How-to: smell more youthful

Finding the right scent can be a pain, can’t it?

We know what we like and what we don’t like; but we’re constantly worried that a certain scent might seem too strong, too sweet – or too young for us.

My first instinct is to tell you not to worry about what others think. That you should wear whatever appeals to you – but I know some of you do care – and you want insight into which fragrances can make you smell fresh and youthful, and not like a Bieber-loving teen.

Here’s what you should know about fragrances for different ages and what you should be looking for in a scent…

Scents through the decades

In general, sweet and fruity scents are ideal for young women and teens, as they give off a youthful vibe that’s indicative of that particular age group. In our 20s, we tend to go for citrus-based scents with a mix of vanilla or caramel to add depth; in our 30s, we adopt florals into our fragrance wardrobe to seem sophisticated; in our 40s and 50s, we’ve most likely found our signature scent and generally they’re of a heavy wood, or musky, spicy or oriental aroma. In our 60s and up, many women often choose a powdery tone that retains the heavier, complex and intriguing floral and musk mixture.

So, how can we smell more youthful without smelling like a teen?

Firstly, it’s important to shed the mindset that mature women need to wear heavy, musky or powdery scents. Generally, anything that is fresh is new or young (even with things like fruit and flowers), so it makes sense to choose scents with refreshing notes if you want to smell more youthful. As many younger women choose sweet or fruity scents, a more mature way to tap into these fragrance families is to choose scents that are fresh with a natural sweetness. If you can, try to stay away from artificial smells, as pure, real notes will always smell fresher to the nose.

Which scents should we choose?

In the fragrance chart, ‘fresh’ notes are described as any that are from the citrus, green or water families, such as bergamot, citrus oils, violet leaves and marine notes like sea breeze and just-washed linen – so try to look for fragrances that contain these. We recommend these fresh scents for men and women…

DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom – notes of apple, sparkling grapefruit and cassis will excite your nose.

Calvin Klein ckfree – relaxing notes of star anise, juniper berry, coffee and patchouli will stir your senses.

Bobbi Brown Almost Bare Fragrance – ‘subtle, fresh and balanced’ are three words that come to mind when describing this scent. Notes of Italian bergamot and violet leaves make it a very fresh, green scent.

Daisy Marc Jacobs Eau So Fresh – notes of apple blossom, pink grapefruit, jasmine, subtle violet and amber wood give this oh so fresh scents just the right amount of sweetness.

Which scents do you normally tend to go for? Which perfume would you like to start wearing? Are you on the hunt for scents that can make you smell more youthful?