LOS ANGELES—Just in time for the holidays, male-to-male fragrance manufacturer Intense has released Masculinity. The manufacturer describes the scent as bold, sexy, sophisticated and self-assured, “because a man should smell like a man.”
Erotic, sensual and distinctively masculine, the combination of exotic spices, aromatic herbs and crisp citrus opens with French basil, West Indian clove, Asian mandarin and Sicilian bergamot. From there, the rich scents of amber, cedar, black pepper and leather emerge. Its subtle yet full-bodied base of Italian white musk, Australian sandalwood and Madagascar vanilla are infused with the exclusive N10Z male pheromone formula.
Intense became a pioneer in the field of pheromone-enhanced products in 1999 with the release of N10Z, believed to be the first pheromone formulated exclusively for gay men. The manufacturer released Ten, a cologne enhanced with N10Z male-to-male pheromones, in 2001.
“Decades of research demonstrates that in our mating behavior, we humans also follow our noses,” according to a recent AOL Health article. “That’s because of substances called pheromones, which we now know influence sexual behavior not only in animals, but also in humans.”
Pheromones usually are not picked up as distinctive scents. Instead, they stimulate the vomeronasal organ, a tiny chemical receptor in the nose, which is connected to the hypothalamus, a brain area that triggers the chemicals responsible for emotions. A study conducted by the University of Chicago indicated certain chemicals similar to male and female sex hormones trigger distinctive brain activity when sniffed by the opposite sex.
“If you're looking for the man or woman of your dreams, unsuspecting pheromones in your body scent are most likely playing a large and very clever role in mate attraction,” wrote Deb Levine M.A., a health educator, social worker and sexual-health author, in a WebMD article.
Packaged in a sophisticated black carton, Masculinity by Intense is offered in a sleek, black frosted bottle with brushed silver top and complementary silver logo. Masculinity will be available in a two-ounce eau de toilette spray at a suggested retail price of $55 beginning in December. 10Percent.com and other gay retailers are accepting pre-orders.
