Human chemosignalling science has progressed from chemosignalling being regarded as a dodgy phenomenon to a recognized mode of social communication. While it has been shown that individuals can transmit information about their trait and state via body odour there are still gaps in our scientific understanding of how chemosignalling “works” and what it can afford.
A future research roadmap should address outstanding questions around Need, Mechanism, and Application. Need relates to the “So what?” question of why we need this research? Mechanism refers to unravelling the “chemical codes”, olfactory receptors implicated and brain processing to produce successful sender-receiver communication. Application deals with how to exploit our understanding of relevance and impact (Need), and mode of action (Mechanism) for societal benefits.
In an increasingly digital society, social online interactions are limited to audio-visual input with chemosensory input being mostly absent. But has the field provided sufficient evidence to support the additional impact of chemosignalling over other sensory channels to convince stakeholders of its benefits? Are these signals private? We need a narrative about benefits as well as risks to society from utilizing scientific insights about chemosignalling to address these concerns.
Mechanism and Application go hand in hand, in that understanding how chemosensory signals differ will enable technical solutions to detect or produce these distinctive signals as well as personal care product applications that can mask or boost them as desired. Based on the above, future research should prioritize 1) an unequivocal demonstration of impact from chemosignalling research, 2) creating a narrative addressing both benefits and risks to society, 3) a research focus on signal identification, both theory and data-driven, and 4) the pursuit of technical and personal care applications closely collaborating with technical start-ups and personal care industry.