‘Anti-ageing’ perfume launched in Europe

Ageless Fantasy was created by the New York-based company on the back of scientific research that suggest certain scents are associated with younger age groups.

Harvey Prince says it has relied on research conducted in this area over the last ten years that points to the fact that certain scents can negate odours that are associated with older age groups.

The smell to hide​

A study conducted in 2000 and published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology showed that women in the 40 plus age group have more than twice the levels of 2-Nonenal – which is associated with a 'grassy, greasy' odour – as well as higher levels of Omega 7 and lipid peroxides.

Harvey Prince claims that the development of its perfume was particularly challenging because masking this particular odour is not straight forward and is not possible with normal perfumes.

Harvey Prince teamed up with scientists at Rutgers University, in New Jersey, US, to tackle this problem and develop the world's first ever fragrance with anti-ageing claims.

Grapefruit can melt away the years​

The team looked at research conducted by the Smell and Taste Research Foundation back in 2005 that pointed to the fact that a grapefruit-based scent is associated with a younger age group.

This gave way to a study conducted by the Rutgers team for Harvey Prince to dig deeper into other fragrances associated with younger age groups.

The study took fifteen men in five age groups – 20-30, 30-40, 40-50, 50-60 and 60 plus - to test their reaction to a range of different scents and determine the age association with them.

The study took in a number of fragrances, including vanilla, lavender and rose, together with a variety of fruit and vegetable scents, which were tested for erotic, comfort or playful reactions.

Rose ages while apple is younger​

The study found that the rose was most associated with older age groups and apple fragrance was most associated with younger age groups.

Although the formula of its fragrance is obviously a closely guarded secret, Harvey Prince says it used the research findings to create a scent that best masks odours associated with older age groups with scents that are associated with younger age groups.

As a result Ageless Fantasy combines pink grapefruit, pomegranate, jasmine, mango and soft must to create a fragrance that is said to produce a significant ‘age-lowering’ effect when applied to the skin.