When I think back to high school, and all the odors that bothered me, perfumes and cologne are pretty low on the list. The kid who had trouble paying attention in English class after lunch, and had that thick herbal smell? That was annoying. The disheveled Latin teacher whose breath was so bad I had to turn away when he talked? Or how about the kid who only smelled decent the day of his monthly shower?
No, according to The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), some people insist that the real culprit is perfume. I'm serious. As designers roll-out new scents with colorful packaging to attract the back-to-school crowd, some schools are fighting back. They charge that excessive-cologne/perfume is an "air-quality issue." One principal interviewed feels, "Kids don't shower the way they used to." He complains that students are spraying Axe, a potent bodyspray, in lieu of showering after gym. But isn't that better than the alternative of spraying nothing?
The article also points out that a lot of teens are shelling out $50 for a bottle of designer stuff, in an effort to gain some affectation of a brand they can't really afford -- Marc Jacobs perfume instead of a Marc Jacobs bag. That's just silly. I have several bottles of knock-off designer cologne that I got at the Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR) -- 66% off, for 33 cents per bottle. I get compliments on it constantly.











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 28)
8-25-2007 @ 4:42PM
KT said...
I really enjoy perfume and smelling the scent when someone walks buy.
The only time someone gripes about perfume is usually a individual who wears no make up and hair do that looks like she has worked out in the garden all day. Thoses who are say they sensitive are full of it and I am not tip toeing around them and their complaints cause you will see them @ Macys shopping and that place you breath nothing but colon and perfume!!!
12-18-2007 @ 1:00AM
Bruce C Yoing III said...
I have asthma and perfume make me sick and it has put me into the hospital a number of times with asthma attack so next time beware You might get to pay for the bill
8-04-2009 @ 8:08PM
Alishaundra said...
Perfumes really bother me, I am very allergic to them. So many people smell like they take baths in it, I walk by them and can't stop sneezing, get horrible headaches, etc.
If I even put a litlle on it starts into a bubbly rash that reacts harshly to my skin.
I know a lot of people that are sensitive to the smells of perfumes, not to mention to wearing them.
Most of us are not the type that look like we don't take care of ourselves.
As for the comment about people not wearing make-up, that doesn't even make sense. Most make-up looks trashy, and it is people that are insecure about their looks that need to wear it.
There are plenty of people that are absolutely beautiful and do not need to wear a mask of chemicals to show it.
8-27-2007 @ 1:43PM
Mweep said...
"Macys shopping and that place you breath nothing but colon and perfume!!!"
If you smell like colon, you have muuuuch bigger problems than what you're spraying on yourself.
8-27-2007 @ 2:38PM
CD said...
Right on, Alishaundra! And LOL Mweep! Perfume odors not only make me sneeze, eyes water and cause breathing difficulty, they keep me from going to places I would like to go. What is it that people are trying to cover up? Do they think their (hopefully) clean, washed bodies stink? Poor things; poor, poor, self-conscious people. There is enough pollution in the air already!
8-27-2007 @ 2:55PM
Dorothy said...
Perfumes also should not be allowed in the work place.Where i work is a lot of cotton and that is hard enough to take then all these people come in wearing all kinds of heavy scents , i'am holding my nose for most of the day because it is very overwhelming.I get very bad headaches after smelling this for about 4 hours and then there are 4 more to go.I can't hold my nose al day and still do my job.
8-27-2007 @ 4:04PM
Mary Ellen Jones said...
I agree that scents of all kinds should be barred from the work place. A lot of people just overdue it and then you are held captive by the strong scent of their cologne or whatever.
8-27-2007 @ 4:30PM
Connie said...
Perfumes definitely should be banned from schools the workplace and I would add medical settings. I have spent many hours in the ER due to severe asthma attacks brought on by perfumes and then aggravated by perfumes worn by the patients and staff. Sad to say Americans are obsessed with scents to the point where it's hard to find soaps, detergents, fabric softeners, deoderants, shampoos and numerous other essentials products that don't overpower you with scent. The latest is aloe vera in laundry products. Why? Do they think my clothes have dry skin or a burn? How ridiculous can you get? Maybe if KT had ever had the experience of not being able to breathe he/she might be a little more tolerant. I have found smokers to be more considerate than those that feel the need to drown themselves in scented products. What are you trying to cover up? Try soap and water - it works.
