Fragrance, essence of seduction

Why do we use perfume?

Fragrance plays an important role in three different ways: aesthetic, social and erotic. We tend to forget it, but the body is a strong-smelling chemical plant. It is useful, therefore, to try to muffle your smell. However, we are not satisfied with just washing: the use of perfume is a purely human action, a real triumph of civilization in the field of body care.

Spirits also serve for self-affirmation in a certain social status. Since we are not meant to fight like a pack of monkeys, we use other means to assert our worth. Beautiful jewelry for women or powerful cars for men… Perfume plays a similar role: “You can feel with your nose who is who,” emphasizes Jacques Weinberg, who recalls, for example, the endless contempt that we put into the expression “cheap perfume”…

Finally, perfume is an integral part of our sexual attraction: a kind of mysterious chemical reaction takes place between perfume and skin. There is a kind of alchemy in this, undoubtedly affecting our system of erotic communication.

Why do some people not use perfume?

“In some religions, seduction is associated with the idea of ​​sin. Therefore, spirits are banned, ”recalls Gisele Arrus-Revidi. In addition, some people may have an aversion to all odors, while others prefer natural, bodily odors. The latter do not want to mask body odor with artificial fragrances.

What role does fragrance play in erotica?

Certain fragrances can evoke erotic experiences by containing subtle but exciting animal scents such as musk or civet. These essentially sexual scents are “socially acceptable” because they are wrapped in other notes, floral or fruity. For a long time, “animal” smells have functioned as a fixative of aromas on the skin.

“It seems that in order to last a long time, perfumes must declare their sexual character from the very beginning,” notes Jacques Weinberg. However, most of these substances are now banned, and their synthetic counterparts are used instead. Not surprisingly, more “decent” flavors have become less persistent and are quickly consumed. Too bad they don’t leave trail anymore. Not on the skin, not in the memory.

Can fragrance be an aphrodisiac?

The fragrance of love does not exist. In a love relationship, events develop in two stages.

First, the stage of seduction, in which the first bodily rapprochement takes place: at this moment we are allowed to penetrate into the private space of another person. At this stage, we can already really smell it, catch different flavors. And then there is the crucial question of disgust. When the smells of another do not cause disgust, but, on the contrary, serve as a source of pleasure, rapprochement can continue.

After the erotic relationship has been established, it is the turn of another “chemistry”. At this moment, we feel the thirst for the body, the thirst for the life that is before us … When the bodies connect, there is no time for perfumes, excitement requires genuine body odors and rejects artificial aromas introduced from outside.

Is it possible to fall in love with a fragrance?

As has been said many times before, a fragrance can impress us by evoking deep-seated memories. This explains, for example, the existence of fragrances that are inherited from mother to daughter. Using mother perfume, we feel complete harmony with our very first olfactory impressions.

“In addition to these considerations, I think that the aesthetic merits of the fragrance, which are not related to our experience, should not be neglected,” emphasizes Gisele Arrus-Revidi. Yes, one can love perfumes only because they seem beautiful to us, because we like them from an aesthetic point of view. Even if they do not throw any bridge to our past.

When a woman wears a men’s fragrance, does that mean something?

Does fragrance have gender? Perfume becomes feminine and masculine within a certain cultural code. Indeed, some scents are immediately associated with femininity, while others are associated with masculinity. Although such associations do not form a clear system at all.

There are, however, studies that testify to the unconscious attraction for men to women’s fragrances and vice versa. In one of them, in particular, it was shown that when chairs were sprayed with feminine and masculine perfumes in the waiting room, the men preferred to sit in those seats that were fragrant with feminine perfumes, and women chose chairs with a masculine fragrance.

But don’t rely too much on clichés. A lot of fragrances defy any classification other than that which is in line with the brand’s policy. The choice of perfumes, originally intended for the opposite sex, does not indicate either homosexuality or the desire to identify oneself with the father or mother. “This is just a sign of an independent, established personality,” insists Gisele Arrus-Revidi.

Change perfume or stay true to your scent – what’s the point?

We must not forget that we live in an era of constant “channel switching”, and we are always tempted by attractive new products. However, some things should not be given more importance than they deserve. When a person constantly changes perfume, this may indicate that he has not yet found himself, that he is still looking for his own style.

According to Jacques Weinberg, “These people did not understand that smell is part of our self-definition in this world, and this is not a toy. For me, perfume is the foundation of seduction.”

When choosing a fragrance, we assign ourselves a certain image. What is its impact on our lives?

Many women are seduced by the image of femininity that perfume advertising broadcasts, and sometimes it affects them even more than the fragrance itself. Then the spirits become a mirror, which is obliged to reflect them not as they are, but as they dream to become. So perfumers are not mistaken when they classify their creations as emphatically feminine, sexy, mysterious, natural, delicate…

“But there is a risk of hiding your own individuality behind a mask, constantly playing someone else’s role, hiding behind the smell,” Jacques Weinberg reflects. On the other hand, it’s important to take your time getting used to a new scent. Some of them do not suit us, even if we are able to appreciate their aesthetic merits. True self-affirmation involves the unobtrusiveness of the fragrance and its closeness to us, and not the general uniformity that is practiced in marketing.

Will we be liked more if we perfume too much?

It is not at all necessary that those who pour perfume bottles on themselves or choose the most luxurious fragrances tend to seduce more than others. On the contrary, “such excesses speak of a lack of self-confidence, may emphasize the fear of one’s own body, and ultimately reveal the fear of being liked,” Gisele Arrus-Revidi reflects.

According to Jacques Weinberg, this is both a lack of taste and wrong behavior: “People tend to overdo it when they are not sure what they are doing. When there is too much of something, it often turns out that there are actually too many problems … “