The more important your date, the more likely you are to splash on a little cologne, right? Scent can indeed help close the deal, but maybe not in the way you think. Although she doesn’t consciously sniff out the bedroom-ready pheromones you excrete, her body and sex drive do take notice. These tips will help men and women on a more primal level – that is, one that may include grunting.

1. Go Au Naturel
Let your natural fragrance work its magic. “Pheromones are detectable only when they interact with bacteria on the skin,” says Nick Neave, Ph.D., a psychologist at the UK’s Northumbria University. “Wash with unscented soap. This keeps you clean, but also lets the pheromones flourish.”

2. Let Your Body Breathe
Your odoriferous apocrine glands – located in your armpits and pubic region – are pheromone-producing powerhouses, Neave says. Your natural scent hitches a ride in your sweat and clings to body hair surrounding those areas. So take it easy on manscaping.

3. No Pill, No Problem
A 2002 Northumbria University study found that oral contraceptives impair a woman’s ability to sniff out male pheromones. If she’s Pill-free, she’ll react directly to your scent. Try our favorite barely there condom: the Kimono MicroThin Ultra Lubricated

4. Slip Into Some Sandalwood
If you want a scent safety net, select a cologne with sandalwood. Its woodsy smell – spicy but sweet – is often associated with a wild-boar pheromone. Better yet, it’s thought to engage women’s most basic animal insticts, studies show. Try Sean John’s I Am King.