Interested in what others are experiencing and thinking about exposure to a wide range of scents. The topic has surfaced in other threads and as follow up to that, thought I’d ask if CCers have any negative effects from exposure to scents others find appealing, as well as if you enjoy wearing scents or walking into highly scented shops, etc. Many scents cause migraines here and some (like musk) create a sensation that throat is closing and make my eyes water. Recently traveled to a European fashion capital where perfumes were ubiquitous; hotel room and shops had signature scents and a higher percentage of people wore them. For me, it is similar to second hand smoke, though not sure that the consequences of long term exposure would be the same. I like scents, but most of them hate me. Physical barriers (scarves and thin health masks) seem ineffective and in confined spaces (planes, theaters, hotels, waiting rooms, restaurants, etc), it is especially tough.
For those who like to wear scents out, what would it mean to avoid them in public places where others would be impacted over time? Shops use scents for branding and advertising; are reports that some (though a minority) have to avoid them part of the dialogue? This dilemma is complicated and wondered what ideas people have.
I can’t walk within 100 feet of a Yankee Candle store and think Febreeze should be illegal. Both are examples of chemical goo that for whatever reason my body interprets as nauseating. America loves fake scent and for those of us who react to it, the result isn’t much different than the repulsion most people would feel when they smell roadkill.
That said, few essential oils or basic scents are unpleasant and there are many that I like, so the problem likely lies in one of the additives or preservatives.
There are some people who have a strong perfumed smell that although I don’t personally care for the smell, doesn’t make me feel sick. Others… not so much. The worst was when I was pregnant since my sense of smell was so acute at that point. I couldn’t even go to the grocery store because standing in line with all those “stinky” people made me barf. Glad I’m not pregnant any more, I’d have to live in a very isolated place.
Candles, incense, and heavy perfume annoy me, but not to the point of causing headaches. I’m much more frequently bothered by second hand smoke from smokers out in public, which is worse as the smoke clings to my clothes for a while afterwards.
Certain hair treatments and oils
Diesel
Tuna or other fishy food eaten on a plane
Body odor
I do however like those stores with all the scents. I love lavender products especially. Recently a study came out that said lavender oil was better than Valium for anxiety.
I am pretty scentsitive. I can’t stand fashion magazines filled with perfume ads. Fortunately I don’t run into it too much out in public. Sometimes walking through the neighborhood I get a wiff of somebody’s scented dryer sheets which bothers me but doesn’t kill me. The worst experience I had recently was at a B&B that apparently used some type of scented fabric softener on the linens. I had trouble sleeping and felt my skin crawling while lying in bed. Quite unpleasant. I think we left a comment.
I am probably most sensitive to the smell of cigarette or cigar smoke, which fortunately I am not exposed to very often. I can smell a cigar from a mile away. Sometimes I have noticed a cigar smoker 4 or 5 cars (yes, driving, cars) in front of me. Almost every “non-smoking” hotel room I have ever stepped into reeks of smoke, unsuccessfully masked with air fresheners.
20+ years ago my eyes would water and i couldn’t stand walking through department store perfume areas. But now – it doesn’t phase me. I wonder why i’ve changed? I do know that in our public school kindergarten, no room deodorizers, lysol, glade, or anything with smell can be used but in the private preschool a block away, they use those products all the time.
The only thing that bothers me is those scented things people hang in cars (especially cabs). My husband was big on those for awhile and I thought I was just carsick until I figured out it was the hanging pine tree or whatever. I researched it and found that a lot of people react poorly to the car hanging scents. I’m good with perfume or candle shops, but the strong middle Eastern incenses in some shops make me a little sick.
Good perfume doesn’t bother me, but cheap does. I’m not sure if it’s the cheap ingredients or the processes.
There really should be a law against this. I was on a plane the other day where someone was eating fish. I really thought her seatmate was going to toss her - and her dinner - out the emergency exit mid-flight.
Yes, a forced close space like a plane makes bad scents much worse. There’s no way to get away.
I was on a plane last week. A man who must not have washed his behind in a long time bent over across the aisle from my aisle seat with his unwashed butt waaay too close to my face. Gag!
