Plan B Forum

The power of smell in picking sex partners


So what about that cup of joe?

Dr. Alan Hirsch, director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, conducted research on behalf of AXE body products to determine women’s scent preferences in 10 different cities. “In each city we tested, women reported different scent preferences,” he says, “indicating that geography has a direct correlation to what scents women find attractive.”



Here are the scents that women found most preferable by region:



1. New York – coffee

2. Los Angeles – lavender

3. Chicago – vanilla

4. Houston – barbeque

5. Atlanta – cherry

6. Phoenix – eucalyptus

7. Philadelphia – clean laundry

8. Dallas – smoke/fireplace

9. San Diego – suntan lotion/ocean

10. Minneapolis-St. Paul – cut grass



I know what you’re thinking: Cut grass? Clean laundry? What the…?!



But there’s a science to these preferences. Scent can trigger powerful memories, especially from our childhoods, which is why these scents may still exert a hold on us years later. And according to Hirsch, “Research has shown that when women are in the presence of a preferred scent, they are more likely to project positive feelings on those around them, which can lead to increased attraction.”