Is our sense of smell becoming modernized?

[Swoop]

(alternative title: is throwing flammable chemicals on our bodies every day REALLY such a good idea?)

I was on a rare trip through a busy upmarket mall the other day, when I rounded a corner just after the entrance and was literally assaulted by waves of perfumes, colognes, fragrances and deodorants all mixed together - I mean I wanted to be sick, like after inhaling concentrated hydrochloric acid or ammonia or something. I forget the name of the fallacy, but I know there's a term for when people buy into a concept that involves just them, without considering the fact that dozens/hundreds/thousands of other people will be doing the same - in this case, dousing themselves with some kind of chemical. Now sure, maybe when you drench yourself in perfume in your own room it smells nice*, but when this scent is mixed with dozens of other similar chemical compounds, it actually becomes quite odious, and distinctly unpleasant.

*I actually don't find many perfumes or colognes pleasant to inhale... is it only me? They just smell too... I dunno, sharp? unnatural? Besides that they all smell like each other.

How conditioned have we become to accept smells like these as attractive? DO you find them attractive? Or do you sometimes find yourself catching a whiff of the latest scent and wondering if its creator would be better off serving some kind of military application?

[pestie]

Speaking as someone who actually did once inhale the tiniest amount of vaporized hydrochloric acid, unless you instantly felt like your mucous membranes were on fire and started bleeding out your nose, no, even the worst perfumes aren't quite that bad. Heh...

This is actually a pet peeve of mine. I hate the smell of just about any artificially scented product, and I'm allergic to most of them (they'll usually trigger an asthma attack and/or a nasty itchy, watery eyes response). I hold my breath when walking through the cleaning product aisle at the grocery store and won't go anywhere near the perfume counter of a department store. It constantly amazes me how anyone can find these repulsive assaults on the senses to be somehow pleasant.

[Ludovic]

Well, they don't smell ALL the same to me. They smell like their base, so there are about 3 or 4 different smells. And the seal-clubbin' kind is the one that smells the best

[Sattua]

I can't tolerate any perfume or hairstyling product, and I object the scents of most cosmetics, scented candles, air fresheners, and soaps. I grew up smelling them, and always hated them. Still do.

I wonder if it is one or two genes, that allow people to detect something particularly unpleasant in perfume and hairspray? Because seriously--I basically can't breath near a person who has just used them.

[Aankh]

I shall be the sole voice of dissent, in that case.

I love a good perfume (mmm...Flower by Kenzo...), I love a well-scented shampoo, I love stepping out of the bath smelling of flowers and whatnot. If a woman walks past me wearing a good perfume, I close my eyes and breathe in the scent, and it makes me feel good in that instant. When my boyfriend puts on some after-shave, life becomes interesting.

As for my olfactory nerves being "modernized", that really makes no sense. People have been using perfumes (alcohol-based and otherwise) since eternity. The Egyptians, the Indians, Arabia...the history of perfume goes back thousands of years.

Rather than calling me modern because I often spritz on my favourite Flower, you should call me a fuddy-duddy traditionalist.

*waltzes off to gaze happily at her collection of aromatic lotions and potions*

[umop ap!sdn]

I agree that most perfumes and artificial scents are a bit obnoxious. Some artificial flavors too. But it depends on the quantity as much as the exact chemical. I enjoy a nice light touch of peach air freshener, for example, but too much is too much. Pineapple, on the other hand, is a recipe for headaches.

Yet I absolutely love the smell of rubbing alcohol.

[Tamex]

A little is good. A lot is bad.

I work in a fragrance-free office. People who don't work there, especially people who we are interviewing, often smell like they bathed in perfume. Gack! So, I think that you can become desensitized to it over time (as well as resensitized if you are given a chance away from it.)

[jjimm]

Originally posted by Tamex
I work in a fragrance-free office.

Is that by design, or coincidence?

[Tamex]

Well, it is an office policy, (apparently, there are some people who work there who have bad allergies to fragrance) but if you are asking if I sought out a fragrance-free office...no, I did not. It doesn't matter to me one way or another. It does mean, though, that the Bath and Body Works store really doesn't have much for me anymore!

As long as people shower regularly, etc., that's what's important!

[jjimm]

Lucky you - I work next door to one of these stores, and the smell wafts in all the time. It's disgusting.

[yojimbo]

My eyes water every time I walk past that place jimm, which annoyingly is every day.

[Zenster]

I hate the detergent aisle.