The 11 Best Pheromone Perfumes That Will Make You Hard to Forget

Leave a trail they won’t stop thinking about.

best pheromone perfumes
(Image credit: Getty Images / Jonathan Knowles)

In nearly a decade of beauty writing, I’ve interviewed my fair share of perfumers, but never has a conversation veered into dating history. That changed when I sat down with senior perfumer Darryl Do of Delbia Do Fragrances to talk about pheromone perfumes, a category that’s arguably less intuitive than your favorite floral fragrances or beloved citrusy spritzes. These scents, on the other hand, are infused with lab-created ingredients meant to mimic the chemical signals our bodies naturally emit (called chemosignals), with the idea that they'll make you smell extra enticing to others. Whether they actually work that way is still up for debate. (“If pheromones were a thing, I wouldn’t still be single,” Do quips.)

To be clear: there’s no conclusive science proving that pheromone perfumes actually attract people. But that hasn’t stopped the category from thriving, especially on TikTok, where the term “pheromone perfume” is often used to describe scents that wear close to the skin, enhance your natural aroma, and lean more intimate than overpowering. Instead of getting hung up on the label, consider what makes you feel confident, because that’s what truly resonates. Or as Flower Shop Perfumes Co. founder Lillian Shalom put it, your signature scent is “its own kind of pheromone.”

Below, you’ll find 11 of the most talked-about "pheromone" perfumes of 2025. Each scent breakdown includes its fragrance family to help guide your search, along with fragrance notes and a quick-yet-thorough review to help you find the one. Because at the end of the day, the best pheromone perfume is the one that makes you feel like your most magnetic self.

The Best Pheromone Perfumes

CLEAN RESERVE Skin Eau De Parfum

Beauty writer Marisa Petrarca uses CLEAN RESERVE Skin Eau De Parfum

(Image credit: Marisa Petrarca)

Pure Instinct Roll On Perfume Oil

Beauty writer Marisa Petrarca uses Pure Instinct Roll-On Perfume Oil

(Image credit: Future)

Glossier You Eau De Parfum

Beauty writer Marisa Petrarca uses Glossier You Eau De Parfum

(Image credit: Marisa Petrarca)

Does Pheromone Perfume Actually Work?

Yes and no. “Technically, humans don’t have the ability to detect pheromones,” says Lillian Shalom, co-founder of Flower Shop Perfumes Co. "But if a scent makes the wearer feel more confident or attractive, there’s a strong chance others will perceive them that way, too." That said, this effect isn’t exclusive to pheromone-labeled perfumes. It really comes down to how a fragrance interacts with your body chemistry, especially with skin scents, which wear close and feel more personal, often smelling a little different on everyone. Translation: some trial and error is part of the process, but honestly, that’s true of all perfume.

Why Trust Marie Claire?

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

How We Tested

Beauty writer Marisa Petrarca brings nearly a decade of expertise to this story and has researched and tested countless perfumes over the years. For this piece, she consulted two fragrance experts for insight and tested specific products alongside other Marie Claire staffers. She evaluated each formula based on longevity, sillage, scent profile, popularity, and overall wearability.

Meet the Experts

Darryl Do
Darryl Do

Darryl Do is a New York City-based professional perfumer with Delbia Do Fragrances, a fragrance manufacturing facilit

Isaac Lekach and Lillian Shalom
Isaac Lekach and Lillian Shalom

Isaac Lekach and Lillian Shalom are the husband-and-wife co-founders of Flower Shop Perfumes Co., a Los Angeles–based boutique fragrance brand that creates fine fragrances for personal and home use.

TOPICS
Marisa Petrarca
Freelance Beauty Writer

Marisa Petrarca is a writer and editor based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, specializing in beauty, wellness, fashion, and lifestyle. She previously served as the Senior Beauty and Fashion Editor at Grazia USA and Beauty and Style Editor at Us Weekly. Her expertise spans breaking beauty news, shopping roundups, product reviews, and explainer articles on popular topics in skin, makeup, and aesthetics. Her work has been featured in PS, Cosmopolitan, Allure, NewBeauty, InStyle, and The Zoe Report, among others. Marisa holds a bachelor's degree in English literature from Wagner College. Follow her on Instagram @Marisa Petrarca.