9 Best Pheromone Perfumes We’re Actually Sold On
Collage: Paula Balondo; Source images: Courtesy of brandsSave this storySave this story
Let’s be real: There’s a bunch of woo-woo flooding TikTok, and no matter how many influencers try to say otherwise, the best pheromone perfumes won’t possess your crush with an undying love for you (yes, even if you layer it with a love spell). That being said, each of these skin-inspired scents brings something unique to your fragrance collection—one might even become your signature scent for date nights.
For the uninitiated: Pheromones are your body’s natural chemical signals that can influence attraction from other people. Of course, pheromones aren’t an actual fragrance note, but the common denominator between these varying scents is their musky vibe that enhances the smell of your natural body chemistry. Below, we’re diving deep into the hard facts about pheromone fragrances, plus, our favorite scents that smell intoxicating enough to grab any romantic interest’s attention.
Our Top Pheromone Perfumes
- Best Overall: D.S. & Durga I Don't Know What Eau de Parfum, $210
- Best Floral: Byredo Blanche Eau de Parfum, $225
- Best Warm: Glossier You Eau de Parfum, $112
- Best Gourmand: Clean Reserve Skin Eau de Parfum, $110
- Best Layerable: Juliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume, $150
- Best Rollerball: Pure Instinct Roll-On Perfume Oil, $27
- Best Budget: Dossier Musky Musk Eau de Parfum, $29
- Best Fruity: Eye of Love Matchmaker Red Diamond Pheromone Parfum, $54
- Best Scent Variety: 11th Haus Pheromone Perfume Enhancer, $52
Frequently Asked QuestionsLargeChevron
- What is a pheromone perfume?
- Do pheromone perfumes actually work?
- Meet the experts
- How we test and review products
- Our staff and testers
Best Overall: D.S. & Durga I Don't Know What Eau de Parfum
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D.S. & Durga
I Don't Know What Eau de Parfum
Nordstrom
Bluemercury
Revolve
Why it's worth it: D.S. & Durga’s I Don't Know What Eau de Parfum is made for layering, but its delightful combination of airy, musky notes is perfect for daily wear on its own. This perfume doesn’t contain synthetic pheromones, but its blend of fruity bergamot, creamy bergamot, and a woody duo of sandalwood and cedar is so entrancing, we can’t help but call it our top pick for a date-ready scent. Since this layering-friendly perfume has a subtle scent, you won’t have to worry about applying one spritz too many.
Tester feedback from Allure social media manager Bianca Richards
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“[This perfume] really sets the foundation for how the body spray and fragrance settles into my skin throughout the day for a long-lasting effect.” —Bianca Richards, social media manager
More to know
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- Key notes: bergamot, ambrox, cedar, synthetic sandalwood (firstanol, iso e super)
- Available sizes: 10 mL, 50 mL, 100 mL
Best Floral: Byredo Blanche Eau de Parfum
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Byredo
Blanche Eau de Parfum
Nordstrom
Saks Fifth Avenue
Why it's worth it: Byredo’s Blanche Eau de Parfum is a celebration of when musks and florals collide. This skin scent juxtaposes aldehyde, musks, and sandalwood with a bouquet of rose, peony, and violet, but the magic here is how they’re used. At first spray, you’ll notice a burst of aldehyde and soft rose, but as it settles, its floral notes gradually dissipate and turn into a heady combination of musk and sandalwood.
Tester feedback from Allure contributor Jennifer Hussein
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"At first spray, I didn’t get the hype around this fragrance—it just smelled like your average soft floral perfume—but it’s the dry-down period that makes this particular scent so special. As the florals calm down, the hazy base notes take the wheel, and I’m sent to sensorial heaven every time I catch a whiff of myself.” —Jennifer Hussein, Allure contributor
More to know
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- Key notes: aldehyde, rose, peony, violet, musk, sandalwood
- Available sizes: 50 mL, 100 mL
Best Warm: Glossier You Eau de Parfum
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Glossier
You Eau de Parfum
Glossier
Sephora
Why it's worth it: Arguably one of the most popular skin-inspired perfumes around, Glossier’s You Eau de Parfum is a modern classic for its warm, amber-heavy aroma that’s supposed to compliment and enhance the wearer’s natural scent. A duo of woody, sweet ambrette seeds and creamy, ever-so-slightly salty ambrox lean on each other to produce the same balance of sweetness and saliferous notes you’d smell on skin. To spice up its warm profile, Glossier added hints of pink peppercorn and powdery iris to this mix.
Tester feedback from Allure associate beauty director Sarah Kinonen
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“Glossier You instantly ‘melts’ into skin, lingers long after application, and garners a few unexpected compliments throughout the day. It is creamier than most, thanks to its warm center, but offers a few energizing notes—sparkling pink pepper and earthy iris root—at the top to grab your attention—and keep it.” —Sarah Kinonen, associate beauty director
More to know
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- Key notes: ambrette seeds, ambrox, pink peppercorn, iris
- Available sizes: 8 mL, 50 mL, 100 mL
Best Gourmand: Clean Reserve Skin Eau de Parfum
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Clean Reserve
Skin Eau de Parfum
Sephora
Why it's worth it: Want to smell like a snack at all times? The Clean Reserve Skin Eau de Parfum’s combination of sweet, salted praline and musk will do the trick. The addition of our favorite sweet treat—praline is a mainstay in candy—gives this otherwise creamy fragrance (which also has hints of vanilla orchid, white cedarwood, and orange blossom) a sugary vibe that we have no problem taking seconds (or even thirds!) of.
