When
I first heard the concept, ‘Smell Younger’, I thought this was surely a gimmick
by perfume companies.
But,
to me, it was still intriguing.
Perhaps
you’ve heard about pheromones and how the hormonal smell can attract the
opposite sex. Since they have an
effect I thought, maybe
this wasn't just about
advertising. So, I decided to do my own research.
And
I found that …
It’s
not all in the eye of the beholder it’s also in the nose. Some new
research has shown that scents can actually make you look younger, more
attractive and thinner.
Now,
I want some of that !
Smell More Attractive – the brain receives pleasant smells as an emotional
evaluation. In a recent study, 12 women and six men were
asked to rate photos of women on attractiveness. Simultaneously an odor
was released as each photo was presented. The scents directly affected
how each participant rated the picture. When smelling a foul smell (fish
oil was used), the photos were rated much lower than that of the rose smell1,2.
Having said that, a
rose scent is associated with older women.
To Smell 6-10 Years Younger – Studies say, you want to choose
pink grapefruit. What’s interesting about this study is that even the
participants that didn’t like the smell of pink grapefruit still guessed the
subjects’ age 6+ years younger 3,4 . Pink grapefruit only works on women . It does nothing for men – sorry guys!
Other
scents used that did not affect the perception of being younger were cucumber,
lavender, melon, bananas and spearmint leaves (at least we know what to avoid
when trying to smell younger).
Because smells bypass the rational part of the brain and directly affect
the emotional center, you can Smell Thinner with spicy florals, pink grapefruit or any other
citrus scent. Vanilla, on the other hand, will make you appear
heavier5.
One
rule in any perfume you choose is to not overdo it because it can have the
opposite effect.
If
you want to make your own perfume you can find essential oils online and add
them to a base consisting of a tablespoon of grapeseed oil ( or jojoba oil ) and a tablespoon of
vodka.
All
in all, if you like perfume and it makes you happy you will appear
younger. But adding some pink grapefruit might get you carded ;).
To
a younger more healthy you!
Sandy
DeRose
References
1Janina Seubert, Kristen M. Gregory, Jessica Chamberland,
Jean-Marc Dessirier, Johan N. Lundström. Odor Valence Linearly Modulates
Attractiveness, but Not Age Assessment, of Invariant Facial Features in a
Memory- Based
Rating Task. PLoS ONE , 2014;
9 (5): e98347 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0098347
2 Monell Chemical Senses Center. "Pleasant
smells increase facial attractiveness." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 29 May
2014.
3 Interviews with Alan Hirsch, Director, Smell & Taste
Treatment and Research Foundation, Chicago. December 7, 15, 2011.
4 A R. Hirsch, Y. Ye. "Effects of odour on
perception of age." International
Journal of Essential Oil Therapeutics (2008) 2, 131-138.
5
A. R. Hirsch, J. R. Hoogeveen, A. M. Bussec, E. T. Allen. "The effects of
odour on weight perception." International Journal of Essential Oil
Therapeutics, 2007; 1:21-28
