By Tara
I thought it would never happen, but I have found a grapefruit perfume that doesn’t make me wince.
No eye-winking sourness or connotations of body odour here. Pomelo Paradis is a simple pink grapefruit fragrance that’s full of the feel good factor.
A pomelo is a citrus fruit which is said to taste similar to the common grapefruit, though milder and sweeter.
That’s actually a good description for the fragrance of Pomelo Paradis. It has the enlivening zing of a grapefruit scent but is a lot softer and less sour.
Pomelo Paradis was released in 2015 and its top notes are pink grapefruit, mandarin and black currant; middle notes are orange blossom, Bulgarian rose and mint; base notes are amber, vetiver and iris.
Proceedings kick off with a burst of pink grapefruit and a squirt of mandarin. The affect is cheerful and mouth-wateringly juicy. Once it settles in, the grapefruit is sprinkled with rosewater, creating a slightly rosy haze over the fruit.
It’s not often you can describe a citrus fragrance as pretty but that’s one of the words that comes to mind. Pomelo Paradis is very perky and out to have fun; seeming to smile and shine in bright, multi-tonal shades of pink.
I find it wears slightly closer to the body than some from the line, however it’s amazing how the citrus accord manages to stick around for hour upon hour.
The brand’s Cologne Absolue concept really does seem to pay off. Whereas an opening citrus note can fade all too quickly, here the high concentration of essential oils helps ensure that’s not the case.
I might not get the advertised iris but I do get grapefruit right through to the very end. The longevity is outstanding for a citrus fragrance.
It’s very hard not to like Pomelo Paradis. It’s a positive perfume with the ability to lift your spirits and sharpen your senses. It enthuses and invigorates: a shot of pink sunshine straight out of the bottle.
If your interest has been piqued, I suggest you read Asali’s review of Pomelo Paradis on Sounds of Scent. I can’t encounter this fragrance without of thinking of her reference to the song “Sunny Disposish”.
By the way, have you seen any of those studies that claim wearing a pink grapefruit perfume can make women appear younger? Apparently they are perceived by men as up to 6 years younger than their actual age.
I’m not about to buy into anti-ageing perfume just yet (although it does exist, see Ageless by Harvey Prince). However, if you fancy testing out the theory for yourself, I suggest going for Pomelo Paradis.
At the very least it will put a spring in your step.
Have you tried Pomelo Paradis? Do you think pink grapefruit perfumes could make women seem younger to the opposite sex? Do you care?
Olfactoria's Travels 
Tara, YOU better not wear this. They’ll think you’re underage.
Portia xx
HA! I love you Portia.
Bravo! 🙂
LOL at Portia’s comment – how true! You just turned one year younger, *again*! On to grapefruit, a nemesis note of mine, sadly, but your jaunty review makes me almost think I might like this. The dusting of rosewater is particularly appealing. But the knowledge that it stays grapefruity to the end is a little disconcerting, hehe. Never say never, especially in the light of my recent civet 180 – okay, 120 at least – but to me grapefruit may be the citrus equivalent of Custer’s Last Stand.
V, I wonder how you’d get on with it. I’ll have to give you some out of interest. I don’t think you’d run out and buy a bottle but it might just be wearable for you.
Hi Tara,
I love this. I have only sampled it but it is on my short list. I also love to smell and eat grapefruit and pomelos. The look and feel of the soft pink pith on the inside of the pomelo peels is almost addictive. And yes, I need an anti-aging perfume!
Azar xx
Azar, I can assure you that you do not need an anti-ageing perfume!
Good to hear you love Pomelo Paradis. I wonder if it helps if you like to eat grapefruit/pomelo. I tend not to like perfume materials I don’t eat/drink like rhubarb, peppers, almond, grapefruit and coffee.
One more for the sample lemming list!
Pamplemousse frightened me away from grapefruit notes for several years (it had a cat-litter-that-needs-to-be-changed level of sourness on my skin), but pomelo and rosewater sound intriguing.
Given my love of oriental notes, I’m always short of good hot-weather perfumes (OK, Avignon is an oriental that works beautifully in heat and humidity, but it seems to be the exception that proves the rule). Will definitely be giving Pomelo Paradis a try!
