Despite growing up reading The Princess Diaries book series—where Mia talks about how she loves the smell of Michael’s neck in detail, like, every chapter—I have been seriously neglecting the role scent plays in my love life.
I discovered this when I came across all those TikToks of people putting perfume on their ankles, which led into a whole hyperfixation on how our behaviors and emotions are strongly influenced by smell.
I decided to do what any ADHD wellness editor worth her Celtic salt would do: my own mini experiment. (I am using “experiment” very loosely here.)
The experiment: Wear perfume every day for a few days to see if anything changed in my behavior. I am pretty much always down to bang my husband, but sometimes it’s difficult for me to be the one to initiate sex. So I wanted to see if fragrance could help make me more confident.
The perfume: Dossier Citrus Matcha – $39.
Inspired by Le Labo’s Thé Matcha 26, this unisex fragrance is one of Dossier’s rising stars. I chose it because, first of all, it’s eco-friendly, cruelty-free, and non-toxic, which are non-negotiables for me.
Second, there’s something unexpectedly sexy about it—a fresh, creamy scent that has a little bit of muskiness to it. And she’s complex, meaning you can smell all the distinct notes (think: bitter orange, matcha, fig, cedar wood, and musks) while remaining cohesive.
This is where I’d like to bring in science again because who else out there was believing this myth—that humans have an embarrassingly lackluster olfactory system when compared to other mammals, so therefore smell is the least important of the senses?
Nope.
That’s all based on something some dude hypothesized back in the 19th century, and people just kind of took it as canon (even though he used no sensory testing to come up with this theory). This led to the olfactory system being removed from the scientific group chat for much of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Studies have found that how you smell can influence how attractive you are perceived by others, as well as how you perceive yourself.
And boy, was I perceiving myself as hot on the days I remembered to put on Citrus Matcha. It just adds a little somethin’ somethin’ that I didn’t even know I was missing. It’s giving me that sense of “the cool friend who always looks effortlessly chic, even in sweats”—which is perfect because I love soft pants. The blend of creamy matcha, fresh florals, and bright citrus makes me feel put together. It’s also calming and grounding, which eases my anxiety, and therefore, helps me feel “in the mood” a lot more. Not to get too graphic, but this article (and this one) definitely came into play.
My husband gets a little horny now when he smells this on me, although I don’t think he fully understands why. It’s like my very own brand of subliminal messaging. Needless to say, I am here for it.
*This post is a paid partnership Dossier.
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