Has the whole "scent free" thing in workplaces and public space gone too far?

[Rhody]

Seems like a good idea given the aforementioned reasons and i guess its majority rule. I suppose if you need to wear heavy cologne you dont have to go to these hospitals etc
i remember when you could smoke on an airplane and now you cant. Times change!

 

[Badgerstate36]

IMO, the problem is that people put too much product on. I work with some people who smell like they practically bathe in cologne and its not fun.

 

[davent]

Equally bad are clothes that have been dried in a clothes dryer with dryer sheets. At the end of the street there's a 500 step sets of stairs heavily used by people working out, doing sets up and down. You can smell those clothes on people a couple landings away, hold your breath and bolt past, as bad as someone smoking on the stairs.
dave

 

[Bhugo]

I remember smoking....... I found it better than running up steps as well!

 

[Bhugo]

I was operated on at Studio54 with no ill effects.

Cocaine staves off infection....

 

[August West]

Cocaine staves off infection....

 

[August West]

I remember smoking....... I found it better than running up steps as well!

 

[Christoph]

Equally bad are clothes that have been dried in a clothes dryer with dryer sheets. At the end of the street there's a 500 step sets of stairs heavily used by people working out, doing sets up and down. You can smell those clothes on people a couple landings away, hold your breath and bolt past, as bad as someone smoking on the stairs.
dave

I used to carpool with a guy who would get in the car, and it was like someone poured a gallon of laundry detergent on your face!

 

[shavefan]

I was operated on at Studio54 with no ill effects.

In the '80s I had an incident at Limelight NYC. OK, Maybe more than once, can't recall...

My sister in law works at a hospital and there is a no scent policy in place. IIRC, nail polish is on the banned list too

 

[August West]

In the '80s I had an incident at Limelight NYC. OK, Maybe more than once, can't recall...

My sister in law works at a hospital and there is a no scent policy in place. IIRC, nail polish is on the banned list too

The 80's will go down in history as a very decadent time.

 

[ajkel64]

The 80's will go down in history as a very decadent time.

Do you remember the 80's as many do not.

 

[BDWoody]

Another interesting point, especially those seeking to diagnose someone who is presenting before them in a triage manor, there are many tell-tale scents which describe the physical condition and the problems a person can be experiencing. You may not recognize your mind doing it, but that information joins the gestalt and can lead to quick diagnosis. Think GI problems, diabetic sweetness, certain medications, shocky sweats.

That said, there are times to be thankful for Vicks or cherry chapstick & a mask, and after, a spray bottle of dilute rose water to clear your nose.

That's one I wouldn't have considered... Excellent point.

 

[August West]

Do you remember the 80's as many do not.

I lost three decades in a row.

 

[jdp93]

I wear a fragrance every day, but I either work from home or in an enclosed office when I go in to work. On the rare occasions when I am going to be in close contact with people, I will wear a fragrance that doesn't project much or I won't wear one at all because I don't want to be "that guy."

 

[TexLaw]

Without a doubt, the scent-free environment movement has come from the resurgence of persons hosing themselves down with scents. Axe has not helped the matter at all.

I have a very strong orris root allergy. Orris root is a component in many fragrances. Even though orris root allergy is fairly common, orris root is not among those that must be explicitly listed (it just falls under "fragrance.") Inhaling it leads to coughing, one whopper of a headache, and that general fogginess like when one has a bad cold. Persistent contact with it (e.g., applying AS, soap, deodorant, cologne) quickly results in redness, sweating, minor swelling, and itching, and even a rash.

When someone wears more than a nominal amount of anything containing orris root, my reaction is anywhere from mildly unpleasant to downright illness. I actually take an antihistamine every day for the all but inevitable encounter. However, that only goes so far. It's not at all uncommon for me to have to leave an area.

I cannot stand around fragrance sections, candle shops, and the like. I have to be very careful with soaps (bath, laundry, shaving, etc.), and other products, and I tend to go with unscented. Anything that Mrs. TL wears must get my approval first. I find that anything called an "air freshener" performs quite the opposite function.

 

[ajkel64]

I lost three decades in a row.

Sounds like you were fun to hang around with.

 

[Merle]

Without a doubt, the scent-free environment movement has come from the resurgence of persons hosing themselves down with scents. Axe has not helped the matter at all.

I have a very strong orris root allergy. Orris root is a component in many fragrances. Even though orris root allergy is fairly common, orris root is not among those that must be explicitly listed (it just falls under "fragrance.") Inhaling it leads to coughing, one whopper of a headache, and that general fogginess like when one has a bad cold. Persistent contact with it (e.g., applying AS, soap, deodorant, cologne) quickly results in redness, sweating, minor swelling, and itching, and even a rash.

When someone wears more than a nominal amount of anything containing orris root, my reaction is anywhere from mildly unpleasant to downright illness. I actually take an antihistamine every day for the all but inevitable encounter. However, that only goes so far. It's not at all uncommon for me to have to leave an area.

I cannot stand around fragrance sections, candle shops, and the like. I have to be very careful with soaps (bath, laundry, shaving, etc.), and other products, and I tend to go with unscented. Anything that Mrs. TL wears must get my approval first. I find that anything called an "air freshener" performs quite the opposite function.

Reminds me of the experience of going anywhere near the common grocery store "Laundry Products Aisle." The frustrating thing about fragrance design is most of the "noses" are working to make detergents, softeners, cleaners, and Windex smell 'come hither.' Then the retailer puts them all on one aisle and expects you to find your way to heaven on earth going down that crowded, over the top aisle.

 

[TexLaw]

@Merle , I spend as little time as possible on that aisle, if any at all.

 

[davent]

My first job and did it for years through school and beyond was in a grocery store and the laundry/cleaning aisle was a killer. Then you'd have the claustrophobic poorly vented storeroom with more, and broken boxes, spillage, back in the days when it was all powdered, heavily scented laundry detergent.

Cracking open a stick of Arko and it all came rushing back to me, unusable.
dave

 

[MisterGrain]

That other thread in the General section gave me an idea.

If prohibiting fragrances is gonna become more common, then these places need to be offering complimentary breath mints too.