Posted 08 March 2017
For decades, debate has raged over whether humans might also release and be susceptible to our own unique pheromones. But a new study has just provided evidence that the two leading ‘human sex pheromone’ candidates aren’t actually pheromones at all.
Until now, researchers had narrowed down the hunt for human pheromones to two chemicals – androstadienone (AND), which is found in male sweat and semen, and estratetraenol (EST), found in women’s urine.
The jury has remained out on whether or not they’re true human pheromones, but that hasn’t stopped the media and perfume makers from running with the idea, leading many people to believe to some extent that, as a species, we’re responding to each other’s subtle pheromone cues.
But in a new double-blind study, researchers from the University of Western Australia tested the effect on 94 healthy humans, and found that these so-called pheromones had … Read the rest