Vabbing: What is the latest TikTok craze and will it help my dating life?

‘Vabbing’ is the latest trend on TikTok. If you’ve not heard of it already, apologies for bringing it into your lives.

For the uninitiated, ‘vabbing’ is the portmanteau of ‘vagina’ and ‘dabbing’, and refers to people using vaginal fluid as perfume.

The idea came from TikToker Mandy Lee, who insisted it increased her success in attracting men. She’s since deleted the original post, but others have followed in her stead.

Ever since that TikTok post, the internet has gone mad for the trend. 

Some people have expressed horror at using eau de vagina, while others have hailed it as a feminist power move which sees women embracing their natural odour instead of feeling shame.

The practice pre-dates Lee’s June 2022 post. Sexologist Shan Boodram used the term in 2019 in her book ‘The Game of Desire’ and in an accompanying YouTube video.

The theory behind vabbing is that female pheromones found in vaginal secretions are useful for attracting a mate.

Vabbing isn’t the first concept to use pheromones as a dating aid. 

Smell Dating is a project by artist Tega Brain to match potential couples based on their natural odours.

Daters are sent a t-shirt which they wear for three days without using deodorant. The company then takes samples of the dater’s natural smell and matches them with another date based on the two liking each other’s smell.

There are also a huge number of pheromone perfumes available online.

But the science is not crystal clear.

“I am not sure if this is a fad, or perhaps I should say vad, but I seriously question the validity of the claims involved,” says Professor Dr. Erick Janssen of the Institute for Family and Sexuality Studies and Department of Neurosciences at KU Leuven.

Smell is important to human interaction. People have