Manufacturers and advertisers alike are often accused of over-exaggerating the effect that fragrances have on our sexuality, claiming that their fragrances will give its wearer the power to attract the opposite sex. Yet are these claims exaggerated?



More often than not, our understanding of the effects that certain scents have on our sexuality is clouded by misinterpretations and oversimplifications. Often at the base of this confusion lies the lack of understanding of the differences between the male pheromones, androstenol and androstenone.

Androstenol is the odour produced by fresh male sweat while androstenone is this same odour after it has been exposed to air over a short period of time. While women are likely to be attracted to the scent of fresh male sweat, they are likely to be repulsed by the smell of sweat that has been oxygenized-unless women are ovulating, in which case studies reveal that this scent elicits a neutral response. So unless a woman is going through ovulation, eventually, she is likely to find her sweaty male partner's scent repulsive.



Non-reactive androstenol-based sprays may be less effective than advertisers have led us to believe. While its scent (which does not react to oxygen) may attract women, it cannot be detected by women who are further than eighteen inches from the scent's source. Moreover, in a room where there is more than one male, women are unable to distinguish between the wearer of androstenol-based sprays and other men who are wearing non-androstenol-based colognes. It is likely, then, that a man may benefit from another's androstenol-scented cologne. To further complicate matters, studies reveal that androstenol-based sprays also attract other males!

On the upside, a man would benefit from colognes whose fragrance has an uplifting effect. Pleasant-smelling colognes that lift a man's depression and reduce tension, anger and fatigue are likely to produce a positive effect on its wearer that, in turn, attracts women. A personal sense of happiness, confidence and well-being is by far a more powerful attractant than any androstenol-based spray.

The same can be said for women. Pleasant fragrances on post-menopausal women have been shown to have a beneficial effect on their emotional well-being which in turn may make them more attractive to their partners.

Romance evoking fragrances

With the pressures coming from all directions, from both public and private life, it's important to set a sensual and relaxing mood when it is time for romance. Enhancing a private space for intimacy with fragrance, soft lighting and sensual music is important, especially for older couples who want to shut out distractions from the outside world.

According to a 1995 survey conducted by The New York Times, approximately one third of adults use fragrances to make themselves more attractive to others. Recently, scientific evidence supports what the perfume industry has long purported: that male fragrances enhance a woman's sexual arousal. A study conducted by the Olfactory Research Fund indicates that women who fantasized about a sexual experience while smelling a popular male fragrance (whether androstenol-based or not) felt themselves more sexually aroused than while smelling a female or neutral fragrance.

Fragrances that evoke a sensual atmosphere include Jasmine, Lavender, Myrrh, Rosa Damascena, Rosa Centifolia, Sandalwood and Ylang Ylang.

Are there specific stages in our lives that relate to our use of fragrance? Perhaps. Studies done by Dr. Schiffman on women ranging from the ages of thirteen to sixty suggest that there are five age-related stages for a woman's use of fragrance. Essentially, young girls begin to use fragrances during their teenage years for the purpose of self-identity. Then during their twenties and thirties, women tend to use fragrances to attract the opposite sex. During their post-menopausal years, women primarily use fragrances because it is the socially-appropriate thing to do.

Surprisingly, in her follow-up study, Dr. Schiffman found that while women's reasons still fell into the same five age-related stages, their reasons for wearing fragrances increased and included the need for relaxation and mood enhancement.

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