Last Updated on July 31, 2023
Over the last few years, ASMR has gained a lot of attention as people began to think about the importance of sound as it relates to sex. Of course, it’s no secret that there’s a strong connection between sex and the five senses, including taste and smell. So now that sound has its day in the sun (or the bedroom!), let’s explore how olfactory elements can enhance your amorous life as well.
Studies Have Shown Scent Is A Key Marketing Component
Have you ever walked into a store and sensed a vague smell of fresh oranges, even though the store sold furniture or cars and had nothing to do with produce? That’s because marketing experts have proven that the smell of fresh oranges is invigorating to consumers who might otherwise be tired by the time they enter the store. The right scent means more sales for them, and the right scent can also mean more dating success for you.
What Scents Work Best For Dating?
As usual, the answer is it depends. Reading dating profiles, chatting, and talking by phone before you meet may give you a lot of helpful hints, but here are some common examples and why they work:
Fresh Baked Cookies
Putting some cookie dough in the oven and opening the door with the scent of fresh cookies throughout your place increases many people’s appetite for a lot more than cookies. Add in the aphrodisiac effect of chocolate, and it’s easy to see why chocolate chip cookies usually work best.
Morning Citrus Awakens The Senses
Late-night booty calls can go awry if you’re too sleepy to enjoy them. Bright scents like Lemon or Lavender are excellent for adding some energy to the mood so you don’t fall asleep during the fun.
Cinnamon
Many people subconsciously equate the scent of cinnamon with erotic memories. However, just having some drift through the air at your place may bring out the adventurous side of anyone you choose to entertain.
Ginger
Ingesting ginger can stimulate the circulatory system, and some believe that even the scent of ginger can have a similar effect, which is excellent for stamina.
Sandalwood
Often considered one of the most masculine scents, sandalwood does a great job setting the tone and letting your partner know you plan to take charge. A simple scent in a room can do so much to communicate your intentions, and sandalwood is a prime example of that.
Leather
Unlike a lot of other scents, leather is a fetish in its own right. Many people can get completely turned on or even climax just from the unique sense memories that only leather can bring.
Perfumes and Colognes in Moderation
Let’s be honest. Nobody wants to walk into your apartment and feel like they’re swimming through a never-ending wall of your Drakkar cologne. On the other hand, personal scents from perfumes and colognes can be great aphrodisiacs, and they are also a way to plant future memories in your lover’s mind because the next time they smell your scent, it’s likely they will think of you. Just be sure to use any scent in moderation. Use just enough to be noticed but not so much that it overpowers the mood.
A Word About Candles
You might think that you have precisely the right scent to set the mood for your next date, but how would you be able to transport it to your apartment, and where would you put a huge pine tree even if you had time to acquire one? The easy answer is scented candles. Avoid using chemical air fresheners and go with a much more romantic scented candle that provides warm light as well as the fragrance you find most appealing.
There’s Always Gwyneth Paltrow’s Vagina
If you have gone through the library of scented candles and still haven’t come up with the perfect scent for your date night, consider Gwyneth Paltrow’s vagina! That’s right, the Academy Award-winning actress famously released a series of scented candles unlike the ones you’ll find at Yankee Candle, and by far, her most famous is a candle she claims has the same scent as her vagina. So even if you and your new partner aren’t fans of hers, it serves as a quality conversation starter.
A Bad Smell is the Best Example
If you think all this talk about choosing a pleasing scent is just hyperbole, here is an easy mental exercise that proves the point. Think of the worst thing you have ever smelled. Was it a backed-up toilet? Perhaps it was a trip to the garbage dump? Did some weird-looking guy who insisted on sitting next to you on the bus stink in a memorable way? Now that you have that sense of memory in your mind, are you feeling sexy? Of course not, and if you imagine trying to get in the mood with that stench present, you’ll quickly agree that the way the room and your date smell matter quite a bit.
A Final Word on Making Sense of Sexual Scents
The scent, much like all the other senses, is a very personal and intimate way to create a signature in someone else’s mind. Choosing something others aren’t using that is tied to your sensibilities can often heighten the first date or turn a casual encounter into something more. The most important thing to keep in mind is that these sorts of things matter, and taking the time to find the right scent for yourself and your place shows you are the kind of thoughtful lover who takes the pleasure of others seriously. That sets the tone and often brings out the best in each person you choose to be with.
What kind of scents turn you on the most?