History Main / SmellsSexy

In ''Kanojo wa Sore o Gaman Dekinai'', the main character, due to a traumatic incident, near constantly wears a full body dog mascot suit, which has him sweat a lot. Apparently, this odor is very attractive to his new homeroom student teacher. In fact, the manga itself could be consider an exploration on the scent fetish phenomena.

* ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'' uses a variant of this. Kaneki is noted to have a very unusual scent, thanks to his rather [[HalfHumanHybrid unique]] nature and having received organs from a female Ghoul. As such, his scent is a strange blend of Human and Ghoul as well as Male and Female. This earns him a StalkerWithACrush in the form of [[DepravedBisexual Tsukiyama]], who repeatedly engages in PervertedSniffing.

** Reo's clan have long developed an acute sense of smell, which she describes as giving her a "fetish for scents". She proudly takes a chance to [[PervertedSniffing smell all over Matsuri's body]], and states it was something she always wanted to do.

* ''Fanfic/FarceContact'': A female Vulcan's dislike of how humans smell is explained by humans smelling like a rutting Vulcan male, which can be smelt for vast distances by the sensitive nose of a Vulcan female, and is therefore known as the ''pong farr''.

** Klingon females are shown sniffing their mates as foreplay, such as in ''TNG'' "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E20TheEmissary The Emissary]]" and the ''Voyager'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS3E15BloodFever Blood Fever]]". In ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'', Seven of Nine does this to B'Elanna when she's possessed by the personality of a Klingon male in "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS5E7InfiniteRegress Infinite Regress]]".
** ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'': Averted with T'Pol. Apparently, human males smell awful to the sensitive nose of a Vulcan female. How this reconciles with her ShipTease with Trip and Archer is never mentioned.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Amortentia, a love potion, smells like whatever the individual likes to smell most. When smelling said love potion for the first time, Harry picks up a scent he himself can't quite place, but the description given by the narration matches Ginny Weasley, making this an early indication that (earlier crushes notwithstanding) they're [[WordOfGod soul mates]]. Similarly, Hermione lists two things that she can smell in the potion but stops herself from revealing the third; according to WordOfGod, the one she wouldn't mention was Ron Weasley's hair. In the film her third is spearmint, referencing an earlier scene where Ron gave her toothpaste.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Amortentia, a love potion, smells like whatever the individual likes to smell most. When smelling said love potion for the first time, Harry picks up a scent he himself can't quite place, but the description given by the narration matches Ginny Weasley, making this an early indication that (earlier crushes notwithstanding) they're [[WordOfGod soul mates]]. Similarly, Hermione lists three things that she can smell in the potion but stops herself from revealing the fourth; according to WordOfGod, the one she wouldn't mention was Ron Weasley's hair.

* ''VideoGame/NamuAmidaButsuUtena'': Kongōkō Bosatsu "Kaoru", representing the offering of Fragrance in the Eight Offerings, is a femininely sensual man whose main appeal comes from the pleasant scents exuding from his body. Of course, this gets him made into a living air freshener in one official one-panel comic…

* ''FanFic/DirtySympathy'': Klavier is comforted by the smell of Apollo's cheap violet cologne. Played with when Daryan smells Klavier's hair, it seems like he's enjoying the smell of Klavier's expensive saffron cologne, but then it [[LipstickMark turns]] [[YourCheatingHeart into]] [[IfICantHaveYou something]] [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident else.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': Some fanfics utilize the premise that bonds with Miracolouses create "mating cycles" in humans, with accompanying production of mating {{pheromones}}.

* In ''Beast2017'', Moll brings up [[LoveInterest Pascal]]'s smell a few times and clearly finds it attractive. When Polly asks what she likes about him, she half-jokingly brings up his smell. The first time they have sex, she also noticeably inhales as she steps close to him. When [[AbhorrentAdmirer Clifford]] makes a pass at her, she tells him the one thing she always disliked most about him was his "smell".

* ''Series/{{Oz}}'': Keller notes, in "A Cock and Balls Story", that his boyfriend Beecher "SmellsSexy". (the smell being Beecher's father's aftershave).

* ''Webcomic/{{Digger}}''L Boneclaw Mother makes a crude comment about one of the tribe's younger males. When reminded by Shadebones that she's blind, [[DirtyOldWoman Boneclaw Mother]] simply replies that "he ''smells'' adorable."
* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'': The Female Variant 5 form setting on the TransformationRay Gun causes the person zapped with it to smell sexy.

