Does cologne make you more attractive?
Wearing fragrance produces a modest but reliable increase in men's rated attractiveness to women, operating through two channels. In Roberts et al. (2009, Int. Journal of Cosmetic Science), men using a fragranced/antimicrobial spray were rated more attractive by women from silent video clips even though the raters could not smell them, indicating the effect runs partly through boosted self-confidence and altered non-verbal behavior rather than scent alone. A 2021 PLOS One study replicated a direct fragrance effect: across 62 female raters, fragranced body odor raised both attractiveness (F(1,61)=5.53, p=.022) and perceived self-esteem (F(1,61)=4.04, p=.049) ratings, with small-to-moderate effect sizes (partial eta-squared ~0.06-0.08). The magnitude acts as a floor-raiser (avoiding bad odor, adding pleasant scent) rather than a large standalone boost.
Evidence & sources
- Roberts et al. 2009, Int. Journal of Cosmetic Science 31(1):47-54 (Univ. of Bath research portal)
Page resolves and confirms the study 'Manipulation of body odour alters men's self-confidence and judgements of their visual attractiveness by women.' Women rated men using the active (fragranced/antimicrobial) spray as more attractive in video clips without smelling them, consistent with a confidence/non-verbal-behavior-mediated effect.
- Fragrance, self-esteem and body-odor perception, PLOS One 2021 (PMC8592444)
Page resolves; article 'The role of fragrance and self-esteem in perception of body odors and impressions of others.' 62 female raters; fragrance main effect on attractiveness F(1,61)=5.53, p=.022, eta-p=.083, and on perceived self-esteem F(1,61)=4.04, p=.049, eta-p=.062 — matching the summary.