It should not work as you pointed out. But I've seen it work almost perfectly and so its worth it to me.
I have had odd things happen as well.I have had deer walk downwind of me while I was not wearing any type of scent loc and for some reason they didn't spook.Wishful thinking would lead me to believe that deer can't scent me or are not afraid of my scent but I chalk it up to blind luck or one of natures strange mysteries.In order to prove that it was the scent loc that prevented the deer from smelling you,you would have had to remove the scent loc clothing and the deer would have had to become alarmed and flee.Then again you would have to know for sure that the deer did not see or hear you removing the scent loc and that this was not the reason for them becoming alarmed.All in all it is virtually impossible to prove and I will continue to spend my dollars on thinks that have proven to be of value to me while hunting such as better optics,more accurate firearms,and clothes and boots that have proven to be warm and waterproof.