Perfumes, colognes, and scented oils have been part of human civilization since the time of the ancient Egyptians and beyond. Jars and vases filled with exotic fragrances have also been found in ancient Chinese burial sites. In fact, the use of perfumes has no exact starting date as its exact history is unknown. All that is truly known is that women and men have been using cologne and perfume to enhance their own scent for thousands of years will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

In any given year, 66% of men and 75% of women find themselves buying cologne or perfume during the course of a year. Researchers believe that part of the reason why women love receiving perfume (and also when men love giving perfume as a gift) is due to pheromones. Pheromones are hormones thought to stimulate sexual appetite or interest and they are triggered by scent.

So do women love perfume because it makes them want to have sex? No, actually the scent has a more dramatic effect upon men. While the effect is less pronounced in women, certain colognes worn by men have been known to produce a similar desire in women. Although a link between the scent of perfume and increased sexual desire has been found, researchers do not believe that it explains the desire to wear perfume on a daily basis.

In fact, most scientists believe that human pheromones and their impact upon our behavior has decreased over the years as we have become more advanced and civilized. While most scientists conclude that scent once played a rather large part in human mating habits, they believe that it has relatively little to do with sexual attraction in this day and age.

So then-why do women love perfume so much and why is it such a popular gift during the holidays? It actually seems to be due to the simple feeling created by wearing any fragrance that one finds appealing. In fact, the feeling created by a woman wearing perfume is similar to that made by a candle used for aromatherapy. It is soothing, subtle, and slightly romantic but not really sexual in nature.

Of course, it does not really matter why precisely a woman loves wearing perfume. All that is truly important is that she does love to smell great and the attention she receives when wearing her favorite perfume. In time, the perfume and the scent of her own body will combine into a singular aroma that will literally become her own scent.

As the sense of smell can recall the most vivid of memories, it is this unique scent of a woman combined with her perfume that people tend to remember most when thinking of that person. Men will often buy the same perfume for a woman even years after she has ceased using it because it is the scent they have come to identify with that woman.

And yet, women do move on to new perfumes and always seem to be on the search for a new scent to adorn their bodies. Of course, it is not surprising for some higher end perfumes to cost hundreds of dollars per bottle which is why a large number of women and men find themselves shopping for their favorite brands online. The Internet can also be a great place to find deals on new perfumes and fragrances as most websites generally offer a much greater selection than traditional stores.

The love of perfume by both men and women may be completely instinctual and somehow related to sexuality. However, the fact is that perfume just plain smells great and therefore puts us in a good mood. Who doesn't like something that smells good -- be it a pot roast or a garden lily? Of course, pot roast has a tendency to make us hungry-so what does the smell of fine perfume make us? There has to be a really good reason why perfume is so popular, now doesn't there??

- Jim Jin