Photo: Courtesy of Mélanie Berliet.
It's happened. We've finally been able to answer the question that's haunted philosophers, thespians, musicians, and, well, humanity for centuries: What is love? It's been living inside of us this whole time — oxytocin! Duh. And, now in true capitalistic form, we've bottled it up to be purchased at a moment's notice.
Liquid Trust
, a spray developed by Vero Labs, promises that one spritz of this odorless product will create a "trusting atmosphere" guaranteed to make a "lasting impression" on anyone you come into contact with. The oxytocin-laced formula is essentially a sprayable combination of purified water, rubbing alcohol, and a hormone your body naturally creates. Oxytocin is commonly referred to as the "cuddle chemical," because research has found the body's production of the hormone spikes during orgasm, and helps facilitate social interaction. So, it only seems natural that spraying more oxytocin onto your body would transform you into a people magnet, right?
Thought Catalog's Mélanie Berliet decided to take the plunge for all of us, giving the potion a test drive. Her unabashed account began on a positive note — copious amounts of Liquid Trust (and presumably some schmoozing) helped her return two-year-old pumps to Aldo, and her sex life improved for a night. But, all did not fare well in Berliet's newfound aura of purchased trust. A conversation with Kinsey Institute's Doctor Garcia revealed her spritzes of fabricated love and trust hormones were subtly changing the way she interacted with others, and therefore how others interacted with her, and not in a positive way. Liquid Trust was just a $50 ego boost — the equivalent of her successful Aldo return, only there's no return policy on personality fouls. (Thought Catalog)