The Problem with "Fragrance"

[Tall Blond(ish)]

Look at the ingredient label on almost any product in your bathroom, and you will probably find somewhere on that list the innocuous sounding word, "fragrance". Manufacturers are not required to list the individual ingredients because they claim it would violate their ability to protect trade secrets. The result is a totally mysterious cocktail of chemicals, many of which have been shown to have very undesirable effects. Here is an article if you're interested in more detail: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/toxic-perfumes-and-colognes/.

I am not a radical hippie by any means, but I started noticing just how many products I come in contact with list "fragrance". The average person might take a shower with some kind of soap, perhaps a separate face wash, shampoo and condition her hair, then put on some deodorant. We then put on clothes that were washed with detergent and fabric softener. That's half a dozen products with "fragrance" then add lotions, gels, sprays, powders, and all those other concoctions we use and then, just in case some molecule of human scent has escaped this mountain of fragrance, we top it all off with perfume.

I like a nice scent as much as anyone, but this seems a little ridiculous. Then we are surrounded with a house full of cleaners, most of which also contain "fragrance".

I don't think that any one fragranced product is going to kill me, it seems reasonable to be concerned about this vat of unidentified chemical fragrance we seem to be living in.

Many of the secret ingredients in "fragrance" are known to cause allergies and contact dermatitis. If you have gone out of your way to avoid sulfates, or "cones", or any other ingredient, it may be possible that the real culprit is that harmless sounding "fragrance" humbly hiding at the bottom of the list.

[schnibbles]

I definitely agree...I had contact dermatitis around my eyes a few years ago. Let me tell you, it was miserable. (Painful, burning, angry red.) I think people assume it won't happen to them because they don't have "sensitive skin" when actually, you can develop it at any time weather your skin is reactive or not. My dermatologist told me to go completely fragrance free, as contact dermatitis is nearly impossible to pin down. Once your body isn't fighting the chemicals, it can heal itself. Chronic contact dermatitis is like throwing gas on a fire, an auto immune response that becomes a vicious cycle.

Everytime I see a thread on LHC about people claiming their scalp is itchy and uncomfortable, asking what they should do, I want to yell across the internets... the first thing you should try is getting rid of the products that contain parfum. If it's not causing it, it definitely isn't helping the situation.

I read a study where they found fragrance chemicals in cord blood. This essentially means that our bodies absorb these chemicals, store them, and pass them on to fetuses. Aha, I found the article - http://safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=601

[Rosetta]

We then put on clothes that were washed with detergent and fabric softener.
Washing with soapnuts is one way to decrese this "fragrance overload" - no fragrance of any kind; and fabric softener is imo totally unnecessary (but marketers have brainwashed people into thinking it is necessary)...

[spidermom]

I've never been able to stand fabric softener - way too perfumey for me. It can be a challenge to find fragrance-free products; I've tried.

[Rosa Harris]

Even quite a few 'natural' products will have fragrances in them. It totally irritates me - in more than one way. I have a terrible time with lots of perfumes - often they will break out my eczema skin problem or trigger the asthma. I've started cooking up a lot of my own things using ingredients that I know work with my skin. I've spot tested the ingredients that I use before cooking up a batch of this or that.

I agree soapnuts are great! I have a site I use for getting quality ingredients (not the nuts) http://www.bulkapothecary.com/ for making cosmetics

[Tall Blond(ish)]

fabric softener is imo totally unnecessary (but marketers have brainwashed people into thinking it is necessary)...

When I started moving away from fragrance, I kept looking for a fabric softener replacement until I realized that my clothes all came out just fine without one. If I happen to leave something in the tumble dryer for too long and it comes out super charged, I just spritz it with plain water and give it a shake.

