The rules of human attraction are a subject that has been studied for ions, and it still seems that we’re unable to come up with a clear answer.
Whether it’s the way a man looks, his bank account, sense of humor, or lifestyle that makes him appealing to women, we still don’t know how to crack the code.
One thing that we can’t deny though, is the power of pheromones, and how they play a part in the role of attraction in every animal and plant on earth.
These ‘external hormones’ are secreted outside of the body and send a message to the receiver, with the most impressive one being that they’re worthy of sexual attraction.
What are pheromones for men though, and how do they work?
The pheromone chemical is capable of attracting a mate and has been bottled or replicated and used with various fragrances and cosmetics in the hopes of letting men do just that.
Upon application, these pheromones are said to make men more desirable to women on a subconscious level, which helps when finding a partner.
If you’ve always wondered whether or not these pheromone products were the real deal, this is the article for you. We’ve answered every question you ever had about pheromones, their role in nature, and the science behind attraction, so you’ll feel confident with one of these products in your back pocket.
Contents
- 1 What Are Pheromones?
- 2 Hormones and Attraction
- 3 The Role of Pheromones in Sexual Attraction
- 4 The Three Classes of Pheromones
- 5 The History of Pheromones in Cosmetics
- 6 The Efficiency of Cosmetics and Fragrances
- 7 Mechanism of Pheromone Isolation
- 8 Other Hormones Used in Cosmetics
- 9 Females and Pheromones
- 10 Is There More to Attraction That Chemistry?
- 11 Are Pheromones Animal Friendly?
- 12 Pros and Cons of Using Pheromones
- 13 Boosting Your Natural Attraction
- 14 Related Questions
What Are Pheromones?

A pheromone is a chemical signal sent from one person to a receiver or receivers.
These chemicals are like hormones that are created on the outside of the body and not the inside, so they have more of an effect on those around them rather than the person who is creating them.
These chemicals are detected by an organ in the animal body called the vomeronasal organ. This organ is connected to the brain, more specifically the part that controls emotions and sexual behavior, and when it’s triggered with the right stuff, it’ll let you know instantly.
Although most people assume that pheromones are all about sex, these odorous chemicals play other important roles in nature.
Some animals release pheromones to mark their territory, tell others that they are planning on laying an egg there, express frustration, or make themselves appear bigger and more aggressive than they are.
Most importantly though, pheromones are used to send a message to the receiver about sex, and it’s this power that people want to possess.
For this reason, there’s been a huge boom in cosmetics and fragrance brands trying to harness or mimic what the pheromone does and bottle it up so people can be more appealing to the object of their desire.
Hormones and Attraction

To understand how pheromones work, it’s helpful to explore the role of hormones in their entirety, and how they operate in the human body.
Hormones are created inside of the body and they can impact things like emotions, physical feelings, and changes, as well as social and sexual behavior. There are a few key areas responsible for creating hormones, including:
Pineal gland
This is known as the sleep area, as the pineal gland produces melatonin which is imperative for helping us get some rest and managing our sleep cycles.
Pituitary gland
This gland is considered the master of the rest of the body as it’s responsible for the glands that control reproduction, body growth, lactation, and others.
Hypothalamus
A large area that produces hormones responsible for many bodily functions including body weight, sex drive, sleep, body temperature, and general appetite.
Testes
The male sex glands create hormones like testosterone that are crucial to attraction, and also it’s where semen is produced.
Ovaries
The female reproductive gland responsible for creating sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone, as well as eggs to be fertilized. In women, these hormones then impact things like pregnancy, fertility, and breast development.
Unlike hormones that are created inside of the body in these key areas, pheromones are secreted on the outside of the body.
Not only can they have a self-effect on us, but they largely exist to make an impact on those that smell them, with humans being most interested in how they can help boost their attractiveness to others.
The Role of Pheromones in Sexual Attraction

Before we can dive deeper into what pheromones are, it’s good to get a lesson on the purpose of attraction.
As it attains to evolution, this attraction is necessary so that two animals end up mating, thus carrying on their line, which appears to be the main goal for almost everyone species on earth.
The body can assist in this process with a biological process of secreting pheromones to lure in a potential mate.
This may happen differently depending on the animal, and its efficiency can also differ, but the main goal of producing these external hormones is to procreate with another of the same species.
When it comes to humans, there are many other ways that we attract a mate and feel attracted to others.
Where some animals won’t be bothered by the concept of beauty when trying to find a partner, humans generally do, and other things might lead us to find someone more attractive like their health or wealth status.
Using pheromones as a way of attracting someone else is simply enhancing your natural attractiveness by using something that the animal kingdom has relied on since the dawn of time.
Although they’re not the only way to make yourself more desirable, they can help, and will especially useful for people who feel they’ve tried everything else and failed.
The Three Classes of Pheromones

