Editors Try the 9 Best Pheromone Perfumes (and a Perfumer Explains What They Actually Are)

As a writer, I have to give Diptyque’s Eau Papier top billing. The eau de toilette is all white musks and rice steam, an interesting note that helps evoke the wild possibility of a blank page. It’s cool and collected, and a little bit mysterious—like an author picking up a pen to trace a yet unknown story. I really love the delicate, ghostly note of Grasse mimosa, which gives the perfume a softer, slightly feminine edge to mix with the sharp white musks. It’ll last a solid workday, but I will reapply if I’m going out.

Fast Facts

• Notes: white musk, rice steam, mimosa, blonde woods
• Size: 1.7 ounces, 3.3 ounces

If perfume could be a person, Glossier You is Lorelai Gilmore. “An authentic breath of fresh air that conveys a ton (much like the fast-talking character) in a single spritz, but leaves room for you to be you. There's a little feisty spice to it, which reminds me of her wise-cracking nature,” says PureWow Vice President of Editorial Candace Davison of Glossier You. The brand’s tentpole scent features notes of pink pepper and iris against a musky Ambrox/Ambrette base. 

“The musky, peppery notes come through right away, and it just provides this sultry-yet-comforting feeling,” she reports. “The warm notes in Ambrox really lend to the latter—it creates this cozy, familiar feeling, but the spice livens things up. I don't notice the Iris as much—at least not initially—but I think the light florals help balance things out, so the scent isn't too heavy.”

Davison says that You will evolve throughout the day, starting off musky and peppery before transforming into delicate, earthy notes. “To me, it’s invigorating at first, then calms down, never overpowering you.” The scent will last about half the day, and Davison is in the habit of reapplying if she’s going out.

Fast Facts

• Notes: pink pepper, iris, Ambrox, Ambrette
• Size: 0.27 ounces, 1.7 ounces, 3.3 ounces

Like the name suggests, PureWow tester Claire Bye describes Molecule 01 as being for  “The modern individual with a penchant for niche, science-backed ingredients. It’s for the sleuths and secret-keepers. With careful watch (and a sharp nose), you will be rewarded by the sweetness of uncovering the clues that Molecule 01 leaves behind.”

That being said, this pheromone perfume is mysterious in that you’ll have to search for its trail. Bye calls it “nearly indiscernible after first spray.” The brand makes the bold claim that the perfume is meant to “combine — almost caramelize— with your own smell to meld into a personal scent signature.” The perfumer, Geza Schoen, used democratic aroma-molecule Iso E Super as the star. “Iso E Super is one of those scents that makes you want to nestle into it. It's comforting and cocooning," Schoen explains.

“While anyone who’s ever smelled Glossier You knows that it leaves some strong chemtrails long after the wearer has exited the stage, Molecule 01 is almost only distinguishable up close,” Bye notes. It’ll last a solid eight hours, but if you like your perfume to announce your arrival, know that the scent throw is intimate rather than wafting ahead of you.

Fast Facts

• Notes: Iso E Super
• Size: 3.4 ounces

I’ve been wearing by/rosie jane’s rosie perfume for a few years now, and it remains one of my most-complimented scents. The brand characterizes it as a “barely-there skin scent,” which I believe is true. It’s pretty much pure musk—powdery with a hint of sweetness that evokes a rose on the cusp of wilting. Definitely for someone who wants a more feminine-leaning pheromone perfume without drowning in florals.

Fast Facts

• Notes: white musk, rose essential oil
• Size: 1.7 ounces

PureWow tester Emma Vita wore Juliette Has a Gun’s signature perfume through a heatwave—on top of all her workouts. Despite these conditions, she found that the perfume lasted a solid eight hours and continued to linger long after.

