Do you wear perfume/cologne to work?

[Phillycat]

There was a whole flamewar in GD last week about this. I do NOT want to continue that flame war, I'm just curious. Apparently some people are so sensitive to fragrances that they're not able to leave the house if someone else is wearing perfume/cologne.

I must admit, it never occurred to me to not wear perfume to work. Mine is very light and clean-smelling (Philosophy Amazing Grace) and I've never had any complaints.

So, do you wear fragrance? And if you don't, do you refrain because of fragrance-sensitive people, or just because you don't like it?

If you do, name your brand (just curious).

[bicentennial_baby]

1. I wear it to school, some days...

Victoria's Secret Dream Angels, Heavenly. :)

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. Nah, only rude people do.

[Phillycat]

3. Really? Or are you kidding?

[Rabrrrrrr]

8. No, really. With so may people allergic to perfumes, it's just rude to wear it in public.

Like it's rude to smoke around people.

I hope some day the perfumers get the same kind of social ostracizing that smokers get.

It's obnoxious.

I've had to change tables in restaurants and change chairs in theaters because of assholes (99% women) who don't seem to think that the rest of the world is of anywhere near the importance of their own fuckery.

In one workplace, my desk was out in public (as were many others), and I finally had to put a sign on my phone that said "If you are wearing perfume, do not use this phone", because I'd come in in the morning and almost every night some fuckwit with "scent" would have used my phone.

[AirmensMom]

12. Here's something we agree on ...

100%.

[Rabrrrrrr]

17. YAY! I love 100% agreement!

:bounce: :woohoo:

:thumbsup:

[truebrit71]

16. Bullshit...and I smoke around EVERYONE too!!

..in fact, if it's at a non-smokers house I make sure to ash on their carpet and throw my fag-ends in the bog...

[Rabrrrrrr]

22. Oh, don't get me wrong- doing it in other people's HOUSES is fine.

I'm just saying in bars and restaurants and workplaces it's bad.

I always save all my spoiled, rotting food to take to people's homes, too, and rub it into the carpeting and and the furnace.

That's just etiquette.

[truebrit71]

23. Nice!

:rofl:

[lligrd]

36. No, And Soaps Have Fragrance Too

So I quit bathing and washing my clothes. Don't want to cause any allergic reactions out there. I do get some other reactions though.

[redqueen]

19. How can you compare cigarette / cigar smoke to fragrance?

It ain't banned cause people think it's stinky.

Yeah, I can see cologne being made illegal cause a few people have allergies. I can really see that happening.

If anything, they'll ban peanuts first.

Why do you hate peanuts?

[Rabrrrrrr]

24. Because they both cause allergic responses in people.

I actually breath about seven million times better in a room full of cigarette smoke than I do in a house in which someone has just used perfumed hand lotion, or in a public place in which someone with fragrance is standing near me or walking by me. That's how sensitive I am.

As to your last question, you have it totally wrong - I don't hate peanuts. I hate gay Jews. Please get it right. :crazy:

[redqueen]

27. Nobody's allergic to gay Jews, though, are they?

:wow:


(Was just making a point about allergies, severity of reactions, etc.)

[China_cat]

64. What most people don't understand is that we don't

actually think they stink...some fragrences are actually quite nice. Until I choke and can no longer breathe. Goes for soap, deodorant and shampoos, too. (Which all can be bought unscented).

I wish I'd had you with me on the trip back from PA on Sunday. Some anorexic female decided to set off almost a full container of hairspray in the rest room. By the time I could get out of there, I had to have my husband's support to get back to the car. He wasn't nasty enough to confront her when she came out and I couldn't. I thought of you.

[Book Lover]

4. Nope

Perfume is for dates, IMO.

[AirmensMom]

5. I didn't while I was working.

But don't assume that someone would complain if it bothered them. You've seen what happens when someone says something about it.

[Phillycat]

9. I know, that thread was crazy.

I would wear it in public, but I would definitely STOP if it bothered someone! I think it's unreasonable to assume people are going to just stop wearing perfume (since humans have worn it pretty much forever), but I DO think it's just good manners to stop wearing it if you know someone is sensitive. Giorgio perfume is the only one that bothers me, it gives me a wicked headache, and once I did have to say something to a woman who worked for me. She was horrified that it bothered me and stopped immediately. Too bad most people aren't that courteous.

[AirmensMom]

21. If you wear it in public,

you won't necessarily know if it bothers someone. For instance, if you sit down in a theater next to someone who is sensitive to it, it's highly unlikely that a stranger is going to say anything. They'll probably get up and move to another seat.