[Ocelan]

Oh boy do I know this problem! I can't use anything with a fragrance as I'm hypersensitive to them. It is a struggle to find all products as non-fragranced ones but it can more or less be done. My laundry detergent, home cleaning products, dish washing liquid, conditioner and the occasional shampoo, face washes (the rare times I use them), makeup, moisturisers and sunscreen are all fragrance free. The only things I have not been able to replace for fragrance free ones are a coney deep conditioner and my clarifying shampoo. I also do not wear any perfume.

I know I still put a lot of chemicals on myself from the products listed above, but basically I am dodging the problem above by not using fragranced products. It has also helped me tolerate other people's perfumes a bit more when I'm not constantly surrounded by them. I haven't been hypersensitive all my life though, only the past 10 years or so, so I'm sure there's something in that stuff that is bad and caused the reaction I nowadays get from fragrances.

[sumidha]

Using products with mystery fragrances was never a habit I acquired. My mom had pretty severe environmental allergies, walking by a perfume counter or down the detergent aisle was enough to trigger an asthma attack, so we bought everything non-scented and never had things like fabric softener or air freshener or perfume in the house.

Now that I'm an adult I notice that I still strongly prefer things without added artificial fragrance, and find the smell of 99% of conventional perfumes really unpleasant. If I want something that smells nice, I use an essential oil.

ETA: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ is a really cool website where you can look up information on the ingredients in cosmetics and shampoos and things like that. :)

[Scarlet_Heart]

White vinegar can be used in place of fabric softener. No lingering smell.

ETA: I know what you mean though. I was looking for un-fragranced shampoo so I could scent it myself with essential oils. Couldn't find any anywhere.

[xoChesleyy]

I agree 100%. Fragrances have so many diverse effects on our health. http://www.ourlittleplace.com/chemicals.html
The sad thing is, it isn't just fragrances that are harmful for your health. There are thousands of chemicals in everyday products people use that cause cancer, disrupt the endocrine system, cause brain damage, and the list continues.. These billion dollar industries do not care about your health or have your health in mind when they produce these harmful products. It's just money in their pocket. Here is a list of more ingredients to avoid, however you can find a complete list on Google. http://benaturallyou.com/information/skin-care/top-10-chemicals-to-avoid/ I make sure that all of the products I buy are organic or completely natural.

[Anje]

I hear you!

Some things are OK, but in my household, deodorant, laundry detergent, and fabric softener (when it's used, which isn't often because it's hard to find) have to be fragrance-free. Somebody gets the itchies if they're not.

[Kelli Kat]

I have very very extreme asthma and can't be around anything with fragance. I've managed to find fragance-free for all of my products, it takes a bit of work. I can't even be around people who use scented lotion or wear perfume. So I try not to go out to public places very often like restaurants, movies, etc. Can't be around flowers of any kind, nothing. It can be a bit of pain the arse sometimes but you got to do what you got do.

[chen bao jun]

Yeah, i'm seriously allergic to fragrance too, even if its chemical. Its funny, I love flowers and love their smell and have no hay fever whatever. But perfume, forget it. And any product that's perfumey, forget it even more.
this is a problem because people don't believe me, or others with this problem. the choir director will say, please don't wear perfume, but its duelling perfumes every time we perform. I'm not the worst off, I have a friend who had to quit choir because even her inhaler wasn't helping with it.
the worst is in my house. I have one last teenager. Any date night, he's drenched with cologne. he seems to think that I won't know he put it on if he shuts his room door while applying. Or that 'I'm sorry Mom' will fix it, when he's put me in bed with a headache. He also wants to febreze his clothes. I can't even deal with fabric softener sheets and with perfumed detergents (we use all free and clear) and he want to febreeze?
It took YEARS to train my husband that if he wanted a romantic date night, he should leave the cologne off. And even more years to train him not to give gifts of perfume to me, I can't even open them no matter how expensive.
Right now I am suffering with deodorants. I find one that works for a while, the latest was Tom of Maine's and then suddenly it starts giving me rashes so that I have bleeding, open sores under my arms. that's my state right now and I'm looking for something else. Of course summer has started so that I actually need deodorant if I'm going to do any exercise. In winter you can sometimes cheat with this a bit, if you are being inactive.
And yes, I 've tried baking soda and yes, I've tried coconut oil, neither one does it.

