Another perfume vent

[Feralpeg]

I'm not a fan of strong perfume. Less is more, in my opinion. However, for the most part, they might annoy me, but they don't make me sick. There is only one that actually turns my stomach. There was an admin at our office that wore Infinity all the time. It bothered me. I tried to just avoid her, but while I was pregnant, it actually made me physically ill. I finally asked her to not come into my office. She was nice about it, but she didn't change her perfume of choice. Nor, did I expect her to.

Now that I live in Florida, I rarely wear perfume. It attracts bugs! lol.

 

[Hikergirl]

Wow! Impressive nurse!


If this is in response to my post, I was referring to a couple of people on this thread who blatantly said they didn't care. I don't think everyone does it with malice.

No, it wasn't directed at you specifically.

 

[BLAZEY]

On the rare occasion I do wear perfume (we aren't allowed to wear it at work due to a coworker being allergic and I respect that) DH sprays once into the air and I walk through it. Only someone up close to me would be able to smell it.

 

[RedAngie]

Axe has to be the most disgusting smell in the world.

Yet so many teen boys think it's a babe magnet. Don't teen girls tell them they reek?

 

[Floridaman999]

Yet so many teen boys think it's a babe magnet. Don't teen girls tell them they reek?

They do eventually, thank God.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Technically a visually impaired person could die from someone being insensitive. I've nearly been run over more times than I could count because people don't want to pay attention. But ok.

"Could" being important. Denying a scent-sensitive person the ability to breathe is extremely more likely to kill them.

Any person crossing or walking along a street "could" be run over. Drivers not paying attention aren't paying attention, period. They're not - intentionally, going forward, given that the quoted poster has now been informed of the end result - being inconsiderate of only visually impaired persons.

Knowingly being the potential cause of another human being not being able to breathe is inconsiderate. Not caring is horrific.

Again, fragrance should be intimate. It should not be detectable from more than arm's length. Period. If you can smell your scent, you're wearing too much.

 

[Wendy31]

I am definitely bothered by some perfume. Some will make me feel as if I can't breathe, while others are just gross and distracting. There are some people who can "classily" wear a light scent and I'm okay. I had a coworker who would actually have her vocal chords kind of seize up when someone had heavy perfume on and she lost her voice. It's really kind of amazing to watch. We had to ban a few ladies and one gentleman from visiting our office for concerns about her reactions. These people were not "light" perfume wearers. They wore it to the point that they just STUNK and you knew they were coming because you smell them yards away.

I don't get the whole heavy-handed perfume use. There is nobody in the room who is enjoying it and and generally people are talking behind your back about how awful you smell. Guess there's no fixing obliviousness.

Exactly!!

Besides the elderly who really probably don't realize how strong their perfume or cologne is, I can't understand how anyone thinks they smell good! Strong, overpowering clouds of perfume are awful!

If you're wearing strong-scented cologne or perfume or so much scent of whatever that someone can smell you from across the room or your scent lingers long after you've left, NO ONE is thinking, "Wow! She smells so good!" or "Gosh! I just love the way his smell lingers after he leaves!"

If the whole bus can smell your perfume, you're doing it wrong.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I should not be able to smell you (good or bad) if I am standing next to you. Period.

Dh wears aftershave to work and the only time I can smell him is when he kisses me goodbye in the morning (swooon!).

It's not clear exactly why you swoon. Is it his scent? The kiss? Or that he's off to work?

 

[Jennasis]

It's not clear exactly why you swoon. Is it his scent? The kiss? Or that he's off to work?

It's the hint of his scent I get when he's that close to me....and his kiss of course!

 

[kaytieeldr]

His excuse was "but I don't smell it."

Tell him it's nose blindness. I know it's used in an ad campaign, but it's a real issue. The fragrance wearer quickly becomes acclimated to the fragrance.

Also tell him we said to cut it out.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I cannot possibly imagine how people are supposed to "take precautions" against perfume that causes them to have trouble breathing.

Respirators.

I'm telling ya, the polar vortex and it's resulting anger and frustration vortex is running rampant throughout the world!

Hey, I'm fine. I'm getting outside. To smoke .

 

[wvjules]

I think someone upthread said "many places" are perfume free now. I have been many, many places including pharmacies, doctors offices, work, stores, churches, etc and no where I have been has a perfume restriction. I can understand the PP's example of an employee being allergic and it is a perfume-free zone but I don't think there are "many" places with a perfume restriction.

Yes, some pour it on way too much and I hate when I can taste it...yuck, but I think the average person wears perfume appropriately. If my spray Clinique Happy Heart will make you stop breathing then you need to make sure you have adequate measures in place to help you breathe. I can't help it that my perfume may give someone at the mall, grocery store, restaurant, etc a reaction. I wear it appropriately (at least I think I do) so I wouldn't consider myself a perfume menace. But I can't be responsible for your reaction.