* ''Literature/DoraWilkSeries'' has werewolves and vampires gifted with a powerful sense of smell, leading to this being a problem for Szelma and Dora. Szelma blames it on her werecat-induced cat pheromones, while Dora's issue stems from her being a fertility witch.

%%* ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'': Captain Jack Harkness has 51st-century {{pheromones}}.

* ''TabletopGame/RocketAge'': Some Martian castes appear to have modified pheromones to make them more attractive, more persuasive and commanding, or both. The Royal and Priest castes tend to have the full package, while the Courtesan caste appear to only have pheromones designed to enhance their attractiveness, although given how often they seem to rise to power...
%%* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'': "Tailored Pheromones" bioware.

* ''WebAnimation/HalfFull'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqLK6MKZMuA Billy harvests human pheromones in one storyline]]. When a test subject falls into a vat of collected sweat, the pheromone overdose transforms him into a monster with the power to allure women.

* More explicitly, pheromone glands are also located in the groin area. It is strongly believed that this is to make a person more enticing to their sexual partner. Indeed, queries have found that rather than being unappealing--as many women fear--most men find the aroma coming from this region to be very arousing.

In RealLife, countless species use pheromones for communication, especially for identifying when its members are able to reproduce. In fiction, this is a little more explicit... a character will 'smell sexy', and often there will be a list of exactly ''what'' that character smells like. Expect a man to lovingly bury his face in the girl's hair, or nuzzling her neck as he tells her how wonderful she smells. Often, this calls back to baser, more bestial desires and needs, although it can be 'pure and romantic'.

* ''Manga/UraraMeirocho'': When exposed to alcohol, Chiya releases wild pheromones that attract and put in heat animals and humans equally, it works with the same sex because she successfully attracted Koume and Nono.

* ''Fanfic/AllAmericanGirl'': Aroused Equestrian mares emit a pheromone called phenethylamine, causing them to smell of dark chocolate.

* ''Fanfic/EmpathTheLuckiestSmurf'': In "Papa's Big Crush," Papa Smurf pursues Smurfette following his HulkingOut moment because he can smell her pheromones.

* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': Some fanfics utilize the premise that bonds with Miracolouses create "mating cycles" in humans, with accompanying production of mating pheromones.

* ''Film/OceansThirteen'': Linus uses a powerful pheromone that makes Abigail Sponder go crazy for him, successfully distracting her and buying time for the other team members.

* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'': In ''Literature/ShadowsOfTheEmpire'', Prince Xizor has the ability to emit pheromones at will to attract females. He attempts it with Princess Leia, with only a partial measure of success.

%%* ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'': Captain Jack Harkness has 51st-century pheromones.

This is the TheNoseKnows version of MrFanservice / HelloNurse / MsFanservice. It is the reason why humans invented perfume and cologne. A character with SuperSenses will probably be attracted to a person by their smell, especially if they've got some doggish attributes. Both vampires and werewolves are likely to note that their [[LustObject victim/lover]] smells good.

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1556840027078476700
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* As already mentioned, this Trope is the basis behind cologne and perfume, and thus is behind many [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible often artsy]] ads for cologne and perfume, as well as Advertising/TheManYourManCouldSmellLike and other Old Spice commercials.

* A weird version is present in the second ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion'' movie: Mari Makinami likes Shinji's scent... because he smells like LCL. She also mentions that she doesn't mind the scent of Eva-02, even though it smells like "the previous pilot", Asuka, perhaps indicating there's something special about Shinji.
* At one point in the ''Manga/GunsmithCats'' manga, [[MadBomber Minnie-May Hopkins]] explains to her boyfriend (who works with explosives) why she loves him so much: he smells like gunpowder.
* This apparently a trait of gods in ''Manga/{{Noragami}}'' - Even scruffy drifter gods like Yato smell really nice.
* In ''LightNovel/KyoKaraMaoh'' episode 96 Yuuri mentions again [[HoYay how beautiful he thinks Sara is and thinks that he smells nice]].

* When exposed to alcohol, Chiya of ''Manga/UraraMeirocho'' releases wild pheromones that attract and put in heat animals and humans equally, it works with the same sex because she successfully attracted Koume and Nono.
* In the first chapters of ''Manga/Classi9'', Mozart is very fond of Ren's "oriental scent" and clings to her or smells her hair whenever he can.
* Used as a HandWave in ''LightNovel/{{Kanokon}}'' to explain why Chizuru and Nozomu are all over Kouta - due to having recently moved to the city from the countryside, he 'smells like forests', which apparently attracts Kitsune and wolf-spirits in equal measure.
* Nanachi of ''Manga/MadeInAbyss''. Apparently, her fur has a sweet and pleasant scent. Just ask [[https://i.imgur.com/6xpVTMt.png Reg]].