8-27-2007 @ 4:36PM
gabri'El said...
Perfume and scented products contain many many chemical compounds which can compromise health. Go to www.HEAL.com for the truth about fragrance and its contents. HEAL stands for human ecology action league.
8-27-2007 @ 5:24PM
Anne said...
At the rate this culture is going, with political correctness, there will soon be only one smell that is legal: body odor. It will be deemed discriminatory to persecute the people with body odor, but not the people who wear pleasant scents. Eventually, they'll probably also ban fresh flowers because some hypochondriacs are allegedly allergic to them.
8-27-2007 @ 5:46PM
Connie said...
Most people that have allergies or asthma that is triggered by perfumes are not usually bothered by natural scents from flowers and such. Do your homework Anne, asthma and allergies are real health problems. To label those suffering from them as hypochondriacs is inaccurate and incredibly intolerant. Someday you, or someone you care about, may suffer from them. If so, I hope you can get over yourself long enough to get them medical help.
8-27-2007 @ 6:42PM
Kevin said...
Pssssh... why should we be banned from using perfume/cologne just cuz a bunch of allergic people start whining all the time.
If you can't take the heat, stay outta the kitchen.
9-06-2007 @ 10:51PM
becky said...
I'm glad to know so many people are bothered by the smell of perfume. Next time someone lights up a cigarette in front of me, I'm going to give them a shot of "beautiful" right up their nose.
8-28-2007 @ 10:35AM
budget babe said...
Not to be an alarmist, but lots of research lately has shown health risks associated with fragrances. In "What's Toxic, What's Not" by Gary Ginsberg and Brian Toal, the authors write, "'Anything with a fragrance will have phthalate that goes with it because [phthalate] is what helps the fragrance stay on your body,' Gary says. Phthalates can lower testosterone levels in males, and Gary says that men and pregnant women should use phthalate-free products."
8-28-2007 @ 10:35AM
Cat said...
It still amazes me that so many people are ignorant and intolerant, in this enlightened time. Just because something is not there reality, doesn't make it so. It's not whining just because it doesn't bother you.
After someone has been exposed to a scent for apprx. five min. they can no longer smell it so they put more on and those of us with scent/chemical allergies get to be assaulted.
How shallow and sad.
8-28-2007 @ 12:23PM
Lynn said...
I don't mind perfume and cologne, but the people who feel they have to marinate in it are just inconsiderate. Try taking a shower instead. You're really not covering up your stink, you're just adding to it.
8-28-2007 @ 12:45PM
KJ said...
I have family members who can't be around strong odors. It will make them sick to their stomach and give them a head ache. Its not the cologne or perfume its the amount some people use. I don't know why some people have to bath in it. That is when it becomes offensive or an "air-quality issue."
8-28-2007 @ 2:00PM
jspain said...
It does become offensive when a person bathes in the fragrance. A light spay goes a long way. Most frangrances are used inappropriately. I will not sit next to someone who smells like the factory in a restaurant. As a smoker, I am shuned for smoking, so I feel that I can shun someone who bathes in any fragrance that is too much. Prohibit strong fragrances in schools, the work place and in medical areas and you will see less medical problems.
8-28-2007 @ 4:18PM
Julie said...
Good for the people who want to ban perfume! I have severe asthma, too, and that's one of my triggers. It would be nice to avoid all the things that are triggers--cigarette smoke included--and in reality, they won't be totally banned ever (otherwise, those poor perfume/cologne makers and tobacco companies would be broke!), but getting a handle on things is nice.
8-28-2007 @ 4:42PM
Mellie said...
Ban them from everywhere and everything! I have severe reactions to even the slightest amount of the stinking junk! One idiot woman almost killed me on public transportation while I was pregnant!! If the driver hadn't pulled the bus over and told the woman to get off the thing and called an ambulance both me AND my baby would have died!
Over reacting?, I don't think so...my throat closes up, I start turning blue, and tend to lose consciousness. Not to mention the fact that my skin breaks out in disgustingly ugly hives. Over reacting??? I don't think so.
So ban the stupid junk, personally, I kinda like breathing. I think my husband and children like me breathing too. Make it a Global Wide Ban, and fine any moron who dares to make any more of it!