--- title: Why So Many People Hate Scented Products description: New findings suggest that fragrance sensitivity is not only a common issue, but can be quite severe. canonical: https://time.com/4695013/fragrance-sensitivity-smell/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-03-10T15:07:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T03:43:45.468Z article:section: Health og:title: Why So Many People Hate Scented Products og:description: Perfume allergies are surprisingly common og:url: https://time.com/4695013/fragrance-sensitivity-smell/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte3e11d4b67dfc388/6988bd88fb4eac09228910ae/fragrance-sensitivity-side-effects.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5240 og:image:height: 2948 og:image:alt: Green Perfume Spraying og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why So Many People Hate Scented Products twitter:description: Perfume allergies are surprisingly common twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte3e11d4b67dfc388/6988bd88fb4eac09228910ae/fragrance-sensitivity-side-effects.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why So Many People Hate Scented Products > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=e2f57d66-5ee3-4e0d-ae72-bf94db417b0d&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) by [Anthea Levi / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Anthea Levi / Health.com Contributor Mar 10, 2017 3:07 PM UTC  High resolution Perfume. Studio Lighting. Medium format camera. High resolution Perfume. Studio Lighting. Medium format camera. Getty Images by [Anthea Levi / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Anthea Levi / Health.com Contributor Mar 10, 2017 3:07 PM UTC You may not love the scent of your coworker’s hand cream, or the perfume wafting across the aisle on the train. But for some people, fragrances like those can trigger a range of very real symptoms, according to a new Australian study, from migraines to difficulties with breathing. For her research, Anne Steinemann, PhD, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Melbourne School of Engineering, asked nearly 1,100 people to complete questionnaires about their [exposure to fragranced products](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335516301449)—such as personal care products, air fresheners, cleaning solutions, and laundry supplies—and any reactions those products may have triggered. The findings, published in the journal _Preventive Medicine Reports,_ suggest that fragrance sensitivity is not only a common issue, but can be quite severe. One-third of the study participants reported experiencing one or more health issues from scented products (whether they used the items themselves, or were exposed to them in public places). The most common reaction was respiratory difficulties, including coughing and shortness of breath. Almost 17% of participants reported this effect. Fourteen percent reported mucosal symptoms (such as congestion and watery eyes); 10% had experienced [migraines](http://www.health.com/migraines-headaches); and 9.5% said they developed skin problems (like rashes, hives, tingling skin, and dermatitis). **_Health.com_**_:_ [_20 Ways to Stop Allergies_](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20361208,00.html/?xid=time) Other reactions reported included [asthma](http://www.health.com/asthma) attacks (7.6%) and gastrointestinal problems (3.3%). Almost 5% of people said they suffered neurological symptoms (dizziness or fainting, for example); and 4.1% reported cognitive problems, such as trouble with their memory and difficulty concentrating. What’s more, nearly 8% of the respondents said they had missed work or lost a job in the past year as a result of feeling ill from exposure to fragrances in the workplace. “Based on my findings, it’s clear that the health effects of fragrance sensitivities can be immediate, severe, and potentially disabling,” says Steinemann. Her previous research in the United States found that 19% of Americans experience [adverse reactions to air fresheners](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19326669). “Some people feel like they can’t enter public restrooms or walk inside shops because they don’t want to risk an asthma attack,” says Steinemann. “This loss of functionality makes a fragrance sensitivity not just a health issue, but a societal and economic one too.” For anyone who reacts to fragrances, there are a few simple things you can do to protect yourself, she says. First, get rid of air fresheners, which don’t actually improve air quality; and open windows for ventilation instead. You can also try to go old school with your cleaning supplies, she suggests, using products like vinegar or [baking soda](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20904678,00.html) to wipe down your kitchen and bathroom. Finally, don’t be afraid to let colleagues know a second-hand scent (from a candle, for example, or an odor-eliminating spray) is making you sick. “Speak up!” urges Steinemann. “It’s a health hazard and workplace liability that doesn’t help productivity.” _This_ [_article_](http://www.health.com/allergy/fragrance-sensitivity-health-effects/?xid=time) _originally appeared on_ [_Health.com_](http://www.health.com) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4695013/fragrance-sensitivity-smell/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4695013/fragrance-sensitivity-smell/"},"headline":"Why So Many People Hate Scented Products","datePublished":"2017-03-10T15:07:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T03:43:45.468Z","description":"From migraines to difficulty breathing","url":"https://time.com/4695013/fragrance-sensitivity-smell/","keywords":["allergies","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte3e11d4b67dfc388/6988bd88fb4eac09228910ae/fragrance-sensitivity-side-effects.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Anthea Levi / Health.com"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte3e11d4b67dfc388/6988bd88fb4eac09228910ae/fragrance-sensitivity-side-effects.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Green Perfume Spraying","caption":"Green Perfume Spraying","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/allergies/","name":"allergies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4695013/fragrance-sensitivity-smell/","name":"Why So Many People Hate Scented Products"}}]}] ```