* In ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'' comic book story "The Wild Smurf", Wild briefly smells Smurfette and then suddenly has the hots for her.
* The [[{{ComicBook/Daredevil}} Purple Man]] smells like whatever he wants to smell like... so you do whatever he wants you to do.
* ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'s son {{ComicBook/Daken}} has pheromones that he uses to manipulate people.

* In ''FanFic/DirtySympathy,'' Klavier is comforted by the smell of Apollo's cheap violet cologne. Played with when Daryan smells Klavier's hair, it seems like he's enjoying the smell of Klavier's expensive saffron cologne, but then it [[LipstickMark turns]] [[YourCheatingHeart into]] [[IfICantHaveYou something]] [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident else.]]
* In the ''Fanfic/AllAmericanGirl'' universe, aroused Equestrian mares emit a pheromone called phenethylamine, causing them to smell of dark chocolate.
* In the ''Fanfic/EmpathTheLuckiestSmurf'' story "Papa's Big Crush," Papa Smurf pursues Smurfette following his HulkingOut moment because he can smell her pheromones.
* In the ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' ParodyFic "Farce Contact", the female Vulcan's dislike of how humans smell is explained by humans smelling like a rutting Vulcan male, which can be smelt for vast distances by the sensitive nose of a Vulcan female, and is therefore known as the ''pong farr''.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fic ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/7669114/chapters/17465107 Lady and the Tomcat]]'', Marinette learns that, thanks to her bond with Tikki, she has a "mating cycle" (despite the same bond making her temporarily infertile) in which she gives off pheromones that will make people around her more relaxed, but will have a much more intense effect on her partner Chat Noir. "If he's around you too much during this time, it'll set off the mating hormones in him too. And those will reflect back at you, and the connection will drift back and forth until it's painfully hard to manage." Unfortunately, while Ladybug can alert Chat to this and tell him to stay away from her outside of battle, the two have no idea that their civilian identities are in the same class.
-->'''Tikki''': You two can fight akumas together, but long periods of time where he's exposed to the pheromones will be the most detrimental. Like if you two were to sit near one another for an extended period of time.
-->'''Marinette''': [[DramaticIrony Well, we don't do that.]]
-->'''Tikki''': Exactly.
** ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/10858809/ In Heat]]'' uses the same premise, though here the mating cycle comes with more intense symptoms even if the two ''don't'' avoid each other.
* Implied in ''[[Fanfic/TwiceUponAnAge All This Sh*t is Twice As Weird]]'' when [[VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition Cullen]] has to remove his armor during the Wicked Grace game. The Lord Inquisitor's BigBrotherInstinct kicks in and he [[CoverInnocentEyesAndEars covers the Lady Inquisitor's head]] with Cullen's discarded surcoat, much to her annoyance, though she consoles herself somewhat by noting that "at least it smells nice."
* In the ''Series/{{House}}'' fanfic "Impunity" House manages to identify a few women, including Cameron and Cuddy, with his eyes closed and without hearing any of their voices, simply by knowing what perfume they tend to favor.

* Frollo in ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'' shows his lust for Esmeralda by smelling her hair [[PervertedSniffing in a very creepy fashion]].

* In ''Film/PitchBlack'', Riddick appears to be preparing to shank the new female captain from the shadows, but he simply cuts off a piece of her hair to give it a sniff when she isn't looking.
** And in ''Film/TheChroniclesOfRiddick'', he tells Lady Vaako "It's been a long time since I've smelled beautiful."
* In ''Film/OceansThirteen'', Linus uses a powerful pheromone that makes Abigail Sponder go crazy for him, successfully distracting her and buying time for the other team members.
* In ''Film/GregorysGirl'', Gregory uses this to describe Dorothy to Andy, much to his confusion.
* A variation: in ''Film/LegallyBlonde'', Elle's resume is printed on pink, perfumed paper to make it more noticeable to prospective employers. [[spoiler:Her assistant professor (whom she later marries) loves the smell.]]