That would be Guerlain Pamplelune, not Pamplemousse. 🙂
Apparently I have Monday brain on Thursday.
No probem, I guessed as much! Love “Monday brain” 🙂
stina, Pampelune also put me off grapefruit fragrances. I think that one either really works for you or it really doesn’t. That’s why it was nice to find I was happy wearing Pomelo Paradis. I hope you also get on well with it (let it settle before you go in for a sniff as it is sour in the first few seconds). It would make a good hot weather perfume.
I love eating pomelos but have never thought of wearing a perfume with the note. I will certainly give this a try. Thanks for the tip.
Ah that’s interesting Sandra. Pomelos have completely passed me by. You’ll be well placed to judge this when you try it. Hope it works for you!
I’ve tried this perfume, and like you said, it makes me smile every time I put it on. However on me, it barely lasts. I would buy a FB if not for that fact.
Hi Kandice,
Nice to hear you get the smiley vibe with this one too. Too bad it doesn’t last long on you though. I was surprised how well it lasted on me although it did get quiet.
Dear Tara thank you for the mention 🙂 it seems we see this very similar, I love the phrase ‘a shot of pink sunshine straight out of the bottle’, that sums it up perfectly, not something for everyday, or I would get dizzy, but easy and happy to wear. I feel very happy to have some left for the warmer months to come. As to appearing younger, I have no idea and wonder how these studies are made… I really wonder actually.
Yes, I still have a fair bit left and it will be fun to spritz on the odd day when the weather is fine.
In one trial men guessed the ages of photos of models while wearing surgical masks infused with grape, cucumber and pink grapefruit. There was no noticeable change in age fromt with the first two but those with the pink grapefruit (16) thought the women were on average 6.1 years younger than their actual age. Make of that what you will!
Hard to believe, but we must give it a try 😉
🙂
I love Pampelune (I am on my third bottle or so). I also use many other citrus fragrances. How well does Pomelo Paradis last compared to other offerings from Atelier Cologne? I have several botttles from this brand and like both the fact that they offer small bottles and the design concept. I wonder how I would like the rosewater note, it may turn out wrong on my skin. I really don’t care if the juice would make me appear younger, or not.
Hi Ingeborg,
I’m with you, I don’t care if it makes me seem younger either.
It doesn’t have the strength and throw of Cedrat Enivrant and Kandice above found it didn’t last long on her. The grapeffruit lasted for ages on me but I had to get up very close to be able to smell it.
I love that they do 30ml bottles too.
P.S. The rosewater is very slight. I’m sure it wouldn’t cause you any problems.
Morning! I have a sample of this. Will give it a go although I think spritzing it as a room scent sounds much more appealing. I shall try both. Not a Full Monty mind you. A wrist-spritz. xxx
Morning CQ!
It would make a fab room scent. It’s rather too simple for me to invest in as a personal fragrance.
I still haven’t tried it but I will as soon as I get to the store. But now I want to eat a grapefruit – and I’m not sure I can still find a good one, they all are dry and sapless… So I should probably concentrate on the perfume 😉
Oh dear Undina, is that because of the awful drought you’ve been experiencing?
The scent is definitely juicy!
The drought is actually very bad but, thankfully, grapefruits’ “problem” is just seasonal: it’s the end of the season, there are no more fresh once and those that we have were too stored for too long.
Okay, well I hope the drought situation improves very soon. I saw how terrible it is on the News the other day.
Hi Tara,
Great review. I am another person who was put off grapefruit scent by Pamplelune, but two scents put me back on track. One was Jo Loves Pomelo, and the other was the divine Le Pamplemousse from Miller Harris. It actually makes me feel younger, so I get what the guys in the experiment were on about. The Miller Harris one reminds me of posh hotels and their gleaming bathrooms. I just love it.
best wishes
Sam
IScentYouADay
Hi Sam,
Thanks for sharing your two grapefruit loves. It shows we should never discount a note completely. I did like the sound of Pomelo by Jo Loves.
Also interesting to hear that a grapefruit perfume does indeed make you feel younger. That’s more important than what others think.