Do certain bodily smells turn you on? Does the scent of body secretions sexually excite you?
Maybe you have wondered if you have a body odor fetish. Is there such a thing as a smell fetish? Do other people have body odor fetishes?
You may have heard of olfactophilia kinks like sweat sniffing fetishes, a kinky thing for stinky feet, or the classic “panty sniffing” kink where inhaling pussy from a cotton thong is paradise.
Everyone has heard of the infamous love letter from Napoleon to his wife. “Coming home soon. Don’t wash.”
The smell fetish is nothing new. Even in the garden world of perfumes, there are animalistic scents such as musk or pheromones.
In classical perfumery, it wasn’t all roses! Essential to the best perfumes were body odor oils—musks, civet, and castoreum are all anal secretions of animals, and ambergris, a very expensive scent, is whale vomit.
Olfactophilia, body odor fetish, or the smell fetish is not always named but nearly everyone experiences it to some degree or another.
Read: How the 5 Senses Affect Our Kinks and Fetishes
What Is Olfactophilia?
“Olfactophilia” is a word related to “olfactory,” which references our smelling sense. The word literally means “love of smells.” Rather than a general word for smell kinks, olfactophilia is used specifically for body smells.
There are related smell fetish words in the literature, such as “osmolagnia” which means “smell lust.” Freud called it “osphresiolagnia” but this word could also refer to other smells.
Body odor fetishes are very common. There is hardly anyone who doesn’t love the scent of their lover. We are more attracted to people whose sweat or secretions we enjoy. Pussy, cock, and armpits are expected to have a scent or musk. It is so integral to sex that we don’t think of it as a smell fetish or kink.
But some people have a very intense response to body odors, and they are especially turned on by these scents. Body odor fetishes tend to be very specific.
Read: List of All Kinks and Fetishes
13 Body Odor Fetishes
Here are 11 smell fetishes that pertain to various body odors. People who experience olfactophilia may be turned on.
1. Stinky Feet Fetish
Many of us love stinky cheese that we say smells like feet. So it makes sense that stinky feet smell fantastic to some people, and some of those find the ripe foot scent sends their genital circulation into overdrive.
Smelly feet fetish is in fact the most common type of olfactophiia. Some studies find that nearly half of people with a foot fetish—which is a very common kink—have a thing for stinky feet, not scent-free feet!
On the other hand, many people with a stinky foot fetish don’t have a foot fetish in the traditional sense. Touching, looking, worshipping, pedicures, or shoes don’t scratch the itch. It’s a smell fetish only.
Read: Best Foot Fetish Dating Sites, Tips, and Ideas
2. Smelly Sock Fetish
This olfactophilia fetish is similar to a kink for stinky feet but different. The scent from the foot is carried by the sock, and this is what turns on people with a stinky sock kink.
Read: Sock Fetish: 8 Sock Kinks and How to Play
3. Sweat Fetish
The sweat fetish is extremely common. Sweat is nothing but the signature perfume of the object of your attraction!
Osmophilia is a fetish for bodily fluids and the sweat scent fetish can overlap here. Salophiia means salt fetish and usually refers to sweat, but it is much broader than just the smell of sweat, and for some, it is very specific to that scent and not necessarily the look, idea, or wetness.
Read: Sweat Fetish: Related Kinks & Ways to Play
4. Armpit Smell Fetish
Maschalagnia is a fancy word for armpit fetish. It’s quite common—the armpit is an erogenous zone and since it is not always seen, it makes sense that the reveal is erotic for many. Some armpit lovers are uniquely attracted by the scent. This also makes sense, due to hormones and pheromones that are secreted here.
Read: Armpit Fetish: What, Why, and Ways to Play
5. Fart Fetish
You’ll find lots of jokes online about how this one’s a lot of “hot air.” But there’s an official name for the fart paraphilia, “eproctophilia.”
A subset of fart fetishists are specifically aroused by the scent of farts. Many people with the fart smell kink are embarrassed or ashamed of their kink and privately hope you will “just let it rip.”
There are porn and fetish sites that cater to this kink, but without the smell itself, it’s not really olfactophilia. Since it’s also difficult for most people to fart on demand, it is difficult to ask a sex professional to cater to your taste. Sex workers report getting requests for this, but it can be tough to deliver.
Read: Fart Fetish: The Smelly Kink of Eproctophilia
6. Burp Fetish
Any bodily smell can be implicated by olfactophilia. Burp fetishism often includes the sound but a few go for the smell.
Read: Burp Fetish: A Kink for Belching
7. Bad Breath Fetish
One smell fetish few will admit to is being turned on by bad breath. But on anonymous online portals, you’ll find chats with people who confess to a perplexing arousal from halitosis. They share how they aim to “keep her talking,” because they get so excited by someone with bad breath.
Read: Mouth Fetish: 10 Mouth Play Kinks and Ideas
8. Vagina Smell Fetish
While many women feel very self conscious about their vaginal odors, a classic French “perfume” was for women to smear a bit of their scent on their wrists and behind their ears. The vast majority of men, unsurprisingly, love the smell of vaginas and some report it as a bona fide smell fetish.
Read: Pussy Worship: How to Serve a Woman’s Vagina
9. Panty Sniffing Fetish
As rumor has it, there are panty sniffing vending machines in Japan and lots of services where a woman will mail you hers for a fee.
Some men also enjoy sniffing panty liners, and will take them out of the trash to treasure the smells secreated upon them.
Read: Panty Fetish Explained: What’s Your Panty Kink?
10. Menstrual Blood Fetish
Blood is a powerful fetish, and for many it is menophilia—only menstrual blood. The scent if unique and full of hormones and for some it is a total aphrodisiac.
Read: Menophilia: The Period Blood Fetish
11. Ass Sniffing
Some of us might recoil with propriety at the mere suggestion and implication that ass sniffing is a fetish. But at the animal level, we understand it. Dogs and other animals get very excited about butt sniffing, and sexually excited as well.
There are pheromones and scents from our anal glands that are a turn on, as well as the taboo of it, all contributing to olfactophilia.
Read: Ass Fetish: 8 Ass Play Ideas to Enjoy
12. Dick Sniffing Fetish
While you guys might hope your leading lady is into whiffing your dick, penis sniffing is most often (but not always) a guy-on-guy fetish.
13. Hair Smell Fetish
Trichophilia means hair partialism, and hair is a very common attractant. Some people are turned on more specifically by the smell of hair.
Like most kinks, the preferences are very exacting. For some it is the floral bouquet of freshly showered tresses. For others it is the scent of the scalp odors and natural greases, and they prefer oily hair.
Read: Hair Fetish: What Is Trichophilia All About?
Do you have a smell fetish for a particular scent, from a particular body part? Do tell.
Tell us what you think