[xoChesleyy]

Yeah, i'm seriously allergic to fragrance too, even if its chemical. Its funny, I love flowers and love their smell and have no hay fever whatever. But perfume, forget it. And any product that's perfumey, forget it even more.
this is a problem because people don't believe me, or others with this problem. the choir director will say, please don't wear perfume, but its duelling perfumes every time we perform. I'm not the worst off, I have a friend who had to quit choir because even her inhaler wasn't helping with it.
the worst is in my house. I have one last teenager. Any date night, he's drenched with cologne. he seems to think that I won't know he put it on if he shuts his room door while applying. Or that 'I'm sorry Mom' will fix it, when he's put me in bed with a headache. He also wants to febreze his clothes. I can't even deal with fabric softener sheets and with perfumed detergents (we use all free and clear) and he want to febreeze?
It took YEARS to train my husband that if he wanted a romantic date night, he should leave the cologne off. And even more years to train him not to give gifts of perfume to me, I can't even open them no matter how expensive.
Right now I am suffering with deodorants. I find one that works for a while, the latest was Tom of Maine's and then suddenly it starts giving me rashes so that I have bleeding, open sores under my arms. that's my state right now and I'm looking for something else. Of course summer has started so that I actually need deodorant if I'm going to do any exercise. In winter you can sometimes cheat with this a bit, if you are being inactive.
And yes, I 've tried baking soda and yes, I've tried coconut oil, neither one does it.

I used to have the SAME issue as you about deodorants. I tried baking soda and coconut oil, which didn't work for me either. And the Tom of Maine's burned my underarms horribly and gave me a terrible rash that didn't go away for days the first time I used it. The only thing that has worked for me so far is this. http://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Deodorant-Stone-Unscented-Ounce/dp/B00028QA72/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1398205452&sr=8-2&keywords=deodorant+crystal It is very inexpensive and one crystal lasts for a minimum of six months to as long as a year. If you haven't tried that one out yet, I would suggest giving it a shot! (:

[chen bao jun]

Thank you SO much, I am heading over there right now.

I used to have the SAME issue as you about deodorants. I tried baking soda and coconut oil, which didn't work for me either. And the Tom of Maine's burned my underarms horribly and gave me a terrible rash that didn't go away for days the first time I used it. The only thing that has worked for me so far is this. http://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Deodorant-Stone-Unscented-Ounce/dp/B00028QA72/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1398205452&sr=8-2&keywords=deodorant+crystal It is very inexpensive and one crystal lasts for a minimum of six months to as long as a year. If you haven't tried that one out yet, I would suggest giving it a shot! (:

[Scarlet_Heart]

Thank you SO much, I am heading over there right now.

I use milk of magnesia as a deodorant and it's wonderful.

[xoChesleyy]

Thank you SO much, I am heading over there right now.

You are very welcome! I just use it as soon as I get out of the shower while my underarms are still damp. If they are dry, I just dampen the crystal a bit first. The trick is, you don't apply it like you would a normal deodorant. You just dampen the crystal then apply it all over your underarm about 15 seconds for each underarm.

Good luck, I hope it works for you as well. Let me know if it does! (:

[Tall Blond(ish)]

its duelling perfumes every time we perform.

When I was younger, I remember women would always use unscented toiletries because they didn't want to anything to clash with their perfume, but these days it seems like everyone just thinks, "the more the better"! I realize no one wants to stink, but how bad do we really think we smell to need that much perfume every day?

That's one of the reasons I have taken to shampoo bars since LHC turned me onto them. BS was too harsh for me, but the shampoo bars do the trick with only essential oils!

