Going out in public can be a challenge for me. The person standing in line behind me can cause a tingling sensation in my brain. Hours later that feeling can lead to a debilitating headache. I suffer from Migraine headaches and my main trigger is fragrances.
Our society embraces fragrances. There are everywhere. It is nearly impossible for me to escape. Fragrances are pumped through stores, they are in laundry products, make-up, soaps and cleaning products.
My mission
I would like to live in a world with more fragrance free products. I would like people to be aware of how their fragrances may affect others and themselves. I would love to know which chemicals in the fragrances are the ones causing my issues and other people’s too.
I would love to hear your thoughts on these subjects and if you know someone who is also affected by scents. Please comment.
Thank you
smell INC. 
hi FFG,
I love your superhero image!
I, too, am sensitive to chemicals of many types – with fragrance being in the list of top offenders.
Migraines are just one of a long list of symptoms they cause me but are by far the most painful symptom.
I look forward to the day when more and more people realise the effects scent chemicals can have on others!
Love the site. Will check out the “Shark” steam mop thanks for the tip.
The average fragrance product tested contained 14 secret chemicals not listed on the label. Among them are chemicals associated with hormone disruption and allergic reactions, and many substances that have not been assessed for safety in personal care products.
Check out the website. http://www.ewg.org/notsosexy
I have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity/Chemical Injury.
Thank you for speaking out.
Good Luck with your mission!
Thanks for this site. Has there been any discussion of places that use ambient aroma or scent? I haven’t been able to go to an indoor shopping mall in years, especially Westin. Also I heard that some hotel chains may be starting to use ambient scent. I would be interested in knowing what other places I should avoid, without actually going there and getting sick in order to find this out.
TeriLee, I’ve been working on a blog post regarding the practice of “Ambient Scenting”. Stay Tuned.
I love this site!! You are speaking out on behalf of many people, including me (I have MCS)! I hope that together, we an effect change. Good Luck!
Thank you for your website. I am glad to know there are others out there. I’m not sure I’m posting it the right place, but here goes. I would like to encourage everyone to contact the stores that have the smells that bother you. Tell them you can’t shop there because of their strong smells. I did this and it worked. Also, if there is a company that makes a product you love and they discontinue it, write them. Tell them how hard it is to find products you can use. Ask them to bring back the discontinued product or make another product with the same ingredients. The company who make “Unscented” products, contact them and let them know that they still have a scent that bothers you. It is misleading. What is the old saying about the squeaky wheel getting the grease? If companies don’t know there are people out there with these problems, then they can’t address the issue. Best Luck to All.
Thank you for doing this websight. I thought I was alone in this
fight against perfumes. I stopped going to one doctor and dentist
because they had air freshners that made me very sick.
Some of the men’s perfumes and women’s perfumes cause me to
get disoriented, and pains in my arm and chest making me feel like
I am having a heart attack. Luckly I figured our what was doing it.
I have written alot of casinos about the scented air and I agree that
they should post a sign that they have it, but of couse some do not
really care. I try to avoid the casinos that have the scented air.
I do feel that I don’t have any rights at all where this is concerned.
Sincerly,Bonnie
Thanks for your Website. I, too, am bothered by fragrances and know that it can sometimes feel lonely out there. My biggest challenge comes from traveling I love to travel, but it can be frustrating and time consuming finding a place to stay. I have the Safer Travel Directory, but it certainly isn’t comprehensive and has places listed that I know are offensive. Any suggestions about fragrance-free places to stay are welcome.
Janet, nice work on your directory. Thanks for putting this together.
http://www.safertraveldirectory.com/
I would think this directory would be difficult to keep up. Would love to see your work but this link isn’t working for me. I’ll be happy to share fragrance-free places I’ve stayed, including hotel rooms that were clear if you could get through the scented lobby.
Hi, Annelie here. I’d like to tip you on a site I have created for us all. And ask you to please support it to spread the information. I know it maybe is much to ask but since we have had contact before I dare to ask if you would like to add a facebook like box pointing to the page from your site? Anyway you can help is fine. You my also send me blog posts for posting.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fresh-air-for-all-Environmental-Inhibition-An-indoor-environment-case/137389693097385#!/pages/Fresh-air-for-all-Environmental-Inhibition-An-indoor-environment-case/137389693097385
linalool
If it’s fall, it’s probably linalool. This stuff gets used in all sorts of ‘spicey’ scents like cinnamon and pumpkin. It is a very common ingredient in cosmetics. It appears in many shampoos (have a look at the ingredients on the bottles next time you are in the salon waiting). Apparently, it can also be used as a pesticide to kill roaches.
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/703568/LINALOOL/
I find it very frustrating when people say I don’t really smell anything or it smells nice. Scents make me very sick I can’t breathe and I just got out of the hospital. I am always having to run a way from smell everything is scented now they make spray sun tan lotion!
The perfume in everything craze is horrible. Laundry products, cat litter, bug spray, cleaning products, personal care products, garbage bags. It is getting worse and worse but some attention is being paid to this issue. A group called Women’s Voices for the Earth is working politically on this and also write to the company EVERY time you are adversely affected by a scent. We are a minority but other minorities are expecting to be treated with dignity and respect as are persons with disabilities so express your concerns to all the companies that create these products and contact the EPA as well. They just came out with a “Safer Product ” label for some cleaning products but do not factor in fragrance free as one of the safer product criteria, please let them know that you need fragrance free products for them to be “safer” for you!
MCS sufferer here! already have a neck disability that was too much to handle. now its MSC as well. AXE products and my little brother/his friends overloaded me & the house and now I’m allergic to EVERYTHING scented. my walmart scents its air now. my dr uses plug-ins. everyone I know uses and smells like candles, plug ins or colonge/perfume. just got a medical marijuana card, and got my 1st legal bag. and the guy at the counter who handled my bag, had colonge on his hands and I had to put in the trunk to get it home. baggers/checkout people at stores usually have that crap on thier hand and I can smell it on things/bags thay touch. I just want to die. why did I have to be allergic to chemicals? theres no where to run away too!
Your website is great! I have multiple chemical sensitivity and live on Long Island (NY). I’ve been unable to travel because of the air fresheners and scented laundry and housekeeping products used in hotels, as well as planes and cruise ships (I’ve been told that’s the case…I’m afraid to even try such modes of transportation). Do you have any info on hotels, planes, cruises that are sensitive to us folk w/MCS?
Thanks!
Thank you for this site. I appreciate any listing of fragrance-free hotels. I stayed at a Sleep Inn for the first time (Amarillo) because they use no perfumes in the lobby or the guest rooms. Will be looking for them in the future. Meanwhile, I had to call 10 or 11 hotels in Pensacola (same trip) to find ONE that didn’t spray every room every day. This took me over an hour just to find a place I could stay. Hotels in Europe were better, at least on my last trip. We stayed in 3 different places in Spain and when I called ahead and asked for a fragrance-free room, in each place, the front desk or reservation person not only knew what I was asking for, but each one said some version of “We get that request all the time.” Bravo!
Hello and thank you for this website. Can you help get the word out or offer ideas? We own and operate a beautiful, totally fragrance-free and eco-friendly and B and B in rural New Mexico, in Glenwood, and need to find ways to advertise to reach others like me with MCS. Our business started in 2008, always eco-friendly, and no scented products used here, but then I became ill with MCS in 2012…and now we ONLY CATER to guests who are also fragrance-free.
I have allergies to perfume and smoke I know. Do you have a facebook twitter page would love to come join