Olfactophilia
Olfactophilia Sex Guide covers attraction to scent, particularly a person's natural body smell and worn clothing. Olfactophilia is also called a smell fetish or scent fetish. It can overlap with used underwear, feet and lingerie interests.
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Contents
What's the Attraction?
Looks are only part of attraction. For someone into scent, the way a partner smells can matter just as much as their appearance. It might be their skin, a familiar fragrance or the scent left on a shirt.
That does not mean liking every strong smell. Preferences can be quite particular. Someone may love their partner's natural scent and dislike exactly the same sort of smell on another person.
Nor does it necessarily have anything to do with poor hygiene. Natural body scent and being unwashed are not the same thing.
Worn Clothing and Underwear
For someone with a used-underwear fetish, a garment straight from the washing machine may have little appeal. The connection to its wearer is what matters.
Shirts, underwear and socks can retain that familiar scent. Some people smell or hold them during masturbation. Others keep a partner's shirt nearby because it feels comforting when they are apart. The same behaviour can have different meanings.
A lingerie fetish may be about lace, colour and shape. A scent fetish may have nothing to do with how expensive or attractive the garment looks.
Related Interests
- Used underwear fetish - Worn garments and their connection to the wearer.
- Foot fetish - Sometimes includes foot, sock or shoe odour.
- Armpit fetish - May involve scent as well as appearance or touch.
- Lingerie fetish - An interest in the clothing itself, sometimes combined with scent.
Liking one does not mean liking them all. Using or keeping someone else's clothing needs their permission.
How Common Is It?
There is research on body scent, attraction and smelling a partner's clothing. There is no reliable population-wide percentage established here for olfactophilia or underwear sniffing. Enjoying someone's smell alone does not establish a fetish.
