MINOT (AP) - A scent that not only smells sweet but also helps in the fight against breast cancer has been wafting through the Norsk Hostfest this year, compliments of Norwegian perfume designer Geir Ness.

Ness is the creator of Laila, a fragrance he says took around five years to develop after his experience working for global designers such as Chanel.

"I wanted a fragrance that was fresh, clean and light, that was (a scent) of Norway," Ness said.

The scent is from mountain wild flowers with natural herbs and lavender, he said. And it is very personal.

"I copied my mom's signature without her knowing it, and I silk-screened her name on the bottle, and I gave it to her for Mother's Day," Ness said. "So Laila is my mom's name. … I wanted something that meant something to me."

The sweetest smelling perfume in the world is useless if people aren't able to wear it because of allergies. Ness said he made sure to use natural ingredients so as many people as possible could enjoy its fragrance.

"I wanted something that was natural-based. So we used natural oil instead of synthetics," he said. "So if people are allergic or sensitive, they can still be able to wear the fragrance."

The perfume has been the fragrance of stars at the Grammy Awards, and has been used at the MTV Music Awards and the Emmy Awards. Ness says the attention is not only good for him, but good for his country as well.

"It's nice also because I can also sell Norway at the same time, because I travel over 300 days a year," he said.

He also has a men's fragrance named Geir, after himself.

Perhaps even more important to Ness than his own work in developing perfumes is the work being done by a cancer research charity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, to find a cure for breast cancer. Ness says a friend of his who died from breast cancer made the battle very personal to him, and he contacted Susan G. Komen for the Cure to find out how he could help.

"I had a friend of mine that died of breast cancer a couple years ago and she had four small girls," he said. "So I wanted to do something that meant something to me."

Ten percent of the proceeds from a special version of his perfume called Laila Pink will go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure for breast cancer research. He also is donating $25,000 to the organization.

Ness stresses the importance of checkups for both men and women to detect cancer as early as possible. He says that staying fit, eating nutritious foods and having a positive mental outlook are important in living a healthy life.