"Pardon Me,
But your Perfume is Showing"
"But I'm not wearing any perfume."
I often hear this when I have to excuse myself from someone's company due to illness from exposure to perfumes. People tend to think of perfume as coming in one form--delicate little bottles with spray diffusers. But at any given time, most people have on their person at least five or six sources of hidden perfumes. And each of those "perfumes" contain a fragrance mix that may contain up to 600 different chemicals!
What kind of soap or shower gel did you use today? What kind of shampoo and conditioner? Any hair gel, mousse, or hair spray? Any shaving cream or lotion? What kind of laundry detergent? Any fabric softener?" All of these products contain petroleum-based fragrance chemicals as well as petroleum-based fixatives that cause problems for many people. You do not even have to be able to smell the products for them to have an effect. All it takes is for a small amount of the chemicals to get into the air. And when a person is using several of the above-mentioned items, it doesn't take long.
"But I use "unscented" products."
Many people are surprised to know that "unscented" products usually contain the same petroleum-based chemicals as their fragranced counterparts. Sometimes even more. It's all legal. It has to do with labelling jargon. Products labelled "unscented" can contain a masking scent without having to list it separately. It is implied by the term "unscented". The masking scent contains chemicals (many the same as those found in the fragranced products) designed to cover up odors that naturally occur due to the other ingredients. Products termed "fragrance-free" are a better bet because that means that nothing has been added to affect the smell of the product. This does not necessarily mean, however, that the product is safe for an individual, as there may be other offending chemicals present in the product. Many "name brands" have a fragrance-free variety, but have petroleum bases, which defeats the purpose, since the petroleum chemicals are what most people are reacting to in the fragrance mix. A fragrance-free product that states "no petroleum chemicals" is usually best.
So far we have discussed only the hidden perfumes that may be on the body. We haven't even touched on the hidden perfumes in the home; the candles (lit or not), the potpourris, the air fresheners, cleaning products, etc. Recently after I had to be helped out of a friend's home following an episode brought on by household fumes, our friend asked my husband what they would have to do in the home so that I could visit there with them. My husband's reply: "Change your whole way of living." Sounds severe, but it makes the point that what is necessary is much more than just not wearing perfume.
I know it is very discouraging to folks to refrain from using their favorite perfumes in an attempt to help out a friend, only to find out that it is not enough. Believe me, every effort is appreciated by those who have MCS or environmental illness. Unfortunately, those who suffer severe effects usually cannot tolerate even small amounts of fragrance, especially during vulnerable times. We are not trying to be demanding, really we're not. It's not the way we want it, it is just the way it is.
Fortunately, though, there are a number of natural products to choose from today, and most, if not all of them, are better than the fragranced products available. You may have to try more than one product to find the one you like. That's okay--you have done that with fragranced products as well, haven't you? Most of my friends have told me that they are surprised at how good the products are and how nice they leave their skin and hair. The only problem is that not many people know these products are out there. So spread the word!
© Dorothy Herrmann 2003, 2007
