Compelling Reasons for Other People to Quit Fragrances
If you live with asthma, then there is a good chance that certain scents or fragrances bother you. For some, fragrance can be detrimental. If that's the case, then it's likely you buy unscented products and do your best to avoid strong smells. The problem is, you cannot be in control of what you are exposed to 100 percent of the time.
Fragrance as an asthma trigger
It seems many people who do not live with asthma, love their fragrances. There are scented lotions, shampoos, conditioners, perfumes, colognes, and aftershaves. In the home, people choose to light candles, burn incense, spray air fresheners, and use plug-in scents. Long story short, fragrance is everywhere. No matter how hard you try to avoid it for the sake of your asthma, it can often be unavoidable.
Approximately 60 percent of all people living with asthma have allergic asthma. Fragrance is one of the most common triggers for those who have allergic asthma. Hopefully, if fragrance is a trigger for your asthma, the people in your life understand and respect this.1
Additional reasons to quit fragrances
Unfortunately, a person in your life might continue to wear fragrances or spray them throughout their home despite the negative effect it has on your asthma. If your asthma is not enough of a reason for them to cut back on scents, then sharing some additional reasons might help convince them. Here are some other compelling reasons for one to cut out fragrances:
- Artificial scents are chemicals - Fragrances can be a combination of natural and synthetic ingredients. Synthetic ingredients can come from petroleum, alcohol, coal, and tar. Fragrances can also emit volatile organic chemicals that can worsen indoor air quality.2,3
- Fragrance can be a hormone disrupter - A compound found in fragrance, called phthalates, has been found to disrupt hormones.3
- Perfume and cologne are expensive - In 2018, consumers spent $39 billion on perfumes globally. These items are extra (and unnecessary) costs that add up over time.2
- Covers up natural smells - Have you ever been on a hike, smelling the fresh air and scent of pines, only to be interrupted by a cloud of perfume or cologne? This experience can be extremely frustrating. On the flip side, think about how those wearing a lot of perfume or cologne miss out on the wonderful smells of nature.
Convincing others about fragrances
Ideally, everyone in your life would stop spraying themselves with fragrance, taking you into candle stores, and cease scenting up their homes. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. There will always be people who choose to drench themselves and their homes in fragrance. You may have to spend less time with these people and in their homes for the sake of your health. That being said, there might be people in your life that simply might not fully understand your asthma or your reaction to fragrances.
It is likely that you have already tried to discuss what triggers your asthma. If this isn't enough, then sharing additional reasons why quitting fragrance would be beneficial to them could be the turning point. Sharing this article or the cons of using fragrances may be a good place to start.
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