[meteor]

You are very welcome! I just use it as soon as I get out of the shower while my underarms are still damp. If they are dry, I just dampen the crystal a bit first. The trick is, you don't apply it like you would a normal deodorant. You just dampen the crystal then apply it all over your underarm about 15 seconds for each underarm.

Good luck, I hope it works for you as well. Let me know if it does! (:

I second the crystal deodorant recommendation. They are excellent. I don't have fragrance hypersensitivity though, I got them simply because they leave absolutely no marks on clothes. Also, crystals help keep feet dry and odorless, too!
Check your local stores - I think they are available in some pharmacies.

[ravenreed]

I try to avoid fragrances in products because I have a sensitivity to them. They give me a migraine and make me nauseous. However, I am extremely allergic to soapnuts, so I use fragrance free laundry soap and dryer sheets. Alas, the humidity is so low here that any time I run laundry without dryer sheets everything is all stuck together with static. I hate static!

[ravenreed]

I get something similar at the health food store. It doesn't quite cut it during the hottest time of the year for me but otherwise works pretty well. The only reason I don't use it more often is that I prefer an anti-antiperspirant. TMI warning ahead! However, I am ample chested and tend to sweat along the bra band during the summer. I will sometimes use the crystal deodorant there, JIC.


I used to have the SAME issue as you about deodorants. I tried baking soda and coconut oil, which didn't work for me either. And the Tom of Maine's burned my underarms horribly and gave me a terrible rash that didn't go away for days the first time I used it. The only thing that has worked for me so far is this. http://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Deodorant-Stone-Unscented-Ounce/dp/B00028QA72/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1398205452&sr=8-2&keywords=deodorant+crystal It is very inexpensive and one crystal lasts for a minimum of six months to as long as a year. If you haven't tried that one out yet, I would suggest giving it a shot! (:

[renia22]

I try to avoid fragrances in products because I have a sensitivity to them. They give me a migraine and make me nauseous. However, I am extremely allergic to soapnuts, so I use fragrance free laundry soap and dryer sheets. Alas, the humidity is so low here that any time I run laundry without dryer sheets everything is all stuck together with static. I hate static!

Same here, and recently I read that if you throw a crumbled up ball of aluminum foil into the dryer like a dryer sheet, it's supposed to take care of static & you can use it over and over. I keep forgetting to try it. But if it works, then that's the best kept secret, ever!

[EdG]

I don't like odors, good or bad. I think we are overloading our sense of smell with products filled with fragrances.

I too use "free and clear" laundry detergent.
Ed

[cat11]

This frustrates me too.

Another bad thing is that if you like the smell you cant replicate it. I have a kukui oil organix mix that smells so good but I have no idea what the "fragrance" is though its clearly floral. I want perfume in the scent but i dont know what it is.

Unknown could be potential danger. What if I was allergic?

[Scarlet_Heart]

I get something similar at the health food store. It doesn't quite cut it during the hottest time of the year for me but otherwise works pretty well. The only reason I don't use it more often is that I prefer an anti-antiperspirant. TMI warning ahead! However, I am ample chested and tend to sweat along the bra band during the summer. I will sometimes use the crystal deodorant there, JIC.

I'm telling ya, try milk of magnesia. You can get it at the dollar store even. Just use a cotton round (not ball) to smear some on. I would get that certain dry stuff that is supposed to work for anyone and (tmi) I would still smell myself. And it has all that aluminum crap in it. Milk of magnesia works even on the hottest days for me. It's worth a try at least. It's gentle and unscented. Doesn't leave marks on clothes.

[Stellaaa]

I'm telling ya, try milk of magnesia. You can get it at the dollar store even. Just use a cotton round (not ball) to smear some on. I would get that certain dry stuff that is supposed to work for anyone and (tmi) I would still smell myself. And it has all that aluminum crap in it. Milk of magnesia works even on the hottest days for me. It's worth a try at least. It's gentle and unscented. Doesn't leave marks on clothes.

