Pheromone perfume: a hoax or is it effective in increasing attractiveness?

Recently, so-called pheromone (pheromone) perfume has emerged. This perfume is claimed to attract the opposite sex. The popularity of this perfume on social media raises questions, is it true that this perfume can attract the opposite sex?

What are pheromones and what are they used for?

Pheromones (pronounced pheromones) are chemical substances that are produced by animals. These substances can manipulate the behavior of other animals of the same species. Pheromone is also often interpreted as a behavior-changing substance because it can stimulate sexual arousal in similar species. Research shows that almost all insects use pheromones to communicate during the breeding season.

Each animal has a distinctive and different pheromone aroma. Scientists believe that this chemical is a means of communication in animals capable of generating direct behavioral responses to species. For example, female silk moths release traces of bombykol molecules that indirectly attract male moths until they find them and can reproduce.

Do humans produce natural pheromones?

Further research is still needed to determine whether humans actually have pheromones or not and what the exact structure of these substances looks like. Natural chemicals released by the human body cannot be called pheromones because their structures are too complex to be classified as such.

However, research released by Florida State University in 2011 revealed the fact that when a woman enters ovulation, her body will release a special aroma that can increase male testosterone levels. Testosterone itself is known as a hormone that can increase libido or sexual desire, both in men and women.

Is it true that pheromone perfume sold in the market can attract the opposite sex?

For animals, insects, and other organisms, pheromones are scents that they can detect to help them communicate with each other. While mammals and reptiles smell pheromones with the help of a small sensory area located inside the nose known as the vomeronasal organ (VNO).

Although the existence of pheromones in humans is still debatable, several studies have shown that human reactions to pheromones differ from those of animals. Humans are unable to detect the body chemicals released by other people, so no real odors are felt. In addition, the extent to which the human body responds to these signals is questionable.

Researchers at the University of Chicago and the University of Utah state that these pheromones activate areas of the brain that control mood, hormones, and sexual behavior, maybe these substances can make a person more attractive. However, the researchers found that a sex hormone-type chemical used in the Swedish study had a similar effect to pheromones. This is evidenced by changes mood, heart rate, wheezing of breath, and body temperature in a person. Unfortunately, there is no sign that this ingredient can increase sexual desire and attractiveness.

Many pheromone perfume companies are trying to exploit the potential of this substance in the manufacture of perfumes. However, most companies add this substance from animals such as pigs and deer. Therefore, this would not have any effect on humans. As explained earlier, pheromones can only stimulate the same species. So if the perfume used uses pheromones from pigs or deer, then these ingredients will only work on pigs and deer, not humans.

In addition, in the scientific realm there is still a lot of debate about the existence of natural pheromones in humans and their effectiveness in attracting the opposite sex. Until now there has been no scientific research to test pheromone perfume in attracting the opposite sex in humans. Therefore, it is better if you use other methods to attract the opposite sex outside of using pheromone perfume which has not been scientifically proven.