We are Penn State -- but do we smell like Penn State?

Maybe not before, but now a new Penn State perfume and cologne claims students, alumnus and hardcore fans can exude the very essence of this school.

Katie Masich, president and CEO of Masik Collegiate Fragrances, created the scent line Collegiate Fragrances based off this idea. She thought it was interesting that people are loyal to celebrity-released products and believed the concept could be applied to people's dedication to their respective colleges.

"We thought that this strong connection between student and college was a good representation of a fragrance," she said.

Masich said she chose to launch Collegiate Fragrances with a Penn State scent because she is a Pennsylvania native and grew up surrounded by Penn State fans. Because football wasn't as popular at her alma mater, Bucknell University, she often visited friends at Penn State to get the real experience, she said.

With her knowledge of Penn State's quintessential elements -- the mascot, colors, traditions and landmarks -- Masich approached renowned perfumers in New York City and asked them to formulate a signature scent for Penn State. She also brought photos of the campus and samples of trees and plants found on walkways that capture the spirit of the University, she said.

"The perfumers are amazing at working to evoke certain emotions with aromatics," Masich said.

Working together with the perfumers during the formulation process, Masich put her chemical engineering degree to work. The team ended with five or six fragrances, and then picked one that "evokes class and elegance, blue, white -- like Penn State University," Masich said.

The blue and white elements played a big role specifically in differentiating between the men's and the women's scents. The men's fragrance exudes more blue, containing blue Cyprus and cracked pepper vapor. The women's fragrance is influenced by the graceful structure of Old Main and classic white with hints of vanilla, lilac and rose.

Though both the perfume and the cologne offer their own specific elements, Masich said they were also formulated to complement each other with common elements such as patchouli and amber.

She said she believes the fragrance captures the essence of Penn State because of her personal research and the feedback she has recievedfrom Penn Staters across the country.

Masich said she hopes the Penn State scent will have a universal appeal to not only students but also alumni

"I didn't want to just put a Nittany Lion logo on a bottle, I wanted the scent to be unique and signature to the school," she said.

Though Masich began Collegiate Fragrances with Penn State's scent, more scents are in the works. She said she has released a scent for the University of North Carolina, developed through the same process as the Penn State's fragrance.

Masich says people can tell that the different fragrances reflect their respective campuses. "We are marking universities with a unique scent of their own and being very careful about how we do so that we stay true to what's special about each university," she said.

Schools such as the University of Tennessee and the University of Alabama can look forward to fragrances that complement their school colors, with ginger and mandarin sfor Tennessee's orange and apple and berry elements for the crimson of Alabama, Masich said.

Masich's mom, Carol Masich described how much work her daughter put into making her idea a reality.

"Katie is so hard working and always pays attention to details," Carol Masich said.

The production of the Collegiate Fragrances became a family affair when they would bring back all of the different variations and sit at their kitchen table smelling and discussing minor details like what the bottle and the cap for the scent should look like, Carol Masich said.

"We've enjoyed everything, it has been a lot of work, but it has been a lot of fun working together," she said.

Currently, the only places on or near campus the Penn State fragrances can be bought are the Nittany Lion Inn, the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, the Penn State All Sports Museum Gift Shop in Beaver Stadium and The Penn State Bookstore in the HUB-Robeson Center. The fragrances can also be bought online at www. masik.com/universities.

Rebecca Brouwer, the assistant store manager of The Penn State Bookstore said football Saturdays are when the store has seen the most sales of the fragrances, with the cologne outselling the perfume two to one.

"Male consumers are finding the scent more appealing," Brouwer said.

The Bookstore is working closely with Masich and everyone involved in the Collegiate Fragrance project to promote the product. Their newest endorsement plan is to hand out free samples of the Penn State scents at Saturday's Homecoming football game against Michigan at all locations where it is currently being sold. Masich will be on campus during these promotional periods.

"I think that the product is selling partly because of the story behind it," Brouwer said.