Pheromones (pronounced fair-o-moans) have been a hot topic in the media during the past couple of years. Everyone from Sally Jesse to 60 Minutes to Donahue has done something on the subject, interviewing numerous satisfied (in some cases literally) people. There are an abundance of magazine ads and even a television infomercial for pheromone based products. All point out that one can attract the desired sex and some even state that pheromones will make you lucky...in bed that is.

Is this all hype and blow or is there something viable about the effectiveness of pheromones? Biologists use sex pheromones to draw insects into traps or to control insect populations. Ants use pheromones to find their way back to their nests. Most of you have heard the yowling of tom cats when a female in the neighborhood is “in heat.” We know that animals of all types and descriptions exude certain scents to attract the opposite sex to mate. It is a natural occurrence to enable the species to carry on and procreate. This knowledge is all based on research as well as just common knowledge, especially to farmers.

Humans are animals. Yes, sorry to have to be blunt and break the news to you this way but, we are, indeed, animals. Some of you may argue from your socio-religious backgrounds that we are better than that, but we are, nonetheless, animals. And, as animals, scientists have found that we do indeed exude pheromone sexual signals. It is speculated that we have evolved away from the “lower animal” need to exude strong pheromone scents to attract a mate, as we are not seasonal with our sexuality like most other animals. It has been proven that some humans give off a stronger pheromone scent than others and that some people are more receptive to these scents than others.

Scientists have found receptors in our nasal passages, called vomeronasal organs. These receptors specifically detect specifically detect the molecules of pheromone scent and connect directly to the hypothalamus of the brain. This is our “reptilian brain” which contains the area where we receive pleasure signals. Just as our body automatically reacts to the smell of food, causing saliva and stomach acids to form, so do we react to pheromones. The signal automatically bypasses our conscious thought process and our bodies enter an arousal state. We experience a slight state of euphoria, become glassy eyed, more relaxed and develop an increase in heart rate and body temperature.

You have probably heard the term “chemical attraction.” Pheromones, being a chemical which is generated by the body in order to attract another, are believed to be the basis of chemical attraction. Research has been done to determine if this is true scientifically in “lower” animals. No scientific proof from our Medical Deity has surfaced, however. It is just as well, though. Since pheromones cause a physiological change, the FDA could control them like it is trying to do with herbs. Then we could only have perfume by prescription. But that is another story.

For two years I have experienced a pheromone based line of perfumes designed by a master perfumer and spiked heavily with pheromones. After having bought mail order pheromone products and tested them against the custom made pheromone perfumes with friends and customers, the general consensus has been that the local, custom scents are the most powerful to date. I have witnessed hundreds of people become aroused while getting “high” on pheromones. The look of passion on their faces, the flush, the glassy eyes and state of relaxation I see on a daily basis have convinced not just me but also most of my customers and observers that pheromones do indeed arouse people. They relax to the point where some even relax their inhibitions. Pheromones elevate the level of a passionate encounter and can open others up around you to a wonderful state of awareness. Some people have reported throwing caution to the wind. Keep a condom handy!

Pheromones cannot get you laid. That’s up to you, your personality and your desire. They, however, can generate interest which may not have been there before. They may attract and open others up to you and create a sort of chemical attraction which will increase your chances of getting closer to someone. Once you’re close, the rest is up to you. If you’re already established with a lover, they tend to increase the level of attraction, attention and passion as well as bringing about a highly elevated state of arousal.

Over the last several months I have started recording the stories and testimonials of satisfied (some literally) customers. One woman told me, “I have more intense orgasms than I ever had.” One man said that, “Women at work hang around my desk now and it is sometimes hard to get my work done. I had to stop wearing it to get my job done, but it got me a date with the woman I wanted to go out with and we are still seeing each other.”

Several dancers I know who have become regular pheromone users have told me that they doubled and tripled their tips since wearing pheromones. A woman who sells cars confided, “I am selling as many as 10 cars in a month and the guys drive off not even knowing why they bought it.” A man who was very skeptical wore some home one evening, saying he was not going to tell his wife about it. The next morning he brought a friend in and told us that he and his wife of 15 years had enjoyed the best sex they had ever had the night before. His friend came to my shop the next day with another friend, saying that his wife had become an animal the night before and again in the morning. He raved about the pheromones.

I’ve introduced people to pheromones for two years and my own experiences have been varied. They have all been pleasant, although at times, when there are several women around, all trying on scents, I have found myself overwhelmed with passion and, at times, been so turned on that I couldn’t concentrate. In my personal encounters they have tremendously elevated passion levels, while also being calming and relaxing. I believe that they tend to relax inhibitions.

I challenge skeptics to try them. I find they work to varying degrees, for about 75% of the people who have tried them. They have even been successful for people with no sense of smell since the receptors are independent of other smell receptors. People believe what they want to believe. I believe totally in pheromones and so do dozens of repeat customers, some researchers, psychologists and the fragrance industry. You be your own judge.