Do Pheromone Colognes Work?

Do pheromone colognes actually work? After seeing a deluge of ads online claiming to offer pheromone products with strong aphrodisiac qualities, I had to find out for myself.

Initially, I was skeptical: it seemed like typical online marketing hype. But after some digging, it seems that one of the active ingredients in most of these products is androstenone - a known and fairly well-researched human pheromone compound.

You see, other species use pheromones to "signal" interest in mating, but until recently most scientists believed humans had "lost" this ability to communicate via smell, as other species such as pigs and ants do.

I had to go further than that, though. I wanted to know if these cleverly marketed pheromone colognes were a scam or a godsend. Could a few sprays to the neck really turn me - a quiet sort - into the next irresistible "ladies man"?

I decided a few hundred dollars more on the credit card probably wouldn't kill anyone. The first one I tried was a product called Athena Pheromone. The vial I received in the mail was tiny, and I had to mix it in with my existing cologne (somewhat messy), but it actually did seem to work - I got more smiles at work from women, and in one of my lecture classes a girl got my number unsolicited (granted, she wanted to form a study group for the final, but this is still encouraging).

A second product, called XTREME, failed to produce any noticeable results. I sent the manufacturer an email expressing my disappointment, but received no reply. A third pheromone cologne, XLV, seemed to have strong results - almost too strong at times. My boss is not particularly attractive, and she started to get "chummy" with me and ask me lots of personal questions whenever I wore it. Also, on the subway (I live in NYC), I noticed that women seemed to be standing closer to me than usual.

So although it did appear to be creating interest from women, I am concerned that products like XLV and Athena don't discriminate well enough between attractive women and older or unavailable women. It seems to turn "everyone" on; at one point after about a week of consistent usage, my sister asked me with genuine curiosity what had changed about me. Gross.

Still, I think there is some real benefit from these products, and I will probably re-order in the future. Wearing it gives me a bit more confidence when I walk into a bar or into a new class because I know I have an edge - however small it may be - over every other guy in the room.

I am surprised pheromone colognes are not sold in stores yet, but I think it may have something to do with regulatory issues. Maybe companies would be sued if they sold a product so blatantly manipulative, or perhaps there are long-term health effects from subjecting every woman you meet with a strong dose of airborne pheromones. I don't know!