How are Pheromones and Cologne Different?

Are pheromones just a special type of personal fragrance, like cologne with a kick? Why would you want to purchase something that's designated as a pheromone fragrance, instead of using your usual aftershave or cologne?

Colognes are carefully formulated and tested to have maximum sensory appeal to women by incorporating aromas like cedar, amber, and citrus and spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and cumin, Their unique scent blends are distinctive-each one part of a $2.2 billion market in the United States for men's fragrances.

Women care about the way men smell, so much so that more than half of men's fragrances are purchased by women for men. A great fragrance is a detail about a man that women notice, consciously appreciate, and remember.

Pheromones, on the other hand, are quite different. Instead of the wide palette of components that go into male colognes, there are just three substances that have been identified in research testing as human male pheromones: androstadienone (sometimes called AND), androstenol, and androstenone. Of these, only the first two have been proven to have positive effects on women. When the third, androstenone, is available in large enough concentrations to have a discernible aroma, women find it unpleasant. Research also shows that it negatively affects their moods.

While strong concentrations of male pheromones do have an aroma, most scientists who study male pheromones agree that their impact on women isn't a function of how they smell. In fact, recent studies take steps to make sure that women participants can't consciously detect any pheromone fragrance.

There's even some debate about whether women detect human male pheromones through a sensory input system that's separate from the receptors in the nasal passages and the nerve cells in the brain that detect and process olfactory (sense of smell) input. In other animals, this separate system hinges on a brain structure called Jacobsen's organ or the vomeronasal organ (VNO). The presence and function of the VNO in other species is clearly established-it bypasses most of the brain, sending signals from pheromones directly to the part of the brain that interfaces with the endocrine (hormone) system.

The VNO has been located in the human brain, but the extent to which it functions to detect pheromones is still unknown. Nevertheless, there's convincing evidence that human male pheromones have certain effects on women: increasing and regulating levels of circulating hormones like estrogen and progesterone, increasing attention and focus, improving moods, and impacting the way women evaluate photographs of unfamiliar men.

These effects of male pheromones occur completely below the level of conscious awareness. Women don't notice or consciously appreciate the presence of male pheromones; they simply respond to them, physically and psychologically. Theoretically, you could use your favorite aftershave or cologne and a pheromone preparation. However, most commercially available male pheromones are fragrances, so you-and she-might not care for the blend of scents that results.

Some cologne contains male pheromones as a component, adding the unconscious impact of pheromones to the conscious appreciation of personal scent. It's important to understand that androstadienone or androstenol are the only two human male pheromones that have yet been proven to have an effect on women. Formulations that don't specifically mention these two constituents are less likely to provide the documented benefits of male pheromones.