More to know
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- Key notes: bergamot, orange blossom, honeysuckle, salted praline, vanilla orchid, peony, musk, white cedarwood
- Available sizes: 10 mL, 50 mL, 100 mL
Best Layerable: Juliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume
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Juliette Has a Gun
Not a Perfume
Sephora
Juliette Has A Gun
Why it's worth it: As its name suggests, Juliette Has a Gun’s Not a Perfume is, well, not a perfume—like many options on this list, it’s a fragrance enhancer meant to be layered with other fragrances in your collection. This minimalist fragrance, which happens to be a best seller for the brand, features a single note: cetalox, also known as ambroxan, a synthetic note that has both sweet and musky facets, just like your skin.
More to know
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- Key notes: cetalox
- Available sizes: 7.5 mL, 50 mL, 100 mL
Best Rollerball: Pure Instinct Roll-On Perfume Oil
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Pure Instinct
Roll-On Perfume Oil
Pure Instinct
Why it's worth it: When it comes to TikTok-viral pheromone perfumes, Pure Instinct Roll-On Perfume Oil is the final boss. Dab this rollerball on your pulse points to enjoy this perfume oil’s sweet blend of honey and cinnamon alongside hints of fruity mandarin and mango. Its soft base of white musk ties this blend together to create a multi-layered scent that’ll surely grab your date’s attention.
More to know
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- Key notes: honey, cinnamon, mandarin, mango, white musk
- Available sizes: 10.2mL
Best Budget: Dossier Musky Musk Eau de Parfum
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Dossier
Musky Musk Eau de Parfum
Amazon
Walmart
Dossier
Why it's worth it: Dossier notes that the Musky Musk Eau de Parfum is meant to be a “dupe” for another perfume on this list (we won’t name names, but you can figure it out after a quick sniff test), but its under-$50 fragrance blend is impressive enough to stand on its own. This soft, subtle scent has a warm body made of cetalox and iso e super (synthetic variations of amber and sandalwood, respectively) that’s heightened with a base layer of habanolide, a synthetic form of white musk.
More to know
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- Key notes: cetalox, iso e super, habanolide
- Available sizes: 50 mL
Best Fruity: Eye of Love Matchmaker Red Diamond Pheromone Parfum
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Eye of Love
Matchmaker Red Diamond Pheromone Parfum
Eye of Love
Why it's worth it: Like a bubbly champagne, the Eye of Love Matchmaker Red Diamond Pheromone Parfum has bright, sparkling notes that we can’t get enough of. The star note of this perfume is grapefruit, which gives it a tangy and vibrant feel (along with its “citrus blend” top notes) at first spray. Once it dries down, you’ll also notice hints of floral jasmine and hazy amber come through.
By the way, there’s also a pheromone cologne variation of this scent if that’s more your (or your significant other’s) style.
More to know
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- Key notes: grapefruit, citrus blend, jasmine, amber
- Available sizes: 30 mL, 100 mL
Best Scent Variety: 11th Haus Pheromone Perfume Enhancer
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11th Haus
Pheromone Perfume Enhancer
Free People
Why it's worth it: Looking to add more than one new pheromone scent to your fragrance collection? Lucky you: 11th Haus’s Pheromone Perfume Enhancer comes in three scents (okay, technically two, since one is unscented) to try. True Allure is a scentless blend of synthetic pheromones, but if you’d like to play around with some newness, you can choose from two scented blends: woodsy Wild Boy and warm, ambery Double Take
More to know
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- Key notes: True Allure: none; Double Take: amber; Wild Boy: sandalwood
- Available sizes: 10 mL
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a pheromone perfume?
Let’s get this out of the way: Pheromone perfumes do not contain actual human pheromones . According to Isaac Lekach, co-founder of Flower Shop Perfumes Co., these fragrances contain synthetic compounds that supposedly mimic the natural pheromones our bodies produce. “These compounds are added to a fragrance to theoretically enhance appeal or create a sense of connection with others,” says Lekach. Pheromones don’t have a scent, so these synthetic compounds aren’t affecting the fragrance. It’s worth noting that some of these scents don’t contain synthetic pheromones at all—rather, they feature a blend of notes that mimic the hazy, ever-so-slight muskiness of your skin’s natural scent.
Do pheromone perfumes actually work?
Contrary to TikTokers’ beliefs, there is no proof that pheromone perfumes actually work, but that doesn’t diminish their lovely aromas. “Yes, the scientific community has not found any evidence to support pheromones' work in humans, but wearing an exotic perfume can only help your dating endeavors,” says Daryl Do, senior perfumer at Delbia Do. Sure, the synthetic pheromones provide no more than a placebo effect, but that’s no reason to turn your nose up at them. Do says to consider these perfumes the way you would a lucky shirt—they’re not scientifically proven to mesmerize everyone around you, but if they make you feel confident, they’re worth spritzing on.
Meet the experts
- Isaac Lekach, co-founder of Flower Shop Perfumes Co.
- Daryl Do, senior perfumer at Delbia Do
How we test and review products
When Allure tests a product, our editors look at it from every angle in an effort to best serve you. We review ingredients, scrutinize brand claims, and, when necessary, examine peer-reviewed scientific and medical studies. In addition to testing each and every product that's included in each and every review, we rely on experts who shape their fields, including dermatology, cosmetic chemistry, and medicine, to help us vet the ingredients and formulas.
For our review of the best pheromone perfumes, we enlisted the help of multiple editors, writers, and contributors to review the products. This ensures our testing base spans different skin tones, genders, and dermatological conditions. We considered each product's performance across four primary categories: ingredients, wear and longevity, packaging, and inclusivity. For more on what's involved in our reporting, check out our complete reviews process and methodology page.
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