INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Tastes Like Chicken! KFC Makes Lickable Nail Polish In Original, Hot & Spicy Flavors

By Shelley Hazen
Published on: 04:15 PST, May 5, 2016

When you smell a bottle nail polish, you probably don’t think, “gee, I wish there was a way I could eat this stuff.”

“If only,” this insane line of thought may continue, “there was a brand of nail polish that looked fashionable on my fingertips and tasted amazing, too. ”

Wish no longer. KFC — the folks who have brought the world buckets of greasy fried chicken — has all of your edible polish desires met.

The fast food giant is soon releasing its poultry-flavored, edible nail polish in two tasty flavors: Original, and Hot and Spicy, The New York Times reports.

The latter is a lovely shade of persimmon, as described by Time. The former is about the same shade as raw chicken skin. Both contain sparkles (KFC chicken does not).

However, this is a cruel tease, because chicken-flavored nail polish isn’t being released in the United States; at least, not right now. It will only be made available in China and advertisers over there are trying hard to convince young people in particular that hungrily sucking fake chicken flavor off your fingers is cool.

KFC has even released a music video — featuring a beatboxing lady and a guy performing a much more complicated and impression version of “voguing” — in case you weren’t entirely convinced edible nail polish is hip. Both are wearing each nail polish flavor and stop their performance to tenderly nibble their fingers.

KFC’s idea is so bizarre that some people may wonder whether it’s a late April Fool’s joke, but Anna Mugglestone, the marketing and communications director for the ad agency running the campaign, Ogilvy & Mather Group, has assured the world it’s “actually a real thing.”

“I tried it myself in the office when they were doing testing. It tastes like chicken. It’s crazy. I don’t know how they do it.”

She said her company’s ad campaign is supposed “to remind the younger generation” of “the great taste and good times (KFC) stands for.”

KFC hasn’t revealed much about the magic behind the nail polish. It has been created with the help of food technologists (that’s a thing, apparently) at spice company McCormick & Company, which makes the spices in KFC chicken.

Like mad scientists in a lab, Oglivy, KFC, and McCormick mixed up the “natural ingredients” that apparently taste just like the Original and Hot and Spicy recipes, according to VICE.

They assure using the nail polish is very simple, since it works just like the polish you’re not supposed to eat.

“Simply apply and dry like regular nail polish, and then lick – again and again and again.”

KFC’s “Finger Lickin’ Good” nail polish hasn’t been mass produced yet, but (fingers crossed!) it could get a production run late this year. Ahead of its launch in China, the product has been teased on social media with pictures of the “designer” bottles and boxes they’re sold in.

People in Hong Kong are also being asked to consider each flavor/color and pick their favorite. The winner will be mass produced, though where it will be released hasn’t been made clear.

Marketers are claiming “vast interest” in the polish and online commenters have expressed both skeptic and downright disgust. It’s also caught the attention of fashion journalists and bloggers. Glamour‘s observations were pretty lukewarm.

“Original is actually pretty cute for spring, if, you know, it didn’t taste like fried chicken.”

Last year, Burger King Japan played a big joke on everyone by claiming to release a meat-scented perfume they said smelled like the Whopper. It was aptly named Flame-Grilled Fragrance.

What other fast foods do you think should be turned into edible cosmetics?

[Photo by vvoe/Shutterstock]

Share this article: Tastes Like Chicken! KFC Makes Lickable Nail Polish In Original, Hot & Spicy Flavors
china Business
More from Inquisitr