Wednesday Bubble: Scentuelle Seduction, deux
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A little over a month ago, I enrolled in a user study for Scentuelle™, which you may recall, is an “aroma” patch that uses a woman’s sense of smell to enhance sexual response. At the time, I wrote Scentuelle that reportedly targets smell receptors at the back of nose closest to the brain “with a sensuous blend of aromas” that mimic dopamine, a naturally-occurring chemical associated with pleasure. Manufacturers of Scentuelle claim that because it acts like dopamine, it increases happiness and by default, arousal.
Now that the user study has ended, it’s time for the reveal.
I am not crazy about product itself, but I love the company’s approach.
The Scentuelle patch is unobtrusive, so much so that you might forget that you’re even wearing it. So far as I can surmise, the strategy underlying Scentuelle is a behavioral one, which is why I am giving the product two thumbs up! (In case you are wondering, I was not approached to review this product; as I explained a few weeks ago, a friend sent me a link to the product website and while perusing the goods, I saw that they were conducting a user study, which seemed like a great strategy by which to review a product.)
If you have been following this blog, you might have read my posts on sexual desire and Dr. Christine Northrup. If you’ve not read, them, I encourage you to do so because when it comes to how we feel about ourselves and our partners and more importantly, how that translates to sexual desire, she is spot on.
Briefly, Dr. Northrup suggests that we become “ardent explorers” of our own pleasure, in essence, become our own partners in sex. Turn ourselves on and tell ourselves often that a turned on woman is irresistible. Commit to regularly exploring our pleasure potential and live our lives in ways that “excite, motivate, and turns on” other people in our lives. Become self-actualized, confident. For example,
- Think heartwarming, sexy, uplifting, kind, loving and positive thoughts about yourself and others EVERY DAY
- Strive for commitment, trust and vulnerability with your partner
- Get out of your head and into your body….regularly
Philisophically, Scentuelle appears to be taking the same approach; empowerment, fulfillment, exploration and reinforcement. The rub: the use of gentle reminders to smell the patch and think about sex, desire, your partner, senses, arousal, etc. In a Pavlovian way, the patch and its scent (which for me personally, was the largest drawback as I did not care for it) represented daily reminders to think and act. Whether or not the scent actually activated receptors in my brain is an entirely different matter and I remain unconvinced. It’s not that I don’t appreciate aromatherapy; personally, I embrace it — through candles, perfume, flower and tea. Yet, I found this particular scent so unappealing that I was not sure how it was linked to self-actualization and desire.
I like Scentuelle and I’m not bursting any bubbles. I like what the company is done and I like how they follow through. Clearly, they’ve spent a lot of time and research exploring what does and doesn’t turn a woman on.
If you are experiencing declines in sexual desire because of hormones I encourage you to try the product out. It might be the best $30 you ever spent. And if you’re not, tell your friends who are. It’s wonderful to have a natural, potentially effective solution to a waning sexual desire.
Scentuelle seduction? Yeah, I’m all for it!
Read MoreWednesday Bubble: Fiagra
Sex sells. Even when it comes to menopause.
There is no such thing as Fiagra. But why not, heck, this manufacturer is hoping to make a mint off of your declining hormones.
For two weeks now, I’ve been a member of a user study examining aromatherapy for stimulating sexual desire and arousal. I won’t reveal what I have (or have not) experienced until the study is over. However, I have gained a few important insights into sexual desire during midlife and how manufacturers are approaching it.
In the meantime, if it smells like a rat, and looks like a rat, well…
Read MoreWednesday Bubble: Scentuelle seduction
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1PVmANeyAg]
About a week ago, a friend of mine sent me a link to Scentuelle™, an “aroma” patch that uses a woman’s sense of smell to enhance sexual response. According to the website, Scentuelle targets smell receptors at the back of nose closest to the brain “with a sensuous blend of aromas” that mimic dopamine, a naturally-occurring chemical associated with pleasure. Dopamine has been directly linked with sexual activity, food and other pleasurable experiences. Manufacturers of Scentuelle claim that because it acts like dopamine, it increases happiness and by default, arousal. Evidently, Scentuelle’s effect is cumulative and reaches optimal level after three weeks.
Aromatherapy is not a new concept and I’m willing, as with Zestra, to give Scentuelle a go. In fact, I’ve registered to participate in a user study to check it out.
I’d like to believe the hype. But who knows? Zestra turned out to be a major dud although the Company’s president recently sent me an email with a link to a New York Times piece that “proves” otherwise. Personally, the smell and feel of Zestra alone was enough to turn off three women who tested it for this blog, all within a short period of time, but if it works for some, hey, good for them.
I’ll make a formal announcement when the study commences and I start testing it out. Hey, why not? I’m all for a bit of Scentuelle seduction!
Happy Wednesday!
Read MoreWednesday Bubble: one pill makes you…
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Have you heard about Flibanserin? Pharma Giant Boehringer-Ingelheim is entering the bedroom with an antidepressant (with a new moniker) that may change the sex lives of women everywhere!
Sorry for the sarcasm but this Bubble has “Viagra for women” written all over it. In fact, the U.S. market for sexual desire is estimated to exceed a whopping $3.5 billion a year. No wonder other companies are so eager to market testosterone to women.
So what’s the story behind Flibanserin?
Flibanserin is an antidepressant compound that is is believed to affect brain receptors and neurotransmittors that play a role in sexual response. Data presented at the European Society for Sexual Medicine conference show that in clinical studies, flibanserin significantly improved desire, sexual experience and sexual functioning in women when taken for at least six months. The majority of the women participating were pre-menopausal and had been diagnosed with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), a condition that is characterized by a decline in sexual desire, a loss of intimacy, and distress.
