If you read my thread on DHEA, I think some pheromones can turn to other target hormones through enzymes on the skin and be absorbed into the body. Since the ammount being used and converted is so little and insignificant it should have little to no impact. However everyday use could have some potential. 25mg of DHEA a day is essentially HRT.

With that said, I'm not worried and will continue to use pheromones. I would be more worried about phyto-estrogens in our food, but that's another days lesson.

This is part of the reason why I chose to use silicones so extensively. They should prevent absorption significantly versus an alcohol based formula.

This is also the reason why I pay extra to have the pheromones purified to close to 99% before using them in a formula. The impurities can be many different, very strange molecules left over from the oxidation or reduction state of the synthesis - some of them with very reactive and unstable groups (example: Androstenol-3-Permanganate) This is why I think it is so important to purity them as much as possible before using them. I ordered a batch from China about a year ago and found it was 80% pure, with the other 20% being (suspected from strucure elucidation) all kinds of sulfates and permanganates and dehydrogenates and it was tainted with lead. I had to throw it out as it was grossly impure. That was my last order from China.

Ken, you also order a lot of the pure chemicals. You have to be extremely careful when handling them to prevent exposing yourself to mega-doses. They are very fine particles which are very persistent on surfaces, and can travel far away from the source due to ionization or static electricity. You have to always wear a mask and long sleeve gloves, and clean surfaces meticulously to avoid exposing yourself.

I can guarantee my singles are at least 98% (more often closer to 99%) pure, and do not contain bizzare impurities. From other companies, who really knows where it comes from or whether or not it's pure. I'm not trying to advertise myself here, I am just telling it like it is.

For the sake of knowing, maybe you can send a small amount of one of the compounds from another company into Steraloids (talk to emanuelle), and they can run TLC for about 100 bucks to tell you how pure it is.

Ken, over-exposure to pure compounds or even minimal exposure to impure compounds can be the route of your problems.