If Giorgio perfume bothers you, that's a tiny taste of what sensitive people go through.

[Generic Brad]

6. It's banned where I work

I work in a "fragrance free" zone.

[Frustratedlady]

7. No, and some of the perfumes today nearly choke me.

I'm not usually sensitive to odors, but I have to walk away from people who are smothered in the stuff. Take a shower. Soap smells much better.

[Fleshdancer]

10. I do. Vera Wang.

There's only four of us in the office so it took me all of one minute to ask if anyone had an allergy or sensitivity. Plus I do the single squirt, walk through technique so it's subtle.

[Chovexani]

76. As Claree said in Steel Magnolias

You were brought up right. :)

[redqueen]

11. I do, Tuscany. n/t

[fudge stripe cookays]

51. I love Tuscany!

Can't find it anymore! Also like Roma, Fresh's Sake, and Mania by Giorgio Armani. :D

[redqueen]

58. Really?

They better have more when I go lookin, I'm nearly out. Takes me a year to get through a bottle... I'd be sad if they stopped making it... it's all I've worn for... well I'm not saying. I feel old enough today! :P

(Hope you're enjoying Canada, you lucky duck!)

[fudge stripe cookays]

60. Didn't make it QUITE that far north, unfortunately!

We settled for Wisconsin, where I can work very assiduously on my genealogy book for the next few years. And we're close enough to all the other places I need to travel in the Midwest and Western NY State that they make neat road trips.

Alberta had just gotten RUINOUSLY expensive the last few years, and we wanted to be able to buy another house, which we couldn't have up there. REal estate here is still reasonable, and the little houses are so cute.

Lots of cool DUers here, and lots of fun things to see and do, plus cooler temps for my MS. I'm LOVING it here!

I started having probs finding it about three years ago, and think I got the last bottle at the old Albertson's store down in Lakewood before it closed. I started going to a little joint up in Valley View that had all sorts of unusual hard-to-find perfumes, and even he couldn't get it for me.

Good luck, but you may want to start fragrance-shopping. That's how I ended up wearing Mania. I told them that I liked stuff like Tuscany and Roma, and they showed me all their "warm: fragrances. That's the one I liked best.

:hi:

[1gobluedem]

13. Not anymore

I used to but years ago I had a co-worker who was really allergic so I stopped and never got back into the habit. Sometimes I wear it if I'm going out in the evening -- Oscar de la Renta; very clean smelling and light.

I'm sensitive to perfumed detergents and fabric softeners and can relate to those with allergies whenever I'm near someone who's used those for their laundry. And the smell of patchouli oil makes my head ache. So I feel for those who are allergic and try to be sensitive to it.

[TrogL]

67. Oscar de la Renta is one that really affects me

I'd love to know what's in it. Probably something floral.

[truebrit71]

14. Yes, otherwise I smell like ass...

..

[Aristus]

15. No. You can't wear fragrances in the medical workplace.

Potential patient allergies. Plus, it can be just plain distracting.

[LeftyMom]

18. nope, I smell pretty good all on my own

My body wash and shampoo are (lightly and naturally) fragranced, I don't think they're still noticeable by the time I leave the house, but if it created an issue for anybody I'd switch them out for unscented versions of the same brands.

[Lethe]

20. no - the same goes for HAND LOTION too!

I used to wear cologne all the time, but now I never do. It's just too unnatural a smell IMO. Other people's cologne/perfume didn't bother me so much when I wore it, but now that I stopped it does bother me. You should not be able to smell someone else's cologne/perfume unless your nose is less than 6 inches away from them.

Another olfactory offender is that super smelly hand lotion that some ladies use at their desk. Oh my god that stuff is potent as hell. You can smell it all the way across the office! :mad:


edit: And some bath soaps are incredibly potent smelling too. There is one in particular that is a men's liquid soap. It is blue and made by Softsoap I think. It stinks up the whole house when you take a shower, and you can smell someone who's used it about 5 feet away.

[LeftyMom]

25. Good point about getting that close to smell,

I'd add that any scent should be subtle enough that one wonders if there's anything there or if you just naturally smell great, rather than getting a nosefull of some obviously unhuman odor, however nice it may be.

Kinda like makeup, it's there to enhance you, not cover you up.

[Burma Jones]

26. No, and I really hate when people do.

At best, it's annoying to me....at worst, my eyes get all watery and my sinuses stuff up.

After quitting smoking....it got worse.

