How important is fragrance in your life?

May

How important is fragrance in your life?

Did you know that about 400,000 people in the US were born without a sense of smell? These people have a condition known as anosmia and effects not only their sense of smell but also their ability to taste. (Here’s one author’s experience with anosmia). Why most can’t smell is mystery but that may be changing.

You can imagine how unfortunate it is, especially when it comes to using perfumes or heavily scented beauty products from places like Lush or Bath & Body Works. Without fragrance people would have a very difficult time noticing any difference between various products.

Does fragrance make the beauty product?

In fact, brands like Philosophy are all about fragrance. Let’s compare a couple of their products.

Philosophy Vanilla Birthday Cake 3-in-1 shampoo

Water (aqua), TEA Lauryl Sulfate, PPG 2 Hydroxyethyl Cocamide, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycol Stearate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Chloride, Glycerin, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Fragrance (Parfum), Polyquaternium 7, PEG 150 Distearate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzotriazolyl Butylphenol Sulfonate, Buteth 3, Tributyl Citrate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Propylene Glycol, Yellow 5 (CI 19140), Red 40 (CI 16035)

Philosophy Double Rich Hot Cocoa 3-in-1 shampoo

Water (Aqua), TEA Lauryl Sulfate, PPG 2 Hydroxethyl Cocamide, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycol Stearate, Caramel, Disodium Laureth Sulfocsuccinate, Sodium Chloride, Glycerin, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Fragrance (Parfum), Polyquaternium 7, PEG 150 Distearate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzotriazolyl Butylphenol Sulfonate, Buteth 3, Tributyl Citrate, Propylene Glycol, Benzyl Benzoate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Red 33 (CI 17200)

Notice anything? The formulas are identical except for the color and fragrance. Now, for a non-anosmiatic like myself this is not a problem. I love both of these products. The intense fragrances transport me to happy times; a birthday party when I was 7, a cold winter evening snuggled up by a fire. Oh, such memories from simple body washes.

While anosmiacs won’t be able to tell any difference between these two products (except for color), relief may be on the way. Researchers at the Washington DC Taste and Smell Clinic report that they have identified cell death factors in the mucous of anosmiacs. And now they can get to work on finding ways to reduce the effect of these factors.

So if you happen to lose your sense of smell or were unfortunate enough to be born without it, you may be able to take a pill or nasal spray that will allow you to to know the difference between Vanilla Cake and Hot Cocoa shampoo.

3 Responses to “How important is fragrance in your life?”

MoxieHart Says:

I love Philosophy! I have the Cinnamin Buns body wash/shampoo & I always buy my mum Philosophy stuff for holidays. I keep meaning to make the recipe that they print on the bottle.
BtW, my parents were both smokers for years & they both lost their sense of smell & taste. My mum’s gotten some of her senses back but my stepdad hasn’t.
L.Mactans Says:

I check carefully for fragrance in every beauty product I purchase, because that scent everyone else finds so enthralling can induce an anaphylactic reaction in me. Yes, dears, your bodywash / aftershave / cologne / what-have-you can send me to the Emergency Room.

I’d be far more thrilled to find truly unscented products — and I do NOT mean products with a “masking scent” labelled as unscented. Does anyone else out there have any idea how challenging it is to find an antiperspirant without any scent at all?
Scientists Find Treatments for Restoring Your Sense of Smell | The Beauty Brains Says:

[...] of thousands of people are born without a sense of smell, but scientists estimate nearly 25 million have some problem with their olfactory system. The [...]