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

Key Points:

• Some Gen Z men on TikTok are promoting "pheromone-maxxing," a trend involving skipping showers, deodorant, and hair washing to embrace natural body odor, claiming it increases attraction from women.
• Experts, including dermatologists and psychologists, say there is no scientific evidence that skipping hygiene practices makes someone more desirable, and caution that poor hygiene mainly increases bacteria rather than pheromones.
• While pheromones are chemical signals that influence behavior in many animals, their role in human romantic attraction remains unproven, with attraction to scent often linked to personal association rather than pheromone effects.
• Proper hygiene, including regular showering and use of gentle cleansers and deodorants, is recommended to maintain skin health without eliminating natural scent or disrupting the skin microbiome.
• The "pheromone-maxxing" trend is relatively niche and linked to the broader looksmaxxing community, which has promoted other controversial and scientifically unsupported practices to enhance physical appearance.