Heavy perfume

[Minou]

I get a headache and feel nauseated when I smell most women's perfumes, especially those with heavy musk or sweet berry-like scents. I don't have the same problem with men's colognes if they're in a "fresh" or "green" scent. Any kind of complicated cologne or perfume is cloying, and I hate it when women wearing perfume pick up our baby and leave the perfume all over him. It's horrible.

I've long wished I could find a women's perfume I'd like that would be light enough to handle. So far, I've only found one body spray from Calgon that doesn't make me sick... and I don't use much of it. Bath and Bodyworks anything is too much for me to handle. About 15 years ago, when my grandfather was in the hospital, a nurse came in wearing a really nice, simple fragrance. I've always regretted not asking her what it was!

[wolfwoman]

Heavy perfume is bad enough but when it's mixed with body odor....

[Minou]

Since posting, the Google ad on my screen is now advertising Poise. "Approach menopause in a whole new way". Yikes.

[screamy]

This drives me nuts too - I think most "offenders" have become sort of "scent-blind" to their favourite perfume/cologne and need to apply far more to be able to smell it themselves. Unfortunately, the rest of us are left sneezing and so forth...there have been times when the cloud of scent is so bad/strong that I physically recoil before I can stop myself and try to pretend I don't find it overwhelming. Elevators are the WORST.

My boss has worn the same outrageously expensive cologne for over 20 years. After three or four years of being afraid to tell him about how strongly it smelled (who can think of a nice way to tell someone they smell "too loud"?), we happened to have someone move onto our floor who had bona fide allergies to scents (they irritate the crap out of me, but only patchouli makes me sneeze...so I don't consider myself to be allergic in the medical sense, just annoyed by them).

The person was working in an enclosed space, but HR sent a memo around to everyone instructing them not to wear scents and to only use unscented soap/bodywash/etc. because of shared hallways, kitchen, etc. and he said "This is just total BS..." and I said "I don't think anyone would really complain TOO much about people who are only using one spray of something. More than that, though, and it's excessive to a lot of people, even if they're not allergic."

I got "WHAT, even MY cologne?"

And I said "Just because YOU can't smell it doesn't mean the rest of the floor doesn't know when you've walked by for half an hour or so..."

He was not pleased. But the next day he told me I had probably helped him prevent future faux pas, and thanked me for letting me know.

Unfortunately, not everyone is as logical as he is.

[lghend]

Certain scents set off a sinus headache for me. Even certain gum flavours that my kids chew. Myself, I can only wear a couple of perfumes and I would LOVE it if someone let me know if it was too strong. I would be embarrassed to think I was bothering people and nobody told me.

[RebeccaRYoung]

I usually wear some type of scent - perfume, hand lotion, etc. I try to be considerate of others, however, it's difficult when so many people are affected by so many different types of scents. I'm really bothered by flowery perfumes, but have no problem with fruity smells. Because I know that I don't enjoy certain perfumes I try to only wear a few spritzes in the morning.

[laurabak3r]

There's a customer that comes to my work every morning, and he wears a very strong cologne, I have never had a problem with scents before, but it actually made me sick, and I cannot for the life of me serve him since that incident. He's a French man, and we call him "Pepe le peu (sp?)" (like the skunk).

[MortgageQueen]

Perfume is quickly becoming an allergen almost as bad as nuts. My mother is extremely allergic and her airways literally close up with in a few minutes. Most hospitals ban perfume for their staff and many workplaces are starting to follow the trend. . .

[salady]

My mum and I were at the CML Healthcare the other day (the lab where they do bloodwork and stuff) and it was shift change time or something...the incoming staff member who was going to be in charge came in and she had practically marinated herself in perfume! I was sooo pissed off...can you imagine having your blood drawn while trying not to sneeze at the same time?? You would think that in places like this, perfume would be a no-no but this certain staff member didn't seem to care.

[lavenderplum]

the worst is when the smell goes up your nose down your throat and you can taste it...gross

[Darth Penguin]

I am truely sorry that one of my former co-workers has made it across the Atlantic to plague you ladies...

She was truely "scent-blind" ..if she couldn't smell her perfume then nothing short of a full scale nasal warfare had to be performed or perfumed to re-dress the balance. Sadly her hubby who also worked in the same building, had had his smell organs burnt out by her actions and was frequently accompanied by a cloud of competing Ax products...

I still wake up suffering.....

[lilo0003]

I love the smell of perfume when it is subtle. My workplace banned heavy scent about 8 yrs ago, we had staff with allergies. Now it never even occurs to me to ever wear perfume even on my own time. I find I now am very aware of those that are heavy handed with their perfume and always amazed at how they seem oblivious.

[amommy]

At work ower coats hang up together and I hate it when its home time and I put on my Jacket and it reeks of someone else's perfume. How much perfume did you put on that when you are away from your coat it is still secreting perfume vapours and leeching onto other peoples belongings? And a definate yes to being gross when it comes to sprays and smoke. I use to smoke (quit many many years ago), I never noticed how strong smoke clung to clothes until AFTER I quit smoking. I literally asked my husband (who never smoked) how the hell he put up with me and the stink or for that matter want to kiss me! lol. The answer gets mushy so I wont get into that
I can't even stand magazines that have the free samples of perfumes in them .... not sure if they still do that anymore as I haven't signed up with a new mag. in awhile. But the one I have been getting for years now I had to call within the first year of getting it and ask that they send scent free magazines only. And they have done so ever since.

[sweetmomma]

I must admit I don't mind a fresh, crisp smelling man. I do agree often times it's women with the overpowering fragrance. Perhaps, they should consider being portable air freshners!

[Decaf]

I am severely allergic to perfume, not just the scent but all the toxic chemical used to make the scent last in perfume. I get headache, asthma, my eyes burns, sore throat, tingling numbness on my lips, and that's why I hate inconsiderate people who wear perfume say in workplace, bus, trains, enclosed spaces where you can not move away from them. I know they are thinking they don't want to offend someone with their body scent but the chemical in synthetic perfume actually kills their sense of smell and after a while they can't even smell it and has to keep reapplying. It's really sickening having to seat next to someone like that for a long period of time (co-worker). When I get home from work I can still smell their perfume. I have to wash inside my nose with soap to remove the some of the perfume (toxin).

I don't have any problem when someone using natural product like essential oil or natural fragrance, I'll just sneeze but I won't get the above nasty reactions from a natural product.