French La Poste launches a croissant-scented stamp

France’s La Poste postal system has launched a limited edition stamp celebrating the iconic butter croissant… complete with the well-known aroma of the flaky pastry itself. 

It is an homage to “the French people's favorite pastry… and French gastronomy,” La Poste states on its website. 

The stamps began circulation this week to coincide with the competition to find the nation’s best butter croissant. 

Three post offices in the Drôme department were given priority to sell the stamps, all of which are located close to the bakery that won the competition.

“I had a stock of 1,000… and on the first day, more than 400 stamps had already sold,” director of the Valence-Herriot post office Anthony Richet told AFP. 

Alongside locals, around 50 collectors showed up at his post office, he said.

“It's a symbol of France's influence abroad,” Mr Richet added.

Stamps found in store or online

A limited run of 594,000 however mean the stamps – that can be used for national and international mailing, and contain an image of a classic croissant as well as its smell – may be hard to come by.

This is particularly the case when stamp collectors are accounted for, who are likely to be on the hunt for one of France’s many special collections.

The stamps should soon be available in La Poste office branches across France and you can also purchase them through La Poste’s website. 

A single stamp costs €2.10 (delivery fees may apply to online orders). 

Despite sounding like a novel idea, this is not the first olfactory stamp introduced by France’s postal system. In 2024, it released a stamp that carried the odour of a freshly baked baguette, again celebrating the heritage of French ovens. 

What classic French smell would you put on a stamp? Let us know via feedback@connexionfrance.com