Veld’s Prends Moi Slimming Fragrance

By Olfactoria I found something curious this week at my local perfumery. Prends Moi (Take me!) is an Eau de Minceur, a slimming scent. Yes, you read that correctly, this fragrance says it helps you to slim down and reduce weight. Here is what the company says about Prends Moi: “Spring 2011, Veld’s once again turns beauty codes upside-down and launches the very first Parfum de Minceur. A new fragrance-gesture, combining the pleasure of a real fragrance with the desire for a beautiful silhouette, the dream of every woman when spring arrives…” The brand Veld’s, known for their innovative (or gimmicky, if you are less gracious) skincare products, launched this scent in Europe recently. Prends Moi is based on aromatherapeutic and “neurocosmetic” research. It claims to work by inducing a sense of well-being and contentment that apparently leads to a reduced need for bodily sustenance. In addition to smelling slim, it contains caffeine, carnitin, spirulina algae and a substance called betaphroline, all of which are meant to be massaged into the skin and help reduce fat tissue. Betaphroline works, so the company’s claim, by “triggering the release of Beta-Endorphins at the skin’s Keratocyte level, allowing transmission of the slimming message from one neuron to the next”. (I can see a Noble Prize for these people in the near future!) Okay, so let’s see: it works by inducing well-being and contentment, okay I am with them so far. Perfume can induce such a state of mind, we all know that, it is how many of us use perfume, to feel good, as well as smell good. Further, the feeling of well-being and contentment can reduce appetite, as in when you are happy, you tend to eat less. But I fear I need a lot more happiness that this little bottle can possibly hold, to stop me from craving chocolate or pasta. Like falling in love, landing a coveted new job, delivering a baby, these kinds of life events have the ability to stop me eating whatever strikes my fancy. Anything less – not a chance. A perfume that has such power? *watch my eyebrows shooting up* But skepticism aside, how does it smell? It is purported to be a “real fragrance” after all. The scent includes notes of bergamot, mandarin, grapefruit, jasmine, ylang-ylang, lilac, patchouli, sandalwood, vanilla and white musks. Sounds pretty straightforward, smells pretty much as expected. It is a lovely, non-threatening spring-y scent that forces me to use the dreaded descriptors “light” and “fresh”. It is upbeat and happy to the core. I am tempted to add “irritating”, but let’s not judge too early here. After an effervescent top of aquatic and citrus notes that keep up their thing for a long time, a softly floral heart centered on ylang-ylang segues into a lightly sweet vanilla-sandalwood drydown that almost avoids clean musks, but smells oddly fruity. There is certainly more fruit to this scent than the notes want to make us believe… I am up for a lot when it comes to perfume, and I feel adventurous, so therefore I will selflessly start an experiment. I happen to have a week’s supply of this miracle of science on hand. That means one week of spraying and rubbing Prends Moi regularly all over my body as recommended on the packaging, and a close monitoring of my eating behavior. I will report my findings next week. Prends Moi is available for 56€ for 100ml through their website, I saw it in store for 67€.