Sexy Scents for Aphrodisiac Aficionados

While scientific evidence is murky, it’s long been touted that certain scents and foods encourage intimacy. When Oprah and Dr. Oz talk about it, however, you know there’s gotta be something to it. The pair discussed findings that suggest a woman’s libido may be enhanced by the smell of cucumbers and licorice, while men are enticed by lavender and pumpkin pie. Even Oprah was surprised at the licorice revelation. Turns out Hershey’s Good and Plenty are especially powerful in this regard. The appeal of cucumber for women can be attributed to obvious below-the-belt shape similarities (similarly oysters, which since the days of Casanova who ate dozens a day, have maintained a reputation as powerful aphrodisiacs). Fortunately, pursuing the olfactory aphrodisiac needn't involve regular trips to the grocery.

For a cucumber scent, you can lather on Philip B’s Cucumber & Blue Orchid Hand & Body Crème. For pumpkin, try Verikira Naturals’ Spiced Pumpkin Face Masque; not only is it formulated with pumpkin, but it’s got spices which are supposed to “heat” passion. Similarly, Foot Petals Lavender Scented Killer Kushionz and Sally Hansen’s Just Feet Lavender Foot Soak combine the scent of lavender with foot pampering, which the appropriately named Dr. Amen once explained to Oprah “is like foreplay.”

Not that most of us need an excuse to indulge in more dark chocolate or vanilla than we already do, but both are thought to contain chemicals that affect the neurotransmitters in the brain (this dates back to Aztec times). For those cutting back on calories, Space NK Bathing in the Woods Candle has an enticing vanilla and spice smell and comes wrapped in a beautiful box (i.e. ready to gift to that special someone), while Dylan’s Candy Barhas enough goodies to cover every last square inch of your body in coco-vanilla goodness (hey, every Romeo has gotta start somewhere).

On a healthier note, blueberries are said to be a natural aphrodisiac, so adding a little extra va-va-voom to a night might be as simple as spending a pre-date afternoon popping berries. Or forgo the risk of ending up like Veruca Salt and go the thrifty route via a $3.99 bottle of Tone’s Blueberry wash. And at the risk of sounding like a middle-aged housewife by bringing up Oprah one more time, the talk show host deemed acai one of the top 10 healthiest foods. Perhaps unbeknownst to her however, acai berries have been used by bikini-clad Brazilians for years (they’re sometimes referred to as “the Viagra of the Amazon”). Just in time, VitaminShampoo came out with acai berry/guava hair care and Noah’s Naturals launched an acai collection to leave any who dare kissably delicious.

For newlyweds, it’s all about the honey. In medieval times, the sweet stuff was used to make mead (honey wine) and given to newly married couples in the hopes of ensuring a sweet marriage (hence the term “honeymoon"). Inspired by honey and wine, Caudalie came out with Crushed Cabernet Scrub, which not only smells wonderful (if you like Cabernet) and looks yummy (if you’re into almond paste), it’s a great exfoliator, brightener, and softener. Also on the honey train are Thymes with their Gold Leaf collection and Estee Lauder with Sensuous. Lauder actually did a study with Dr Jeanette Haviland-Jones and Rutgers University on the emotions that the fragrance evokes and found that women who wear it reported feeling more confident, sexy, social, and positive.

Of course leave it to Lush to be the bluntest about their aphrodisiac-filled formulations. They’ve got Sex Bomb Bath Bombs, Sex in the Shower Emotibombs, and Flying Fox Shower Gel—Lush says they felt it was their duty, as an eco-brand, to introduce products that encourage people to share showers and conserve water. So don’t forget to follow Lush’s suggestion and turn off running water while you’re soaking up. As they say, it’s important to act responsibly when in the shower.