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---
title: Survive the Zombie Apocalypse with Chemical Corpse Perfume
description: In this video from Reactions: Everyday Chemistry, scientists explain how it might be possible to create an anti-zombie perfume.
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article:published_time: 2014-03-27T16:09:04.000Z
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og:title: Survive the Zombie Apocalypse with Corpse Perfume
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twitter:title: Survive the Zombie Apocalypse with Corpse Perfume
twitter:description: As explained by chemists
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# Survive the Zombie Apocalypse With Corpse Perfume

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by 

[Kyle Chayka](https://time.com/author/kyle-chayka/)


## Kyle Chayka


Mar 27, 2014 4:09 PM UTC

by 

[Kyle Chayka](https://time.com/author/kyle-chayka/)


## Kyle Chayka


Mar 27, 2014 4:09 PM UTC

How will you prepare for the coming zombie tide? (Don’t kid yourselves, we all know it’s coming.) Axes are usually a good choice for decapitation. Guns don’t seem to work that well. Stakes are for vampires. What about perfume?

[This video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUEjmyisz7c) from Reactions: Everyday Chemistry explores the possibility of creating a scent that would disguise living humans as dead bodies, fooling zombies who always seem so sensitive to the smell of flesh. Now we can smell just like them and safely wander among the enemy!

The key to the cologne is the combination of two chemicals, scientist Raychelle Burks tells us. The aptly-named putrescine and cadaverine, produced by the body just after death, are what make the scent of a rotting corpse so smelly. Add in a little methane, and voila! Smell just like a zombie. Just don’t try to pull this trick before the zombie apocalypse.

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