Category — The Power of Scent

After spending a bundle on your perfume you expect it to last a long time. However, there are several different reasons why a perfume will not last long after you purchase it, but the main reasons why is due to heat, light, oxygen or ingredients.

Heat can harm the perfume’s preservation, not to mention it can be flammable. It is a great idea to store them away from heat, such as a heater, heating vent, etc.  Heat can dissolve the natural ingredients and the chemical used to preserve it may be ruined.

Direct light is also dangerous to your perfume.   If the perfume is left in the light for too long, it can cause it to become discolored and the scent will become weakened.

Oxygen can develop inside the bottle as you use it. When the space that once stored your perfume fills up with oxygen, that oxygen can cause the perfumes scent to become altered as well as the color.

There are several ways to preserve your perfume. Perfume should last for up to one year on a full bottle. As you use it, the quicker it will expire.

Buy perfumes that come in aluminum containers or use the original packaging to keep the bottles stored in. Glass bottles are beautiful but they can ruin the perfume quickly. You can’t control the oxygen that gets into the bottles.

Buy perfumes that come in a spray like aerosol. The spray bottles hold the scent longer and prevent dust and other particles from getting to the perfume.

Pheromones are defined as “a naturally occurring chemical compound found in all insects, animals and humans.” There are different types of pheromones including alarm pheromones, sex pheromones, food trail pheromones and a host of others. When secreted from the body pheromones have a hand in attracting the opposite sex as well as in dictating to an extent, sexual behavior. It is sex pheromones that are most often discussed.

The word “pheromone” comes from the Greek word “pheran” which means to transfer and “horman” which means to excite. Pheromones are a very primitive form of communication in the animal world as they perform many functions such as allowing animals to recognize mates, signal sexual interest, mark territory, etc.

Pheromones are natural scents that both human beings and animals release in their saliva, perspiration and tears. The scent from these chemicals sends signals to the opposite sex about health, mood, status and sexual drive. However no one can actually smell these chemicals but instead they are detected on a subliminal level through our VNO system (or vomeronasal organ). The VNO system is made up of a small invisible receptor buried deep in the nose cavity which is able to distinguish pheromones and then send the signal to the part of the brain known as the hypothalamus. The VNO was first discovered in 1703 by F. Ruysch. Pheromones are also detected by something called the Jacobson’s organ which is located between the nose and the mouth. Generally speaking the more sex chemicals an individual secretes, the more sought after by the opposite sex they become.

Research done after 1986, found that pheromones do have a place in human sexual behavior and can be found in the highest quantities in sweat. However by showering and using many toiletry products, the action of these naturally occurring chemicals in the body is dulled. In men the chemical in human pheromones contains Androstenol and in women it is Andtrostenol.

Since we detect pheromones on a subconscious level only, fragrance makers have begun to reproduce human pheromones and incorporate them into fragrances. The fragrances that include human pheromones as an important ingredient work on most people who apply them to their skin but in varying degrees. It all depends on the receiver’s sensitivity to his/her vomeronasal organ. Just like non-pheromone fragrances, one or two drops are best applied at the sides of the neck and/or to the inner wrists. Once applied to skin, human pheromones usually last about four to six hours or thereabouts. One bottle of human pheromones could effectively last, if used regularly, for four to six weeks. Pheromones do not need to be reapplied as often as other fragrances to work properly. Manufacturers of these fragrances charge varying prices for their products.

Fragrance companies are busy both focusing on the whole mystery surrounding human pheromones as well as funding research to determine whether or not it has an affect on mating rituals, sexual attraction and sexual arousal. It is well documented that animals emit pheromones that directly result in sexual behavior while research on human beings is ongoing. To use an example from the animal kingdom, a male pig secretes from his saliva a pheromone known as androstenone. When he does this a female pig picks up on the aroma, becomes sexually aroused and the mating ritual begins to take shape.

Due to the research on human pheromones, many people have come to conclude that the sexiest part of us, males and females alike, is our noses and that we all have a unique “special sexy scent” that is unlike anyone else’s. Just as our pheromones can cause us to be attracted to another person they can also cause us to be turned off by someone else. Our body chemistry is intimately tied in with our sexual yearnings.

One of the most well known pheromone enhanced scents is called “Realm” and is manufactured by the Erox Corporation. Anatomist David L. Berliner created the scent in 1989 when he discovered that the addition of human pheromones to scents helped boost the self-confidence levels of men and also gave them a better sense of well being in relation to their interactions with women. More scents with human pheromones are now available on the market and the research into whether pheromones play a role in getting men and women together, and keeping them attracted to one another, are advancing all of the time.

Women’s Perfumes are a part of history.

For centuries, women have been adorning themselves with a variety of fragrances.  There is a psychological connection between odours and fragrances that we don’t even process at a conscious level, even while they’re having on impact on the brain.

Think of the various intents behind your perfume selection.  You may have a scent that makes you feel attractive, another that’s just distinctly you, and yet another you wear when you want to garner a positive response from someone you’re hoping to attract.

The power of fragrance doesn’t stop there.  They can stimulate the mind to the point where is unlocks memories buried deep in our subconscious.  It can wake us up, or lull us to sleep.  And the science is there to prove that a powerful connection between scent and the emotional side of our brains.

In essence, perfume is emotion in a bottle.  Choose your perfume wisely and use it to convey a limitless array of moods and feelings.  Learn how to communicate who you are with the power of fragrance.