Most everyone loves the smell of perfume.   Children  remember the fragrance that their mother wore.  The scent of a woman or man often drives a lover mad with desire.  Romantic people fill their homes with scented candles.   What to do if fragrances make you sneeze or break out in a rash?  Shall you suffer in silence, pretend you have a cold, or simply  avoid persons  with scented cosmetics and colognes, or places with smelly cleaning products and air fresheners?  Is  perfume an aphrodisiac or deal breaker?

Adding to the confusion is the fact that you may only be allergic to certain fragrances.  You may love a whiff  of Chanel #5, but find the smell of vanilla bean candles nauseating.  Air fresheners and laundry detergents may give you a headache, while you find the scent  of a fresh rose intoxicating.

Certain professions prohibit the use of cologne.  Doctors and nurses are supposed to be fragrance free. But they aren’t , always.  It’s tough to find a shampoo, hair spray or deodarant that has no distinctive odor.

When I was young, we were taught that too much perfume was offensive.  A dab of cologne behind each earlobe was about as far as you should go without giving the wrong impression.  Only hussies reeked of perfume.  Before the 1970’s,  perfumes were usually imported from Europe. But in 1973, Revlon launched the popular scent “Charlie,” and American perfumes took off.

In the early twentieth century, most men avoided scented aftershaves. However, World War II changed the way they  viewed scented grooming products. Servicemen were taught to use products that kept them smelling fresh and clean. By the early 1950s  male fragrances such as Aqua-Velva and , Old Spice, had become popular.

The fragrance business is now a multi billion dollar industry. It’s almost impossible to find a fragrance free cleaning product.  What would happen to our economy if one could no longer purchase scented household cleaning solutions? Vinegar and baking soda are effective and inexpensive household cleaners, but they lack the lure of  of lemon and lavender.  Petroleum jelly may be an acceptable moisturizer , but Loreal and Revlon would go out of business if  women only used Nivea Cream, as advocated by actress Jamie Lee Curtis.

Did you know that 30% of your fellow Americans are fragrance sensitive?  Which means you’re offending more people than you realize if you reek of perfume at  the gym or grocery store. And if you’re looking for a new relationship, you might want to avoid  cologne on  your first date. Probably should go scent-free  on a job interview.  Perfume may be an aphrodisiac, but it could also be a deal breaker.