TikTok has introduced us to plenty of bizarre trends, but “vabbing” may be one of the strangest yet. The viral practice claims that applying vaginal secretions to your pulse points can make you more attractive to potential partners, with some influencers insisting that it actually works.
TikTok has given rise to countless unusual trends, but vabbing might just take the prize for one of the wildest. The trend involves dabbing vaginal fluid onto areas such as the wrists, neck, and behind the ears, essentially using it like perfume.
Supporters claim the secretions contain pheromones that can make someone more sexually attractive.
But before you consider swapping your favorite fragrance for this unusual practice, which many people online have described as disgusting, it is worth taking a look at what scientists actually say.
Spoiler: There is little scientific evidence that vabbing makes people more attractive.
What exactly is vabbing?
The word “vabbing” combines “vagina” and “dabbing.” The practice involves collecting vaginal fluid and applying a small amount to pulse points, similar to how someone might apply perfume.
The theory behind it is that vaginal secretions contain pheromones — chemical signals that may influence attraction.
The trend gained widespread attention after influencer Mandy Lee discussed it in a viral TikTok video, claiming that vabbing could help attract dates and sexual partners.
“I swear if you vab, you will attract people,” she said, according to the Daily Mail.
Lee suggested applying a small amount behind the ears, on the wrists, or around the neck. She also argued that a person’s natural scent could be more effective than commercially produced “pheromone” perfumes.
Her video reportedly received more than 1.5 million views before being removed, but the idea had already taken off. Soon, other social media users began sharing their own experiences and claiming that vabbing made them more desirable.
One TikTok user even posted about trying the practice at the gym, later claiming that “it worked.”
Another user on X similarly insisted that vabbing was effective.
But does science actually support these claims?
Do humans have pheromones?
The basic theory behind vabbing sounds simple: If animals use pheromones to attract mates, perhaps humans do the same.
Pheromones are well established in the animal world. Different species use chemical signals to communicate, mark territory, warn of danger, and attract potential mates. Some insects, for example, can detect mating pheromones from remarkable distances.
Humans, however, are a much more complicated story.
Research into body odor and sexual attraction has not established that human pheromones play a clear or significant role in romantic attraction. Scientists continue to debate whether humans possess pheromones that work in the same powerful way they do in many animals.
Sex experts have also questioned the idea that vaginal secretions can function as a natural “pheromone perfume.”
Edwina Caito told Cosmopolitan that while human vaginal secretions may contain certain chemicals associated with pheromones, there is not enough evidence to suggest that they can create a powerful attraction response.
Professor Erick Janssen, a neuroscientist at KU Leuven in Belgium, also questioned the claims surrounding the viral trend.
He explained that pheromones in animals can influence sexual and reproductive behavior, but he seriously questioned whether the same claims could be applied to humans.
Importantly, pheromones are not simply ordinary smells that people consciously detect and respond to.
So while vabbing may sound scientifically plausible at first, there is currently no strong evidence that it acts as the attraction booster social media claims.
Could confidence be the reason?
There is another possible explanation for why some people believe vabbing works: the placebo effect.
If someone genuinely believes that vabbing will make them more attractive, they may feel more confident afterward.
And confidence itself can influence how someone behaves around other people.
As Caito explained, if the practice makes someone feel more attractive, that confidence may become noticeable to others — potentially creating the impression that the trend itself is working.
In other words, the confidence boost could be doing more than the vaginal fluid.
The potential risks of vabbing
For anyone still considering trying the trend, there are also health and hygiene concerns worth knowing about.
Hygiene is important
Using unwashed hands to collect vaginal fluid can introduce bacteria and potentially increase the risk of infection.
Gynecologists have warned that inserting dirty fingers into the vagina can irritate or injure delicate tissue and may contribute to infections, including bacterial vaginosis or yeast infections.
In more serious cases, bacteria introduced into the reproductive tract can potentially contribute to pelvic inflammatory disease.
So even apart from the questionable attraction claims, hygiene is an important consideration.
Could an STI be transmitted?
Another concern involves sexually transmitted infections.
Vaginal fluids can carry certain infections, and applying bodily fluids to areas that another person may later touch, kiss, or lick could potentially create an opportunity for transmission, depending on the infection involved.
That means people with an STI should be particularly cautious about practices involving the transfer of bodily fluids to another person’s skin or mouth.
The social side of the trend
There is also the question of social etiquette.
While some people online swear by vabbing, others have reacted with strong disgust after hearing about the trend.
For many people, the idea of someone using vaginal fluid as perfume is simply uncomfortable or off-putting.
And even if the science eventually reveals more about human body chemistry and attraction, it is safe to say that vabbing remains one of TikTok’s more controversial trends.
So, does vabbing actually work?
At this point, there is no convincing scientific evidence that applying vaginal fluid to your pulse points will make you more attractive or cause other people to become sexually interested in you.
The trend appears to be based largely on claims about human pheromones that remain scientifically uncertain.
For some people, the practice may simply provide a confidence boost — but that is very different from proving that vaginal secretions contain a powerful attraction chemical.
So, would you ever try vabbing, or is this one TikTok trend you are perfectly happy to skip?
Let us know what you think and share this story with others to hear their opinions.