Everything You Didn't Need to Know About Scent Seduction

Imagine the year is 1900. Someone buys you dinner.

They’re attractive and your heart’s beating.

Then, you get arrested.

Dating back to 1896, the term “date” was first used as a word for “courtship” in a newspaper column where a man had asked for advice on how other people were “filling all her dates” as in the “dates on her calendar”. In the year of 1900, men buying women food, drinks, or even gifts out in public was seen as prostitution. Dating was considered felony and women could be arrested for it.

The year is now 2021.

Swipe. Match. Chat. Repeat.

Technology and much needed respect for women has revolutionized the whole dating scene. We don’t worry about being arrested anymore. We worry about convenience. It’s easy. Getting to the first date is easy. But what if our date’s a loser? What if it’s a waste of time?

What if science can make your conveniently found date, into the exact experience you’re looking for?

Extensive research on the chemical composition of scents has been done for years throughout history. Its origins and evolution of scents themselves is still up for debate. However, we can split scents up into two categories: ambient and aphrodisiacs. Ambient scents are scents that are present as part of a retail or service environment, often used to try to entice customers into buying more. Aphrodisiac scents are scents that help generate sex appeal and libido. By combining research on both what makes a successful ambient scent with science-backed aphrodisiac scent facts, we can influence your first date into your ideal one all within your date’s subconscious.

The Ideal Date

Scents are naturally a powerful stimulus that can evoke emotional memories. In turn, what kind of scent you use can impact the pacing of your date and influence your partner.

Based on a meta-analysis of 71 samples from 64 articles, covering 15,447 respondents and 671 effects, it’s been found that the impact of scents relies greatly on 3 factors. Quality, congruency, and structure. Quality being how pleasant or familiar the scent is, congruency in how well the scent aligns with the perceived intention of its use, and the molecular structure of the scent itself. Depending on what you prefer your ideal date to be, we can combine this with the emotions that aphrodisiac scents evoke as well as what scents turn on what sex.

Attracting Men

While someone might turn you on by giving you flowers, you can attract men by smelling like flowers. In 2015, a study showed that rose oil is a powerful stimulant in men.

Contrary to its pretty smell and appearance, rose’s strength comes from a fragrance molecule that is found in the decomposition and fecal waste.

Disgusting, I know.

However, this molecule is what makes the smell of rose an aphrodisiac. It adds grit to its floral scent, making the smell velvety and into a natural relaxant. It helps lower inhibition. Rose is the perfect set up.

Traditional and Classic

Sweet, playful and by far the most thought of scent that comes to mind when you think of perfume. Everyone has a memory involving vanilla. Ice cream, cakes, cookies to even events, like the holidays.

If scents are associated with memories, then what turns us on about the scent itself is what we associate the scent with. While other aphrodisiac scents say otherwise by raising our libido directly, Vanilla is different.

It turns us on with nostalgia.

The smell of vanilla is known to be comforting, both helping you relax and for your partner to feel at ease. For a light-hearted date where you want to give off a wholesome vibe, Vanilla is a classic.

On a molecular structure, Madagascar Vanilla is known to evolve slowly then become more present throughout the evening and night. Its structure gives it a slower evaporation rate which thus makes the scent of vanilla able to linger on the skin longer, because it takes longer to evaporate.

If you were to combine this with Rose, you could end on a sweeter note. Getting to know each other, laughing, then a cute kiss at the end of the night. The smell of Vanilla will make you come off as sweet and the smell of rose makes him relaxed enough to actually make the first move and give you a kiss. For a traditional ideal date, the scent of vanilla will also become stronger as the night goes on and lock in your second date after.

One Night Stand

Contrary to the traditional, start slow and build it up kind of date, what if you just want to start of strong? What if your ideal date is more of an ideal hook up?

In another study in 2015, Jasmine was also found to boost libido. While Rose and Vanilla work as aphrodisiac by relaxing our bodies, Jasmine is an aphrodisiac because it creates a physical aphrodisiac reaction.

It increases the libido of both sexes by triggering our body’s hormone receptors. Jasmine was also found to be one of the strongest aphrodisiacs available with 43 different varieties that all smell sweet and delicate, but actually mimic animalistic musk.

By combining the smell of Rose and Jasmine, you will have your own floral sex bomb waiting to happen.

Both have naturally calming effects on the body, but Jasmine is known to alleviate stress and anxiety while sparking intimacy. For a hot one-night stand, the smell of rose will help lower his inhibitions and get you both in the mood.

Traditional Start but Hook-up Finish

Alike Vanilla, Pumpkin was also found to be associated with nostalgia and comfort because it triggers the feelings of home. However, unlike vanilla, it stimulates a strong, erotic response in men.

Sadly, there is a reason why Pumpkin-Rose perfume does not exist above $25, if any.

For a scent to be effective on someone, the quality and how pleasant the scent smells is vital. Since Pumpkin offers a natural rich, creamy, and spicy scent, it conflicts with the velvety floral scent that rose evokes.

However, Pumpkin can be combined with Vanilla for the same desired effect. Both offer a sweet sense of nostalgia. It will help make your partner feel comfortable and at peace. But the smell of Pumpkin will trigger a lot more than just warm memories.

Through a study in 2015, they also found that the smell of pumpkin will increase penile blood flow by 40%.

