Stupid question,but..how does a mere smell turn a woman on?

[Teletronic]

I know I might take a forum beating for this question and I have read the newbie section, but just how does a pheromone scent travel up a woman’s nose and turn her on? genuinely curious about the process.

[mobocaster]

Don’t confuse scent and pheros - these are two quite different things.

The scent is merely the carrier for the pheros, although some scents do have powerful evocative/attractive prperties and can behave in phero-like ways as well as their direct appeal to the senses

[NP17]

It is not a scent. It is a chemical signal that indicates a certain biological reality. This biological reality may be sexual virility, strength, power, health, youth, protectiveness, “ready to go,” or even something as indefinite as good intentions and love. This chemical signal simply acts on a part of the brain that is connected with the olfactory (smelling) process, in a way that is not completely understood by scientists.

[mrseeker]

From what I know, its pure chemistry. Every person can smell a lot of scents, some known, while others unknown to a human brain. However, the chemistry in these scents is whats making it interesting. They literally send an impulse to the unconscious brain, telling them that there is a potential mate around and that reaction triggers certain other factors like getting aroused.

@wikipedia

In mammals, the sensory neurons of the vomeronasal organ detect non-volatile chemical cues, which requires direct physical contact with the source of odor. Notably, some scents act as chemical-communication signals (pheromones) from other individuals of the same species. Unlike the main olfactory bulb that sends neuronal signals to the olfactory cortex, the VNO sends neuronal signals to the accessory olfactory bulb and then to the amygdala, BNST, and ultimately hypothalamus. Since the hypothalamus is a major neuroendocrine center (affecting aspects of reproductive physiology and behavior as well as other functions such as body temperature), this may explain how scents influence aggressive and mating behavior. For example, in many vertebrates, nerve signals from the brain pass sensory information to the hypothalamus about seasonal changes and the availability of a mate. In turn, the hypothalamus regulates the release of reproductive hormones required for breeding. It should be noted that some pheromones are detected by the main olfactory system.

Vomeronasal organ