The Science of Seduction: Aping Pheromones

This may sound like a lesson in biology, but we must understand the effect of natural secretions before discussing Pheromone perfumes.

A pheromone is a chemical factor, secreted by one of the sexes of a species, that triggers a social response in members of the same species. The word pheromone is a portmanteau (blend word) derived from the ancient Greek work ‘phero’ meaning ‘to bear’ and hormone. Simply put, pheromones act like hormones outside the body of the individual and might be an alarm pheromone, food trail pheromone or a sex pheromone, to name a few, which would trigger an appropriate behavioural response from a member of the species who receives it (I hope this clears the air, since many people assume pheromones only have something to do with carnal desires!).

It is no secret that we all wear perfumes to enhance our appeal. Whether it enhances your personal traits or masks your flaws, the aim is to project a good image to others, and in most cases, to the opposite sex. That is why a person chooses clothes, shoes, make up and perfume with great care when going on a date. When it comes to the olfactory senses, it is interesting to note that certain ingredients in scents may act as subtle stimulants. Sustained research in the field of perfumery has resulted in a deeper understanding of the reaction of chemosensory mechanisms to specific scents, which essentially boils down to specific perfume ingredients.  This brings us to the topic of discussion in this blog - what exactly is a pheromone perfume?

I had earlier mentioned that a popular misconception is that pheromones are associated only with intimacy. I would like to clarify here that this so called “misconception” is not exactly unfounded. To a scientist or a biologist, the term pheromone would mean chemicals which cause different types of reactions in the recipients, depending on the reason behind its secretion. However, in perfumery, the ingredients that imitate human pheromones are used to enhance your sex appeal. I mean, you wouldn’t want to use an ingredient that mimics an alarm pheromone or a food trail pheromone, would you? Therefore, most of the popular pheromone perfumes contain ‘musk’ in some form or the other. On a lighter note, it basically amounts to a naïve attempt at using science to seduce the opposite sex!

Mistake me not when I say this, pheromone perfumes to my understanding do not make you a different person. In essence, you would choose a pheromone perfume (that is, if you do choose one), that enhances your own aura i.e it makes your skin smell better. It certainly won’t make you smell like another person, though the effect of the perfume on different wearers will be different. Going by this definition, I must say that all perfumes at Hvnly.co.in are therefore pheromone perfumes in a sense, which use natural ingredients to enhance a particular characteristic or personality, based on your requirement. It goes without saying that the perfume would enhance an existing personality trait but cannot replace your personality with another. In fact, one should not attempt the same as it would amount to you trying to become someone else altogether!

Are Pheromone perfumes more effective than non-pheromone perfumes in impressing the opposite sex? This is a subjective question that has no definite answer. How attractive you are to the opposite gender depends on various personal attributes and factors, including the preferences of the person you want to impress. Therefore, the success or failure of a romantic endeavour cannot be pinned solely on the perfume, though it is a very important factor. Hilarious as it may sound, one gentleman actually sued a popular deodorant company on the grounds that he could not get a girlfriend even after using that deodorant, advertised as irresistible to women, for many years. I do not know the verdict in this case, but I do suspect the judge would have given a mouthful to the respondent and imposed costs for wasting the court’s valuable time. Given his approach to things, I can also predict with a reasonable amount of certainty that this gentleman would never be able to get a girlfriend.

So what is it that you choose…a ‘pheromone perfume’ or a perfume which as such would enhance your personality?

 Author: Sandipani Padhi

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