You've convinced me. I've got to try this.

I've always had trouble with deodorants, I always feel like they smell worse than I do. And then they make me smell worse than without. And antiperspirants? My body laughs at those and washes them off with it's own sweat. I thought I'd tried just about everything when I was ballroom dancing, but I never heard of using Milk of Magnesia. I finally settled on the crystal rock or a liquid version of same (it has a bit of lavender in it), because it seems to keep me more or less smell free and seems to be very harmless. And it lasts and lasts ...

[Anje]

the choir director will say, please don't wear perfume, but its duelling perfumes every time we perform. I'm not the worst off, I have a friend who had to quit choir because even her inhaler wasn't helping with it.
Yeah... every choir me or my DH has been in has had a strict "no scents!" policy. It doesn't always get through to people (maybe if they started threatening to throw people out!), but at least it's not like the laundry aisle gauntlet at the grocery store. I'm not allergic, but even my eyes burn when I walk through there!

[Anje]

the choir director will say, please don't wear perfume, but its duelling perfumes every time we perform. I'm not the worst off, I have a friend who had to quit choir because even her inhaler wasn't helping with it.
Yeah... every choir me or my DH has been in has had a strict "no scents!" policy. It doesn't always get through to people (maybe if they started threatening to throw people out!), but at least it's not like the laundry aisle gauntlet at the grocery store. I'm not allergic, but even my eyes burn when I walk through there!

[Scarlet_Heart]

You've convinced me. I've got to try this.

I've always had trouble with deodorants, I always feel like they smell worse than I do. And then they make me smell worse than without. And antiperspirants? My body laughs at those and washes them off with it's own sweat. I thought I'd tried just about everything when I was ballroom dancing, but I never heard of using Milk of Magnesia. I finally settled on the crystal rock or a liquid version of same (it has a bit of lavender in it), because it seems to keep me more or less smell free and seems to be very harmless. And it lasts and lasts ...

Neat! I'd be interested to know what you think of it. I might try that crystal stuff too because a lot of people seem to really like it. And if it's easier to apply than MoM, then I might like to give it a shot.

[ravenreed]

I have used MOM as a face mask to combat oily skin... you wipe it on, let it dry and wash it off. I will have to try this.
I'm telling ya, try milk of magnesia. You can get it at the dollar store even. Just use a cotton round (not ball) to smear some on. I would get that certain dry stuff that is supposed to work for anyone and (tmi) I would still smell myself. And it has all that aluminum crap in it. Milk of magnesia works even on the hottest days for me. It's worth a try at least. It's gentle and unscented. Doesn't leave marks on clothes.

[GoldenSilk]

So normally, I think "chemical" phobia is kinda silly because literally everything is a chemical or mixture of chemicals. Heck, nearly all perfumes are mixtures of compounds that were first isolated from natural flowers, spices, etc. and their essential oils, and then either extracted from essential oils, or reproduced exactly in a lab. For instance, the scent of cinnamon is produced by a single chemical, cinnamaldehyde (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamaldehyde). It makes sense when you consider that we perceive a scent because of airborne chemicals sticking to receptors in our noses, and each receptor is specialized to a certain class of molecules or even one specific molecule. A lot of scents are mixes, though, and we haven't figured out what all the different components are, which is why the human-made versions seem artificial... Like grapes/wine, coffee, or tea, which is also why there are lots of variations in how they naturally taste.

