~Patrick Süskind
How the average person reacts to being asked not to wear scents can depend on the situation. If it's someone you don't like at your work doing the asking, or someone you don't know, or a theoretical someone, and you have to stop using products that you like and make you happy, you might grumble about it. If it is someone you love who is miserable because of, let's say, your freshly washed hair, you're horrified that you caused a problem. (Unfortunately, I speak from experience!)
My daughter Ariana has mast cell disease and fragrance is a big histamine trigger for her. We have been at urgent care to get IV fluids and at hospitals after Ariana had anaphylaxis and nurses there have worn so much perfume that it started causing a problem when we were already having a problem. (Medical personnel wearing scents?!? What what?)
In Canada, they promote patient safety with scent sensitivity policies in hospitals etc., so hats off to our northern neighbors. They extend the guidelines to include patients themselves and their visitors, which hadn't occurred to me. Of course if you have a scent sensitivity, you wouldn't want to deal with your roommate's family wearing strong cologne. Being thoughtful is hard sometimes, so many things to think about.
The website Fragrance Sensitivity Awareness says: "Fragrance overuse at work and school is an indoor air quality issue. It can have medical effects similar to second-hand smoke." They have a good list of fragrance-free product alternatives and recipes.
More tips:
Tips on Packing for a Low Scent/Scent-Free Conference
Addressing scent sensitivity in yoga class
Bustle's fragrance-sensitive hair product recommendations
For people who have a scent sensitivity:
Dealing with a scent sensitivity on business travel
A new link from Britt and her daughter: A Consumer Guide to Fragrance Allergies from Perfume.com. Thanks, y'all!
Something that anyone can do (from Fragrance Sensitivity Awareness):
Request a fragrance sensitivity notice for press releases, posters, notices and emails: "Please be aware that fragranced products can trigger allergies, asthma and migraines in others attending the program." Request that groups and workplaces add this phrasing to publicity for gatherings.Fragrance Sensitivity poster
Bonfire shirt:
1 comment:
Thanks for this post. I react to scents. People have no idea what it is like. I used to beg my staff not to wear perfume to our early morning staff meetings, but fragrance is in nearly everything. I regularly left meetings early with a headache.
The worst was when I had to ask my library monitors to return to their classes because their parents had washed their clothes in soap loaded with perfume. It wasn't their fault.
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