To tell someone that their love of Scentsy makes their cakes taste grim?

[cautiouscovidity]

A colleague is really into baking and has a reputation in our workplace for making delicious cakes. It's just a hobby but they're so nice (in terms of both taste and aesthetics) that she could easily make a successful business out of it.
In the last few months, she's really got into Scentsy (she's bought them for her home, she's not selling it) and the bakes she's been sharing at work have a distinct taste of whatever scent she's burning / melting / whatever you do to Scentsy. They're really not very pleasant - a slightly soapy / sickly / heavily perfumed aroma that penetrates the icing and the sponge. She brought a baguette in the other day for a bring and share lunch and that had also absorbed the scent. Although I wouldn't be rude enough to discuss this with colleagues, I noticed quite a few of her cupcakes last week were left half eaten whereas previously they'd have all been gobbled up, so I don't think I'm alone in noticing this.
Anyway, she's been talking about starting a cake-making business and asked my opinion. How can I mention the issue of her heavily scented home and the fact that her food tastes weird without causing offence? I really think her heavily scented home has ruined her previously amazing cupcakes but don't know if I should say anything?

You must say something. I dont think she would take offence if you word it kindly, stress her usually delicious cakes are tainted by the smell.
She must wonder why cakes are being left. Does she eat them herself too?

@Janaih

You must say something. I dont think she would take offence if you word it kindly, stress her usually delicious cakes are tainted by the smell. She must wonder why cakes are being left. Does she eat them herself too?

Yes she does eat them. I can only assume that as she's surrounded by the grim smell all the time that she's a bit immune to it (taste & smell being very interlinked). I can only assume all their porous food tastes the same. It's very obvious to me as I loathe artificial fragrance but I guess if you have it around you all the time then maybe you don't notice

Suppose it's a bit like if you smoke - you dont notice the smell.

"She brought a baguette in the other day for a bring and share lunch"

Just amazed your workplace is allowing a jacobs join tbh!

Shes become nose blind, as the advert says!

Just tell her. Perhaps the next time she bring something in, tell her that as always it was lovely but you could really taste something different in it and was she burning something at the time or adding a different flavour.

Casually ask what the flavouring is as it smells and tastes like a scentsy you have... if she says she uses them say oh no it made all my cooking taste like it! She'll get the hint

Maybe she's had covid and lost her sense of smell/taste and genuinely can't tell!

(Apparently you can track the spread of Covid by looking at the negative reviews of Yankee candles!)

Why is everyone pussy footing around this?

Don't hint at her, just tell her.

"Maria, your cakes taste of candles" will do

I don't know why you would just say, especially when she's given you an in by asking your opinion. Why does everything have to be tiptoed around?

I think when she brings in food you should say "oh it smells like scented candles/airfreshener" in a hmmm dont know what that could be, strange kind of way. If she seems like she may be getting offended then just say it tastes nice and leave it. If she seems willing to listen maybe drop in a "were you burning a candle or something whie you were baking? I wonder if it's gone into the mix."

I wouldn't outright say "hey Linda, your bakes are usually amazing but since you've got into that scentsy everything you make tastes and smells of air freshener" I just wouldn't have the balls.

"Maria, your cakes taste of candles" will do

i love straight talking people. i hope in real life you are this blunt. i would love someone in our office to do this and just be this direct. not even sugar coating it

this has reminded me of a work experience boy we once had! one of the girls in the office had recently moved out of her mums and started doing her own washing. she didnt have a drier so was hanging her clothes around her house. as a result they had that wet dog / damp laundry smell to them. we had all been debating whether to tell her for weeks. she was highly sensitive though so none of us were brave enough. the work experience boy came in one day, declared it smelt like wet dog, sniffed his way around the office for a few hours (while working) before declaring "X, its you. its your coat. it smells like wet dog. didnt you dry it properly?". Problem solved.

"she didnt have a drier so was hanging her clothes around her house. as a result they had that wet dog / damp laundry smell to them."

Well lack of a drier shouldn't matter, I'm sure plenty of people don't use them & just use an airer.

Can't quite fathom what she must have been doing though.

@diddl It comes from not spreading stuff out to dry properly, overloading the airer or it just taking too long for things to dry (so another spin cycle could be needed). I had to train DP how to hang things on the airer when he moved in .

@myhobbyisouting

"She brought a baguette in the other day for a bring and share lunch"

Just amazed your workplace is allowing a jacobs join tbh!

I had to Google 'Jacob's join' . We're a very different (key worker) environment where we have to work in close proximity anyway, so a bit of baguette and a slice of quiche is not going to cause a considerable increase in risk vs our normal level of contact we have to have to do our job anyway. No shared bowls, everything is pre-sliced so you're only touching your share . Not an office.

You're all right. I need to just say it like it is and hope I don't offend

Making good cakes doesn’t necessarily mean she could create a viable business.

But YWNBU to tell her that recently her cakes haven’t tasted good and why you think that is!

Just say it. Next time you bite into oone of her cakes just say "oh, I can taste the scentsy in this. Its absorbed the fragrance from what you were burning and it's quite strong. What a shame". And put the cake down.
There really is no need to be delicate.

I think I would mention this, because if some of her food goes uneaten, it is such a waste of all that she has made or baked.

@myhobbyisouting

Why is everyone pussy footing around this?

Don't hint at her, just tell her.

"Maria, your cakes taste of candles" will do

I agree.

I have a bit of a reputation for being honest, but I'm never nasty/mean/unkind. Sometimes you really do have to say something.

I made a beautiful cake once, and I'd really gone to town with the buttercream decoration.
The whole bloody thing tasted of icing sugar, which I'd kept (for a while) under the stairs with the card box of washing powder.

I really never knew the smell could leach out the box and into the icing sugar like that, but by heck it did.
I've never thrown out a whole cake before

Do tell her though. Luckily I was with family, who could be honest but I'd have hated it if no one had told me.

Scentsy stuff is really strong....and its an mlm so your colleague is unreasonable on that alone.

Bite into cake "I'm so sorry, all I can taste is X like a candle scebt, not Y actual flavour of bake... I think your scentsy stuff must be overpowering anything you bake"