It really is. It's hard for me to say when the encroachment of heavily fragranced buildings and bodies started as up until 2020/2021 when I had my own health crash and became extremely chemically/scent sensitive I had not previously noticed/been bothered by it. I will say that since 2020/2021 I noticed specifically that the cleaning agents in residential and commercial buildings (bought in bulk) did change and became very offensive. It's still being used and I wanted to include that as part of my article but didn't have enough time to investigate/run down the manufacturer and confirm timelines before publishing.
Thank you for sharing your story and writing such a detailed and well written article. This is a good one to share with friends and family. My sensitivity also became life changing in 2020/2021. I was never a fan of strong perfumes, but I used the usual scented cleaning products at home and was able to go to the shops or sit in a room with someone without even considering the smells. Now my home is a prison and I can't even open a window or walk out my front door without being assaulted by neighbours laundry chemicals and having breathing difficulties and other symptoms. Scents just keep getting stronger and stickier to overcome people's nose blindness. It is not okay to harm peoples health for the sake of marketing or any other reason. It is not ethical.
I find it interesting that so much evil was ushered in with Covid. I never used to be bothered by Scented laundry products And air fresheners but now I’m highly chemical sensitive. I notice it everywhere and there are specific chemicals that seem to trigger me. There’s a girl that goes to a class at my gym that I can smell across the room. There is off-gassing. 🤢 It’s brutal.
Great article! I wish there was greater attention to scents being everywhere. My bestie and I stayed in.a beautiful VRBO in the mountains but EVERYTHING was fragranced. The towels, the sheets and the plugins. I think this frangrance issue should be required information as an allergy risk and some way to opt out.
I absolutely love this article, thank you for the very clear, thorough, well-written explanation that I can share with loved ones to explain how fragrance affects me. I traveled this past week and you’ve managed to capture that miserable experience perfectly. I’ve been working on something similar to this article - a visual explanation (on a website), to try to get the word out. I’ve also drafted a possible legal framework to address the ambient scenting issue, though I highly doubt it will pass in my state. I would love to get in touch to share some ideas if you’d be amenable - I will DM you separately.
This is one of the best articles I've read on this subject and that's saying a lot because this has been my lived experience since I developed MCS after acute carbon monoxide poisoning in 2003. You covered all the salient points succinctly and in excellent detail. Interestingly, I was diagnosed by Dr. George Kroker who studied under Dr. Theron Randolph who's considered the father of environmental medicine and identified the first person with environmental illness/MCS in the 1950s. In the past 22 yrs I've read numerous articles including those in research journals, social media posts, etc. I've attended online symposiums on MCS, been interviewed on Aaron Goodman's Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Podcast, and my interview about living with MCS is archived in UCLA’s Center for the Study of Women's Oral Histories of Environmental Illness. I tirelessly advocate/advise/inform/champion the rights of people with MCS, fragrance "allergies," etc. on a regular (almost daily) basis and it's no easy task to persevere. I have lots more to say but let me end by saying I am extremely grateful to you for this in-depth, well-written article. Thank you. p.s. I had a 20-yr career as a librarian working in academia, so if you ever need any help doing research, editing/proofreading, please don't hesitate to reach out.
The MTA aroma campaign is the most clarifying example of this whole problem you could have picked. Bath & Body Works classifying that as "consumer use" to dodge the SDS obligation runs on the same regulatory logic that lets phthalates hide under "fragrance" on a body wash label. Same loophole, different scale.
The 34.7% adverse reaction figure from Steinemann is the one that should land hardest in any policy conversation. That's 17x the peanut allergy rate, treated as a non-issue.
Practical question: for readers who want to act on this in their own product routines, does the label-reading advice actually move behavior, or does it tend to stall out when they realize "fragrance-free" still isn't defined to mean no fragrance chemicals?
p.s. building something in beta called Mangood trying to close that exact gap for men specifically. Scanner that flags phthalates, parabens, and fragrance-hidden chemicals in everyday products. Same problem you're describing, just almost zero coverage from the men's side. Not in the App Store yet. mangood.app?ref=substack-awareness if you're curious.
In my opinion, the answer to the practical question you posed: even aware consumers aren't aware of the depth to which fragrance loopholes exist. The perfect example is the one you used where "fragrance free" can't even be taken at face value. The companies producing these products, especially those who know how to market the "aware" consumer, still rely on said consumer to be quelled by key words and signifiers without deeper scrutiny. It's hard when apps, like those that currently exist to help consumers scale products, still have an allowance for compounds that you need at least a first level chemistry background to recognize.
