Odor rating

Preparatory work for the project: selecting the appropriate neutral odor/ mask

Selection was based on previous studies identifying the following commonly used neutral odors: ceddarwood oil, eugenol (clove oil) and vigoflor. The odors were pre-evaluated by a sample of 19 participants regarding their intensity, pleasantness, familiarity, and arousing quality. For evaluation, we prepared six jars containing the three odors either with or without estratetraenol, a putative female pheromone. We asked the participants to sniff the content of the jar and then decide on their rating. These evaluations served as the basis to select the odor stimulus for the MRI assessments, namely vigoflor. Eugenol (clove oil) was rated too pleasant and familiar (probably because of a tight connection to Christmas scent) and ceddarwood was found to be very unpleasant. Importantly, t-tests showed no significant difference between the odor with or without estratetraenol. This indicates that vigoflor can serve as a good mask for the body odor.