Your favorite perfume always smells like... you!

Many women claim that their sixth sense tells them which perfume is right for them. A recent study seems to support this theory. Scientists have shown that people choose perfumes that enhance their natural body odors rather than completely mask them. Research from the University of Stirling suggests that people, especially women, instinctively choose a scent that works in tandem with their individual natural body odor. It's like enhancing a personal " olfactory fingerprint ." Instinctive perfume selection accentuates our individual scent It was briefly assumed that scents typically mask body odor, but the situation appears to be more complex. British findings suggest that we can subconsciously or unintentionally choose a scent that complements the unique way we each smell, thereby maintaining the individuality of our own scent. Six men and six women participated in the study. All provided samples of their natural scent, samples from their body sprayed with their perfume, and samples from their body sprayed with the assigned fragrance. The 296 women and 131 men—average age approximately 25—were then asked to identify two scents that came from the same person. Women match scents better than men Caroline Allen, PhD, a psychologist and lead author of the report, explained that volunteers were more successful at matching someone's scent when they wore their chosen scent than when they wore the scent they were assigned. This suggests that individuals' chosen scents are somehow related to their natural body odor. Women were also found to be better at matching scents than men. Previous research has shown that perfume preferences harmonize with certain genetic markers. Therefore, these selected perfumes smell more pleasant when combined with a person's natural body odor than a forced fragrance.