# Febreze different than other deodorizers **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 28, 2010, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febreze-different-than-other-deodorizers/530785 "2010-02-28T23:36:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febreze-different-than-other-deodorizers/530785/1 "2010-02-28T23:36:37Z")
We’ve probably all read this entry in SD: > **[Do air fresheners work by numbing out your nose?](https://www.straightdope.com/21341351/do-air-fresheners-work-by-numbing-out-your-nose)** My question is does Febreze work differently somehow, or is it still just covering up/anesthetizing your nose? Cecil answered that query 30 years ago, I was curious what, if any, the technological advance of Febreze is. ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febreze-different-than-other-deodorizers/530785/2 "2010-03-01T00:28:38Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > We’ve probably all read this entry in SD: > > [Do air fresheners work by numbing out your nose? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/173/do-air-fresheners-work-by-numbing-out-your-nose) > > My question is does Febreze work differently somehow, or is it still just covering up/anesthetizing your nose? Cecil answered that query 30 years ago, I was curious what, if any, the technological advance of Febreze is. > **[Febreze](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Febreze)** > > Febreze is an American brand of household odor eliminators manufactured by Procter & Gamble. It is sold in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. > First introduced in test markets in March 1996, the fabric refresher product has been sold in the United States since June 1998, and the line has since branched out to include air fresheners (Air Effects), plug-in oil (Noticeables), scented disks (Scentstories), odor-eliminating candles, and automotive air fresh... “The product’s active ingredient is beta-cyclodextrin, a naturally occurring molecule with a “donut-like” molecular shape. The manufacturer claims that molecules of this plant bind hydrocarbonic compounds within the donut shape,[2] thus retaining malodorous molecules so that they are no longer detected as a scent.” ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febreze-different-than-other-deodorizers/530785/3 "2010-03-01T01:30:22Z")
Perhaps this will be on a related note, since I don’t know if Febreze makes the claim, but there are odor eliminators that claim to “destroy” odor. Where does it go? ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febreze-different-than-other-deodorizers/530785/4 "2010-03-01T04:21:49Z")
> [@IAmNotSpartacus](#): > > Perhaps this will be on a related note, since I don’t know if Febreze makes the claim, but there are odor eliminators that claim to “destroy” odor. Where does it go? Someone who knows much more than I do will probably be along shortly, but think about what odors are for a second. They’re actually molecules that float around in the air, hitting receptors in your nose, causing you to receive signals that your brain interprets as smell. If you break up or otherwise change those molecules, they’ll no longer be the right ‘shape’ to stimulate those smell-receptors in your nose. Voila! Destroyed odors.