Go on, Get Smiley

Perfumes make me happy. I like to wear and collect them, try new scents and allow myself to be transported by unique and unusual notes. However, a new fragrance has appeared on the scene that claims to really make you happy. And it's aptly named "Smiley".

I encountered Smiley this weekend at Henri Bendel. You can't miss it: the bottle is sunshine-yellow, pill-shaped and has a nozzle sprayer. There's a cute smiley face right on it. Amongst the serious scents all around it, Smiley's simple design stood out. (French designer ora-ito is to credit for the design).

The print on the bottle says "Psycho-tonic perfume [normal dose] with micro-nutrients to activate happiness." That intrigued me. Who doesn't like to be happy? So I spritzed away. I didn't feel a wave of euphoria, but - I love the scent and can't stop smelling my wrists. It's zesty and warm at the same time, thanks to energizing top notes of bergamot and orange, a heart full of "delectable pleasures" of cocoa, praline and curaçao, and a relaxing base of patchouli, myrrh and musk. It is unisex, so everyone can get happy.

Aside from having aromatherapeutic notes, how does Smiley work as 'happy therapy'? The makers claim that olfactory molecules theobromine and phenylethylamine, both found in chocolate, can have an antidepressant effect. I definitely find chocolate to be a mood-booster, so I can believe it. And having heard that the skin absorbs much of what is applied to it, why couldn't these beneficial molecules be absorbed and scoot right up to the happy-center of the brain?

The fragrance, from the Arthes label, just launched at Colette in Paris and New York's Henri Bendel is currently the only store to find it in the USA (800) H-BENDEL. But you can purchase it online here: http://www.happytherapy.com/shop. There is a full body-care line as well, all in equally cheerful, medicine-inspired packaging.

Hey, at $45 for a 1.7-ounce bottle of eau de toilette, it’s cheaper than therapy!