For those that are looking for a date that starts off playful and fun, but escalates to something more, Vanilla-Pumpkin perfume is a science backed combination that will land you that ideal date.

Attracting Women

In 1878, a naturalist named Fritch Muller discovered that male Papilio Gray release a strong and spicy scent to mate. While people are anything but black and white butterflies, women are still naturally attracted to spicier scents.

If floral scents are a man’s kryptonite, then for women it would be spices. Sandalwood, Oakmoss, and Peppermint to be exact. While all three are aphrodisiacs with different scents, they all do the exact same thing. They raise women’s libido.

Combine any of these with anything to increase your sex appeal.

Still, there’s more to dating than just that. We can then combine these aphrodisiac scents with ambient scents to help set the right mood to get to know someone. Or if killer sex appeal is all you’re looking for, we can do that as well.

Seducing Mood Swings

Let’s say you’re really excited for your upcoming date. Everything is perfect. Hair is good, your outfit’s not bad, and you two could actually keep a conversation through text.

You’re ready.

But you’re not.

Self-doubt creeps in and you’re constantly bouncing between a mix of anxiety and depression then back to excitement after a self-pep talk. If combatting all of that, plus a passionate night is what you want, then Saffron and Sandalwood are what you need.

Cultivated in the Middle East, Saffron is a scent with spicy undertones found to treat depression and increase libido in both men and women. In a 2013 study led by the National Institutes of Health, it became recommended as an “aphrodisiac agent” in traditional medicine due to the satisfaction seen in human clinical trials. The scent itself helps energize and wake up the body.

In both perfume and cologne, Saffron adds a bittersweet note to it with its earthy scent and honey-finish. This makes it perfect to pair with the smoky scent of Sandalwood.

Sandalwood is known to smell like a campfire, but sweet. At its best, it’s creamy and milky but also smells like the forest. When combined with Saffron, they blend seamlessly creating a rich, enticing scent.

Alike Saffron, Sandalwood has also been seen to help treat moods by balancing the moods, quieting the mind, and inspiring relaxation. During another study in 2006, the University of Pennsylvania found that Sandalwood especially stimulates women. Women who inhaled the scent of sandalwood during sex reported an increase in desire.

By mixing these both together, you’ll be able to heighten your girl’s sex drive but also help calm down any nerves you both are experiencing by quieting down the mind and balancing out any mood swings.

Dinner Date with Forest Sex Appeal

The crunch of leaves beneath your feet. Cold winter air brushes past you. The smell of fresh moss, pine, decaying leaves, and the damp earth beneath you all fills your nose. That’s it. That’s Oakmoss.

That’s sexy, apparently.

Oakmoss is found to spark arousal in women. It has a strong forest scent that smells like everything you expect trees to be, blending together base notes of earth and bark-like scents. It’s extracted from the lichen, Evernia Prunastri and can be paired with Ginger, another aphrodisiac scent, for an ideal dinner date.

While Ginger actually helps stimulate sexual arousal in men, it pairs well with Oakmoss because its spicy, peppery tones blend together with the earth tones of Oakmoss. During a 2017 study, it is also found to help increase circulation, aid headaches, and soothe stomachaches.

For a dinner date, this is perfect.

The smell of Oakmoss and Ginger will help get you both in the mood regardless of your sex, but the Ginger will keep your stomach in check regardless of where you go.

Netflix and Chill

A cute movie. Dramatic suspense series. Blood-curdling horror.

What do these three have in common?

Cuddling. Hopefully. If you’re having a night in kind of date and there’s no cuddling, I’m sorry.

Douse yourself in Peppermint and Lavender and hope for the best.

Known for its stimulating qualities, Peppermint has been used as an herbal stimulant for years. Studies have found that Peppermint as an aphrodisiac scent that helps women achieve multiple orgasms. Its buttery but fresh fragrance also pairs well with Lavender’s relaxing floral scent.

Lavender is known for its calming effects, but it also helps you feel comfortable and confident because it calms your nerves. For a Netflix and Chill kind of date, it’ll help relax you enough to put your arm around her and pull her in.

The spice of Peppermint will do the rest.

Memorability

During my first year of University, my psychology teacher referenced an odor-memory experiment involving oranges. The idea was that the scent of oranges would be present in the classroom during lectures and then also during the exam. In addition to the information being presented during the class, the scent of the oranges would increase the amount of sensory information received by our brains.

Thus, the smell of oranges would become associated with the lecture information.

When it was time for the exam, students who had taken the exam with the presence of the scent of oranges scored much higher than those who had taken the exam in absence of the scent.

In increasing the amount of information in their memories by using the scent of oranges, it had helped lead to a larger memory load. The smell of the oranges had helped make the lecture easier to recall.

The same goes for using any kind of scent. We’re no longer worried about being arrested for dating. We’re worried about being forgotten. It’s easy to get in contact with anyone and it’s easy to get labelled as “just another person” because being unique is only an adjective.

There are about 10,000 adjectives in the English language.

And there are 7 billion people.

By using the uncommon knowledge behind science-backed aphrodisiac scents, we can make you memorable. Ideal. Unforgettable.

We can make our conveniently found, easy to come by dates into something meaningful. Something we would get arrested for 121 years ago. Something that overloads our senses so much that we don’t even realize it.

It’s 2021.

Swipe. Match. Spray. Date.