Now when I smell it I think it's old ladies trying to cover up the stink of mortality........:)

[TK421]

28. On occasion, but I just splash on a little bit of after shave before work

[Gidney N Cloyd]

29. Compared to that thread in GD last week, this one's a "breath of fresh air."

What a difference a forum makes.

[Phillycat]

30. Well, we're just getting started, heh.

But yeah, I do think people, on the whole, are less contentious in the Lounge. Not to say we don't have our flame wars in here - we definitely do!

[NewWaveChick1981]

31. Yes. But it's very light and inoffensive, and you can only smell it if you're

about two inches away from me. In my line of work, if you're two inches away from me, you're waaaaaaaayyyy too close. :P

[Phillycat]

33. Yeah, I think you'd have to be about 6 inches away from me to smell it.

But according to the poster below you, that means I STINK. :eyes:

[TrogL]

68. So I take it there's no elevators?

[spinbaby]

32. Of course you've never had complaints

Who's going to tell their coworker they stink? I don't have allergy issues with perfumes, but I've a couple of times worked with people who just reeked. In one case, they had the bad judgement to choose a fragrance that somehow had a rancid, mildewy smell--something from the Bath and Body Shop and she'd spritz it all day. Not the way to get ahead at work, believe me.

I wear an unscented deoderant.

[devilgrrl]

34. No. Fragrances make me ill.

Seriously.

[_testify_]

35. I don't.

I've never worn anything, really. I'm one of those guys who still smells like his soap at 4 in the afternoon.

[DS1]

37. On rare occassions I'll use a tiny bit of body wash

typically it's days when I know a bunch of people are going to be leaning over my shoulder looking at something on my screen, so I like to make sure I smell just a tiny bit decent.

And yes, it's AXE

HAHA! Take that, haters!

[Phillycat]

38. OMG!

And then after your meetings, random hotties rip your clothes off in the elevator, right? Or so I've seen on TV...

[DS1]

39. no, they're already under the table scratching each other's eyes out

trying to snort my peener

[Withywindle]

40. I do.

but not stuff with alcohol in it - I wear essential-oil based stuff from the occult shop. And sometimes Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs.

I don't slather it on. Honestly, I'd never even heard of perfume allergies until a couple years ago, and if anyone ever complained, I'd stop, but no one ever has, so I'll keep it up until then. I use different ones for different weather, different moods, different things I want to evoke or think about, etc. It's an accessory, like jewelry.

[billyskank]

41. Good god no. I'm a nerd. I work in a room full of nerds.

We're so fucking ugly they put us in an office with no windows. :D

[AirmensMom]

42. LOL!

:rofl: We didn't have windows, either. Oh yeah ... I was a nerd too. :silly:


:hi: :hug:

[bridgit]

43. Jovan - Mush, or Von Furstenberg - Tatiana...

so sue me already :P

[Phillycat]

56. Jovan Mush?

:D Is it like oatmeal? :D

[bridgit]

65. and you claim to know fragrance nee-ner nee-ner nee-ner...

please, no oatmeal at your house thank you

[lizziegrace]

44. I do

usually Bath & Body Works "Peace". I'm react to strong scents and this one doesn't bother me.

[hippywife]

45. I used to but now I can't even stand it.

I think I've become more sensitive to it as I've aged or something. I used to love to wear Lauren or Aliage by Estee Lauder. Now if I ever try it, I find it to be to incredibly cloying after a while. I also agree with the poster upthread about the smelly hand lotions, both the Bath and Body Works stuff and their cheap knock-offs.

[Skittles]

46. I wear a fragrancee spray and mute it with lotion

you have to get pretty close to me to smell it.....the one time I had to work very closely with someone with severe allergies I ceased using it - not a big deal

[femmocrat]

47. NO. All fragrances make me ill.

I get migraines.... I do wish people would be more considerate.

[Wapsie B]

48. I wear a little cologne to work.

And there is someone there who wears Obsession & Amazing Grace which I find very nice. However, my sensitive schnoz goes into spasms with things like older guys who seem to bathe in Brute, or on woman who worked in an office where the smell of what she worse enveloped the entire area. I couldn't stand it one bit. If I had to spend any length of time around either of those I know it'd trigger my asthma.

[yewberry]

49. Fragrances aren't welcome in most workplaces round these parts.

In fact, many even specify that they are fragrance-free in want ads.

I've worked in schools, offices, and restaurants that ban fragrances. It's pretty common, so much so that I'm surprised when I find myself noticing that someone is wearing perfume or cologne.

[Piltdown13]

50. Nope.

Even in the absence of co-workers with sensitivity/allergies, I'm always afraid I'll put on too much.

