Many of us have a signature fragrance that we love and wear over and over again.
But there is nothing more frustrating than smelling your chosen perfume on all the women you pass on the street.
Enter pheromone fragrance. These cutting-edge perfumes are said to interact with the natural, often undetectable aroma that each of us emits to create a unique scent for the wearer.
However, this is not the only extravagant promise. Some pheromone fragrances claim to have an aphrodisiac effect, making the wearer smell more attractive. So it’s no surprise that the scents have gone viral: the hashtag #pheromoneperfume has racked up 107 million views on TikTok.
So what are pheromones? “Pheromones are odorless chemical signals secreted by animals, for example through sweat glands, which are picked up by other members of the same species,” says Beckielou Brown, creator of the Altra Skin pheromone perfume.
Pheromone fragrance is said to create a scent unique to the wearer.
“Although there is some scientific debate about whether humans have the ability to pick up pheromones in the same way as animals, there is no doubt that smell plays a role in our attraction to other people.”
Traditional perfumes combine top, middle and base notes to develop a similar aroma on each user.
But many pheromone fragrances contain a chemical (the lab-created Iso E Super fragrance molecule) that is believed to stimulate our sense of smell and is supposedly similar to the musk pheromone naturally given off by animals.
“Simply put, although Iso E Super is not a pheromone itself, it amplifies the natural pheromone-like scent of your skin and mixes with your own scent, meaning that a few minutes after you spray it, it will start to have a unique smell,” he explains. Connor Martin, co-founder of the new pheromone fragrance brand Liquid London.
But there’s a problem: many of us can’t smell these pheromone fragrances at all.
“In their pure form, they are anosmic, meaning they have no odor, so people can’t detect them,” Connor adds.
As a result, some perfumers now mix pheromone scents with traditional perfumery notes such as floral, gourmand or woody, so that the user can enjoy them.
Here, BETHAN KING puts three of the best pheromone fragrances to the test to see if they live up to the hype…
THE CLASSIC
Molecule 01 by Escentric Molecules is intended to develop “a cedarwood note with a velvety feel” upon contact with the skin.
Molecule 01, £50 for 30ml, escentric.com
Molecule 01 by Escentric Molecules was one of the first fragrances to use the pheromone-mimicking molecule Iso E Super as the dominant note. Upon contact with the skin, it should develop “a cedar wood note with a velvety feel, which magnifies the wearer’s natural aroma.”
I couldn’t smell much when I sprayed this into the air, but on my skin it was incredibly wearable: woodsy and slightly chemical, but elegant and not overpowering. The smell also lingered all day.
Does he lower it? It smelled quite masculine to me. But my husband loved it; the woody note seemed fresher in it. He smelled delicious to another friend, and even better to my dad!
A crowd pleaser, even if I preferred it to other people.
4/5
THE LUXURY
Altra Skin is designed to improve the smell of the user’s “freshly showered” skin.
Altra Skin, £168 for 50ml, altraprofuture.com
Considered a minimalist, genderless scent, Altra Skin is designed to enhance the smell of the wearer’s “just-showered” skin.
It uses plant-based ingredients, instead of the Iso E Super molecule, to extract the user’s natural aroma. Perhaps as a result, this was the least chemical smelling scent of the three I tried.
After liberally spraying my pulse points, I struggled to detect any scent. Although I noticed it more when I used it as a body spray.
It smelled slightly musky, but soft and fresh. I remembered the clean, soft cotton. The first time I used it, my husband said, without asking me, “You smell really good.”
However, I couldn’t tell any real difference when he and my mom tried it. A light case of the Emperor’s New Clothes at a whopping £168 a bottle.
2/5
THE BUDGETARY
For Everyone is a genderless fragrance mixed with Iso E Super
Pheromone Parfum for Everyone, £39 for 50ml, liquid.london
For Everyone is a genderless fragrance blended with Iso E Super and notes of juniper, bergamot, pepper, incense, vanilla and amber.
To me, at first this smelled overwhelmingly chemical and slightly gasoline-like on my skin.
But after a few hours, those synthetic undertones dissipated, replaced by a warmth and creaminess that I quite liked.
However, I didn’t like the way it smelled to my husband: it was too sweet for him. Still, it seems like a good and affordable place to start experimenting with pheromone scents.
3/5