All that said... I'm very allergic and/or intolerant to many commercial perfumed products, possibly due to some kind of carrier solvent. I can't use scented laundry detergent or fabric softener. I use white vinegar in the rinse cycle and dryer balls in place of the latter; it works great! I dislike or outright abhor most perfumes, especially floral or musky scents. This is one reason I use cheap conditioner from the "naturals" lines, even though I don't care whether something is natural or not, because that line tends to have food scents like coconut, mint, vanilla, lime, etc., which I'm much less allergic to than florals. Unscented Febreze is fine, although I think it might just be citric acid and water... :p

The very, very worst is perfumes that are aerosolized... I'm talking about stuff like Febreze Air Effects and Axe body spray. Both are merely unpleasant to me when settled out of the air, but just after they've been sprayed, I have a very strong reaction... It's not anaphylaxis, but it might be asthma-like. I feel like I'm not getting enough air, get dizzy, my eyes burn... Anyway, I've had to go home from school, band practice, work (had a boss who hated me and refused to stop spraying perfume during my shifts :rolleyes:), and once had to go spend the night at my dad's after my college roommate sprayed the unventilated stairwell with a whole can of Air Effects... :run:

It does seem that my perfume sensitivities are additive, so I try to cut back on scented products. I just went back to fragrance free lotion after a failed experiment. I don't know if I will ever go to fragrance free conditioner... I like the way my freshly washed hair smells too much, even though it can get a little overwhelming in the shower.

[Willowyn]

Interesting. I'd pretty much given up on anti-perspirant - just using cornstarch-based powder and/or chafing relief gel, but I still get rashes. I'll have to try the crystal idea - maybe even MOM. As for fabric softener, we're barely using it these days and may give it up altogether, now that we're using wool dryer balls. They are awesome and I love 'em, even if occasionally one of them does manage to escape by hiding in a sleeve of my DH's shirt. Here's a link to one of the brands (the one I bought) on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Woolzies-Dryer-Natural-Fabric-Softener/dp/B0067STK3C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1398297078&sr=8-2&keywords=wooly+balls

[Tall Blond(ish)]

So normally, I think "chemical" phobia is kinda silly because literally everything is a chemical or mixture of chemicals..

I wholly agree. It's actually something of a pet peeve for me when people say, "chemical" like it must always be some bad thing, even though every molecule is a chemical, then say, "all natural" like it must be safe and good. Arsenic, mercury, and uranium are "all natural" but I don't want them in my granola or my shampoo!

I just know that whether natural or synthetic, the sheer volume of mystery ingredients that cause so many people to have allergies and sensitivities are probably worth considering and/or avoiding when possible.

[Anje]

So normally, I think "chemical" phobia is kinda silly because literally everything is a chemical or mixture of chemicals. Heck, nearly all perfumes are mixtures of compounds that were first isolated from natural flowers, spices, etc. and their essential oils, and then either extracted from essential oils, or reproduced exactly in a lab. For instance, the scent of cinnamon is produced by a single chemical, cinnamaldehyde (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamaldehyde).
My personal suspicion is that it's naturalistic fallacy and fear of "scary" chemical names that makes companies list things as "fragrance" rather than listing the actual names so the sensitive could figure out the specific source of their problem. :rolleyes:

[ravenreed]

There is something called MCS or Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, or Environmental Illness. That might be what some people are referring to when they go on about chemicals... Yes, it seems somewhat controversial at the moment but so was Fibromyalgia and they are starting to sort all that out. I also think that the name is misleading.

FWIW, I absolutely don't believe that all chemicals are bad. I react just as strongly to some natural scents as I do to some lab created ones. However, since most scents are lab created these days, and they are in everything, I am pretty much constantly reacting. Products with Linalool seem to be on my reaction list, for instance. I found that MSM helped reduce my reaction to scents but I had such insomnia when I was taking it that I had to give it up.


So normally, I think "chemical" phobia is kinda silly because literally everything is a chemical or mixture of chemicals. Heck, nearly all perfumes are mixtures of compounds that were first isolated from natural flowers, spices, etc. and their essential oils, and then either extracted from essential oils, or reproduced exactly in a lab. For instance, the scent of cinnamon is produced by a single chemical, cinnamaldehyde (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamaldehyde). It makes sense when you consider that we perceive a scent because of airborne chemicals sticking to receptors in our noses, and each receptor is specialized to a certain class of molecules or even one specific molecule. A lot of scents are mixes, though, and we haven't figured out what all the different components are, which is why the human-made versions seem artificial... Like grapes/wine, coffee, or tea, which is also why there are lots of variations in how they naturally taste.

