Do pheromone perfumes make you more attractive?

Young people are passionate about niche perfumes which promise a truly unique result… Starting with “pheromone perfumes”, guaranteed according to (the #PerfumeTok of) TikTok to make you irresistible. But is this proven, or just hot air?

If TikTok is to be believed, to find love, or at least increase your chances of being liked, all you need to do is perfume yourself with pheromones. Or “substances that send unconscious signals” as explained by Dr Griet Voet, dermatologist at the Dermatologie Gent clinic. “Animals and humans secrete them through bodily fluids such as sweat, urine and saliva, and they can spread into the air or remain on surfaces.” In other words, it is an invisible chemical language that allows us to communicate with others without uttering a single word.

In living beings such as bees, ants and deer, the action of pheromones is a proven phenomenon. But in men it’s much more complex: “There is little evidence that pheromones actually act on our attraction,” says Dr. Voet. The effects are often subtle and unconscious. Some substances we think of as pheromones can trigger hormones such as oxytocin – the bonding hormone, which reinforces our sense of belonging – or cortisol. This all happens through our olfactory system, which detects these special substances and sends signals to our brain.

“It’s like trying to turn on a computer without plugging it in”

And the perfume industry wants nothing better than to profit from it.

“It’s a growing phenomenon over the past ten years. Some questionable brands claim to use pheromones in their perfumes. Let’s be clear: it’s nonsense, says perfumer Maxime Bocxtaele of Necessities, in Antwerp. We have receptors for pheromones, but, evolutionarily speaking, they are almost completely turned off. There is simply no substance that can effectively activate them, and certainly not in perfumes. It’s like trying to turn on a computer without plugging it in: you can press the button, but without the right connection, nothing happens.”

In addition, “certain perfumes, such as Not a Perfume by Juliette Has A Gun, are wrongly considered by perfume lovers as perfumes based on pheromones,” points out Mr. Bocxtaele. They contain molecules such as ambroxide and Iso E Super, substances designed to mimic the smell of a clean body. However, these are not pheromones in the strict sense, but rather ingredients carefully formulated to excite our senses. The real low-class brands are those that state without qualification: “Hey, my perfume literally contains pheromones”. But that’s not possible.”