To think you don’t need to wear so much perfume?

[Migrainium]

My friend came round two days ago and I can still smell her perfume in my house. Several times I’ve been out walking and a car will drive past and I can smell their aftershave several meters along the round.

I am very sensitive to smells which can trigger migraines, but even so, AIBU to think people should tone it down a bit?

Too much perfume is disgusting and I also get migraines from it.

I didn't mind perfume until I became pregnant and my sense of smell went into hyperdrive! When DS1 developed eczema, I stopped using fabric softener. Now when I smell it on other people's laundry, seems really intense. I do wonder how many chemicals must go into it to make clothes smell so strong. (Which is then masked over with perfume!)

Actually, I rarely wear it myself as I tend to forget to put any on but if someone wanders by smelling of a nice perfume or aftershave I nearly always like it and think to myself I should remember to wear perfume more.

When I was a lot younger I found some aftershaves a real turn-on. I absolutely would not compliment someone on how they smell unless I genuinely liked the smell. Why would I do that?

People should be allowed to wear however much perfume they want. And if it's a major issue for you avoid them

People should be allowed to wear however much perfume they want. And if it's a major issue for you avoid them

Not that easy if it's at work, on public transport etc. And if that's the case then people should presumably be allowed to play loud music, too. Just do whatever you want, who gives a shit if it negatively impacts anyone else, as long as you're happy.

Can't avoid them if you're swimming past them in a pool and can taste them. Totally minging covering yourself in synthetic chemicals and then inflicting them on other people, who have no control over their exposure.

Ditto spraying yourself liberally in the changing rooms, which often have poor ventilation or worse, a sauna!

Did I say compliment in my post above? It clearly reads “comment” to me.

When I went gym they put signs up asking people to be considerate of others when spraying after I put in a complaint

I think you meant Wear what you like but don't inflict it on others

@Scianel Wow some strange people in this world. There's people starving in the world, get a grip of yourself it's bloody perfume!

'Natural' perfumes wouldn't be any better than synthetic?

There's people starving in the world, get a grip of yourself it's bloody perfume!

It gives me a severe headache. But please feel free to never complain about anything that never effects you ever again until we've solved world hunger.

YANBU. I used to work with someone who wrote too much perfume. And even though it's main now was a scent I love the fact that she wore about five times too much would always start me sneezing.

And don't get me started at colleagues who spray themselves liberally with cheap body spray at their desks. 😚

And yet Mumsnet adores Zoflora.

And yet Mumsnet adores Zoflora

Probably not those of us who don't like strong perfume tbf.
I hate any strong artificial smells. I find the plug-in room sprays just as bad. DH was away working somewhere where they had them and his actual laptop bag stank the whole house out when he got back. They also had one in the toilet on the ferry on our recent crossing and he had to change his clothes after the crossing.

I really don't want to be doused against my will.

Tha

Like many PPs, I am really sensitive to perfume. Some give me an instant headache and nausea. I do a job that involves being in a room with different people all day and sometimes I have to open a window and leave for a bit after they've left. On the other side, if I see a 'smelly' person I can't use air freshener as that's even worse than BO (which at least doesn't give me a headache).

I'm fine with most incense and many scented candles (but not all). If I want to wear a scent I have to use essential oils which I'm fine with.

I gave up swimming because the pool was always full of ladies with their dry hair up and perfume on (supposed to shower before swimming!) and I could practically taste the perfume on the water. So grim.

Since covid, I can’t smell or taste anything like as sensitively as I could even though it’s ‘normal’. It really brought it home to me that normal is a range. Maybe you and your friend are on different extremes of that range.

I hate it at the swimming pool when you're lane swimming and you can almost taste the perfume of the woman in front of you in the water. Some people must go through huge quantities of perfume every day.

I don't see the point of perfume really. I rarely wear it and when I told my colleagues they were really surprised as if they all do

But it wasn't your opinion!!

it was being nasty saying all compliments about perfume were lies & just bringing the notes perfume wearing to their attention.

if I compliment someone's perfume it's because it's lovely, not a way to tell them it's actually horrible.

you stated an untruth as a truth, that's not stating your opinion!!

I love smelling different perfumes tbh, and much preferable to smell of bo, greasy hair, fag smoke etc.

At a training course a woman came in stinking of fag smoke, but then (thank fuck!!), sprtitzed herself with perfume, which improved the situation somewhat.

However, the stench of poison or amarige….yuck!!

On the other hand though, your essential
oils would give me a headache.

I get headaches with essential
oils, room diffusers, plug ins, air 'freshener', scented candles etc etc and a lot of overpowering laundry products.

And some perfume, but not all.

If the person I sit in a room with at work is wearing it then I am unable to work as I will very quickly get a migraine and need to leave. If this happens too often then how am I supposed to hold down a job?

Should I just accept having to stay at home permanently?