All that said... I'm very allergic and/or intolerant to many commercial perfumed products, possibly due to some kind of carrier solvent. I can't use scented laundry detergent or fabric softener. I use white vinegar in the rinse cycle and dryer balls in place of the latter; it works great! I dislike or outright abhor most perfumes, especially floral or musky scents. This is one reason I use cheap conditioner from the "naturals" lines, even though I don't care whether something is natural or not, because that line tends to have food scents like coconut, mint, vanilla, lime, etc., which I'm much less allergic to than florals. Unscented Febreze is fine, although I think it might just be citric acid and water... :p

The very, very worst is perfumes that are aerosolized... I'm talking about stuff like Febreze Air Effects and Axe body spray. Both are merely unpleasant to me when settled out of the air, but just after they've been sprayed, I have a very strong reaction... It's not anaphylaxis, but it might be asthma-like. I feel like I'm not getting enough air, get dizzy, my eyes burn... Anyway, I've had to go home from school, band practice, work (had a boss who hated me and refused to stop spraying perfume during my shifts :rolleyes:), and once had to go spend the night at my dad's after my college roommate sprayed the unventilated stairwell with a whole can of Air Effects... :run:

It does seem that my perfume sensitivities are additive, so I try to cut back on scented products. I just went back to fragrance free lotion after a failed experiment. I don't know if I will ever go to fragrance free conditioner... I like the way my freshly washed hair smells too much, even though it can get a little overwhelming in the shower.

[ErinLeigh]

fragrence is such a migraine trigger for me. Certain exposures hit me immediately. Not all fragrance does this though. Mostly perfume or floral scented items. I wonder why only some?
The are some good fragrance free shampoo and conditioners on the market. I think there is a thread here with s few listed if that helps anyone.

[Ocelan]

Ugh, my new workmate who I have to work in the same small place with uses a lot of aftershave or whatever manly perfume it is. I usually only just take note of it and try to not spend too much time in close proximity (aka within a few meters because within that space the smell is strong enough for me to want to back off) from him, but today it seemed to be really bad. He must have accidently tipped over a bottle of it or something... I started feeling nauseous and slightly out of breath and had to take some short breaks where I went outside for a moment to catch my breath. I took an antihistamin and it helped a bit so that I could continue the rest of the day in the same space.

The question is: How acceptable is it to ask a workmate to not wear so much fragrance? I would state it very carefully and tell him I do not mean to offend him in any way, but this thing is really affecting my work and health. I usually get a headache from perfumes which can go on for days because I react to headaches by muscle tension which leads to neck and back aches and such. Once I even had a really bad reaction where my eyes and throat swell nearly shut, but that was due to some paint thinners and not the usual aftershave. There are no rules about fragrance use at our work place. Should I ask my boss if it's ok to ask him to not wear that much perfume to work? I will only be there for 5 weeks more so I could possibly be able to keep my mouth shut about it and just live with it, but it won't be pleasant. What do you guys think?

I'm fine with other people wearing perfumes if they wear them the way I think they are supposed to: so that only someone who enters the close personal bubble of a fragrance wearing person they can smell it. This means maybe inside half a meter or so, not so that the perfume smell lingers 30 meters behind the person when they've walked by.

[Anje]

Ugh, my new workmate who I have to work in the same small place with uses a lot of aftershave or whatever manly perfume it is. I usually only just take note of it and try to not spend too much time in close proximity (aka within a few meters because within that space the smell is strong enough for me to want to back off) from him, but today it seemed to be really bad. He must have accidently tipped over a bottle of it or something... I started feeling nauseous and slightly out of breath and had to take some short breaks where I went outside for a moment to catch my breath. I took an antihistamin and it helped a bit so that I could continue the rest of the day in the same space.

