The Ins and Outs of Vabbing
Want to attract a new mate, or drive your current lover wild with desire? The key to seduction may be inside you. Literally. Here's everything you need to know about TikTok’s vaginal perfume trend, and whether using your own juices is likely to increase your allure.
TikTok can be a treasure trove for life hacks and DIY tips. You can discover your new favourite workout or, or learn how to master the latest beauty trend. Sometimes, the trends that go viral on the controversial app can be a little more… unconventional. And to say there’s a lot of dating advice on TikTok would be somewhat of an understatement. The global citizens (and fresh-faced influencers) that spend countless hours there serve up thousands of supposed hacks to help you snatch up your ideal mate. Everything from colour theory to micro-expressions are dissected and disseminated like the old wives’ tales of boomers and (ahem) ‘elder’ millennials.
While the idea of using your pussy juice as perfume is certainly not a new one, the phenomenon has been born again on TikTok (Gen Z thinks they invent everything), and rebranded for the 2020s as ‘vabbing’: a portmanteau of "vagina" and "dabbing" because, obviously.
What is Vabbing?
Vabbing is the art of strategically placing vaginal fluid in key areas you might usually dab perfume, like behind the ear or on the wrists. Advocates assert it’s a powerful means of becoming more appealing to potential sexual partners, and while many female TikTokers are revealing stories of men falling at their feet thanks to the unconventional seduction method, sexperts and scientists are divided on whether it actually works.
How is Vabbing Believed to Work?
Any vabbing aficionado worth their weight will tell you vabbing is all about pheromones. Pheromone research is nothing new, and the study of human chemical communication has been widely investigated. Many animals possess a vomeronasal organ – a sensory organ found in the roof of the mouth, which processes pheromone signals – and it has been widely believed that all mammals (humans included) could attract a mate of the same species by secreting signals through scent.
Does Vabbing Actually Work?
No. But also, maybe! Just not in the way influencers claim.
Humans have a nearly useless vomeronasal organ, which is what helps animals process pheromones. That means vabbing doesn’t work because of some instinctual, pheromonal drive to mate. World renowned sex and relationship expert Tracey Cox believes vabbing could work on a psychological level, though.
As the author of several best-sellers, including Great Sex Starts At 50: How To Age-Proof Your Libido, Tracey first wrote about a similar technique to vabbing in her first ever book published over 20 years ago. While she agrees that the pheromone effect of vabbing is invalid, she believes the act, or ritual, of vabbing works as a kind of placebo.
“I believe it helps attract a mate for psychological reasons. It puts your mind in the right place. It’s a conscious acknowledgement you make with yourself that ‘yes, I do want sex’.”
Essentially, if you believe vabbing can make you more appealing to a potential partner, that belief could makes you interact differently with people. You might be more flirtatious, more confident, more open to striking up a conversation with a stranger at a bar, and exude greater sexuality – which can have the desired effect of attracting a mate.
There’s Another Important Benefit…
One less discussed, but potentially more important, benefit of the viral fragrance trend has less to do with how vabbing makes other people feel about you, and more to do with how it makes you feel about yourself.
Sex and relationship therapist Jodie Slee says vabbing as a trend offers a wider positive message for women.
“I am all for anything that helps women feel more positive, confident and empowered towards their bodies and specifically their genitals. If vabbing helps women realise that their natural body odour is not just normal but attractive, then this is something I can get on board with.”
Is Vabbing Safe?
Wearing vaginal fluid as perfume is all in all harmless. Yes, the vagina is home to bacteria, but so is the rest of your body! OBGYN and author of The Vagina Bible, Dr. Jen Gunter, does, however, cautions against vabbing if you have hepatitis B, as it can live on surfaces for long periods of time.
How to Vab
Keen to take dip into your honey pot and dab your own bespoke scent onto your pressure points? Whether it’s to attract a playmate, boost your confidence, increase your own feelings of body positivity or simply experiment so you can report back to your pals on TikTok, vabbing is easy.
- Wash your hands (before and after)
- Use your fingers to collect some of your vaginal secretions
- Dab on your wrists, neck and behind the ears
- Let the good vibes roll
Note, TikTok user @jewlieah – a content creator and vabbing enthusiast who posted one of the most-viewed videos on the trend – suggests collecting your juices after masturbating for best results.
Have fun, vabbers!
