Smelling good might be the key to attracting opposite sex

Eye-opening new research from TNS Ncompass Online shows that what might be a big turn off in the UK can make you appear attractive elsewhere - and that different qualities attract the opposite sex in France and Germany than in Italy and Spain.

The results are good news for curvy women. Although almost a quarter of British men (22 per cent) see overweight women as a big turn off, the rest of Europe are far less concerned with weight. Only nine per cent of French men see weight as an issue, and ten per cent on Italian men.

Topping the chart across Europe, body odour is viewed as the biggest turn off for men and women - and Spanish men are more turned off by bad body odour than anywhere else in Europe (43 per cent of Spanish men cited this vs. a European average of 36 per cent). However, British men see body odour as only a slightly greater turn off than weight (27 per cent cite odour vs. 22 per cent weight). Across the continent, women are more put off by body odour than men, with over half of women listing this as the biggest turn off (51 per cent) compared with 36 per cent of men.

In fact, women seem more susceptible to smells across the board, with bad breath appearing as another key turn-off. More Italian men and women are put off by bad breath than any other Europeans. Whilst an average 17 per cent of European women rate bad breadth as the biggest turn-off, German women are far more concerned with teeth than with breath. 27 per cent of German women list bad teeth as the top turn-off, compared with nine per cent bad breath.

'Thinking about physical attraction, what do you think turns men off women the most?'
(asked to men):



'Thinking about physical attraction, what do you think turns women off men the most?'
(asked to women):



The TNS Ncompass Online results also shed light on differences in personal grooming habits - providing valuable insight for businesses wanting to target different nationalities with their personal care products. Whilst an average 81 per cent of European women remove unwanted body hair all year round, rising to 94 per cent in the summer months, a significant 13 per cent of German and Italian women never remove body hair. By contrast, just two per cent of British women choose never to remove unwanted body hair.

Surprisingly, German men have a very different attitude to hair-removal than German women - with almost half (46 per cent) removing unwanted body hair, in addition to facial shaving, all year round. Italian men prefer to go au naturale - 78 per cent never remove body hair, apart from facial shaving.

Anita Emery, Group Director, TNS Ncompass, comments: 'Whilst the TNS Ncompass Online results give some fun insight into different habits and preferences across Europe, they also provide critical intelligence for businesses looking to engage with different markets. Whilst some marketers may target the continent as one melting pot of consumers, our results prove that there remain key cultural differences that must be acknowledged - whether you are an individual going on holiday or a company wanting to engage with customers. Whilst some trends and preferences are commonplace between countries, there is no doubt that Europe represents a hugely diverse mix of cultures and attitudes - and consumer research is vital in helping to understand this.'

Other highlights from the study include:

• German women are least likely to remove unwanted body hair all year round (68 per cent) whilst Spanish women are the most likely (90 per cent)

• Nearly a quarter of European men remove unwanted body hair all year round (24 per cent)

• 13 per cent of Italian and Spanish men make a special effort to remove hair in the summer - compared with just 8 per cent of British men

• 13 per cent of German and Italian women never remove body hair - compared with just one per cent of Spanish women and two per cent in Britain and France