Just yesterday, H & I were at happy hour and a woman sat next to H. She seriously must have used cheap perfume for laundry detergent. H, who normally is not affected by scents/smells, said to me that his beer was starting to taste like perfume. It was that pungent. We moved and now I think he understands my sensitivity. Please ladies, everything in moderation!
I’m allergic to a lot of scents and car thingies and smoke especially bother me. I always choose very light perfumes, usually Elizabeth Arden or Marc Jacobs. I try to minimize what I have around me in terms of allergens (thank god people can’t smoke indoors in most places), but most of the time it isn’t an issue. I don’t see restricting what other people can do, although the other day some girl was eating sushi in the elevator and I had a few unchristian thoughts about that.
Polyurethane is the one smell I can’t stand. DH does woodworking in the basement, and the second he starts staining something I can smell it in our upstairs bedroom. Gives me a bad headache. Our house wasn’t finished when we moved in, long ago, and I remember feeling sick for weeks while the trim was being stained.
@gosmom it’s not just ladies. I’ve been seated near business travelers who used WAYYYYYY too much after shave…or something.
We get unscented almost everything in our home. Anything with a scent has a very light scent. We also don’t mix scents. No one here has perfume or after shave.
I needed to buy something at a Yankee Candle store (not a candle). I was with my daughter. I held my breath, went into the store and found the item. Send DD in to buy it. She doesn’t mind the smells that much.
There are signs just about everywhere we go these days asking folks to please not wear scented products. Movie theaters, concerts, restaurants, coffee shops…lots of places.
Most scents make my sinus close up, my eyes close and water. I have to use unscented laundry detergent. We should get rid of our cats because their kitty litter bothers me (clean or used, doesn’t matter, the scent of the litter or the scent of their output both bother me).
Candles and air fresheners are a definite trigger, doesn’t matter the scent or quality. If you have air fresheners plugged in at your house and I come visit I won’t be staying long.
I think it is a safe bet that if a person wears some sort of cologne or after shave then goes out in public that they will be bothering someone else at least once during the day.
Sadly, I have lost much of my sense of smell but STILL my body reacts to strong scents I can’t even smell (though H can and gets us both away).
We don’t do well with most strong scents of any sort. It causes all of us to have post nasal drip and worse. If S’s nose detects any tobacco smoke he immediately starts wheezing. We do have that noted on our room reservations and most hotels are able to accommodate.
My relative has signs at her dermatology practice warning patients that she is highly allergic to scents and her nurse will turn away and reschedule anyone who has a detectable scent. The relative gets a terrible migraine from the scents.
I’m not physically sensitive, but I hate most artificial smells. Flowers, fresh cut grass, pine trees - I love these smells. Walking into a store smelling of incense - sorry, I’m not buying anything (it’s likely not my style anyway). Unfortunately, we have a disagreement with DH over his aftershave, but he agreed to a just faintly smelling one after I refused point-blank to kiss him
I have severe allergies. Been this way since birth. Many fragrances cause my sinuses and eyes to inflame and react. Many can trigger my asthma as well. Hives have developed too. We cannot use fragranced laundry detergent (or fragranced anything) in my family because I can’t have it in my clothes or house.
Just as I cannot stay in a house with cats or dogs for an extended period of time, I cannot stay in a house with air fresheners for an extended period of time. Perfume/cologne on other people makes me feel sick. Walking near a Lush store makes me feel sick.
I do everything I can to live in a world full of animal dander, dust, mold, pollen, and fragrances. I am medicated 24/7. I carry an inhaler. I have received immunotherapy for, well, decades. But that can only block a reaction so far.
The best thing is to avoid what makes me sick. Which is really hard to do. Because the general non-allergic public often doesn’t have a concept of just how bad it can be for some of us and downplays it. And not just in terms of fragrances but other allergens as well such as animal dander.
My mother used to wear a perfume called Youth Dew by Estee Lauder (I think). It was a real “elevator gagger”! I remember being a kid and asking my parents to open the car window a crack, in winter, because it was bothering me so much.
I’m super sensitive to scents and can’t walk through the perfume counters in department stores or the ones that have all the soap out. I hate when I’m in a confined space with someone wearing too much perfume or aftershave. I will get a headache 100% of the time.
