A small but apparently very fragrant corner of Gen Z TikTok has embraced a trend called “pheromone-maxxing,” in which some young men are skipping deodorant, shampoo, cologne and sometimes showers altogether in the belief that their natural body odor will make them more attractive. The idea grew out of the broader “looksmaxxing” community, where people pursue ways—sometimes extreme or outright dangerous—to supposedly maximize their physical attractiveness. Some pheromone-maxxers claim women actually compliment them more after they stop covering up their natural scent.

There is a tiny kernel of science behind the idea: humans produce distinctive chemical odors, and scent can influence how we perceive and become attracted to other people. But scientists say there’s no evidence that human pheromones work like the mating signals found in some animals—or that accumulating several days' worth of sweat makes strangers more interested in you. Being attracted to a partner's natural scent is certainly real, but that's very different from deliberately avoiding basic hygiene in hopes of becoming irresistible.

Dermatologists recommend the considerably less adventurous strategy of regular bathing, cleaning areas where sweat and bacteria accumulate, and using deodorant or antiperspirant as needed. As dermatologist Dr. Shereen Teymour rather perfectly summarized the trend: “Not showering isn’t pheromone-maxxing. For the most part, it’s bacteria-maxxing.”

Source: Some Gen Z men are 'pheromone-maxxing.' What does that mean?