Not every frigging thing fails when you get older, ya know? My sense of smell is as sharp as it ever was, and in fact is sometimes annoyingly so. It’s more likely that some people have an odor problem from medications or illnesses, and the perfume is preferable to foisting that on the public.
I think it’s also partially that some people do not realize how far things can transmit to other people. My husband, for example, just didn’t know that his cologne smelled that strong from several feet away. He’s much better about it now. He also didn’t realize how far his voice carried.
I don’t see how one can hate perfume in general–that’s sort of like hating the smell of flowers or food. Personally, I dislike the smell of musk (many perfumes, but also many baby products and laundry detergents) and most of the cleaning product citrus scents. Anything that’s called “fresh” I hate. I love sandalwood, which you can scarcely get right now, but dislike the synthetic substitute. I like cedar and lavender in light doses. I love the leathery and tobacco (pipe tobacco, not old cigarettes) scents, but am a bit afraid to wear them, even in small amounts, because so many people seem to hate them. I’m curious on this one though–as I understand it, the scent of new leather is mostly added–do new leather jackets and new cars with leather upholstery bother people? Or is it just when other scents get mixed in?
The smell of leather gives me a headache, personally, totally separate from leather grossing me out conceptually. Long drives in my grandfather’s car were a nightmare 
It doesn’t smell the same to everyone; for me, for example, perfume smells like something used to scrub down an especially nasty public bathroom. Harsh, chemical; it smells like it’s designed to fizz and eat away at things.
Yes, nearly all perfumes to me smell very chemical. There are a few exceptions.
It depends on how it hits me. Some are pleasant and some are noxious. I think it may be some people wear to much. Or they are wearing something that doesn’t suit them. Or they are wearing something cheap. Cheap perfume makes me sneeze.
I have a very sensitive nose and I hate almost all perfumes and colognes (no allergies or anything - I just hate the smells). I’d be just as happy if people just stopped wearing them. I have, through the process of smelling every perfume ever made, come up with about three that I can stand, and when I wear them, I basically wear them under my clothes so I’m the only person who can smell them. I hate, HATE going to an event that I’ve paid $200 for (concert tickets, etc.) and we show up and the person next to us has marinated in perfume before they left home.
I think it’s almost always that people are wearing too much [that is, those of us who are bothered are generally bothered by people wearing too much].
I’ll readily cop to being a perfume nazi - if I can smell it, I probably hate it, and I can smell everything. I love fragrance-free zones.
Where I work ( a largish multi hospital/health care organization) we have a "No Scents is Good Sense " Policy. At first everyone complained that they were going to have to stop wearing deodorant, shampoo etc. Now, mostly it is fine. I’m a front line, hands on direct care nurse so sometimes things get…fragrant… ( I remember particularly a Norwalk outbreak a few years ago) and honestly Im much happier if we put a blanket on the patient and open a window instead of dousing everything in some kind of fake smelling spray. But I will go into the staff washroom and lightly put some nice smelling hand lotion on after I’ve done care, and put a tiny amount of fragrence on the ends of my hair so when I move my head I smell something nice like green tea rather than human excement. (No I don’t have it on me, but some smells …linger… and stay with you.)
No one complains if its lightly applied, but the policy is still there. I have one co worker (she is NOT a nurse,) who likes to partake of a certain illegal smokeable known for a pungent “skunky” smell on her breaks. She then douses herself in perfume when she comes back. It is gag-inducing. I feel like saying “Around here no one would notice that smell, but someday someone is going to report your perfume use.”
So maybe everyone drowning in perfume is just covering up the fact that they either smell like shit or marijuana?
Perfume can trigger my asthma. While I don’t like many perfumes, some do smell nice, and whether they trigger an attack is not related if the scent is one I like. The more heavily applied though, the more likely it is to trigger. I think the trigger might be some carriers, substances used to make the fragrance last, or stay in the air longer. Air freshners, the kind that automatically spray in bathrooms are sure fire triggers for me. Many scented hand creams and sun screens also trigger attacks.
The worst is when people with heavy perfume plop down beside me on public transit and act offended when I start wheezing and trying to escape. Some have even prevented me from getting up. I get up because I have learned that trying to endure is likely to lead to a severe attack, and the worst: falling down on public transit.
I have had some cases where perfume was reasonably applied (I never noticed the perfume before or after) start to trigger when I was closer than usual, like sharing a cab with a group and one is pretty much in my lap.
Fragrance free zones are wonderful. I want a law banning those air fresheners. The damn things say they are respiratory irritants right on the label!
OHMYGAWD, what HAVE I done here???
I once told my then boss that she smelled like a Lebanese whorehouse. She got the message and adjusted her perfume behaviour.
Take a look at http://demeterfragrance.com - they USED to actually have ‘gasoline’ (discontinued), and they do have grass, bonfire,…I have a room spray called “Thunderstorm” which does sort of have a musty ozone smell.
I swim in an old victorian pool with changing cubicles down both sides. Most times, about halfway through my session, someone who has got out will use way too much deodorant, and leave a massive fug of perfume floating over the center of the pool. It is an absolute killer when you are swimming hard and need every ounce of breath you can grab.
We also suggested that our daughter instruct her boyfriend on not overusing his deodorant in our bathroom if he took a shower - he made the place a no-go zone for hours.
Si
I like it when people use perfume delicately, but (like som many others in the thread) I find it uncomfortable when people trail it or fill up the whole room with it.
There are certain scents that cause me physical discomfort - One of the CK fragrances (Obsession, I think) has a sort of cucumbery aroma that is quite penetrating and is guaranteed to give me a real thumper of a headache .
We had a person (female, NOT a lady) come for a conference in our building, who stunk up the atrium (floor to ceiling about 50ft), the stairwell, the bathroom, and the conference room for HOURS. Honestly, when you leave an almost visible scent trail, it’s time to ease back on the eau de whorehouse.
Don’t care for it, and hate the folks who think it’s not effective unless it’s applied by the gallon.
bolding mine
I’m really curious how someone could prevent you from getting up and why they would make you stay. Did they physically restrain you?