When scents awaken sensuality

In advertising, the word “sexy” is always a compliment. Especially when it comes to fragrances. But do they exist – those that are able to kindle passion in another … regardless of ourselves?

The dream of possessing the perfume of passion is akin to the desire to get the cream of eternal youth or the elixir of instant harmony. After all, fragrance is one of the powerful tools of seduction. And although – compared with the instinct of animals – the capabilities of the human sense of smell are negligible (we are not given to distinguish even a hundredth of the smells around us), we have learned to compensate for this shortcoming with the help of perfumery. Perfume has become not only the entertainment of our senses, but also a proven device for coquetry. Unlike the eyes and ears, which provide information about the moment, our noses are able to pick up exciting notes in the air for a long time. And if this veil accompanies every meeting with another person, it merges with his image, becomes part of it. “I fell in love with the smell of Pure Poison, Dior, when I caught it again in the evening on my pillow: I remembered the follies of last night, which I spent with an amazing girl,” says 32-year-old Artem. The aroma is able to extend the image of its “carrier” in time and space. But, as François Demachy, perfumer of the House of Dior, is sure, it cannot be erotic in itself: “Perfume is the most subjective thing on earth. And if we could captivate our beloved only with a certain combination of notes, the work of perfumers would be useless.

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And yet, at all times and eras, fragrances have been one of the main attributes of Eros. The Greeks attributed the origin of spirits to Aphrodite, the goddess of love; the biblical Esther cajoled herself with myrrh for a year in order to seduce the king of the Assyrians. Cleopatra’s perfume experiments also went down in history, allowing her to bewitch men, among whom, as you know, was Julius Caesar. Centuries later, the alchemists Nostradamus and Cornelius Agrippa created fragrances that allegedly generated love: they included musk, gum, amber, rose and bird blood – it was believed that it attracted the human spirit, consisting of blood vapor … Modern perfume manufacturers were probably also would not mind if we still dreamed of a love fragrance, pinning our hopes on every novelty we liked.

Agents provocateurs

But what about pheromones, volatile molecules, attraction provocateurs? There are still controversies surrounding them. Having proved the presence and, most importantly, the effectiveness of these substances in animals, scientists have not yet been able to confirm their activity in humans. “Let’s say that the remains of a vomeronasal organ, which in animals is responsible for the perception of pheromones, were found in our noses. But presence does not mean effectiveness: we do not wag our coccyx, even though it is a rudiment of the tail! exclaims Françoise Donche, Givenchy aroma expert. – Most of the fragrances that were once the epitome of sexuality, today many cause a smile. If we follow the theory of pheromones, “sexy perfumes” must invariably, out of time and fashion, excite, seduce, captivate. But usually retro smells are liked by those who associate them with their own youth, former passionate feelings and romantic memories. A fragrance cannot be erotic by itself. It only frames and emphasizes the attractiveness of the woman who wears it.

Perfumer Geza Schoen disagrees with this position. He claims that in his Escentric Molecules fragrances he uses synthetic pheromone molecules Iso E Super and Ambroxan: “I never doubted their properties to attract the opposite sex. But pheromones can affect more than just sexuality. For example, in The Beautiful Mind Intelligence & Fantasy perfume, I used neurostimulant molecules to sharpen attention and improve brain activity.” And although physiologists treat this statement with a great deal of skepticism, it must be admitted that Mr. Sean’s fragrance creations enjoy considerable success. Or maybe the point is not in their “pheromone background”, but in a pleasant and light sound?

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before consciousness

But even if we discard the theory of pheromones, one cannot but admit that erotic notes exist in nature. Aesthetics is alien to human passion, and most of all we are excited by the most primitive smells – animal and edible. In their pure form, they are sharp: the former remind of the uncleaned cages of the zoo, the latter – of the oriental bazaar. But who is talking about straightness! Even a homeopathic dose is enough for our unconscious to start a cascade of reactions. A meager concentration of sexy notes in the context of perfume blends organically with the smell of the body, enhancing the eroticism.

But if the effectiveness of animal smells on libido is quite logical, then why, for example, men are so excited by culinary notes? This question is better addressed not to perfumers, but to evolution. When a person began to walk on two legs, then vision took the first place in the knowledge of the world. And the sense of smell was originally aimed at obtaining food. Since then, little has changed. We still overreact to edible flavors. We even describe perfumery in terms of taste: sweet, bitter, salty, tart. So through the stomach lies the path not only to the male (and female) heart, but also to the nose.

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Animal nature

What notes ignite passion? The list of perfumery erotic symbols is headed by sensual-carnal smells. Indisputable authority – musk. It emphasizes and enhances the smell of the skin, acting on the male sense of smell in the same way as lace underwear on vision. Musk is followed by sensual amber (by the way, it is in this, according to Geza Schona, that the maximum concentration of pheromones is contained), spicy cumin and animal civet oil, reminiscent of the smell of the human body. On the same list are patchouli, which creates mystery, and myrrh, which carries astringency.

Sexual appetites will be stimulated by spices: vanilla, cloves, ginger, cinnamon. No wonder in the East they are traditionally scattered around the marital bed. The situation is more complicated with flowers. There is a lot of tenderness and innocence in their notes, but there is little eroticism. To make the heavenly bouquet sexier, it is supplemented with proven components: rose – patchouli, violet – sandalwood … Orange blossom, tuberose, gardenia and jasmine are considered the most sensual among flowers. They are united by a common secret – indole, the most carnal note of plant odors. But in any case, the attractiveness of the fragrance will primarily depend on the one who wears it. As well as from the one who inhales.

Unlike love

The sense of smell is a completely earthly feeling, studied and decomposed into components. The smell is just a phenomenon of the meeting of volatile molecules with the proteins of the olfactory cells of the nose. Contact between them gives rise to a series of reactions that eventually end (or not) in the excitation of certain emotions and organs. Here everything is individual. 348 genes are responsible for the functioning of olfactory cells. No wonder everyone reacts differently to smells! The same patchouli can both turn one’s head and cause rejection. Therefore, for the purpose of seduction, you should not use mono-smells: the more complex the cocktail, the more likely it will be able to “turn on” the chosen one’s sense of smell.

But the main thing is that the wearer likes the smell. Any perfume discomfort is unacceptable. And let friends consider some perfumes supersexual! If we are sick of them, we must say goodbye to them immediately. Our sense of smell is not mistaken: if the perfume is in harmony with the scent of the skin and enhances sexuality, we will be comfortable in it. If not, the body will want to part with it. We are made by nature to last. And everything that prevents this, our body will simply reflexively reject.