Research into pheromones and their role and production in the human body is always ongoing, and at this point, scientists have been able to pinpoint three different categories that they fall into. When looking at pheromones in humans, you may be able to classify them as either:
Axillary steroids
These are the most common pheromones replicated and found in men’s products like colognes and perfume sprays.
Axillary steroids include pheromones like androstanol and androstenone, just to name a few. These are almost always listed in pheromone products as they are steroids released in sweat, and hormones that have been produced by the sex glands like testes, ovaries, and adrenal glands.
Most of them are derived from testosterone and share the “andro” prefix because it is an androgen.
Copulins
Vaginal aliphatic acids are sometimes known as copulins, and these work similarly to axillary steroids but in reverse.
Copulins have been shown to increase the attractiveness of a woman to a man, and they might even increase in production during ovulation.
Pheromones In Cosmetics
There’s no doubt you’ve heard the promise of some sort of love potion that claims after just a few sprays women will be all over you.
Although these types of products have been debunked over the years, that doesn’t mean they’re all bad. Pheromones have had a place in the cosmetics market for years, and the evolution of how they’re used has brought us to where we are today.
The History of Pheromones in Cosmetics

Pheromone colognes and cosmetics can be traced back to as early as Medieval Europe, where it was believed women used their own vaginal secretions as a perfume to lure men.
Whether this has any real effect or not can be debated, but knowing what we now do about chemical signals and their role in attraction, it may not be so far-fetched.
Today, pheromone perfumes are available to everyone, but there are some considered better than others.
As you can’t extract pheromones from a human, they must be synthetic replicas designed to elicit the same response or a combination of human hormones, and the quality of these concoctions can vary.
The pheromone is then mixed with other ingredients like essential oils and carrier oils, or left as a standalone product, and marketed to people who are hoping to get more luck finding a mate.
These products are designed for heterosexual and homosexual use, and the market shows no signs of slowing down.
The Efficiency of Cosmetics and Fragrances

There is still a lot of debate over whether or not these pheromone fragrances and cosmetics actually work, because there are unknowns about humans detect them.
However, a quick search online will show you a list of brands and perfumes that have stellar reputations with thousands of happy customers claiming that their lives have changed for the better.
Although the pheromone portion is important in the efficiency of these products, so too are the other results.
You can feel a boost of self-confidence from the scent of the fragrances included or the mere placebo effect can lift your self-esteem thus making you more appealing to others sexually. Whatever the reason, it appears that pheromone colognes have improved a lot over the years.
Mechanism of Pheromone Isolation

While the research on humans is still young, there have been numerous studies done about animal species that show the importance of pheromones in mating.
One example relates to two types of moths that were closely related. Although similar, the pheromones that the female secreted were only intended to attract moths of the same species, and the results proved its efficiency.
With this in mind, it’s important to establish that any cosmetics claiming to feature pheromones or chemicals that mimic them be human grade. It’s not simply enough to use the pheromone of a different animal, as it’s likely these have zero effect on humans and would be a waste of money.
Other Hormones Used in Cosmetics
Another important addition to these cosmetic pheromones is other hormones, and when you’re trying to attract women, testosterone seems key.
This is why people are always looking for ways to increase their levels of testosterone, whether through bodybuilding exercises or eating zinc-rich foods, it’s been proven to have a good result.
Females and Pheromones

The market for pheromone colognes seems to be predominantly directed at male customers, but that doesn’t mean women can’t benefit from them as well.
It’s not just men who are struggling to find a date or attract a partner, and women can feel just as helpless in this modern age of dating.
Female pheromone perfumes are marketed quite similarly and even with some of the same ingredients. However, to ensure they’re targeted predominantly towards attracting men, you might find two common ingredients in these types of perfumes.
Firstly, copulins are a combination of volatile fatty acids that are secreted vaginally, and it’s been shown that they can increase the attractiveness of a woman’s face when they’re smelled.
Estratetraenol is a steroid found in women as well, and it can induce pheromone like behavior in the opposite sex.
Pheromone perfumeries use these chemicals and blend them with essential oils, alcohol, and carrier oils to create fragrances.
Just as you’d find with men’s pheromone colognes, they can have a positive impact when trying to secure a partner, and give women a boost of self-confidence that can be invaluable in the dating world.
Is There More to Attraction That Chemistry?

