Fragrance and chemical sensitivities...let's talk

[KAG]

Uh oh. I've been wearing perfume since I was little. I remember getting Jungle Gardenia in my Easter basket. Perfume is part of my M.O. I'd feel naked without it. Of course there are scents I abhor, and ones that give me sinus infections. I don't douse myself in the ones I love, though. Except for when my Father bought me Giorgio, the parfume and the eau de toilette, for a special occasion back in 1982. You could smell this stuff a mile away. The President of the company I was working for asked me not to wear it because it choked him. My point is, perfume makes me happy and I relate it to usually happy memories.

I feel awful for you girls suffering with allergies and asthma. I get sinusitis often and it's horrible.

Yes, this thread has made me think more about others.
Xoxoxoxoo

[Sylie]

Kerry, it is interesting that you mention Giorgio, because that is the first time perfume made me sick. In 1982 Giorgio launched a big promotion where they sent a bizzilion samples in the mail. My boss was taking me out for lunch at a very special restaurant (Christmas), and while we were driving to the restaurant I pulled out my little sample to try it out. He said, "Be careful not to use too much, we might not like it."
I used only the tiniest drop on my wrist, but it seemed to explode. The smell filled the car, and we both felt sick from it. As soon as I could, I washed it over and over, but the smell lingered. I believe that that was the beginning of the use of chemical binders to hold the fragrance.

Before then, I always used perfume. A dab behind the ears and on wrists. Other people could catch a whiff only when the were close. Perfume was sort of intimate, enticing...sort of sexy. We used to carry a small purse size with us, because it faded away quickly.

It seems that for a year or longer the whole world smelled of Giorgio. People would come into my office wearing it, and the smell would remain long after they left. I could even taste it. There is nothing intimate or intriguing about smelling the scent of someone who was in the elevator 10 minutes ago.

My gripe is not with perfume...it is with chemicals.

[Snowball Pie's Mommi]

Originally Posted by KAG

Uh oh. I've been wearing perfume since I was little. I remember getting Jungle Gardenia in my Easter basket. Perfume is part of my M.O. I'd feel naked without it. Of course there are scents I abhor, and ones that give me sinus infections. I don't douse myself in the ones I love, though. Except for when my Father bought me Giorgio, the parfume and the eau de toilette, for a special occasion back in 1982. You could smell this stuff a mile away. The President of the company I was working for asked me not to wear it because it choked him. My point is, perfume makes me happy and I relate it to usually happy memories.

I feel awful for you girls suffering with allergies and asthma. I get sinusitis often and it's horrible.

Yes, this thread has made me think more about others.
Xoxoxoxoo

A lot of what Kerry has shared here ...

I would feel lost without a little perfume. It makes me feel good. I have gotten many compliments over perfumes I have chosen over the years. One example ... many men love the smell of Obsession by Calvin Klein. I have actually been standing in supermarket lines, etc., when men standing nearby me, have asked me what I was wearing that smelled so good. More than one man said he wanted to buy the perfume for his wife. I wore Obsession for several years. Now I wear Dior's Addiction. Funny ... *Obsession* ... then *Addiction*. LOL However, I can only find the original Addiction perfume directly by ordering through Dior.

Oh, and I think there is nothing more sexy than a great smelling man. Again, not over powering cologne ... but, just a nice scent. I think it can be such a big turn on if a gentleman is wearing a first class cologne.

I am like Kerry, I do not douse myself in perfume.. When Kerry was here and we first hugged ... she said that I smelled so good. And, I thought she smelled great, too!

I used to love Camay soap ... it used to be advertised as the "beauty cleanser " ... and, it had the most lovely scent. One time when at the post office, the postal clerk said I smelled so good and asked if I would mind sharing what the name of the perfume was that I was wearing. I didn't have on any perfume ... but, had just taken a shower with Camay!

Over the years I have had many compliments, from men and women alike, that they loved the fragrances I wore. However, my most favorite compliment came from my granddaughter when she was about six years old. She had been in the supermarket with Felix. She pulled him over to the aisle that had the bath and facial soaps and said ... Oh, Pop- Pop! Isn't this wonderful ... it smells wonderful ... just like Grandma!" Felix said there was a man standing nearby with a big grin on his face. LOL

Sadly, Camay, after all these years, changed the scent I loved ... so, I no longer buy it.

I DO NOT like scented hand lotions or hairspray. I will never understand how women put up with that hairspray called Aqua Net! I always thought that stuff stunk, period. I do not like any hairspray with a scent. I need a little hairspray because my hair is fine and otherwise falls all over the place. I have used Paul Mitchell for years ... no scent at all.

I remember my mother always smelled so wonderful. During the Christmas holidays she loved Caron's Nuit de Noel that I bought her every year for Christmas. Then, a few years before she died ... she developed allergies to everything. I felt so bad for her ... as I do for anyone who suffers from allergies.

And, if I am around anyone that I know has allergies, I will avoid wearing my perfume. Even if Snowball had an allergy to my perfume ... I would give it up for him in a heartbeat.

I have been wondering though ... and, especially after reading this thread ... with some of you loving perfume, and others not liking it, or, worse yet, suffering from allergies ... whatever happens to those of you who get together at the meet-ups, like the one at HH? I cannot imagine that everyone was perfume free ... unless everyone knew some friends were allergic to perfume, etc. Just wondering ...

[Sylie]

Marie, I'll bet I would love the way you smell. For one thing, I think that what is nice is when you only get a gentle whiff when you are close. It isn't so nice when the whole room smells after the person has left.

There are lots of nice smell that don't give me a headache, but the ones that do are the ones that are strong and long lasting. It is probably one chemical that is used as a fixative.