Also, someone mentioned that a church or doctor's office aren't the place for perfume...where is the place for perfume?

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

I want to thank you (original poster) for your post. I love to wear perfume, and I think it's a light scent, lightly sprayed, but I just asked my husband how close he needs to get to me to smell it. He said about 3 feet away. I actually can't smell it myself (nose-blind?), but that doesn't mean I'm not potentially annoying others. I'm going to use a little less from now on. I haven't thought to take allergies into consideration. You taught me something, and I appreciate it.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

I find it amazing that people want to cover themselves in whale vomit and beaver secretions, but that's me...

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Yet so many teen boys think it's a babe magnet. Don't teen girls tell them they reek?

Face it. Axe is the old spice musk of the next generation.

 

[Disney Ella]

I have asthma and buy fragrance-free laundry detergent and fabric softener and unscented liquid soap and body wash. I have asked DH to switch to a less fragrant deodorant if he buys a particularly smelly type, but I would never say anything to a co-worker or stranger. My former co-worker used to go outside for cigarette breaks then douse herself in perfume. We arrived at work about the same time and I could always tell if she was there yet by the smell in the hallway. Fortunately, I don't have severe asthma, but strong scents do bother me and I sympathize with people who are severely affected.

 

[Kellykins1218]

Did she say though that it was causing her allergies to go haywire and it was threatening to her? Otherwise I'm not sure it has much to do with people claiming allergies. I hear ya on that where too many people do talk it up or outright lie and it gives other people who actually have such bad allergies a harder time (I remember saying that one time in one of the threads on the Boards about a person on an airplane making certain claims).

Yeah, I probably should've mentioned that she's our local "allergy" mom. Her family is allergic to EVERYTHING. Seriously, she'll tell you all about it. Actually, she's starting to get the reputation as the "Munchhausen" mom. The way this woman doctor shops, and how her son starts "showing symptoms" as soon as she hears about a kid diagnosed with anything new in the district. I probably shouldn't include her with someone with real allergies. We could have a whole thread about her!

 

[handinpocket]

honestly, if I want to wear perfume I will and if you have a problem with it, then you should takes steps to prevent yourself being affected. For many years I didnt have the money to buy expensive perfume and I worked in an industry where I was not allowed to wear it. Now that I can, I will.

Im not about to think, oh golly gosh, what if someone on the bus is allergic to perfume, I better not use any. Nope, Im going to use my perfume. Being allergic to perfume is YOUR problem, not mine!

Simmer down Amy

 

[Mrs.Milo]

DH and I are scent sensitive and use “free” products whenever possible, laundry soap and fabric softener, no perfumes, avoid smoking areas at Disney, etc., always carry Benadryl just in case. We try to avoid all chemicals as I always say I’m sensitive. (Allergic to shellfish, ibuprofen, lots of weeds and pollen and grass among others).

I have heard perfume companies add insecticides because perfumes do attract pests. Is that true, anyone know?

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

I don’t have asthma but I’m super sensitive to smells. Like I can smell a banana peel down the hall in a closed garbage bin and it turns my stomach. I don’t like it when I can taste other people’s perfume, but honestly even a “normal” amount or laundry detergent in clothes or hair spray/gel/etc. will bother me from several yards away. It’s the worst super power ever!

It doesn’t stop my breathing so not sure how I would feel if my reaction were more than a headache, watery eyes, and nausea but I don’t really know a solution. I don’t think it’s reasonable to demand everybody skip perfume or scented products because somebody out there might be sensitive. Furthermore, what is a “reasonable” amount of smell for most people will vary. We as a society also value “smelling good” as a sign of good hygiene.

I use almost completely unscented products. The only things I use that aren’t unscented are my Shampoo and conditioner (and sometimes I have to ditch a new conditioner because the smell will make me sick all day). I even typically use the “unscented” deodorant scent (it still smells, but less).

I’ve been totally taken aback when people standing a normal social distance away tell me I smell good because I can’t figure out what the heck they’re smelling other than my skin (also makes me wonder if I smell bad and they just don’t say anything sometimes lol).

We should always strive for empathy, but I also understand people kind of drawing a line in the sand with regard to accommodation. There’s a point where if you try to think of everybody who may have an issue then you’re just going to make yourself crazy and still bother someone. There’s a huge difference in I know person x has problem with scents but I don’t care vs I better only wear scented products at home in case somebody I may come across is allergic. Scented products and perfume are pretty ingrained in a lot of people’s routine.

There was a guy at my last office who IMO absolutely bathed in cologne. I would be miserable in a closed conference room for all-day meetings. I asked our team if it was just me and it was about 20% yes, I can taste it, 40% it’s a normal amount and 40% I don’t even smell it. It became a team joke because I asked if he would mind skipping cologne during our big team meetings as it didn’t agree with me. By the time I has asked everybody, I had to say something to him as I’m a pretty above board person and I was miserable.