Millions of dollars have been spent on pheromone products in recent times and the fragrance industry alone is worth around 27 billion dollars, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only solution.
It can be helpful to smell good, and even better to have the right type of pheromones applied to your skin, but there’s more to attraction than just chemistry.
If you consider a world without smell, there are still lots of ways for people to attract a mate, otherwise dating apps like Tinder and Instagram wouldn’t exist. People spend thousands of dollars on a single cosmetic procedure and deck out their wardrobes with the latest designer clothes and jewelry.
Other types of attraction exist as well, far beyond what’s on the surface, and romantic attraction and emotional attraction are other ways you can attract a mate.
For some, the physical appeal of a partner doesn’t matter as much as the emotional connection, and this is true even if they’re just looking for a sexual mate as well.
However, with all of the different types of attractions available, it seems pheromones are a great way to make what you already have even better.
These oils and colognes work with your skin, body temperature, and pH levels to enhance your natural state, so it can hurt to have this added level of attractiveness on your side.
Are Pheromones Animal Friendly?

In the hunt for peak attractiveness, it can be easy to forget that sometimes cosmetics and fragrances aren’t the most animal-friendly products.
When you’re considering using pheromones, it’s a common question that people have as they wonder whether animals or harmed or even used to create them.
Unfortunately, some pheromone products have derived the steroids and chemicals from other animals. The most common one is pigs, although it’s never marketed this way on the bottle, and the process in which they extract these hormones may be unpleasant or unethical.
The best way to source cruelty-free pheromones is to find something that has been synthetically designed as it guarantees no animal was harmed in its manufacturing.
These synthetic products can achieve the same results as human pheromones and have been specially formulated to mimic them.
If you want to ensure human grade pheromones and those that don’t contain any animal byproducts, there are loads of brands that can deliver.
Ensure you read the labels to find cruelty free and vegan pheromone perfumes, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see that most modern brands offer these guarantees.
Pros and Cons of Using Pheromones

The market for pheromone colognes and cosmetics has never looked better, and there are premium quality products out there without the usual hesitation that this industry used to cause.
However, it’s not all good, so you should weigh up the pros and cons before deciding whether to try them for yourself.
Pros of Pheromone Cologne
Boost to self confidence
Leaving the house smelling good and wearing something that’s guaranteed to attract women can do no harm.
You’ll get a huge increase in self-esteem which has a flow-on effect and makes you more appealing to others as they can sense your confidence.
More appealing to women
Even if you think it’s a placebo effect, wearing a quality pheromone cologne will deliver results when it comes to women. Most customers of reputable brands can testify they noticed a friendlier and more attentive nature from women when they were wearing them, compared to when they didn’t.
Cons of Pheromone Cologne
Expensive
Some brands can be expensive, and they’re usually the better quality ones that offer better results. Be prepared to spend the same as you would on a designer name perfume when you get your first pheromone cologne.
Trial and error
Not every cologne will work for you, and some might even react differently to your body than it did to others. You may need to try a few brands before you get results, and even change up where you wear it on your body.
Boosting Your Natural Attraction

There was once a time where people looked at pheromone sprays as make-believe love potions that only the foolish would fall for.
Today, though, the fragrance world has changed that perception, and there is now a massive selection of pheromone products that vary in purpose, ingredients, and effectiveness.
Shopping smarter is the name of the game, and it’s important to look at each of these brands with scrutiny to ensure you’re choosing something well made.
There are loads of companies trying to make a quick buck by promising attraction enhancing potions, so you should buy from those with a good reputation and transparent product line to make sure you’re choosing something legitimate.
As we learn more about the science of attraction and all of the working parts that come together to help people snare a mate, it seems chemistry has more of a role than we first realized.
By being able to harness these natural chemical reactions, we can boost our attractiveness in a natural way that enhances what we already have and give us a better chance at success finding a partner.
Related Questions
The use of pheromones in cosmetics and fragrances is nothing new, but we’ve never been better equipped to make them work the right way for us.
If you’ve still got more questions about the role that pheromones play in attraction, read on to see our answers to some commonly asked questions about the elusive chemical.
Can You Make Your Own Pheromones?
A pheromone perfume uses either human-grade animal or synthetic pheromones to get the desired results, but if you’d rather use your own, it won’t be possible.
These natural hormones can be extracted from most animals though, but it’s not something that the average person could do safely.
What Do Pheromones Smell Like?
As a standalone chemical, pheromones have no obvious smell to them and can only be detected subconsciously.
If you’re choosing a pheromone cologne or perfume, it’s common for these to have no scent to them as well, and manufacturers might add other essential oils or aromas to them so that they smell similar to other fragrances.
Can You Buy Human Pheromones?
It’s not possible to purchase human pheromones from a product on the shelves, and you should avoid any products that claim to contain them.
However, there are other animal chemicals similar to this available, and good results have been achieved by creating synthetic pheromones that mimic the human ones.