Does sex have a smell?

In animals, it is widely proven, there is no sexuality without smell. Genital scents from a female in heat cause sexual arousal in the male, a desire to reproduce, just like the famous pheromones, odorless olfactory signals that indicate the availability of females to be impregnated – and which drive males crazy. The best-known example is that of the moth capable of detecting a female several kilometers around, according to the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE), which has worked extensively on the subject. Studies have even established that if the vomeronasal organ, which is directly connected to the hypothalamus, the cerebral seat of emotions and sexual behavior, is deactivated, the animal no longer shows any interest in the thing.

Human sex pheromones are a myth

Although less developed, the olfactory system of humans is also not insensitive to “sexuality”. In a study by the University of Texas, spotted by The Parisianmen felt nightgowns worn by women whether or not they were ovulating: 90% of them found “more seductive” the smell of the clothing of women who were ovulating. Another study, still cited by the daily, observed that the tips of American female strippers doubled during their ovulation period. According to scientists, “men might use scents in their mate selection”especially because “their chances of reproduction depend on their ability to find fertile women”.

Nevertheless: with us, the sexual pheromones are closer to the “myth”, remember The Doctor’s Daily. The proof, we are excited by factors other than olfaction, such as sight, hearing, touch or even imagination and fantasies. Indeed, with the development of the brain and the increasing complexity of sexual behaviors, in particular speech and seduction, the role of the vomeronasal organ – and therefore of the pheromones – has been reduced to the point of becoming almost non-existent. Today, “we don’t produce or smell pheromones. There isn’t such a stereotypical, uncontrollable response in humans [que chez les animaux]”, confirmed Dr. Sophie Lemonier. So forget the social media influencers who want to sell you products that are supposedly boosted with pheromones to attract the opposite sex, or the advertisements that tout a supposed elixir of love, it doesn’t exist!

Sex has especially the smell of its practice

Still, sex itself has a smell. Or rather odors, raw, emitted by bodily fluids before, during and after the embrace. It does “smell” of sex, often, in a room where two lovers have just fooled around. Beyond the specific scents of the genitals, “It’s the combination of semen and vaginal secretions that results in that smell after sex,” explained Dr Rotimi Adesanya in a article spotted by Slate. And make no mistake, the smell (and taste) of these fluids is the result of the different proteins and components that make them up: it therefore depends in particular on our diet.

Mixed with those of sweat (hygiene is important!), these smells of desire and pleasure can be erogenous for many people. A quarter of straight women find the smell of sex arousing, and more than a quarter of straight men say they like the smell of female sex, according to a study quoted by Le Parisien. Far from making us lose our heads like pheromones, these very particular smells could above all have an effect on us on a psychological and emotional level: for example, sending us back to past erotic memories, reminding us of the musky perfume of a companion … and thus play on our emotions when we feel it. Only one thing is certain: when it comes to seduction and sexuality, someone’s smell seems to matter…but only after the relationship has been consummated and some feelings shared!