“I won’t lie—at first I was skeptical,” she says. “The silage was slightly antiseptic. However, once the perfume came into contact with my skin, it transformed into a light, pleasant musk.” The key, and only, ingredient here is cetalox, a musky note typically used as a base. The brand describes it as light, clean and pure. Don’t let the lack of olfactory notes make you skeptical about its power, though. As Vita tells me, “Wearing this perfume made me feel striking, cool and effortless…a woman who isn’t trying too hard. This is reinforced by the nondescript matte white bottle and the name which evokes a badass western heroine like Calamity Jane.”

Fast Facts

• Notes: cetalox
• Size: 0.25 ounces, 1.7 ounces, 3.4 ounces, 6.8 ounces

In all my research into pheromone perfumes, Pure Instinct always seemed to come up as the classic. Be forewarned, PureWow tester Elaine Shay reported that it required reapplication every one to two hours (though the rollerball made the process convenient). The perfume consists of mango and mandarin top notes, honey and cinnamon heart notes and a white musk base. Shay reports that the fruity notes were distinct, though almost masked by the white musk. “There was a hidden sweetness, but not particularly honey-like, more like bubble gum,” she says. In terms of application, Shay says that it comes strong out of the bottle and felt overwhelming, but eventually settled into a soft mango/vanilla aroma.

Fast Facts

• Notes: mango, mandarin, honey, cinnamon, white musk
• Size: 0.34 ounces

While Juliette Has a Gun has a cult following, it also comes at a price—1.7 ounces starts at $115. Dossier’s Musky Musk is meant to have a similar scent profile but at a much friendlier $32 starting price for the same size. Interestingly, the synthetic musk note habanolide is a prominent base note, one with a metallic property.

“At first spritz, I could see why this ‘not a perfume’ fragrance is hailed as being a standout,” says PureWow Senior Commerce Editor Stephanie Maida. “There are no top notes; instead, it’s meant to mingle with your own skin to enhance your natural scent. But there’s a woody warmth to cetalox, the unique heart note, that seems to ebb and flow like a wave throughout the day. I’ll catch a sniff of it hours after application and my senses immediately perk up. It definitely becomes softer and more lived-in the longer it’s on, and by the end of the day remains as a subtle whisper on my skin, which may very well make it all the more sexy. If this perfume were a person, it’d be a suede bag-carrying, lace-dressing wearing, wild-haired bohemian babe who spritzes it on before heading out the door ‘til midnight to see where the day takes her, always leaving a sensual trace of artistry and mystery behind.”

Fast Facts

• Notes: cetalox, Iso E Super, habanolide, musks
• Size: 1.7 ounces, 3.4 ounces

Fleur de Peau is one of my favorite scents of all time, which is surprising considering I gravitate towards light, fresh florals, citrus and greenery. However, I have a soft spot for and childhood memory of Chanel No. 5, and Fleur de Peau is evocative of it. However, while Chanel sometimes has the reputation of being your grandmother’s perfume, Fleur de Peau was firmly made for her 20-something granddaughter. The inspiration for this perfume is Eros and Psyche. Seeing as pheromone perfume is about attracting a love interest, you cannot get more sensual than this. The musk notes are fresh and soft—like a cotton blanket. Iris and ambrette seeds give it a floral, fruity, sweet dimension that makes the wearer alluring.

Fast Facts

• Notes: musk, iris, ambrette, pink peppercorn
• Size: 2.5 ounces

“I was pleasantly surprised by how long it lasted on my skin, especially without an extra layer of body lotion or oil,” reports PureWow Beauty & Cultures Editor Chelsea Candelario of this flowery eau de parfum. “It lasted for about seven hours, so I can imagine it would’ve gone longer if I had done a whole layering process. It has a bunch of scent notes, from orange blossom to sandalwood and vanilla. When I first applied it, I was hit with the vanilla, lavender and amber. It soon settles into a warmer fragrance with hints of musk, red rose and white tea. Overall, it’s a calming scent that’s great for fall. It just smells so cozy and confident—like I need to be booking a fall getaway to Vermont.”

Fast Facts

• Notes: white tea, orange blossom, red rose, lavender, leafy greens, dry musk, vanilla woods, amber
• Size: 1.6 ounces