The Magical Properties of Grapefruit: Ladies, Look Six Years Younger in a Single Spritz! + Maggie May Draw

Maggie May by Ron Stewart (The morning sun when it's in your eyes really shows your age. But that don't worry me none, in my eyes you're everything) must have worn a grapefruit fragrance, not anti-aging cream; Cecilia by Simon and Garfunkel in 1971 probably did too(Making love in the afternoon with Cecilia Up in my bedroom got up to wash my face. When I come back to bed Someone's taken my place).

Mrs. Robinson… in Cougar( well leopard spotted jacket)



In 1971, when Maggie May debuted there was no botox or restylane used to erase or fill the lines of yet another birthday, and whilst Maggie May was not the first Cougar celebrated in pop music, (I think that honor belongs to Mrs. Robinson in 1968 but Benjamin left her for her daughter) she was clearly a woman of a certain age.

EIC Michelyn Camen before Grapefruit fragrance

So why so much talk about Grapefruit? A woman of middle years, (such as moi) just like Maggie May, can bathe herself in the mythical fountain of youth, have plumpers and fillers that cost thousands injected or wear grapefruit. Recent studies from the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation show that the scents of grapefruit on women make them seem younger to men.¹

Institute director Alan Hirsch said he “smeared several middle-aged women with broccoli, banana, spearmint leaves, and lavender but none of those scents made a difference to the men.”

But the scent of grapefruit changed men's perceptions. Hirsch said “that when male volunteers were asked to write down how old the woman with grapefruit odor was, the age was considerably less than reality, on average of six years.

Face it: as a perfumista, you are not going to settle for a crate from Florida. Choose rare and artisanal grapefruit-based scents that are as beautifully bottled (no rinds, no pits) as they are fragrant.

What IF you could look six years younger with a single spritz? Apothia’s IF is clean and light, with top notes of zesty grapefruit and sparkling yuzu, ending in a deep romantic drydown of white florals

CAUTION: Combining grapefruit and bubblegum might make you look younger than your teenage sister! These two notes are key ingredients in Ayala Moriel’s Fetish, an unusual blend of citrus, gourmand and tea notes.

1873 by Histoires de Parfums was inspired by Colette, the French author who dallied with much younger men and women. Notes of grapefruit and orange blossom and bring to mind her extraordinary book Flowers and Fruit, (and helped CaFleureBon secure one of four record breaking FiFi Finalist positions by any blog in Fragrance Foundation history), (including the only blog to win a finalist position for men's coverage by Managing Editor Mark Behnke)

Sugar Grapefruit by Love and Toast: Don’t let the name fool you: this is sharp, startle-you-awake grapefruit with just the slightest dusting of sugar.

For a burst of sunshine in a bottle, Dawn Spencer Hurwitz’s (a member of the Natural perfumer's guild) Pamplemousse contains both pink and white grapefruit oils. This fragrance will make you smile. And when you smile, you always look great (no matter what your age). According to Dawn, “You know, it's amazing that Chandler Burr told me that my Pamplemousse was his favorite grapefruit scent and it's comprised of 98% naturals…tons of true grapefruit oils”.


A grapefruit fragrance on men does not have anti aging properties According to Contributor Sergey Borisov two new fragrances were created recently called 'bacōn,' prounounced (bay cone) asstudies show many men love the smell of bacon

The Donald… aka Republican Candidate for President?

So how do men look younger? Money!!!

Our draw is for full sized bottles:

1873 Colette by Histoires de Parfums (Gerald’s Ghislain’s ad coming soon) www.histoiresdeperfumes.com

Sugar Grapefruit courtesy of www.indiescents.com

Pamplemousse 1 oz by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of www.dshperfumes.com (98% botanical)

That me after sprtizing grapefruit 😉

(Please use our sponsors ads whenever ordering!!!! We are self-funded and they allow us to pay our hard working editors)

Michelyn Camen, Editor-in Chief

Leave a comment about this article and you are eligible to win . If you have a choice please indicate it. Draw closes Noon EST May 4,2011

Portions of this article appeared on fragrantica.com

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33 comments

  • Nonnie Balcer says:

    Amusing, but tempting!  I am VERY interested in giving grapefruit scents a try, especially as the warm weather really starts in…

  • Rod Stewart Maggie May…love that song…just an fyi one of the American Idol contestants this year sounds like Rod Stewart and sang this song…it was amazing. Also a friend of mine heard about the study in women appearing younger if using a grapefruit scent, she actually bought  one…..and loves wearing it. Straight Pampelmousse fragrances are generally not my choice, but for this warmer weather coming this would be a refreshing choice. I think the Histoires 1873 would be my choice, but i would love to try any of them.

