The illusionist duo for which the fragrance was named.

Production halted on Siegfried & Roy raw meat-scented aftershave

The announcement came after investigations into the attack revealed that Horn's wearing of the fragrance - which is scientifically formulated to exude the enticing aroma of raw red meat - may have caused the Royal White tiger, Montecaro, to drag Horn offstage by the neck during the animal's stage debut at The Mirage Hotel & Casino.

"Armani's concern is that the powerful allure of the fragrance may cause other six-hundred pound carnivores to attempt to eat the neck and face of the product's users," said company spokesperson Laura Rede. "Maybe we're being overcautious here, but the company would rather err on the side of safety than endanger our customers."

Designed to capture the essence of finely cut meat products, the Siegfried and Roy cologne has been pulled from retail shelves in the U.S., and Armani has stopped shipment to the international market, where the meat-scented product had been experiencing its strongest sales.

Mark Hamm, an independent marketing analyst, explained the high overseas demand for the meat-smelling fragrance.

"Siegfried and Roy was selling big in Third World nations, where it is a sign of wealth and luxury for a man to smell like he's recently eaten meat, had meat rubbed on him or otherwise been exposed to even the smallest sliver of meat," said Hamm. "In these desperately poor countries, men in the market for wives had been buying and wearing Siegfried and Roy to try to attract women, which is really ironic when you think about it."

Rede said that although these international consumers appear to be at little risk of being mauled to within an inch of liquid consistency as a result of wearing the aftershave, Armani is currently running lab tests to determine whether or not Siegfried & Roy is indeed safe enough to be returned into the market.

"These tests take into account what percentage of our target market works with inherently wild predators that are kept against their will in captivity for the duration of their existence and routinely paraded around in front of thousands of people amidst the chaos of flashing lights, pyrotechnic explosions and highly amplified music," said Rede. "We feel that these dynamic conditions could cause a dramatically frightened beast to act a little aggressively, whether or not the subject has the equivalent of a Delmonico steak strapped around his neck."

Rede did not rule out the possibility that Armani could resume production of Siegfried & Roy after the company makes only minor changes in the product's packaging.

"Simply putting a short disclaimer on the back of the bottle would completely eliminate Armani's liability," said Rede. "The disclaimer would caution men who regularly taunt caged beasts for sport or profit about the risks of using the product. Something simple like, 'May cause deadly animals to kill and eat you."

Rede would not confirm rumors that Armani is considering remarketing the fragrance as a lure scent for wild game hunters.

November 2003