What pheromones are in pheromone perfumes?
Eight ingredients account for almost every pheromone perfume on the market. Five are pheromone candidates. Two are ordinary fragrance materials. One is a hormone that does not cross skin. Every one of them gets marketed the same way, so the table below separates them.
5 pheromone candidates · 2 fragrance materials · 1 hormone
The eight ingredients, compared
| Ingredient | Type | Formula | Molar mass | CAS | Sold as | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Androstadienone | Pheromone candidate | C19H26O | 270.4 | 4075-07-4 | Mood and arousal in women | Mixed |
| Androstenol | Pheromone candidate | C19H30O | 274.4 | 1153-51-1 | Approachability | Mixed |
| Androstenone | Pheromone candidate | C19H28O | 272.4 | 18339-16-7 | Dominance / masculinity | Mixed |
| Copulins | Pheromone candidate | mixture | — | — | Female attraction signal | Mixed |
| Estratetraenol | Pheromone candidate | C18H22O | 254.4 | 1150-90-9 | Female-to-male signal | Mixed |
| Iso E Super | Fragrance material | C16H26O | 234.38 | 54464-57-2 | Skin-like base note | Strong |
| Synthetic Musks | Fragrance material | mixture | — | — | Clean musk, longer wear | Strong |
| Oxytocin Sprays | Hormone | C43H66N12O12S2 | 1007.2 | 50-56-6 | Trust and bonding | Anecdotal |
Formulas, molar masses and CAS numbers are verified against PubChem. Copulins and synthetic musks are mixtures, so neither has a single formula or CAS. For a layer-by-layer walk through what else is in the bottle — the fragrance base and the carrier — read pheromone perfume ingredients explained.
Every ingredient, explained
-
Androstadienone
A steroid derivative of testosterone found in male sweat and semen — the molecule with the strongest research signal for affecting women's mood and attention, though the strength of the effect remains debated.
Evidence: Mixed
-
Androstenol
A 16-androstene steroid found in male sweat and saliva — historically marketed as the 'friendliness pheromone' for its association with social-approach behavior, though the evidence base is older and thinner than for androstadienone.
Evidence: Mixed
-
Androstenone
A steroid molecule found in male sweat, saliva, and urine — used in pheromone perfumes as a dominance and attraction signal.
Evidence: Mixed
-
Copulins
A mix of short-chain aliphatic fatty acids found in female vaginal secretions, used in women's pheromone perfumes as an attraction signal.
Evidence: Mixed
-
Estratetraenol
An estrogen-derived steroid found in female urine — proposed as the female counterpart to androstadienone in human chemosignal research, with similarly contested evidence for behavioral effects on men.
Evidence: Mixed
-
Iso E Super
A synthetic fragrance ingredient with a velvety, woody-skin scent that smells distinctly 'pheromone-like' to many people — though it is NOT a pheromone, it's a perfumery aromachemical patented by IFF.
Evidence: Strong (as a fragrance ingredient, not as a pheromone)
-
Synthetic Musks
A family of synthetic aromachemicals that produce 'clean skin/musk' scent — they are NOT pheromones, they are perfumery base notes used to extend wear time and create the perception of sensual skin scent.
Evidence: Strong (as fragrance ingredients, not as pheromones)
-
Oxytocin Sprays
Sprayable formulations containing synthetic oxytocin, the 'trust/bonding hormone' — marketed as a confidence-boosting alternative to androgen-based pheromone perfumes, with a much weaker and more contested mechanistic story.
Evidence: Anecdotal