VIV Says: Blog

Certain scents can take us back to various points in our lives — magnolias recall a childhood home or a whiff of sea air returns us to a favorite beach. But can a scent literally take us back in time to when we were, say, 10 years younger? Harvey Prince & Co.’s new perfume, Ageless Fantasy ($120) is labeled an “anti-age fragrance” and purports to make women “smell younger” — as well as feel more youthful and energetic.

The perfume masks the odor of 2-Nonenal — an organic compound produced by the breakdown of fatty acid in the skin in women 40 and up — with essences of pink grapefruit, mango, jasmine and musk, as well as antioxidant-rich pomegranate. While the eau de toilette smells of pink grapefruit in the bottle, once it’s applied to pulse points, there is a subtle, sweeter floral finish. If all that smells fishy to you, consider this: An independent study by the Smell & Taste Treatment & Research Foundation in Chicago showed that grapefruit scent caused male test subjects to perceive women to be three to eight younger than they were.

Do you think it’s possible for a perfume to be the fountain of youth elixir? Would you try it?

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