Souls with pheromones and where they live: Why do people try to buy sex, and what does the beaver jet have to do with it?

Why do we buy perfume? Some will answer – to feel your favorite fragrance that will cheer you up throughout the day. Others – to highlight and complete your image. But almost all of them think, if they do not say, then to attract the attention of the opposite sex, to seduce and captivate with a single trace of perfume. Usually this is the main purpose when looking for a scent.

Statistics say so. In 2022, Russian demand for perfumes with pheromones quadrupled compared to the same period last year (according to the National System for Digital Labeling of Goods “Honest Sign”). And the real irony is that perfumers still don’t know how to use human pheromones in fragrances. However, this does not affect the sale of perfumes.

Tatyana Apraksina, perfume blogger and author of the Freecent telegram channel, and Anna Zworykina, author of the book “From Cloves to Sandalwood” The soul and nose of the Perfumes brand is Anna Zworykina. The olfactory alphabet and a guide to the world of natural fragrances” and the telegraph channel “Other Perfumes”.

Pheromones and aphrodisiacs – twins or siblings?

For many, both words are associated with magical, elusive substances that can sexually attract and excite the opposite sex. Therefore, they are often combined into one concept rather than two different concepts.

Tatyana Apraksina

“Pheromones – substances secreted by living things, especially insects, for communication. A subspecies of pheromones, completely real and evidence-based sex attractants, animals attract mates of their own species. That is, musk deer pheromones can be guaranteed to attract only musk deer and bee pheromones, respectively. But there is no reliable information that pheromones can control the behavior of primates, including humans, no. We do not distinguish and do not feel them.

“Aphrodisiac“- a word with the same root as the name of the ancient Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite. The idea that certain scents (or foods) in the form of ointments or incense increase sexual attraction is very ancient and can be found in cultures from ancient Egypt to the Middle East. As with pheromones, a physiological has no basis, but a pleasant smell is undoubtedly an important part of sexual attractiveness.

Which components in the aroma pass as aphrodisiacs?

Anyone who has googled the aphrodisiac list has seen chocolate, strawberries, or oysters first. In fact, different products have been given aphrodisiac properties at different times. Martha Hopkins, in her study of Sex, writes that aphrodisiacs are often referred to as rare or expensive foods. Once it was truffles, at another it was caviar or foie gras. But as a result, scientists have not proven that any substance can cause sexual arousal. Except for alcohol, but that’s a double-edged sword. Studies have shown that it can cause arousal, but on the contrary, reduce sexual function.

However, many perfume manufacturers (mostly mass-market) have never been embarrassed by the lack of evidence for the effect of aphrodisiacs.

Anna Zworykina

“The history of perfumery knows many aphrodisiacs. These are floral scents.jasmine, rose) and exotic (sandalwood, rosewood, myrrh). And, of course, the most popular contenders are, for example, natural or synthetic animal fragrances. ambergris analogues sperm whale, beaver jet, musk. Why should a secret secreted by special glands of beavers, scented with gouache and phenol, marking the territory of animals attract people? The Riddle of Magical Thinking. A rather interesting story happened to Escentric Molecules, an ultra-modern project by author Geza Shen to reveal the beauty of modern synthetic fragrances unmatched in nature. The initial idea was more about the beauty of science and art, but the glory of “aphrodisiacs” soon stuck to these clean, minimalist “test tube” fragrances.

Tatyana Apraksina

“Sometimes perfume materials similar to steroids (timberol, norlimbanol, aldron, ambrocenide) are used in men’s perfumes, but the perception of these substances is ambiguous, unpleasant for many. Much more often, anything is prescribed as an “aphrodisiac”: musksAlthough there is a wide range of substances that can smell both bodily and fresh laundry; vanillait is generally considered the fragrance that most people on the planet love; jasmine, ylang-ylang, rose, chocolate, patchouli, cardamom, coffee. Type “considered an aphrodisiac in perfumery…” into any search engine – and you’ll find that almost anything is considered an aphrodisiac in perfumery. There is no ingredient that somewhere someone has not recorded an aphrodisiac.

Why is the popularity of aphrodisiac scents still increasing in the 21st century?

“Therefore, the courses” How to earn a million a month without doing anything special “remain in demand,” Anna Zvorykina succinctly answers. And in this they are in solidarity with Tatyana: “People believe in a magic pill, that sexual attraction can be bought, and a partner can be attracted by the aroma like a magnet.”

The relationship between smell and sexuality is very strong in our minds thanks to advertisements. Think of any new perfume campaign. For example, the nude Charlize Theron in the advertisement for J’ador – without exaggeration, one of the most popular among the Dior fashion house. Or the impressive Nicole Kidman in the Chanel N°5 commercial.

A person buys an image, not a product, so advertising promises us: If you buy this perfume, you will look like an actress from their campaign. Fragrance as a part of erotic culture was actually used in many ancient traditions. “In the ancient Indian review” Kama Sutra ” there are also recipes for compositions that increase attractiveness,” says Tatyana Apraksina.

But there are also opposite trends. “Now that the theme of sex is less pronounced in perfumery than in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, people are more likely to seek safety and comfort than passion. “That’s why the idea of ​​comfort sells so well now. People want scents they can wrap themselves in.”

Perfumes do not actually have the ability to make someone fall in love with them or arouse desire in them, but they can create a certain mood and atmosphere. And this is perhaps the most important thing.