People’s fascination with scent has increased with the manufacture of a multitude of scented “personal” products, including cosmetics, lotions, soaps, oils and perfumes. Furthermore, scents are now added to a slew of commercial products, ranging from cleaning products to tissues, from candles to diapers. Fragrance is common in nature and plays a major role in helping animals and humans locate food and enticing them to reproduce. Throughout history, humans have drawn fragrances from the natural environment for a variety of purposes, including use in religious and burial rituals and to cover foul odors.

In the late 1800s, the first fragrance containing synthesized ingredients was introduced. Since then, people have used chemicals extensively to mimic scents from nature.
It has also been shown that many asthmatic patients have adverse reactions to perfumes and other fragrances, and some researchers hypothesize that exposure to fragrances may actually cause asthma. People who suffer from multiple chemical sensitivity, a health condition in which exposure to one chemical is thought to lead to adverse reactions to other chemicals, say that exposure to fragrances triggers various symptoms, often to the point that sufferers are incapacitated or must forgo many of their usual activities to avoid exposure.

There are more than 3,000 chemicals used in the manufacture of fragrances. A single fragrance may contain as few as 10 chemicals or as many as several hundred, with several studies indicating that 15-30 percent of the general population reports some sensitivity to chemicals and 4-6 percent reports that chemical intolerance has a major impact on their quality of life. People who feel they are adversely affected by scented products may actually be reacting to other chemicals in their environments, and they are simply identifying fragrances as the offending agents because they are readily noticeable.

While many people enjoy wearing perfumes and using scented products, there is a growing outcry from some people who claim that exposure to certain fragrances, including perfumes and scented products, adversely impacts their health. They report symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, shortness of breath, difficulty with concentration and allergy-like symptoms. Make sure you are careful about what products you use beforehand to ensure a safe facial experience.