* Trope Codifier is arguably ''Literature/{{Perfume}}'', the 1985 novel by Patrick Suskind. The book's main character is Jean-Baptise Grenouille, an unwanted orphan with a powerful sense of smell. Over the course of the story, he becomes obsessed with capturing and bottling the scent of a woman, turning into a creepy serial killer of virgins. Just before he is executed, he pours the perfume that he has made on himself, throwing the crowd gathered to watch his execution into a lusty orgy. The book was adapted into a film by Tom Tykwer, starring Ben Whishaw, Dustin Hoffman and Rachel Hurd-Wood.
** Actually, he only used a single drop of his perfect perfume at the execution. Later, using the whole bottle at once causes him to be torn limb from limb and devoured by beggars.
* In ''Literature/DragonBlood'', [[spoiler: Tisala ]] sniffs Ward's clothes after he has gone away to let himself be imprisoned in an insane asylum where no one has escaped, yet. She feels a bit silly about it, noting that he probably doesn't like her back, and she's behaving like a creep. (Also, there is no need to get sentimental about his being away, as she of course plans to break him out as soon as she has recovered from the severe injuries that led to him giving her his bedroom to sleep in in the first place.)
* Bella in ''Literature/{{Twilight}}''. It's worth noting that Bella feels the same way back at Edward and, to a lesser extent, all the other vampires. It is implied that this holds true for all vampires. Except with werewolves, in which case there's a mutual inversion.
* [[spoiler:Perrin]] in the ''[[Literature/TheWheelOfTime Wheel of Time]]'' series, due to the fact that [[spoiler: he is a Wolfbrother]].
* ''Literature/AnitaBlake'': Prior to [[BrokenBase the turbo-slut phase]], werewolves and vampires were always telling Anita they could "smell her lust."
* In ''Literature/ThePrincessDiaries'', Mia likes the smell of Michael's neck.
* [[PlayingWithATrope Batted around lightly]] in the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' [[ExpandedUniverse novel]] ''Metamorphosis''. Data, fully transformed into a human by [[AWizardDidIt an alien quest-ritual]], finds himself romantically involved with a female OriginalCharacter. Smelling her hair during an embrace, the narrative describes the android!Data part of his mind cataloguing pheromones, while the human!Data part angrily demands the right to simply enjoy the scent.
* Amortentia, the love potion from the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' novels, smells like whatever the individual likes to smell most.
** When smelling said love potion for the first time, Harry picked up a scent he himself couldn't quite place, but the description given by the narration matches Ginny Weasley, making this an early indication that (earlier crushes notwithstanding) they're [[WordOfGod soul mates]]. Similarly, Hermione listed three things that she could smell in the potion but stopped herself from revealing the fourth; according to WordOfGod, the one she wouldn't mention was Ron Weasley's hair.
* In ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'', the day after they make Jerin a TechnicalVirgin both Jerin and Ren independently catch the scent of the other on the nightshirts each of them were wearing and bury their noses in the cloth. Ren vows not to wash that shirt. Jerin calls himself a silly boy and puts his into the laundry.
* ''Literature/TheSkyPeople''. [[NubileSavage Tessa of the Cloud Mountain People]] can scent that human explorer Marc Vitrac is attracted to her, and is puzzled [[ObliviousToLove why he can't scent the same about her]].
* In ''Shadows of the Empire,'' from the ''Franchise/StarWars'' expanded universe, Prince Xizor has the ability to emit pheromones at will to attract females. He attempts it with Princess Leia, with only a partial measure of success.

* In a ''LightNovel/DanganronpaZero'' scene, Ryouko revels in the scent left on Yasuke's bedsheets.
* In the ''Literature/SongOfSongs'' from Literature/TheBible, the Shulamite and her Beloved both compliment how each other's fragrances turn them on.

* On ''Series/GossipGirl'', Dan says he couldn't possibly [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend have feelings]] for [[spoiler: Blair Waldorf]], and then sheepishly adds "But, you know, she does smell nice..."
* In ''Series/TheSentinel'', Blair tells Jim that this is the basis behind two people having "chemistry" together. Jim, of course, was head-over-heels for a woman specifically because she smelled so good.
* On ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', Niles fetishises the smell of Daphne's hair.
* One of the odder examples: in one episode of ''Series/BloodTies'', Henry is apparently attracted to the smell of death and can't stop smelling Vicki after she returns from a funeral home.
* Played with on ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', when [[{{Asexual}} Sheldon]] moans somewhat amorously after inhaling the scent of [[{{Nerdgasm}} new comic books.]]
** Also towards Sheldon: Amy Farrah Fowler says he "smells like a sexy toddler" while she is very tipsy. Apparently, he smells like talc.
* Captain Jack Harkness of ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' has 51st-century pheromones.
* In ''Series/TheTenthKingdom'', Wolf gets really enthusiastic about Virginia's smell, which is part this trope, part to do [[IAmAHumanitarian with a different appetite]].
* In ''Series/{{Oz}}'' Keller once notes in "A Cock and Balls Story" that his boyfriend Beecher "SmellsSexy". (the smell being Beecher's father's aftershave).
* In the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' universe, Klingon females are shown sniffing their mates as foreplay, such as in TNG "The Emissary" and the ''Voyager'' episode "Blood Fever".
** Seven of Nine does this to B'Elanna when she is possessed by the personality of a Klingon male in the ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' episode "Infinite Regress".
** Averted with T'Pol in ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''. Apparently, human males smell awful to the sensitive nose of a Vulcan female. How this reconciles with her ShipTease with Trip and Archer is never mentioned.
* Averted in ''Series/{{Rome}}''. Cleopatra has to have a child with a Roman [[TheBabyTrap for political reasons]], so her servant Charmian selects Lucius Vorenus for her.
-->'''Cleopatra:''' So red! ''(sniffs at him in disapproval)''
-->'''Charmian:''' Leather, olives... Not so bad.
-->'''Cleopatra:''' ''(grumpily)'' He'll do.