I love that you're targeting men since the market for this type of product, and usually this type of awareness, is largely female.
Regarding fragrance at health care settings: at a recent MD appt the young man who accompanied me to the exam room absolutely reeked of cologne. When I mentioned it to him (politely) that it made me ill, he denied wearing any... I develop trouble swallowing, brain fog, agitation, and heart palpitations upon being exposed to fragrance (all toxins, actually), so my MD visits are rarely pleasant. And they can never get an accurate blood pressure or pulse reading because my heart is racing. I shouldn't have to worry about getting sick(er) when receiving medical care and come home reeking of the fragrance that permeates the settings. All medical facilities and staff should be fragrance free. Full stop!
Great article. I'm in the UK and at airports here, to get to the gate they force you to walk through a long duty free section, where numerous outlets sell fragrance and there are staff waiting to spray a sample on your wrist. The fragrance counters used to be confined to one area but when I travelled recently they occupied the whole of one side of the duty free section, so even holding your breath isn't an option. And of course all those passengers who have sampled the fragrance will then board a plane and be offgassing into the confined space..
I have to remove myself so often as I cannot tolerate. When given no choice, I carry a mask like covid masks. It helps tremendously especially in the airport. People probably assume its for a
virus protection but it is to decrease the scents. I get acid reflux and very quickly or dry heaves. Embarrassing so I guard myself. Sadly, most people don't understand the sensitivities we go through because they dont have these reactions. Nice to read I am not alone. Those car scents send me through the roof and dander. Thanks and keep educating. Appreciated
It's really sad and unfair that we have to cater our lives more and more to avoiding and mitigating exposures just trying to live a normal life. I was actually going to include a section on health care workers and health care settings. Within the last 5-7 years I have been noticing that nurses, doctors etc who used to be counseled in training to not wear scents due to potential patient sensitivities are alarmingly either not getting the message or disregarding them entirely. This without question should be a scent free arena that has had serious encroachment due to the use of laundry agents, dryer sheets, perfumes and deodorants. As mentioned in the article though, many of the workers cannot even smell the degree to which their bodies and clothing are fragranced due to habituation.
Agreed great article indeed, I relate on all fronts. It’s incredibly alarming how we’re all truly surrounded and engulfed in these ‘scents’
It really is. It's hard for me to say when the encroachment of heavily fragranced buildings and bodies started as up until 2020/2021 when I had my own health crash and became extremely chemically/scent sensitive I had not previously noticed/been bothered by it. I will say that since 2020/2021 I noticed specifically that the cleaning agents in residential and commercial buildings (bought in bulk) did change and became very offensive. It's still being used and I wanted to include that as part of my article but didn't have enough time to investigate/run down the manufacturer and confirm timelines before publishing.
Thank you for sharing your story and writing such a detailed and well written article. This is a good one to share with friends and family. My sensitivity also became life changing in 2020/2021. I was never a fan of strong perfumes, but I used the usual scented cleaning products at home and was able to go to the shops or sit in a room with someone without even considering the smells. Now my home is a prison and I can't even open a window or walk out my front door without being assaulted by neighbours laundry chemicals and having breathing difficulties and other symptoms. Scents just keep getting stronger and stickier to overcome people's nose blindness. It is not okay to harm peoples health for the sake of marketing or any other reason. It is not ethical.
I find it interesting that so much evil was ushered in with Covid. I never used to be bothered by Scented laundry products And air fresheners but now I’m highly chemical sensitive. I notice it everywhere and there are specific chemicals that seem to trigger me. There’s a girl that goes to a class at my gym that I can smell across the room. There is off-gassing. 🤢 It’s brutal.
Great article! I wish there was greater attention to scents being everywhere. My bestie and I stayed in.a beautiful VRBO in the mountains but EVERYTHING was fragranced. The towels, the sheets and the plugins. I think this frangrance issue should be required information as an allergy risk and some way to opt out.
Couldn’t agree more!
I absolutely love this article, thank you for the very clear, thorough, well-written explanation that I can share with loved ones to explain how fragrance affects me. I traveled this past week and you’ve managed to capture that miserable experience perfectly. I’ve been working on something similar to this article - a visual explanation (on a website), to try to get the word out. I’ve also drafted a possible legal framework to address the ambient scenting issue, though I highly doubt it will pass in my state. I would love to get in touch to share some ideas if you’d be amenable - I will DM you separately.