[havocmom]

52. Sometimes, single floral oil, subtle like carnation, honeysuckle, or clover.

If someone has really pissed me off, I wear a bit of almond essance and make them worry that I have cyanide gas with me. :evilgrin:

[Mugu]

57. The almond essence would be alright with me,

beings as I'm one of the many people that can't smell cyanide, even if it's right under my nose.

Regards, Mugu

[Digit]

53. Nope, stopped since too many people are sensitive

You might smell the light scent of soap, but that is it.

If I wear a fragrance, EVER, it is light.

When going to a doctor's appt, the doctor has thanked me for not wearing cologne.
That made an impression.

[Der Blaue Engel]

54. No, I'm one of the migraine sufferers

And I'd like to thank all of you on this thread who get it, and have stopped wearing perfume in the workplace. Unfortunately, until it's covered under the ADA, people like my snotty office manager will continue to laugh at people like me who are in pain and refuse to do the right thing because it's their god-given right to give people migraines.

[Genevieve]

55. You have good taste - -

Amazing Grace is lovely.

So's Pure Grace.

[Coyote_Bandit]

59. No

I am one of those people that is sensitive to colognes and perfumes and scented candles and soaps and various other chemicals in the air.....

[LSK]

61. no, what is the point?

:shrug:

[billyskank]

63. A person who runs Slackware would never wear cologne.

I know this. ;)

[Madrone]

73. Wot? Not even "GNU God" by Richard Stallman?

Color me disallusioned. :cry:

:D

[Midlodemocrat]

62. I wear cologne every day.

Moonlight Path by Bath and Body works is my new favorite. You can only smell it if you are almost touching me, though. I like the scent, everyone else might not.

[TrogL]

66. I am extremely sensitive to some perfumes

Brief explore leads to panic attacks and prolonged exposure causes migraines.

I'm not the only one in the office affected, so it's been declared a "scent-free zone". So's one of the choirs I'm in.

Perfume was originally used to cover up the stench of really bad body odour. Deoderants have mostly solved that problem, so I don't understand the need to stink up the place.

One of the after-hours janitors would wear really heavy perfume and stink up the only available elevator (the rest are locked). Several people complained. She was given three warnings and eventually fired.

IDGI. Perfume is more important than getting paid? :wtf:

[JuniperLea]

69. Nope

I use perfumed soaps though. You can get them in almost every scent. They linger nicely, but you can't really smell them unless you get very, very close to the person. We have rules about that at work, so I think I'm safe:)

[JVS]

70. I should start, I could use a better smell

[Redstone]

71. No. Nor anywhere else. Never have.

Redstone

[madeline_con]

72. No. And it's a suspendable offense

to spray any of that crap at a local school.

[MissMillie]

74. no, in fact

I even started using fragrance-free fabric softener because everyone always said I smelled like fabric softener.

I use baby lotion on my legs and elbows after I shower. There is a light fragrance in my hair care products.

That's enough.

Besides, the perfume I like is too expensive to wear for "everyday"

[Sugar Smack]

75. I spray a little Clinique "Aromatics Elixir" in the air

and step under it. :D

[Haole Girl]

77. No

There was a very undesirable outcome the last time I wore some of my cologne to work. Men seem drawn to it, for some reason. Now I am very careful when/where I wear it. It's really too bad, too, since I love that scent. :-(

I'd rather not say what kind of cologne. It's my secret weapon... just in case I ever need it. lol

[dropkickpa]

78. No!!!

I break out in hives if I wear perfume, in addition to that nauseous flop sweat, migraines, eye swelling/oozing, shaking, and choking/vomiting (the choking is usually what causes the vomiting). Luckily, I work in biomedical research with rodents and scented anything is forbidden (perfume, lotions, etc), so I don't have to deal with it at work. The strongest sense in mice is their sense of smell and perfumes and such can be INCREDIBLY stressful to them, to the point that fighting/aggression occurs, breeding is disrupted or stopped, and research results are thrown off due to stress. I've actually had to send people to shower because their scented whatever (makes me real popular, but the powers that be fully support this).

I have had to get off the bus/elevators/etc due to people's perfume causing me problems; on a flight once I got the stewardesses to switch my seat because the person next to me reeked (my flop sweat, hives, and choking helped convince them it was a real issue). Seriously, some people seem to be convinced that it is a stand in for good regular hygiene. Everything I use is unscented except for antiperspirant/deodorant, and I can only occasionally use powder scented deodorant, as it hasn't caused a reaction yet. And I don't stink.