Do you believe in love at first sight? What about at first sniff?
If you’ve been led to believe the latter, you're not alone. It turns out a lot of people have, too.
Amassing over 170 million (yup, million) views on TikTok alone, “pheromone perfumes” is the latest craze blowing up our For You Page.
With the prospect of putting an end to bad dates (and with it, endless swiping, awkward small talk and — perhaps the worst — ghosting) on the table, can we really blame the internet for searching for fragrances that make heads turn and hearts flutter?
In short: No. Heck, if I wasn’t a serial monogamist who knows what my dating life would look like. (Likely nonexistent and full of cats.)
But with all this talk of scents that'll make them swoon, it begs the question: Are pheromone perfumes actually a thing?
While there is growing research into the impact our olfactory system has on our relationships, unfortunately, there’s no love spell in a bottle (we checked).
That said, there is something undeniably intriguing about the way certain scents can make us feel attracted to someone, even if they’re not necessarily our “type”. And that’s where skin scents come in.
What Are Skin Scents?
Skin scents capture that elusive, intriguing quality that we can’t quite put our finger on.
The no-makeup makeup of the fragrance world, skin scents are lightweight, subtle blends often made up of powdery iris, creamy musks, velvety woods and vanilla, with a hint of salty or sweet notes.
Much like a tinted moisturiser or styling product that plays up your hair’s natural texture, these understated fragrances sit close to the skin to amplify its natural scent rather than change it.
More of a visual person? Watch our fragrance category manager Liz and I talk through pheromone perfumes IRL below.
