Warm, subtle, musky scents are a fragrance collection staple. They’re the perfume equivalent of a basic white T-shirt or a really good pair of jeans—versatile and reliable, no matter what the time of day or year. Unlike fragrances that feature powerful stand-out notes like rose, oud, or citrus, these perfumes instead serve to enhance your natural scent by combining with your skin’s natural pH. Basically, making you the main note of the fragrance. Much like natural, fresh-faced makeup has usurped the heavy, all-out glam look in recent years, these subtle, skin-like scents are one of the biggest fragrance trends in the beauty world right now—commonly referred to as skin scents or pheromone perfumes.
With the hashtag #pheromoneperfumes currently racking up almost 27 million views on TikTok, this may well be a trend that you’re already aware of. And while you could be forgiven for thinking that this would be just another ‘flash in the pan’ beauty trend gone viral on social media, there’s actually some interesting science behind the idea that pheromone perfumes can make you smell more attractive.
“Pheromones are chemical substances that are secreted by the body,” explains perfumer Nic Mastenbroek. “They are a form of communication that works by sending signals to another animal of the same species, triggering a behavioural response or change in hormones.”
According to Mastenbroek there are two steroids which are closely related to some possible human pheromones, and studies have focussed on these: androstenone and androstadienone. “These are believed by some researchers to have pheromonal effects. In fact, both have been shown to have an impact on female mood and may even boost sexual desire,” he adds. “Fragrance brands are beginning to incorporate synthetic versions of pheromones into their fragrance formulations. Although you won’t be able to consciously smell or detect these, they are included for the purpose of having a subconscious and attracting effect on the person smelling you.” Essentially, the concept of pheromone perfumes is that by wearing a fragrance containing these ingredients, you can tap into this primitive animal attraction response. So, if you’ve ever walked past someone and thought they smelled really really good, this would explain why.
“The aim of a pheromone perfume is to seduce and attract, so pheromone perfumes are often synonymous with romance-inducing smells,” explains Mastenbroek. So you’ll often find that these fragrances are also oozing with sensual fruity, floral, sweet, gourmand and ambery notes, too. Sounds appealing, right? Scroll down to discover the pheromone perfumes we’re obsessed with.
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