The question is: How acceptable is it to ask a workmate to not wear so much fragrance? I would state it very carefully and tell him I do not mean to offend him in any way, but this thing is really affecting my work and health. I usually get a headache from perfumes which can go on for days because I react to headaches by muscle tension which leads to neck and back aches and such. Once I even had a really bad reaction where my eyes and throat swell nearly shut, but that was due to some paint thinners and not the usual aftershave. There are no rules about fragrance use at our work place. Should I ask my boss if it's ok to ask him to not wear that much perfume to work? I will only be there for 5 weeks more so I could possibly be able to keep my mouth shut about it and just live with it, but it won't be pleasant. What do you guys think?
I think it's completely acceptable to ask him nicely. Explain that you're having an allergic reaction to it -- most people are willing to be helpful if they know that you've got a legitimate reason for asking (I suspect many people would view "I think it smells bad" as not a legitimate reason, sadly). If that doesn't work, it might be worth getting a doctor's note and going to HR, explaining the same thing. You have a right to work without your coworkers making you ill.

[Lavenderhaze]

Thx for posting, tall blondish.

we are all overexposed to chemicals, and the synthetic "fragrances" in hair products are just more. A lot of us reach a tipping point where we just can't tolerate them anymore.

[meepster]

I dunno. Phthalates, which are used to make synthetic fragrances, really aren't terribly good for you. I researched that stuff when I was trying to conceive, and the studies I found were pretty solid on phthalates inhibiting fertility and making it harder to conceive and to stay pregnant afterwards. And they are absorbed through the skin.

I gave up all synthetic fragrances after reading all the studies I read, and don't miss them. Yeah, everything is a chemical, but that doesn't mean that all chemicals are the same, or that all chemicals are harmless.

[Hairkay]

I can't use fragrances at all not even essential oils ones. I do use soapnuts and I use vinegar in laundry. I have one source of fragrant free sensitive skin detergent so I keep soapnuts on hand when I can't get that. My family never used fabric softeners since allergies run in the family. What's really annoying is that some detergents that say they're for sensitive skin mess it up by adding fragrance and or colouring making them useless for most sensitive skins. The same happens with deodorants. I never use perfume. I only do DIY hair masks and stay away from soaps for baths since I'm allergic to even the fragrance free, colour free ones as well.

[neko_kawaii]

Not just the fragrances in products you use yourself, but sometimes the residue from laundry detergents, softeners, and dryer sheets can cause skin reactions. My husband has this issue. 20 years ago he had a skin biopsy done on his arm where he had a painful itchy rash that never went away, left him with a cute little divot but all they could determine at the time was that it was photosensitive and to stay out of the sun. After switching to fragrance free soaps it cleared up some but didn’t quite go away until we stopped doing our wash at the laundromat. His mom invited us to do the wash at her house and only used the soap we bought but then her sister moved in with her and used dryer sheets and the rash came back after years of being gone. Dryer sheets were banned and all was well again.

My problem with fragrances is asthmatic. Every now and then I get a library book that has so much of another borrower's perfume in it that I can’t read it. And why do department stores locate the cosmetics and fragrance counters at the entrance? It is like they are actively trying to kill their customers.

[KameRose]

I am more sensitive than everyone else in my house hold when it comes too laundry detergents, softeners, etc.(but I don't have like real bad reactions to them, I just find that things feel rather gross if they've been washed in traditional products and more super annoying, than any true irritation to me) So I actually have developed a system where I do a couple loads of towels between someone else laundry and my own. Others in my house hold use the more traditional fragranced products, I use either a DIY mix (https://brendid.com/grade-a-laundry-detergent/) or a free and clear detergent. And some rather generous vinegar rinses, especially on the towel runs I do as like a pallet cleanser for the machine between someone else's laundry and my own.