Does Perfume Cover Up Pheromones?

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It makes sense to think that wearing perfume compromises the effectiveness of pheromones. After all, perfumes generally have a stronger smell than pheromones, and both are detected through the nose. But is that really the case? 

Perfume doesn’t cover up pheromones’ effectiveness. Your pheromones can still affect other people when you’re wearing perfume. However, they might not be aware of that effect because pheromones have a weaker smell and can affect individuals without them noticing. 

Keep reading to learn why perfume doesn’t cover up pheromones and why you might be better off pairing these two products together.

Why Perfume Doesn’t Cover Up Pheromones

To understand why perfume couldn’t possibly mask pheromones, you need to understand what these chemical secretions are and how we detect them. So let’s dive into that.

Pheromones are chemical secretions believed to be in body fluids such as urine and sweat. They send signals between members of the same species to elicit specific behavioral or hormonal changes, such as heightened sexual desire towards a specific individual. This is why there are so many pheromone colognes touted to make you more attractive to a specific gender.

While the body fluids that carry pheromones usually have a strong smell, the odor isn’t from the pheromones. Rather, it’s from those fluids reacting with bacteria and other microorganisms. For instance, sweat smells due to its interaction with cutaneous bacteria.

So how do we detect pheromones if they’re odorless?

Well, we do use our olfactory system, but the part of the nose that detects pheromones is different from what we use for other smells like fragrances. We detect pheromones using the vomeronasal organ (VNO), whereas other smells are detected through the olfactory epithelium.

The VNO is only responsive to pheromones. The same goes for the olfactory epithelium: it can only be stimulated by a smell.

Since these two parts of the olfactory system have distinct, specialized functions, the smell of perfume has no effect on other people’s responsiveness to your pheromones. That is what I meant when I said that perfume doesn’t cover up pheromones. 

People around you might not be conscious of the pheromones’ effect on them because their senses will be preoccupied with the smell of the perfume, not to mention that pheromones are odorless. However, that doesn’t mean that the effect is non-existent.

Is It Okay to Use Perfume With Synthetic Pheromones?

Everything I’ve said about pheromones up to this point applies strictly to the pheromones our bodies produce naturally. If you’ve been keeping up with recent developments in the fragrance industry, you’re familiar with the synthetic pheromones touted to help people improve their chances with prospective partners. This is the kind of pheromones I’ll be discussing in this section.

Synthetic pheromones are designed to mimic the ones we produce naturally. While they, too, are odorless, synthetic pheromones often come with a musky smell because most of them are extracted from sweat and other bodily fluids. That’s why most people opt for scented synthetic pheromones or pair unscented ones with perfume.

Pairing perfume with an unscented bottle of synthetic pheromones won’t affect their ability to influence how people react to your smell. On the contrary, it’ll enhance the effectiveness of the pheromones by giving you a chance to keep the other party around you long enough for their VNO to pick up the pheromones.

The unpleasant smell of unscented synthetic pheromones can actually drive people away. So if you don’t pair it with a good-smelling fragrance, the person you might have been trying to attract may actually be repulsed instantly and walk away before they breathe in whatever pheromones you’re wearing.

Long story short, it’s not just okay to wear perfume with unscented synthetic pheromones; it’s recommended. 

Of course, you can always opt for a scented formula. These come already infused with fragrance, so you don’t have to worry about wearing them with perfume. 

Summary

To sum up, perfume doesn’t cover up pheromones because the human olfactory system detects these two stimulants using different parts. Pheromones are picked up by the vomeronasal organ (VNO), while perfume and other odors are detected via the olfactory epithelium. So even if you wear perfume, your pheromones will still affect the opposite gender.

What perfume does is mask the undesirable smell of unscented synthetic pheromones. These products often have a musky smell because they’re extracted from sweat and other body fluids. As such, it’s actually recommended that you pair them with a nice-smelling perfume or choose the scented kind.

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