Hey fellow Fragheads!
I have been trying for a long time to track down my problem partly because it is hard to even describe.
The TLDR is: I have a lingering burn in my nose up to 24hrs that I can only describe as similar to a prescription strength nasal spray without a distinct smell. I can "smell" it immediately on many vintage colognes and always thought it was because they were cheap.
My journey to track this down started with lavender. I am still not ruling it out as a contributor as it is prominent in all classic fragrances. So I pulled out some pure lavender finally and sprayed it on one wrist and a known problem fragrance on the other. Lavender is supposed to be a top and heart note and maybe dry down to powder, I can't see how it would hang on without some help.
What about florals drying down to "powder" smell? Again the florals aren't in the base so I can't see how this is the problem. I love natural rose scents which I know is unusual. That one may be a contributor, but if I am smelling powder something is keeping it stuck. I will note that what I am smelling, when I smell it on other people is usually a female and it is overpowering. Most feminine fragrances are very floral. So is it the combination of too many florals maybe?
Coumarin is in the base of many fragrances, I wonder about that one. Nope, it's in 90% according to one source and doesn't sound like the culprit.
Then we come to oakmoss. I though it was supposed to smell dirty and greenish and be a fixative. I kept dancing around this as the source for a long time, but it is in the base and it is a fixative. I wonder if that is why I can detect something in my nose, but not smell it 24hrs later? There is a "thicker" feeling to the smell for 8-12hrs. Some of these fragrances that burn my nose also don't wash off, further pointing to something with holding power.
I have had good luck with most unique soap and aftershave combos. The confusing one for me is B&M Fern. It is supposed to be based on an old scent and if it is called fern then it is a fougere. But I don't get any nasal burn, or floral, just pure green. I wish I knew what it was based on because that would help. SV Felce Aromatica is the soap I match it with and they don't list oakmoss in their description. Classic fougere structure is supposed to have oakmoss in the base so I am confused how a classic scent wouldn't have oakmoss. I only have a limited number of actual fragrances to smell, but the ones I gravitate toward would be considered modern and not classic. Amber woody is safe for me.
Thanks for any suggestions
I have been trying for a long time to track down my problem partly because it is hard to even describe.
The TLDR is: I have a lingering burn in my nose up to 24hrs that I can only describe as similar to a prescription strength nasal spray without a distinct smell. I can "smell" it immediately on many vintage colognes and always thought it was because they were cheap.
My journey to track this down started with lavender. I am still not ruling it out as a contributor as it is prominent in all classic fragrances. So I pulled out some pure lavender finally and sprayed it on one wrist and a known problem fragrance on the other. Lavender is supposed to be a top and heart note and maybe dry down to powder, I can't see how it would hang on without some help.
What about florals drying down to "powder" smell? Again the florals aren't in the base so I can't see how this is the problem. I love natural rose scents which I know is unusual. That one may be a contributor, but if I am smelling powder something is keeping it stuck. I will note that what I am smelling, when I smell it on other people is usually a female and it is overpowering. Most feminine fragrances are very floral. So is it the combination of too many florals maybe?
Coumarin is in the base of many fragrances, I wonder about that one. Nope, it's in 90% according to one source and doesn't sound like the culprit.
Then we come to oakmoss. I though it was supposed to smell dirty and greenish and be a fixative. I kept dancing around this as the source for a long time, but it is in the base and it is a fixative. I wonder if that is why I can detect something in my nose, but not smell it 24hrs later? There is a "thicker" feeling to the smell for 8-12hrs. Some of these fragrances that burn my nose also don't wash off, further pointing to something with holding power.
I have had good luck with most unique soap and aftershave combos. The confusing one for me is B&M Fern. It is supposed to be based on an old scent and if it is called fern then it is a fougere. But I don't get any nasal burn, or floral, just pure green. I wish I knew what it was based on because that would help. SV Felce Aromatica is the soap I match it with and they don't list oakmoss in their description. Classic fougere structure is supposed to have oakmoss in the base so I am confused how a classic scent wouldn't have oakmoss. I only have a limited number of actual fragrances to smell, but the ones I gravitate toward would be considered modern and not classic. Amber woody is safe for me.
Thanks for any suggestions