This is one of the best articles I've read on this subject and that's saying a lot because this has been my lived experience since I developed MCS after acute carbon monoxide poisoning in 2003. You covered all the salient points succinctly and in excellent detail. Interestingly, I was diagnosed by Dr. George Kroker who studied under Dr. Theron Randolph who's considered the father of environmental medicine and identified the first person with environmental illness/MCS in the 1950s. In the past 22 yrs I've read numerous articles including those in research journals, social media posts, etc. I've attended online symposiums on MCS, been interviewed on Aaron Goodman's Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Podcast, and my interview about living with MCS is archived in UCLA’s Center for the Study of Women's Oral Histories of Environmental Illness. I tirelessly advocate/advise/inform/champion the rights of people with MCS, fragrance "allergies," etc. on a regular (almost daily) basis and it's no easy task to persevere. I have lots more to say but let me end by saying I am extremely grateful to you for this in-depth, well-written article. Thank you. p.s. I had a 20-yr career as a librarian working in academia, so if you ever need any help doing research, editing/proofreading, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Thank you so much for your kind words.
The MTA aroma campaign is the most clarifying example of this whole problem you could have picked. Bath & Body Works classifying that as "consumer use" to dodge the SDS obligation runs on the same regulatory logic that lets phthalates hide under "fragrance" on a body wash label. Same loophole, different scale.
The 34.7% adverse reaction figure from Steinemann is the one that should land hardest in any policy conversation. That's 17x the peanut allergy rate, treated as a non-issue.
Practical question: for readers who want to act on this in their own product routines, does the label-reading advice actually move behavior, or does it tend to stall out when they realize "fragrance-free" still isn't defined to mean no fragrance chemicals?
p.s. building something in beta called Mangood trying to close that exact gap for men specifically. Scanner that flags phthalates, parabens, and fragrance-hidden chemicals in everyday products. Same problem you're describing, just almost zero coverage from the men's side. Not in the App Store yet. mangood.app?ref=substack-awareness if you're curious.
Thanks so much for your reply.
In my opinion, the answer to the practical question you posed: even aware consumers aren't aware of the depth to which fragrance loopholes exist. The perfect example is the one you used where "fragrance free" can't even be taken at face value. The companies producing these products, especially those who know how to market the "aware" consumer, still rely on said consumer to be quelled by key words and signifiers without deeper scrutiny. It's hard when apps, like those that currently exist to help consumers scale products, still have an allowance for compounds that you need at least a first level chemistry background to recognize.
I love that you're targeting men since the market for this type of product, and usually this type of awareness, is largely female.
Regarding fragrance at health care settings: at a recent MD appt the young man who accompanied me to the exam room absolutely reeked of cologne. When I mentioned it to him (politely) that it made me ill, he denied wearing any... I develop trouble swallowing, brain fog, agitation, and heart palpitations upon being exposed to fragrance (all toxins, actually), so my MD visits are rarely pleasant. And they can never get an accurate blood pressure or pulse reading because my heart is racing. I shouldn't have to worry about getting sick(er) when receiving medical care and come home reeking of the fragrance that permeates the settings. All medical facilities and staff should be fragrance free. Full stop!
Great article. I'm in the UK and at airports here, to get to the gate they force you to walk through a long duty free section, where numerous outlets sell fragrance and there are staff waiting to spray a sample on your wrist. The fragrance counters used to be confined to one area but when I travelled recently they occupied the whole of one side of the duty free section, so even holding your breath isn't an option. And of course all those passengers who have sampled the fragrance will then board a plane and be offgassing into the confined space..
I have to remove myself so often as I cannot tolerate. When given no choice, I carry a mask like covid masks. It helps tremendously especially in the airport. People probably assume its for a
virus protection but it is to decrease the scents. I get acid reflux and very quickly or dry heaves. Embarrassing so I guard myself. Sadly, most people don't understand the sensitivities we go through because they dont have these reactions. Nice to read I am not alone. Those car scents send me through the roof and dander. Thanks and keep educating. Appreciated
It's really sad and unfair that we have to cater our lives more and more to avoiding and mitigating exposures just trying to live a normal life. I was actually going to include a section on health care workers and health care settings. Within the last 5-7 years I have been noticing that nurses, doctors etc who used to be counseled in training to not wear scents due to potential patient sensitivities are alarmingly either not getting the message or disregarding them entirely. This without question should be a scent free arena that has had serious encroachment due to the use of laundry agents, dryer sheets, perfumes and deodorants. As mentioned in the article though, many of the workers cannot even smell the degree to which their bodies and clothing are fragranced due to habituation.
I have a number of stories about fragrance exposure and will drop a couple in the comments!