Many fragrances with pheromones promise to increase your sexual attractiveness
There are many fragrances on the market that use a high concentration of pheromones as a commercial claim. They ensure that these are going to make you look much more attractive to those around you, that they will lose their heads when they smell you when they pass.
But do perfumes and colognes work with sex pheromones? We rely on science to discover if these products are truly our allies or just smell good.
Table of Contents
How do Pheromones Work with Cologne and Perfume
What are pheromones?
Let’s start by the beginning. You may have heard the word pheromone many times, but do you know exactly what it is? Ferran Martínez-García, Professor of Cell Biology, director of the NeuroFun Laboratory (Functional Neuroanatomy) of the Jaume I University and member of the Spanish Olfactory Network, defines the pheromones as “ substances produced and secreted by an individual that causes a stereotyped response in others individuals of the same species.
Stereotyped means that it is an unlearned response, that is, that all individuals of the species do the same way. ” The response to these substances may be an alteration in behavior or an endocrine alteration, that is, a change in the production or secretion of specific hormones.
What role do pheromones play in sexual attraction?
According to this expert, the best-known pheromones, which were the first to be discovered, are the so-called sexual pheromones. “They are produced by males and cause attraction in females, or vice versa. Therefore they mediate sexual attraction between the sexes, thus facilitating the encounter, intercourse, and reproduction. ”
So, do perfumes and colognes work with sex pheromones?
The response of Professor Ferran Martínez-García is blunt: “The direct and clear answer is no. The existence of no pheromone in humans has been demonstrated. Perfumes normally use derivatives of sex hormones, often male (androstenone, androstenedione). That is usually done regardless of whether the perfume is aimed at men or women. ”
Different studies have been carried out to investigate the relationship of pheromones in sexual attraction and, unlike other animals such as pigs, pheromones such as androstenone have not been shown to have an effect on humans.
In this way, perfumes that claim to contain pheromones will not increase sexual attraction in humans. The influence of pheromones on human beings is a debate still open in the world of science.
What happens in the brain when faced with pheromones?
Although no evidence has been found in humans about pheromones, mice have been found to change their behavior. “ The reinforcement circuits (pleasure, motivation) are activated, which induces the animal to look for the source of that pheromone and prefer a compartment where this smell is present.
That induces learning since the odors associated with that pheromone become attractive. And that is the basis of attraction between individuals, nothing we don’t know. It is something like the attractive effect of a beautiful body or face.
It seems that if your pheromone perfume does not work, you will have to find another strategy to change it.
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