Social odors are a staple of social communication in many species.  Most of the work in this field has emphasized conspecific communication via specialized secretions, from the powerful pheromones of some insect species to the ethologically richer, if often less dramatic, semiochemicals of mammalian social networks.  There also is considerable evidence, however, that animals other than humans use exogenous materials to alter their scents.  Does this suggest an evolutionary history for humans’ use of perfumes and deodorants?  If so, what can this tell us about humans’ strategies for constructing their “social scents”, and the signals that we are intentionally and/or unintentionally sending?