The Nose Knows: Scent is Not the Enemy

Fun fact #1: Smell is the first of your five senses to develop and right when you’re born, it’s fully functional. Babies use their sense of smell to decipher who their mom is.
Fun fact #2: It’s easier to smell scents in the spring and summer as there is more moisture in the air.
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Fun fact #3: Studies show that 75% of emotions are triggered by smell which is linked to pleasure, well-being, emotion and memory.
Fun fact #4: People who can’t smell have a condition called “Anosmia”.
Not so fun fact: According to an article written by the Globe and Mail, approximately one third of Canadian businesses have imposed scent restrictions and policies on their employees. Why? Because of allergies. The problem however is that generally speaking, people are not allergic to “scents”, they’re allergic to the chemicals that make up these scents.
I recently started reading a book called “Hydrosols: The Next Aromatherapy” by Suzanne Catty and she has a fabulous explanation as to why people are having difficulties: In nature, there are sometimes harsh chemical constituents in plants that would irritate our bodies, BUT, nature knows what it’s doing and in that same plant, there are other chemical constituents to offset that irritation and then we don’t have a problem! In labs, scientists don’t take that into account and we end up with fragrances that have many harsh, irritating chemicals in them and nothing to balance those out. In the same Globe and Mail article I mentioned above, they included this fact: “4,000: Number of different chemicals that may be used in the making of fragrances.” It’s no wonder our noses are suffering!
For those of you who have sensitivities to perfumes, scented candles, etc, I would strongly encourage you to be open to the idea of trying out products that have essential oils and botanical extracts in them as opposed to fragrance oils and other synthetic fragrances. I think your nose, and body as a whole for that matter, will approve! Unless you are one of the few who are genuinely allergic to the natural plant origin in which case, stay away!
Do I think the solution to the problem is to ban the use of fragrances altogether? No! Scents have the ability to uplift us, calm us, energize us, remind us about the cookies we put in the oven half an hour ago – that’s a good thing! Should you be taking into account what it is that you’re spraying or putting on your skin that’s causing an issue? Yes. As a society, our thoughts need to shift from “ban this!” to “what’s causing this?” After all, this is a fairly new problem and the major change when it comes to fragrances in the modern world is where they’re originating –  a lab. Consumers dictate the rules and the trends, you have the ability to change the market! If you stop buying products that include cheap, synthetic fragrances, those big companies who are losing money because of it will make the necessary changes.
Something to think about as you start off your week. Now get out there and smell the roses – the real ones Have a great week!

Love, Ash XO