  • I like grapefruit scents, they are mostly very uplifting – e.g. Guerlan Aqua Allegora Pamplemousse. Here I would prefer to win Histoire des Perfumes if there was an option to choose. Thanks for entering me.

  • Wow, who wouldn’t want to appear younger! Definitely myself when I was much younger, but let’s not go there. The Histoire des Perfumes would have a slight edge, but actually they all sound like Fountains of Youth.
    Thank you for the draw!

  • Madelyn E says:

    I read that for job interviews to use grapefruit scents as you would appear younger. I do like Guerlain's Pamplemousse or Hermes 's  Pamplemousse Rose  of the grapefruit scents I know.
    I do not favor citrus scents so using these scents on an interview would be interesting. I would love to be entered into the drawer.
     
     

  • Not sure if I believe in grapefruit scents making women look younger, but I will say that if done well, they can definitely lift my spirits!  Seeing as I fell in love with a couple of Histoires de Parfums [1725 & 1740] during Sniffapalooza this weekend, I would choose Colette should I win the draw…:-)

  • Thanks for this fantastic draw!Can totally believe the effect of grapefruit scents,just one drop of the essential oil,and I feel happy-I thought it was the same with orange and mandarin,but maybe grapefruit has that extra kick?If I could choose,I would love to try what the amazing Dawn Spencer Hurwitz has to say about the subject!

  • lulllull says:

    I do love grapefruit as a fruit. I'm not sure it's scent makes women look younger though… But I would LOVE to try. The The Histoire des Perfumes and Dawn Spencer Hurwitz sounds very nice. 
    on the money subject. I really don't think money makes Mr Trump look any younger! But maybe it's his toupee that makes him look older, so the two makes it a tie 🙂

  • I usually love grapefruit fragrances. I enjoy Jo Malone Grapefruit a lot. I had already read that fresh citrus scents made women seem younger. Maybe that's why this kind of fragrances remind of children / babies colognes? I don't know. In Spain almost everybody loves and wears the classic Nenuco cologne.
    I would love to be entered into the draw 🙂  All the prizes are great, but I have never tried a DSH perfume and I'm looking forward to it.

  • Great post and beautiful pics, both before and after grapefruit-tox 🙂
    The post already lifted my spirit (thanks for that), just imagine what the fume might do!
    It just reminded me again how much I enjoyed the Colette article, and that I have to get that J. Thurman biog on Colette, since I liked the one she wrote about Tania Blixen so much.
    I should love to get the opportunity to win a grapefruit-6-years-younger-cure straight out of the bottle of Histoire des Parfum 1873.

  • Anna in Edinburgh says:

    Uncanny: I bought a grapefruit scent for my mother simply because the zingy, fresh and cheerful fragrance seemed appropriate. I'll report back if people ask if we're sisters … 
    YouTube footage of Rod the Mod has been great fun lately: I recommend The Faces with "Maybe I'm Amazed", which is a cracking version of the song, and I hope that this link to it isn't inappropriate. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLhoLkTyNkM&feature=related

  • Well, in this case it seems we women make out better than the men.  At least grapefruit fragrances are relatively inexpensive and easily acquired.  It would take me years to accumulate the pile of cash Donald Trump has!  OK, I'll admit it, probably impossible.  But I'd love to try one of the fragrances listed.  If asked for a preference, I'd take Dawn Spencer Hurwitz's Pamplemousse.

  • My mother had two close friends who in middle age married younger men (one 10 years younger, the other 13 years younger) and went on to have very happy marriages. These men loved the respective women not because they looked young for their age but because they were fabulous people. And I know for myself that smelling wonderful makes me more self confident (and hopefully fabulous) in any situation. 
    That being said, grapefruit is such an uplifting scent. I'd love to have the 1873; it's such a rich and deep citrus scent, as unusual as my mother's two friends.

  • sonia garcia says:

    I've never tried any grapefruit scents, and if they are gonna make us feel younger I want some!!! I love that song,
    So how do men look younger? Money!!!
    LOL!
    That is so funny! I'd love to get the HdP 1873.
    Thanks

  • Ha!  Michelyn, this is hysterical!  Love your tongue in cheek write-up as well.  I'm trying to picture women smeared with broccoli.  Uh…???  What's interesting, too, is that grapefruit can have that BO smell.  Wondering if that's what hit the attraction button for men.  I love AG's Pamplelune, but that sweaty note can turn some people off.  As to the draw, I'd love bottles of any of the three scents.  I'm only familiar with 1873, and know it's wonderful, so if I had to choose, I would choose this one.  The others sound good, too.