* Lonestar's "Amazed."
* Mentioned in Music/EdSheeran's "Shape Of You" where he says that his bedsheets still smell like the girl who was in it the previous night.

* One ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'' strip had Paige trying out a new perfume specially formulated to attract teenage males. The scents were based on pizza toppings.

* "Tailored Pheromones" bioware in ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}''.
* The "Enhanced Pheromones" [[BioAugmentation biomod]] in ''TabletopGame/EclipsePhase''.
* In ''TabletopGame/RocketAge'' some Martian castes appear to have modified pheromones to make them more attractive, more persuasive and commanding, or both. The Royal and Priest castes tend to have the full package, while the Courtesan caste appear to only have pheromones designed to enhance their attractiveness, although given how often they seem to rise to power...
* In the second edition of ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', Lunars have a Charm that lets them invoke this trope.

* Factors into one of the potential romance arcs in ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons2014''; Klaus, one of the male {{love interest}}s, is a perfumist by trade and will give perfume to a female character who romances him, mostly so he can enjoy how she responds to the smell.
* An innocent variant can be found in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword,'' regarding the shawl Zelda made for Link to use in the goddess ceremony. The regular text describes and explains the purpose of the garment; then, in smaller letters (as though indicating a quieter voice), it adds, "...it smells nice too."

* In ''WebAnimation/HalfFull'' , [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqLK6MKZMuA Billy harvests human pheromones in one storyline.]] When a test subject falls into a vat of collected sweat, the pheromone overdose transforms him into a monster with the power to allure women.

* Candi from the [[Webcomic/{{Candi}} webcomic of the same name]] explicitly listed this as the main reason she stayed with her boyfriend, even when he acted like a jerk.
* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', the Female Variant 5 form setting on the TransformationRay Gun causes the person zapped with it to smell sexy.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Digger}}'', Boneclaw Mother makes a crude comment about one of the tribe's younger males. When reminded by Shadebones that she's blind, [[DirtyOldWoman Boneclaw Mother]] simply replies, "He ''smells'' adorable."
* ''Webcomic/KeychainOfCreation'' has Marena, who has 'smelling good' as one of her potential powers.
* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', this is played with: the Jägers, a cadre of monster-men already noted for being rambunctious in love and war, keep claiming that the protagonist Agatha 'smells nice', implying that they are {{Lovable Sex Maniac}}s. Most of them ''are,'' but what they're actually smelling in ''this'' case is that she is a long-lost heir to the dynasty of {{Mad Scientist}}s to whom the Jägerkin owe fealty.
** Later, one of the Jägers asks Gil [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20030714 if he thinks Agatha smells nice]]. FailureIsTheOnlyOption when he has to answer.

* Diane from ''WebVideo/{{Dad}}''. Dad ''loves'' her perfume, and can't help but sniff the lingering scent on his fingers. Unfortunately, he also knows he isn't supposed to be doing this, and worries that liking Diane's perfume is cheating.

* At the end of one ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' cartoon, WesternAnimation/PepeLePew concocts a super perfume that not only drowns out his own odor, but makes him irresistible to the opposite sex.
* Played with in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'', in which Buster and Babs explain the process of dating to their audience. After observing that it's good to compliment one's date, Buster leans in and sniffs at Babs.
--> '''Buster:''' You smell good. Did you take a bath or something?

--> '''Marceline:''' You kept the shirt I gave you? (''[[LesbianVampire Cue blushing.]]'')