Deoco, a range of women’s beauty products that allegedly captures the coveted “young woman smell”, has become a huge hit in Japan, among both older women who want to smell younger and lonely men who crave the fragrance of a younger woman.

The story of this intriguing line of cosmetics began last year, when Japanese company Rohto Pharmaceutical announced that it had successfully isolated two fragrant chemical compounds, called Lactone C10 and C11, which younger women’s bodies seemed to produce in much larger quantities than those of older women. In a study that involved 500 women of all ages, from teens to adults in their 50s, Rohto’s scientists detected a “sweet aroma” that was stronger in younger women’s worn clothes. Subsequent research revealed that the scent came from two lactones, the levels of which were highest among teens, but dropped significantly in women over 35. After making the discovery and isolating the two compounds, Rohto quickly started working on Deoco, a line of body soaps and deodorants rich in Lactone C10 and C11.

Photo: whitesession/Pixabay.com

Deoco launched in spring of 2018 and quickly became a big hit, with sales surpassing the company’s expectations by about 60 percent. It’s been selling like hot cakes ever since, and is currently ranked the best selling women’s body soap on Amazon Japan, and the second most popular women’s deodorant on Japanese retail giant Rakuten. But although Rohto originally aimed its Deoco line at women in their 30s and older looking to regain the scent of their youth, it turns out there was another demographic they missed – lonely Japanese men.

SoraNews24 reports that Deoco beauty products are being snatched up by single men, because the sweet aroma – described as a fruity combination of peach and coconut – makes them feel like there is a young woman in close proximity. Some was themselves with the soap while others spread a line of deodorant on their skin, allowing the fragrance to linger for hours.

Rohto says that it knows about the popularity of Deoco products among men, and hopes that it will encourage them to try some of its men’s deodorants and soaps. I’m sure those smell nice too, but unless they also have that young woman scent, I don’t think male Deoco fans are interested…