The main ingredients in this iconic blend are synthetic aldehydes, which were groundbreaking in 1921 and impart the powdery soapiness we've come to associate with the famous blend.
As our skin matures, its natural antioxidant protection declines. This decline results in greater oxidation of lipid acid. When lipid acid is oxidized, the chemical compound nonenal is produced, giving off the “old people smell” that many of us are familiar with.
Guerlain Shalimar, Yves Saint Laurent Opium, and Nina Ricci L'Air du Temps have similar profiles; Shalimar and Opium emit a powdery amber essence, while L'Air du Temps has a carnation note that smells soapy. They, too, are often referred to as Old Lady Perfumes.
It took me a while to review all of the responses so far, but based on many comments here is a synopsis of the descriptors that have been mentioned as being associated with what older women smell like: powder, florals, too much perfume, heavy perfume, musk, "bitter", rose, violet, lilac, potpourri, iris, orris, ...
The key ingredient
The treatment of certain ingredients can affect whether their smell evokes a feel of youthfulness or maturity. 'Aldehydes, for example, are hugely present in Chanel No. 5, and remind some people of old-fashioned soaps because they were a key ingredient in them' says Nick.
This is an insanely popular perfume with sales that even surprise Chanel. It's a flanker that was created for younger women (the 20-30 year old crowd).
Unfortunately, due to its gratuitous overuse as a perfume by specific female age groups, lavender lost most of its appeal and was widely considered an "old woman's smell".
Perhaps patchouli is best known for being a defining scent of the American counterculture movement in the 60's and 70's. It's calming, earthy aroma was tremendously popular among the free-spirited hippies.
Patchouli has long been considered a "hippie" smell and is definitely the kind of aroma you either love or hate. Patchouli or pogostermon cablin is a perennial herb that originated in Southeast Asia. Patchouli prefers tropical jungles, but will also grow in elevations up to 6,000 feet.
Because your senses, including you sense of smell, hearing, taste, and vision, fade as you age, so what seems just right to them smell stronger to other people.
WHAT IS A VINTAGE PERFUME? Vintage scents are older formulations of perfumes that had gone under reformulations through the years. Generally, a perfume that is older than 10 years is considered vintage. This applies both to discontinued and currently in production perfumes.
Maison Margiela Whispers In The Library EDT
Perfect for the cooler months, this perfumes is said to be nspired by the scent of wax, wood and paper. Pepper notes combine with woody and warm notes of cedar and vanilla to again, recreate the atmosphere of an classic and mysterious library.
Lavender and peppermint were found to most likely spark memories of grandmothers, while the smell of gasoline, old sheds and Old Spice were likely to prompt memories of grandfathers.
The menopausal drop in estrogen also leaves our bodies with relatively higher levels of testosterone — produced by our ovaries in small amounts — than before. This can attract more bacteria to sweat, making it smell funkier.
“Our sense of smell is very close to the memory center in the human brain, and therefore we very often associate memories with certain smells very powerfully and very strongly,” study author Matija Strlič tells Popular Science. “Very often smell triggers old memories that we otherwise couldn't trigger.
The overnight method: One way is to pour some vinegar into a small bowl and let it sit in a small room or closet with your vintage garment hanging over it. If you can find a smaller, airtight space where the vinegar doesn't touch the garment, even better. Let it hang there for a night or two.
With this in mind, the few who did bathe regularly took special precautions, like anointing the body with oil and wrapping themselves in a scented cloth. Hair could be rubbed with aromatic powders, and bad breath was improved by chewing pungent herbs.
Take a whiff of the Sixties.
What did the Sixties smell like? No, the answer is not "hippies." For those who grew up in the era, the decade was a bouquet of fresh grass, new plastic, Ipana toothpaste, orange sherbet and meatloaf.
Well, a team of scientists from the University of Oxford think they've worked out the best and worst smells in the world. According to their study, the best smell is vanilla and the worst smell is sweaty feet. The results show that people share favourite smells regardless of where they come from in the world.
Vanilla may be the world's most popular scent, but you'll find these five scent categories anywhere you run off to. We're not here to follow trends — but if you're stuck in a fragrance rut, sometimes it helps to go back to basics.
The best known Old Lady Perfume is probably the classic Chanel No. 5, which launched a century ago. The main ingredients in this iconic blend are synthetic aldehydes, which were groundbreaking in 1921 and impart the powdery soapiness we've come to associate with the famous blend.
The scent is blended with violet leaves, strawberry, gardenia, jasmine, vanilla, and grapefruit. Daisy was designed for women who are young at heart, so I think that it's perfect for women of all ages. And it's actually great for teens too, since it's not too overpowering.
Who is the wearing audience of the Coco Mademoiselle perfume by Chanel? Though Coco Mademoiselle was made for younger women between 20 to 30 years, the user reviews indicate the older age women using it.