<p>I have to confess, I love catching a whiff of beautiful scent when a woman (or man) walks by. One of life’s little pleasures, like a nice cup of tea or scratching your puppy’s ears.</p>
<p>However, in recent years, I hear more and more about people who object to the use of scent in public places. With the rise in bronchial problems, people are saying scent is objectionable.</p>
<p>I don’t know how I feel. I never want to cause another person distress, but I will be sad if I don’t get to drift past those lovely scents.</p>
<p>Love it–but don’t use it often enough! Wonder why? I am going to put some on as soon as I am done typing.</p>
<p>Though I find it bizarre when a man or woman walks by, yet strangely their scent remains long after they left the space!
Ick. Kinda like a jet trail. They must have a huge perfume/cologne budget.</p>
<p>Often when I am in a public place or office with people going in and out, I’ll suddenly start sneezing. I know for sure that this is caused by the scent of someone’s perfume or cosmetic product, but I can seldom pin down just whose it is.</p>
<p>Fortunately, the sneezing abates pretty quickly, but it would be nicer if these scents didn’t abound.</p>
<p>One of the happy things about cell phones as opposed to public phones is that you are not subjected to the god-awful traces of somebody’s aftershave or other product on the phone receiver!</p>
<p>I love perfume, too, and do wear it. I have never had any complaints, so i don’t think I am excessive about it. I think the retail market for it is still strong.</p>
<p>I wear Hermes Caleche, and love it. I have never had anyone tell me that they are sensitive to it (obviously, if a coworker had a sensitivity, I wouldn’t do so). I periodically read NowSmellThis or Perfume-Smellin’ Things blogs. I don’t perceive that scent is “going away.” Indeed, if anything, it’s more mainstream, with things like Bath & Body Works having low-priced scented things.</p>
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<p>The word you’re looking for is “sillage.” It has nothing to do with price or amount and everything to do with the chemical formulation and how that particular person’s chemistry reacts. Some perfumes smell horrible on some people - for example, when that Ralph Lauren “burgundy box” was so popular in the '90’s, it smelled awful on me.</p>
<p>I use scented soap and lotion and sometimes use aromatherapy oils, but don’t use perfume. I don’t think you should be able to smell someone unless you are kissing them
hello.</p>
<p>I do like incense or scented candles at home.</p>
<p>I don’t think perfume is going away but I do think it is either less in use than it was twenty years ago or people are using it more sparingly.</p>
<p>It’s a big issue for some. I especially get upset on airline flights or anywhere one can’t easily move away. I was never a big perfume user to begin with, but over the years have developed allergies to fragrances, including most perfumes, and some detergents and shampoos. Some are far worse than others. For example, some of the lighter Burberry perfumes do not affect me at all, while others can cause anything from skin rash to sneezing, nausea and headaches from a passing whiff. . It doesn’t necessarily have to be from someone who applies way too heavily, though that doesn’t help, of course.</p>
<p>I’ve been wondering the same thing, especially since I was recently in a place with “scent-free zone” signs. I used to use perfume but stopped when S1 was born, because he had allergies. I have not gotten back in the habit, and I probably won’t now, because so many people find it objectionable.</p>
<p>We have eyeglasses for our eyes and hearing aids for our ears. Oh, how I wish there were a similar device for our noses. I am olfactory-impaired. :(</p>
<p>Oh, I can smell some/many things…like a pot of chili as soon as I walk in the house, or suntan oil, or the scent of snow before it falls. But, I just don’t smell them as plainly as most people. Perfume and scented candles are a waste of money for me. </p>
<p>I envy all of you who can tell lemon from lime and No. 5 from No. 19. I guess I have the nose’s equivalent of colorblind. :(</p>
<p>I wear a little perfume every day. I wear a light fragrance as I do get headaches walking through the perfume area in stores with heavier tones. Scents are important to me and many of my memories are tied to scent. I sometimes wear a fragrance as a defensive mechanism if I know I will be around others who have embraced a more “natural” approach to hygiene. For those sensitive to fragrances can you smell scented shampoo/conditioner and deodorants?</p>
<p>Dougbetsy–I would pay you to trade. As a person who is highly allergic to perfumes and most anything that smells, my opinion is perfumes and making 99% of products smell is not going away. Unfortunately for those of us who respond by getting sick. People may wear a bit less perfume, but it’s made up for when so many products are so heavily scented. It is not easy to try to buy everything “scent-free”, and the whole problem is worse when one lives in the #2 smoking state…</p>
<p>I appreciate the kind comments of posters above me who try to be sensitive to scent-challenged folks such as myself.</p>
<p>I don’t have a very good sense of smell, though I find that the fewer dairy products I eat, the better my sense of smell becomes.</p>
<p>When I get a sneezing fit that is almost certainly a reaction to scented cosmetics, I often cannot actually smell whatever it is I am reacting to. No idea if it’s perfume, deodorant, shampoo, etc.</p>
<p>I am also sensitive to fragrances and wish people would wear less. I can not breath sometimes when a scent is very strong that bothers me. I can smell shampoo and tell you what brand. I hate the type of head and shoulders my dh is using right now and he will never get again if I can help it. No H&S product is without a problem but the ocean fresh scent makes me sick. Most of the time a bad fragrance will give me welts around my mouth and my face turns red. My skin will be so dry and crack the next day or two. My sinus get really stuffy and my eyes will water. I am just miserable the whole time. I use fragrance free products as much as possible. I can not use any lotions on my face because I am allergic to even the most mild ones. My dermatologist has tried. It is the preservatives in them too.</p>
<p>I’m another one who is very sensitive to fragrances. I use unscented soap, shampoo and laundry detergent at home, but have a miserable time when I’m exposed to fragrances around me. It’s especially difficult in some hotels and bed and breakfasts that launder their linens in products with powerful fragrances. Concerts are completely ruined for me by folks with perfume!</p>
<p>I am in the middle, I like and do wear perfume, but many do give me a headache. From my experience the older classic fragrances cause less trouble, maybe it’s the natural ingredients. The newer scents (1970s and beyond) use a lot if not mostly synthetic ingredients. I do like to use unscented products in my home like laundry soap, dish soap, bath soap etc. I want to control what I smell and what I smell like, and may of these scents they use in stuff is bad an cheap. I never wear perfume when I am going to be in a closed in space, say a theater or an airplane. I would never wear perfume to a hospital either.</p>
