.

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The app relies on this smell sensor, which can detect chemicals and a whole bunch of digital data and technical algorithms, but the message the app sends (i.e., the “smell status”) is pretty simple—as in, “It’s OK,” “It’s time” or “It’s urgent.”

The initial advertising is geared toward men and it’s still in beta, but the app is pretty close to being available, according to according to Geoffrey Hantson, a Belgium-based advertising executive who is the chief creative officer behind the project.

“We’re introducing the app next month, but it won’t work until the phone cover is available,” he told HuffPost. “It’s up to Nivea on whether they want to sell those covers separately or as part of a package of body care products.”