  • I dont' know if I believe that the smell of grapefruit makes one look younger, but I would like to try!  I love the taste and smell of grapefruit.

  • chrisskins says:

    Feeling old and a little sad. Will grapefruit cure me? Probably not. Will it make me feel a little lighter in the heart? Maybe. 🙂

  • I love this article. Grapefruit scents are something I normally don't explore. I think it's a citrus thing. Anyway, I would love to try 1873 or DSH Pamplemousse. Both sound lovely!

  • Still smiling over how do men look younger (money)!  I wonder how the men would have responded had they smeared bacon on the women instead of broccoli or bananas.
     
    On a warm summer day, these scents sound like they would be just right. And I could at least PRETEND to be 6 years younger….

  • Michellle Hunt says:

    Certainly, grapefruit is what I crave in the dark of winter, it is cheering and youthful….and I believe the way you feel is expressed somewhat in the way you appear.  I would love to be entered in the draw for DSH Pamplemousse. 

  • Still laughing at the "middle-aged women being smeared with broccoli"! Oh, I'm sure they loved that. What type of grapefruit is important, as they all have different scent properties.  The common 'white' grapefruit is typically lackluster *distilled* grapefruit oil, with no sparkly top notes..  Pink grapefruit is zingy, sparkly and fun.  Yellow grapefruit, expressed from Israeli yellow grapefruits, and which is in my Light perfume, is suave, zingy, sparkly and sublime.
    I remember when Dr. Hirsch came out with this study noting that he didn't identify the type of grapefruit oil.  That is a common omission in many scent studies, not just his. 

  • Grapefruits always make you pucker up…maybe that's the attraction. 🙂 The combination of an uplifting fragrance while looking younger is so appealing.  I would love to try 1873 or DSH Pamplemousse. 

  • d3m0lici0n says:

    All I can say that women are all beautiful, and the pics of Michelyn are amazing she looks gorgeous in both of them, I love that Maggie May song, there are countless versions of it, from The Pogues to Blur!!!
    Also wanna mention that I like Hermes Eau de Pamplemousse Rose which is a great grapefruit scent, lovely and very refreshing, I’d love to get the 1873 bottle. Thanks!

  • I think that any woman looks younger when she likes herself. And wearing a perfume you enjoy definitely causes you to be in a better harmony with yourself – hence looking better (and younger).
    I enjoy grapefruit perfumes. Currently my favorite ones are from Jo Malone – Grapefruit and one from the new tea collection – Assam & Grapefruit.
    I'd like to enter a draw for 1873 Colette.

  • Anya thank you for the real scoop on grapefruit sounds like I should try yours and in this group pamplemousse which uses the most botanical essences is closest to smearing one self with fruit

  • As soon as the weather gets warmer, I love everything zesty, such as grapefruits, orange (blossoms) or lemon scents. They're lifting my spirits & making me feel energetic. 
    I'd love to try 1873 🙂

  • I totally agree about the relationship of 'younger' feeling and grapefruit.. I adore grapefruit as a 'pick me up' and that is why it is a morning fruit. It uplifts.  Dyptique has a wonderful grapefruit candle it cleanses the air brilliantly. I had it all through my hospitalization during my breast cancer op and recovery.
    i used it in my Parfum Pour Toi to denote Gigi's youth and energy.
    Michelyn get well soon and pray yourself with Pour Toi
    Love
    Sarah Pink x 

  • you smell!!! says:

    I love the smell of grapefruit fragrances, the favorite that I have is the Oil from Kiehls, love that one. Oh and Rod Stewart, really underrated singer, love his older material.
    I'd love to get the Histoires de Parfums, and thanks for another cool draw. You guys are the best!

  • I guess the new  incredible edible fruit is Grapefruit I have heard it packs a Tri power punch and now Anti aging properties. I rather enjoy grapefruits so I guess I need to add them to my diet and to my scent collection.  

  • Calvados says:

    i love grapefruit passionately and will buy anything similarly scented.
    nebver found a perfect one… but my journey is just beginning 🙂
    still havent had a chance to snif anything Histoires de Parfums so that would be my first choice.