Can a perfume make you appear younger? Well according to research carried out on behalf of American perfumier Harvey Prince, it can. Fifteen men were tested and findings show that on average, women wearing Ageless Fantasy™ scent smelled 8 years younger to them.
Ageless Fantasy™ is part of the new group of “smart perfumes,” which are just emerging onto the market . These take advantage of the link between the power of smell and the human sub-conscious. Depending on the ingredients, these smart scents claim to either take years off you, make you more intelligent, happier, or sexier.
Ageless Fantasy — the Perfume That Makes Women Smell Younger
Ageless Fantasy™ priced at around $120 for 100ml can be purchased online and at selected high-end apothecary-style outlets such as Clyde's Pharmacy in New York and White's in East Hampton. It has just also just been launched in the UK at London’s Harvey Nichols (£59).
This anti-ageing aromatic fragrance contains top notes of pink grapefruit, mango, anti-oxidant rich pomegranate, medium notes of cherry blossom and jasmine and bottom notes of musk and vanilla. All of which according to Ageless Fantasy’s website, have been clinically proven to make a woman smell younger. “Men will be reminded of when they were dating. Women will feel energized," says the site.
Patent is pending on this youthful formula. So far this anti-ageing elixir has received a lot of media attention on both sides to the Atlantic and has been featured in Marie Claire and Women’s Own magazine, The Times, New York’s and London’s Daily Mail. The fragrance has also been featured on the Ellen Degeneres Show.
How Perfume Works
We have yet to fully appreciate and understand the link between the human sub-conscious and smell. Scent operates in such a way that it bypasses the rational mind.
Roja Dove, author of a brand new book entitled The Essence of Perfume (Black Dog Publishing, September 22, 2008) explains that the basic response to a fragrance is attraction or repulsion. “Jasmine, Dove says, “, contains a molecule called indole which also occurs in all animal scents.” Whilst a human’s rational response is to the flower, the brain detects indole and registers sex.” Anti-ageing perfumes are based on the concept of natural bio chemistry.
The Scent of a 40+ Woman
Research by Rutgers University in New Jersey shows that age has a deep association with smell. As a woman ages her body breaks down fatty acids in the skin which produces chemical pheromones called noneal, a grassy, greasy odor which we subconsciously associate with age. Women 40-years old and over have twice the amount of such pheromones compaired to younger women. These pheromones cannot be disguised by normal perfumes.
Smart Scent Studies
Research has shown that men associate tropical fruits and pink grapefruit scents with “younger women”. The Perfumista Blog states that a study conducted by the Smell and Taste Research Foundation, Chicago in 2005 revealed that "grapefruit-based scent is associated with a younger age group". Another study conducted by Rutgers University on behalf of Harvey Prince, confirmed this. By analyzing the reactions of 15 men from 20 to 60+ it found that the scent of rose was most associated with older age groups and pink grapefruit, apple & mango fragrance was most associated with younger women.
The UK’s Daily Mail, in their article, “Smart Scents" of November 2nd, 2008,) quotes Kumar Ramani, president of Harvey Prince, as saying, “From the point of arriving at the fragrance we had to negate the body odor that comes with age, it is not enough to simply mask the smell of ageing.”
In this article The Mail reveals the findings of its experiments asking women to try 8 smart scents including the anti-ageing, Ageless Fantasy™, . The wearer of Ageless Fantasy™, 45-year old Fiona Roberts is quoted as saying that on application, her husband spontaneously commented on how fantastic she looked and a friend commented on how young she appeared too. “That was worth the £60 alone!” says Roberts, who also claims to have had “more of a spring in my step.”
Other Anti-ageing Perfumes
Ageless Fantasy™ is not the only perfume to claim youth. Another,at a more sophisticated level, is Neuropeptide Synergy, is classed as an “anti-ageing aromatic.” Features in Harper's Bazaar magazine, Synergy is not technically a perfume as it works by being applied to the upper lip. This scent uses pheromones combined with neuropeptides, which delivers them to the brain. The elixir is from skincare expert Dr Nicholas Perricone and costs £215 for 25ml.
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