Choice of fragrance 'influenced by our body odour'

Scientists have uncovered why it is so difficult to buy perfume for others – because we are drawn to fragrances that complement and enhance our own body odours.

Researchers claim that rather than using perfumes and aftershave to mask the smells produced by our own bodies, we actually select fragrances to enhance our own natural scent.

They have found that when people choose their own perfume and it is mixed with their own body odour, the resulting smell is rated as being more pleasant and attractive by others than when a perfume is imposed upon individuals.

Dr Jan Havlicek, an anthropologist at Charles University in Prague who has been studying how fragrance influences behaviour, is due to present his results at a conference in London next week.

He said: "Perfumes have been used by people for thousands of years and the prevailing view has been that this was to mask our natural body odour to make us smell more attractive.

"In fact, what we have found is there is a strong individual interaction between perfume and body odour. People choose fragrances to complement their own odour.

"It is probably why buying perfume as a gift is so difficult and why they end up lying in the bathroom not being used."

The researchers asked twelve volunteers to spray a perfume they had chosen themselves into one of their armpits and another perfume that had been randomly chosen for them into the other before swabs were taken.

These were then rated by a panel of 21 women. The researchers found that the women consistently found the smells more attractive and pleasant when the fragrance was one the volunteer had chosen themselves.

Dr Havlicek will present the findings later this week at a conference organised by the International Fragrance Association in London.

Professor Tim Jacob, an expert on smell at Cardiff University, will also present evidence that suggests our choice of fragrances is also influenced by our immune systems.

He said: "Our own personal body odour is determined by our immune system. Indeed we tend to be attracted to the smell of people who have different immune systems to ourselves and we don't like the smell of those who have a different immune system.

"This makes sense from a biological point of view as it has obvious advantages for our children who would inherit a combination of both immune systems.

"There is statistical correlation that shows there is a link between our immunotype and our fragrance preference. It seems that you chose the perfume that reflects your immune system."


/The Telegraph/