Ingredients
What's actually in pheromone perfumes — and what the science says about each one. We rate evidence as Strong, Mixed, or Anecdotal.
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Synthetic Musks
A family of synthetic aromachemicals that produce 'clean skin/musk' scent — they are NOT pheromones, they are perfumery base notes used to extend wear time and create the perception of sensual skin scent.
Evidence: Strong (as fragrance ingredients, not as pheromones)
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Oxytocin Sprays
Sprayable formulations containing synthetic oxytocin, the 'trust/bonding hormone' — marketed as a confidence-boosting alternative to androgen-based pheromone perfumes, with a much weaker and more contested mechanistic story.
Evidence: Anecdotal
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Iso E Super
A synthetic fragrance ingredient with a velvety, woody-skin scent that smells distinctly 'pheromone-like' to many people — though it is NOT a pheromone, it's a perfumery aromachemical patented by IFF.
Evidence: Strong (as a fragrance ingredient, not as a pheromone)
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Estratetraenol
An estrogen-derived steroid found in female urine — proposed as the female counterpart to androstadienone in human chemosignal research, with similarly contested evidence for behavioral effects on men.
Evidence: Mixed
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Androstenol
A 16-androstene steroid found in male sweat and saliva — historically marketed as the 'friendliness pheromone' for its association with social-approach behavior, though the evidence base is older and thinner than for androstadienone.
Evidence: Mixed
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Androstadienone
A steroid derivative of testosterone found in male sweat and semen — the molecule with the strongest research signal for affecting women's mood and attention, though the strength of the effect remains debated.
Evidence: Mixed
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Copulins
A mix of short-chain aliphatic fatty acids found in female vaginal secretions, used in women's pheromone perfumes as a claimed attraction signal.
Evidence: Mixed
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Androstenone
A steroid molecule found in male sweat, saliva, and urine — used in pheromone perfumes as a dominance and attraction signal.
Evidence: Mixed