There’s more to that fruity fragrance than
just a zingy scent. From anti-ageing to brain-enhancing, the benefits in your
perfume bottle go more than skin deep
While breezy floral have been in vogue for
the last few summers – think Gucci Flora and Marc Jacobs Daisy – this year’s
focus has turned firmly to fruitier notes. After all, nothing says summer quite
like a zesty spritz of citrus or the sweet scent of sun-warmed peach.
‘This year, brands are using fruit in their
top notes so they’re much more powerful,’ says fragrance doyenne Jo Malone. But
alongside smelling divine, these lights, uplifting scents boats a whole host of
hidden talents. Thanks to this summer’s newest fragrances, whether you want to
take years off, appear more attractive, get your partner in the mood or whiz
through your work at the office, you’ve just a spritz away.
1. The anti-ager grapefruit
Want to turn back the clock? Go heavy with
the grapefruit. Research conducted by The Smell & Taste Research Foundation
in Chicago found the scent of grapefruit could make a woman appear up to six
years younger than her actual age. It’s thought the smell masks the
age-revealing chemicals that occur when the fatty acids in our skin breakdown.
Grapefruit can also evoke happy, childhood memories – which make the wearer
appear younger, too. And that’s not all. As part of the citrus family,
grapefruit’s fresh note will re-energise and invigorate pretty much instantly.
We love L’Occitane Eau Universelle Cologne Fraiche, $ 57 for 300ml edt, a
citrus-packed unisex scent that combines grapefruit with bergamot and
petitgrain. Alternatively, the added distilled rose water in the
grapefruit-based L’Eau de Chloé, $ 94 for 10ml edt, adds a pretty, floral
edges, as does the Bulgarian rose and jasmine in Paul Smith Sunshine Edition, $
48 for 100ml edt, which has top notes of ink grapefruit, bergamot and peach.
L’Occitane
Eau Universelle Cologne Fraiche
2. The beautifier orange
Having a bad hair day? A dab of an
orange-based perfume can make you instantly more attractive, thanks to its
warm, appealing notes. ‘What makes orange stand out is its warmth,’ says JO. ‘I
often pop the peel of an orange in a warm oven for a few minutes in the summer
– the scent is refreshing and enveloping – a combination that sits beautifully
on the skin.’ In Spain or France, you’ll find huge bottles of orange cologne in
local shops because, although it’s just as refreshing as lemon, it isn’t as
acidic and people love its subtlety. For a straight-up shot of orange, the
tangerine pulp, bergamot and orange zest in Marc Jacobs Splash Kumquat, $ 45
for 100ml edt, is pretty unbeatable. Diane Von Furstenberg Sunny Diane, $ 60
for 100ml edt, uses the sweetest of the orange fruits, mandarin, combined with
the elegance of frangipani in a lighter version of the original scent. You’ll
also find mandarin in Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Capri Eau Fraiche, $ 62 for
100ml, which, with creamy vanilla and jasmine conjures up the most fragrant,
sun-drenched beach.
The
anti-ager grapefruit, The beautifier orange, The energizer apple
3. The concentration booster lemon
Struggling to stay awake as the inevitable
3pm slump hits? Instead of downing a super-sized cup of coffee, let your
perfume perk you up. A quick spray of something lemony will reinvigorate you,
thanks to its stimulating citrus properties. Lemon is a top-notch concentration
booster, too. In Japan, lemon oil is said to lift the spirits and clear the
mind, enhancing clarity, focus and attention to the task at hand, so it’s
frequently used in diffusers and placed around offices. ‘Lemon oils are very
volatile and evaporate easily, so the scent doesn’t last very long on your skin
– hence the diffusers,’ says renowned perfumer Roja Dove. ‘However, it makes a
great addition to a summer scent because you can re-apply it as many time as
you like during the day – or just when you’re starting to feel tired – and it
will never be too overpowering.’ We’re huge fans of Guerlain Aqua Allegoris Lys
Soleia, $ 57 for 75ml edt, a stunning, sunny scent with bergamot and lemon
zest, and Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gioia Essenza, $ 114 for 100ml edt, which
features a refreshing hit of mint and zingy first-bloom lemons.
Giorgio
Armani Acqua Di Gioia Essenza
4. The mood enhancer mango
Post-holiday blues setting in? if you’re
looking for a scent that helps you hold on to that holiday high, long after
your spell in the Mediterranean/ Caribbean/ English Reviera (delete where
appropriate), look for mango in the top notes of your fragrance,. ‘Mango is
incredibly exotic,’ explains Roja, ‘so you can’t help but feel transported from
the everyday when you spritz something to reflect her own love of mango (‘I eat
mango every single day’) but also to find something different about the fruit.
‘Mango can be incredibly dominant as a scent,’ she explains, ‘so, we wanted to
combine it with complete opposite and extremes to find a balance.’ The result?
Jo Loves… A Shot of Thai Lime Over Mango, Mango Nectar and the sensual A Shot
of Pud Over Mango, all $ 70 for 30ml.
A
Shot of Thai Lime Over Mango
5. The de-stresser cucumber
Feeling flustered? Chill out with cucumber.
‘I love cucumber because it’s not only amazingly cooling but also has a really
calming effect,’ says Jo. Roja likens it to a relaxing seaside picnic. ‘As a
scent, cucumber has two distinct characteristics,’ he says. ‘It’s fresh – like
the sensation of biting into a cucumber sandwich – but aqueous, too, like a day
at the seaside.’ Wear a cucumber-based scent and you’ll feel instantly cool and
refreshed but without the sharpness you can get with a citrus note – it’s a
more gentle, calming, English freshness. Wear CK One Summer, $ 45 for 100ml edit,
and the cucumber, water lotus and blue mint combo will evoke lazy days of
relaxing in the sun, mojito in hand. Bliss.
The
energizer apple, The de-stresser cucumber
6. The energizer apple
When Donna Karan wanted to create a scent
that captured the energy of New York City – the Big Apple – it was surely a
no-brainer which fruit the fragrance should be based on. And it worked. By
using the sharp, energizing hit of a green apple as the heart of her scent, she
came up with the iconic DKNY BE Delicious (11,000 bottles are sold every day).
‘Pushing the apple forward as a central theme in perfumery was a real first, as
fruit notes had rarely been used on that sort of scale before,’ says Roja. The
crisp, pure note of apple evokes a real freshness that comes amazingly close to
the awakening sensation you get when biting into a Golden Delicious. DKNY’s
latest launch, Be Delicious I Heart NYC, $ 74 for 50ml edp, comes complete with
an image of the New York skyline on the bottle. You’ll also find energizing
apple notes in Emporio Armani Diamonds Summer, $ 53 for 100ml edt, a
deliciously musky floral with fruity, sparkling overtones.
Be
Delicious I Heart NYC
7. The aphrodisiac peach
The sensual, seductive aromas of peach were
the first fruit note to be used in perfumery – being the standout note in one
of Guerlain’s biggest-selling fragrances – the classic Mitsouko, which was
created back in 1912. ‘The perfumer was trying to capture the warmth of the
fruit as it ripened in the sun,’ explains Roja. ‘And to me, it has exactly
those connotations; it’s how you’d imagine your skin smells after you’ve been
lying in the sun – it’s soft, sensual an comforting.’ To capture the same sense
of seduction, try Burberry Body, $ 96 for 85ml edt, a feminine and flirty scent
that features peach among its top notes, or Philosophy Summer Grace, $ 50 for
60ml edt a warm floral that feels uplifting, comforting and sensual, all at
once.
The
mood enhancer mango, The aphrodisiac peach
