Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow Do Pheromones Work in Humans?Specific Pheromones Involved in Human AttractionPheromones, Perfumes, and Effectiveness
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How Do Pheromones Work in Humans?
Specific Pheromones Involved in Human Attraction
Pheromones, Perfumes, and Effectiveness
But do pheromones exist in humans? And if so, do they play a specific role in sexual attraction? That’s where experts seem to disagree.
This article discusses the concept of human pheromones, outlining available research on whether they may be an active part of sexual attraction behavioral processes.
Klaus Vedfelt/ Getty Images
Sex and Gender TerminologyNote that references in this article to men/males or women/females are based on biological sex chromosomes. Current research on pheromones does not delve deeply intogender, which refers to social norms typically associated with masculinity and femininity, nor sexual orientation, which refers to an emotional or sexual attraction to another person.
Sex and Gender Terminology
Note that references in this article to men/males or women/females are based on biological sex chromosomes. Current research on pheromones does not delve deeply intogender, which refers to social norms typically associated with masculinity and femininity, nor sexual orientation, which refers to an emotional or sexual attraction to another person.
The Research
Though research has shown that pheromone attraction exists in other mammals, whether that includes humans is unclear. Some of this research consists of the following:
In any of these scenarios, however, it hasn’t been proved whether a human pheromone would be responsible for such an effect.
Types of PheromonesThere are four types of pheromones:Releasers (short-acting and linked to sexual attraction)Modulators (found in sweat and impacts emotions)Primers (affect puberty and menstrual cycles)Signalers (provide information)
Types of Pheromones
There are four types of pheromones:Releasers (short-acting and linked to sexual attraction)Modulators (found in sweat and impacts emotions)Primers (affect puberty and menstrual cycles)Signalers (provide information)
There are four types of pheromones:
Human sexual attraction behavior can be complicated to understand without the added concept of pheromones. Though studies have shown that pheromones can cause an instant behavioral or communicative response in animal mate attraction, it’s unclear whether this interaction exists between humans.
Some researchers have identified two steroids that maypotentially have pheromone effects in humans:
Both AND and EST are found in human sweat and other bodily fluids and, in some cases, have been found to influence mood andsexual desire. Some studies suggested that females exposed to a male’s AND scent were more likely to report being attracted to them.
Though neither chemical has been firmly scientifically established as a pheromone, there is still ongoing research into these steroids and their effects on sexual behavior.
Pheromones in Animals vs. HumansOther types of animals, like bees, possess a tissue inside their nostrils that can detect pheromones and convey those signals to the brain. This is known as the vomeronasal organ (VNO). But in humans, the VNO isn’t considered a working organ, so it’s unclear whether it could communicate with the brain about pheromones in this way.
Pheromones in Animals vs. Humans
Other types of animals, like bees, possess a tissue inside their nostrils that can detect pheromones and convey those signals to the brain. This is known as the vomeronasal organ (VNO). But in humans, the VNO isn’t considered a working organ, so it’s unclear whether it could communicate with the brain about pheromones in this way.
Studies have shown that scent plays a role in attraction and triggering specific memories in humans.And in other animals, research suggests that pheromones might drive this attraction factor based on individual scents.
These findings, mixed with preliminary evidence about the possibility of human pheromones, prompted the creation of certain perfume formulas marketed to contain human pheromones.
The concept behind this was that wearing those perfumes would give off the scent of pheromones that could help boost sexual attraction.Available research around the use of potential pheromones infragrancesis limited, but scientists haven’t been able to establish a clear connection about the effectiveness of these products.
Animal Pheromone Products
Some animal pheromone-containing products on the market, like collars or scent diffusers, aim to change the behavior of dogs and cats. This usually includes calming stress or fear, helping with housebreaking, or improving a tense relationship between animals in the same household.
Research is ongoing about how effective these products are and whether they could expand to help a broader range of behavioral issues.
Summary
Naturally occurring substances known as pheromones serve as chemical messengers in animals. They can trigger a behavioral response in a member of the same species when secreted via sweat. This includes processes like sexual attraction, mate selection, danger signaling, and more.
