Scent of Attraction

There’s more to the subtle art of seduction than red lips and sky-high stilettos. Turns out, the right fragrance can be far more powerful.

- Angelique Serrano

I was never the cutest kid in the class. A few times I was the smartest, and I graduated from high school labeled “most theatrical.” But most attractive? Hardly. In college I was the assigned class tutor to the men’s hockey team, tasked with helping the boys pass Physical Geography. You’d think I’d have gotten a few lingering glances over that mind-numbingly dull textbook—but not a one. Then, in the early 2000's, I discovered Glow by JLo. I spritzed it on and suddenly it was as if I’d bathed myself in Jennifer’s charismatic aura. When I wore it, I got compliments everywhere I went. People stopped me on the street. Guys leaned in closer and told me I smelled “really good.” What struck me most was that this wasn’t the first time I’d ever worn perfume. I collected fragrances and wore them daily. My favorites included overstuffed, heady floral bouquets of tuberose and lily. But nothing got the men turning like Glow by JLo. How does it smell? Kind of like skin after you’ve soaked in a soapy tub and dried off in the hot sun. It’s clean and not at all perfumey.

When I discussed the idea of attracting someone with a fragrance—and whether that concept has any sort of scientific backing—with Rachel Herz, a neuroscientist and leading world expert in the psychological science of scent, she explained two schools of thought: If you’re looking to attract a romantic partner, then amplifying your own unique scent is key, she says. Which makes sense, considering a dose of Glow by JLo left me feeling less perfumed and more like a freshly scrubbed baby. It has bright neroli and pink grapefruit with a bit of vanilla, but each ingredient is indistinguishable; I could always smell my own skin underneath it.