In
our age of crazy ideas and new technology, somebody was bound to try and sell
sex in a can … and they have. Well, it’s not so much a can, but a small vial
filled to the brim with lovely little things called pheromones. All you have to
do is spray them on exposed parts of your body, and your attractiveness levels
(allegedly) go through the roof.
In
nature
A
pheromone is a secreted chemical that is able to alter the behavior of another
member of the same species. Pheromones are most commonly observed in insects,
as they use them in the most diverse manner, and even communicate with them.
Ants use trail pheromones to guide others of their species to a food source
they’ve found by spraying the chemicals out in a trail, and bees use pheromones
to communicate and to classify themselves within the hive. Aggregation pheromones
are used to attract many members of a species to a single point for
mass-defense, attack, or sexual purposes.
Mammals
use pheromones as well, but to a lesser extent than insects. A commonly
witnessed example can be found in dog and cat urination, which marks the
perimeter of their territory and indicates other information. Humans, on the
other hand, don’t use pheromones in the same way as other mammals, or insects.
Though
many people claim that the smell of sweat can be very attractive, and even
cause arousal, there have been no conclusive studies to associate this
phenomenon with pheromones. It is widely speculated that humans produce them, and
maybe even detect them on an unconscious level, but studies done on human
pheromones have been inconclusive for the most part.
In stores
There
are a massive amount of companies currently selling pheromone products. There
are sprays to attract both women and men; even unisex sprays that attract both
genders have been manufactured. Most of the products contain androgens, which
are also hormones. In men, androgens create the typically male sexual characteristics:
body hair, deepened voice, and mature genitals. Women also have androgens in their
bodies, although in much smaller quantities, and they're responsible for energy
levels and sexual arousal.
“The
sprays come in perfumed, and mild-scent form,” explains Jenna Wieden, who works
at Honey Gifts, an erotic gift store in Vancouver that sells pheromones. “Most
people seem to prefer the perfumed version, since the smell is usually stronger
and more pleasant,” she says.
The
effects of the sprays themselves are sometimes touted as being direct
aphrodisiacs, but are better known to bloom certain thoughts in the mind of the
opposite sex; affecting the target subconsciously, but not turning them into
drooling sex slaves.
“The
sprays are probably better for improving relations between two people who are
already in a relationship than for attracting random strangers,” Wieden
explains.
Where
brands and price are concerned, you can find sprays that cost anywhere from $20
for a single vial to $320 for a set. The Internet is bursting with pheromone
review forums weighing the differences between the brands and their effects.
In
use
Though
many people may use pheromones in order to improve their love life, very few
are willing to admit it publicly. Whether out of embarrassment or the desire
for secrecy in regards to their attraction strategies, finding people publicly willing
to admit they use pheromones isn’t as easy as the huge market implies.
A
previous user of pheromones, under the pseudonym of Mark Jones, was willing to
describe his experience using pheromone scents long-term. “At first I kinda did
it as a joke. The reason I wanted to try the pheromones was purely out of
curiosity and for amusement,” explains Jones. “But I noticed that women deffs
[sic] reacted differently around me; it wasn't like they were crawling all over
me, but I got a lot of attention.”
The
effects of the sprays, considered to be viable by some and a confidence booster
by others, seem to be somewhat subtle: “I noticed that while I was wearing the
pheromone, women reacted quite positively to it, yet younger girls, about 18
and younger, found it somewhat disturbing, as if they were bothered by the
scent or something like that,” explains Jones. “I observed that the more mature
the female I encountered, the more positive the reactions were.”
He
notes that keeping the pheromones a secret is integral to using them: “As soon
as anyone knows you're wearing it, the effects lose all potency, because it is
supposed to be a subtle little spray to arouse the senses,” Jones explains. “Once
they know your game plan you have already lost.”
According
to some retailers, pheromones are bought most commonly by waitresses and other people
working with the public or in sales, as the subtle effects on perception can
help sway interactions. Jones used them while working in the restaurant
industry, and claims that the pheromones helped him to secure a promotion.
“I
can recall several times at work I used the pheromones while talking to my
female superiors, and eventually they succumbed to the effects on their
subconscious mind, I was able to obtain certain favors,” says Jones. “I will
admit that at the time I was working in that restaurant, I wanted badly to
obtain a more desirable position then the dish-washing title I currently had. I
figured that if I could use both my wit and charm, and the help of natural pheromones,
I could get ahead.”
In
practice
“The
human body contains the organ necessary to create pheromones,” says Dr. Paul
McMillian, a Capilano biology instructor. “But the adult brain of a human
doesn’t contain the necessary nerve bundles or receptors to actually detect pheromones
in the same way that many other mammals do.”
One
case where pheromones seem to play a part would be when women’s menstrual
cycles synchronize; though recent studies have called to question whether this
is the case or not.
Many
have speculated that humans emit pheromones that cause sexual attraction, hence
the sprays: “I think it could be chalked up to smell preference,” Dr. McMillian
says. “Though I’d be interested in finding out if the pheromone sprays work or
not.”
The
idea that commercial products can alter the output of a person’s pheromones
shines the spotlight on an interesting conundrum that Caitlin Costello brings
up in her essay, Sexual or Sexist? Replication of Human Pheromones.
“If
the popularity of pheromone-based commercial products continues, they may
develop to the point where they accurately imitate the effects of natural human
pheromones, possibly even able to influence the behavior of those other than
the users of the products,” Costello writes. “A deeper threat, however, comes
from the implications that pheromone research might have on existing gender
roles and relations, since women seem to be more sensitive to pheromonal
messages.”
Research
allowing, patents pending, men may one day be able to put on a perfume that
make women pounce on them like a TV ad for Axe. “Given the complexities of the
way humans transmit chemical signals, these scenarios probably lie outside of
the realm of possibility, but the prospect of men gaining even a small amount
of greater sexual control over women is nonetheless frightening,” Costello
concludes.
With
praise, condemnation and doubt coming from all sides, pheromones have perched
themselves on a precarious social branch that lies somewhere between science
and fantasy. Powerful placebos or fantastic aphrodisiac? Only time and maybe a
bit of personal experimentation will tell.
//Beni Spieler, writer
//Graphics by Katie So
//Beni Spieler, writer
//Graphics by Katie So
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