Most of us admittedly take the ability to smell for granted, until we can’t smell. Thank your olfactory system for that! The olfactory system is in direct contact with odors and aromas from fragrances of different sources.
Fragrances are in your perfumes, colognes, cleaning products, essential oils, and personal care items. Has a scent ever triggered a memory for you? Or made you feel sick to your stomach? That’s because fragrances influence your health and behaviors, and also affect your thoughts, emotions, mood, and memory.
Why We Use Fragrances
We use fragrances for many things. However, its most obvious use is to make things smell better. Laundry detergents contain fragrances that make your clothes smell like anything from fresh linen to lavender. Cleaning supplies often contain fragrances. Clorox found in a survey that roughly 30% of people felt that cleaning products needed heavy fragrances to eliminate odors from the air. And perfumes and colognes contain fragrances to help make you smell better.
Fragrances Are Used For Healing
Alternative health practices like aromatherapy have been around for centuries. We know that certain essential oils have known healing properties, such as reducing pain and improving your mood and emotions. So, in this case, fragrances are used to improve your health. Lavender oil is one. Inhaled lavender oil has relaxing effects on your body. It helps with health problems like migraines, anxiety, insomnia, nerves, and even your immune health.
Lemon oil is another essential oil with healing properties. Though, its effect on your body is much different from lavender oil. Lemon oil has activating functions and is to things like better mood and improved behaviors.
But, Do We Need Fragrance?
Fragrances are in practically everything and are everywhere. To illustrate, fragrances in our cleaning products, air fresheners, and personal care products. People are also frequently exposed in the workplace and public spaces. However, nearly half of the people in this study indicated a desire for public spaces to be fragrance-free. It makes you question how much we need fragrances?
The cosmetic and personal care industry has seen significant growth in the perfume market. We care about personal grooming and hygiene. We want to feel, look, and smell good. You get no argument from us there. But, what if a fragrance isn’t that good for you or your health?
The truth is that all fragrances aren’t equal. Unless it’s a plant-derivative, the fragrance contains synthetic chemicals known to cause health reactions in some people. It’s practically impossible to avoid all fragrances, but you can control what is in your home environment. Consider these reasons to get rid of old fragrances that are lying around.
Toss Those Old Fragrances. Thank Us Later
- Your Style Changes
The most obvious reason to get rid of an old fragrance is that you no longer like it. Fashion blogs tell us that we need to have a signature scent. It should work with your chemistry (obviously), introduce you before you speak, and leave an impression. However, over time our styles change. Perhaps you prefer soft and subtle scents to the loud or bold fragrances of your youth. Whatever the case, you should get rid of those fragrances that no longer complement or fit your style.
- Their Composition Changes Over Time
Have you noticed that your old(er) fragrances do not smell quite the same? Or do the odors not last as long? Something about it seems off, but you cannot put your finger on it. Sounds familiar, right? The good news is: it is not all in your head. Environmental variables like temperature and humidity change the chemical compositions of your fragrances. So it is technically not the same fragrance you bought.
- Fragrances Are Technically Irritants
This does not refer to the fragrances we dislike, though they are also irritating, but differently. For people with sensitive or highly reactive airways, such as those living with asthma or allergies, fragrances can be harmful. The problem is that many fragrances contain synthetic chemicals known to cause bad reactions or have detrimental effects on your health. California labels products containing one or more cancer-causing chemicals.
Don’t fall for the unscented labels on products if you have known breathing problems or are sensitive to fragrance. Unscented implies that it’s free of fragrance when it’s not. Another fragrance masks the initial scent, but fragrance (the irritant) is still there! So, they’re not better for your health. Instead, consider buying things that are fragrance-free. Brands like Tide and many others offer products free of fragrances, dyes, and other harmful chemicals.