Body odour: what it reveals about emotion, health, and the limits of human pheromones

Humans produce body odour through sweat and skin oils, but there is no clear pheromone system like in many animals. While scent can influence attraction and may carry signals of emotion or illness, the evidence is mixed and heavily shaped by culture. Odour can help us gauge risk or health and could fuel future noninvasive diagnostics with electronic noses, but everyday diagnosis from smell remains unreliable.