Experts are mixed over whether pheromones exist in humans because there’s not enough solid scientific evidence to support this claim. Though some research has suggested that certain steroids (androstadienone and estratetraenol) may act as pheromones linked to human sexual response, other studies haven’t been able to confirm these findings.
Perfume makers have maximized on this pheromone suggestion, producing products that claim to contain attraction-boosting pheromones, but these formulas haven’t been scientifically backed.
20 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Bind RH, Minney SM, Rosenfeld SJ, Hallock RM.The role of pheromonal responses in rodent behavior: future directions for the development of laboratory protocols.J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci. 2013 Mar;52(2):124-129.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Division of adolescent and school health: Terminology.
Brennan PA.Pheromones and mammalian behavior. In: Menini A, editor.The Neurobiology of Olfaction. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press/Taylor & Francis; 2010. Chapter 6.
Roberts SA, Simpson DM, Armstrong SD, et al.Darcin: a male pheromone that stimulates female memory and sexual attraction to an individual male’s odour.BMC Biol.2010;8(75). doi:10.1186/1741-7007-8-75
Verhaeghe J, Gheysen R, Enzlin P.Pheromones and their effect on women’s mood and sexuality.Facts Views Vis Obgyn. 2013;5(3):189-95.
Schank JC.Do human menstrual-cycle pheromones exist?Hum Nat. 2006 Dec;17(4):448-70. doi:10.1007/s12110-006-1006-y
Ziomkiewicz A.Menstrual synchrony: Fact or artifact?Hum Nat. 2006 Dec;17(4):419-32. doi:10.1007/s12110-006-1004-0
Vaglio S.Chemical communication and mother-infant recognition.Commun Integr Biol.2009 May;2(3):279-81. doi:10.4161/cib.2.3.8227
Hare RM, Schlatter S, Rhodes G, Simmons LW.Putative sex-specific human pheromones do not affect gender perception, attractiveness ratings or unfaithfulness judgements of opposite sex faces.R Soc Open Sci. 2017 Mar 8;4(3):160831. doi:10.1098/rsos.160831
Stoyanov GS, Matev BK, Valchanov P, et al.The human vomeronasal (Jacobson’s) organ: a short review of current conceptions, with an English translation of Potiquet’s original text.Cureus. 2018 May 17;10(5):e2643. doi:10.7759/cureus.2643
American Psychological Association.Pheromones, in context.
Grammer K, Fink B, Neave N.Human pheromones and sexual attraction.Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2005 Feb 1;118(2):135-42. doi:10.1016/j.ejogrb.2004.08.010
Wedekind C, Penn D.MHC genes, body odours, and odour preferences.Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation.2000;15(9):1269–1271.
Zhou G, Olofsson JK, Koubeissi MZ, et al.Human hippocampal connectivity is stronger in olfaction than other sensory systems.Prog Neurobiol. 2021;201:102027. doi:10.1016/j.pneurobio.2021.102027
Zaviacic M, Sisovsky V, Zaviacic T.Cosmetic perfumes vs. human pheromones (natural chemical scents) of the human female and male in signalling and performing context of their sexual behaviour.Bratisl Lek Listy. 2009;110(8):472-5.
Winman A.Do perfume additives termed human pheromones warrant being termed pheromones?Physiol Behav. 2004 Sep 30;82(4):697-701. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2004.06.006
Landsberg GM, Beck A, Lopez A, et al.Dog-appeasing pheromone collars reduce sound-induced fear and anxiety in beagle dogs: a placebo-controlled study.Vet Rec. 2015 Sep 12;177(10):260. doi:10.1136/vr.103172
Kim YM, Lee JK, Abd el-aty AM, Hwang SH, Lee JH, Lee SM.Efficacy of dog-appeasing pheromone (DAP) for ameliorating separation-related behavioral signs in hospitalized dogs.Can Vet J.2010 Apr;51(4):380-384.
Frank D, Beauchamp G, Palestrini C.Systematic review of the use of pheromones for treatment of undesirable behavior in cats and dogs.J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2010 Jun 15;236(12):1308-16. doi: 10.2460/javma.236.12.1308
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