Declines in sexual desire at any point in life are terrible and not to be taken lightly. Should flibanserin becomes available in the United States, it is likely to be prescribed along with sex therapy, a move, that the company disagrees with. In fact, the company is quoted in Bloomberg News as saying that it hopes that the drug can be prescribed by itself and not as a complement to therapy. Importantly, this is where one has to start questioning the value of this drug and how it will ultimately be marketed should it ever be approved by the US Food & Drug Administration.
Many behavioral and mental health specialists will argue that “a pill has no place in the bedroom” and that sexual dysfunction is linked to factors other than physical ones, factors that need to be thoroughly explored and addressed. This holds true in particular, for menopausal women. Indeed, evidence does show that t sexual desire in women can be affected not only by physiology but also, may vary depending on personal attitudes, experiences and context.
I don’t take issue with drugs when they are prescribed and used responsibly. But the answer to everything that ails is not a pill. With regards to sexual desire, this could not be truer.
Sex is big business. This has been borne out by the incredibly success of drugs geared towards erectile dysfunction. Companies have been racing to find an equivalent for women. Looks like Boehringher might have just gotten the gold ring.
What do you think?
Read MoreKeep it greasy…with Zestra®
Sexual desire an issue? Not feeling it?
That isn’t my problem but when I was approached by the folks at Semprae Labs to test Zestra®, their hormone-free, topical “Essential Arousal Oils™, I thought, hey, what the heck? I’m all for research! And they sent me clinical data supporting its theoretical effectiveness, which peaked my interest even more.
What is Zestra, you ask?
Zestra contains a proprietary blend of borage seed and evening primrose oils (purportedly to increase blood flow and nerve sensitivity), angelica root extract (to improve arousal/desire) and coleus forskohlii extract (to boost performance/orgasm). On its packaging, it says that “Zestra works effortlessly and within minutes by heightening your sensitivity to touch — for deep, pleasurable sensations, sexual satisfaction and fulfillment.
Zestra was tested in a small clinical study comparing its effectiveness versus a placebo oil in 20 women with and without difficulties with arousal. During the study, participants were asked to use Zestra 5 times and then complete a questionnaire on side effects and sexual function (i.e. desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and pain). Study findings showed the following:
- Participants with normal function reported highly significant improvements in arousal while those with female sexual arousal disorder reported highly significant improvements in arousal, orgasm and satisfaction.
- The most commonly reported side effect was a burning sensation in the genitalia that subsided within 30 minutes.
So, this was the study population.
What about me?
Zestra ain’t “zesty.” The oil has a unpleasant smell. Following application, it heats up the vaginal area but that’s about it – heat – and not the sexual, I want to/have to have you kind of heat. Nope. No increase in desire, arousal or sensitivity to touch. No added improvements in satisfaction. Just one unpleasantly warm, greasy vagina.
Is it just me? Evidently not. Here’s what some friends have to say about Zestra:
“Smells like an overly-sweet candle shop or bad potpourri. Not an enticing scent. Taste is chemical and bitter. Too greasy. Nice, slightly warming effect, but felt no unusual or heightened sensation. Actually had to work harder because I was so turned off by the Zestra scent. Zestra will be sleeping alone from now on!!!”
“OH. MY. F***ING. GOD. I hated that shit. It burned and I couldn’t even wash it off afterward. Who the f**k knows if it increased arousal? I was too busy burning to notice.”
Like my gal pals, I couldn’t wait to shower Zestra off. In fact, Zestra left me wanting less, not more.
I’ve got lots of zest. But not for Zestra. Zestra – you underwhelm and underwow me.
Sorry Semprae. This one’s a dud.
Read MoreWednesday bubble: Cheers! (Please, don’t let me burst this one!)
Can red wine help increase a woman’s sexual desire? Interesting data from an Italian study among 798 women between the ages of 18 and 50 suggest that indeed, it just might.
Researchers divided women without any sexual complaints into three groups:
- More than two glasses of red wine and other types of alcohol (including white wine) daily, and occasional drinkers
- One to two glasses of red wine daily (“moderate intake”)
- Teetotallars
All study participants were asked to complete a questionnaire measuring female sexual functioning, as well as report on their daily alcohol consumption. The questionnaire – the Female Sexual Function Index – contains 19 questions designed to assess desire, arousal, confidence, lubrication, orgasm, and the degree of pain during and after vaginal penetration.
The findings? Overall, women reporting daily moderate red wine drinking (one to two glasses) scored significantly higher in all domains of sexual functioning, including desire and lubrication, than women in the other two groups. More striking, however, was that the women who regularly drank red wine were reportedly older than women in the other two groups.
These study findings, which undoubtedly require more research and a larger study group, do suggest a link between moderate red wine intake and sexual desire, even among older women whose sexual functioning and desire, theoretically declines with age. Of course, there are many other factors that come into play for older women; we know that declining hormones affect the vaginal lining, causing pain and interfering with lubrication. We know that hormones can also affect weight and self-image, which affects desire. And of course, how we interact with our partners is also important.
But study after study all point to medicating ourselves back towards sexual desire. Could it be as simple as a few glasses of antioxidant rich red wine, which may help improve blood flow to key areas of the body, such as the vaginal region?
I’d love to think so.
The jury’s still out. But me? I’m planning on drinking a few glasses of red wine tonight…! I’m inspired; are you?
[Many thanks to my friend Daphne Swancutt for directing me to these data!]
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