Signs You Might Be Allergic To Fragrances (Tips & Treatment)

Let me start by saying: I’m sorry to hear that you’ve developed a fragrance allergy. I’m sorry to hear that you’re itchy or sneezing, and wondering if you’ll ever get this flare under control.

And in case no one in your life understands how bad you feel, let me just say that I get it. It feels absolutely terrible to see your body suddenly reacting to fragrances, which are everywhere in the most unsuspecting places (as you’re probably realising).

Welcome to Forever Fragrance Free, where you’re surrounded by people who have been there themselves and can help you navigate this world of fragrance sensitivity.

All this to say, you’re in good hands here at FFF. Let’s walk through the big-picture questions surrounding your perfume or fragrance allergy, as well as looking at exact steps you can take today to get your allergies under control.

Table of contents

• Understanding Fragrance Allergies
• Identifying Fragrance Allergy Symptoms
• Sources of Fragrances
• Living With Fragrance Allergies
• Reducing Exposure To Fragrances

Understanding Fragrance Allergies

Before diving into symptoms of fragrance sensitivity, let’s go over the fundamentals of fragrance sensitivity.

What is a fragrance allergy?

An allergy is an autoimmune reaction to a foreign substance. In your case, your immune system is fighting back against fragrance or perfume. This can manifest in headaches, rashes, and respiratory symptoms.

Why am I suddenly sensitive to fragrances?

There might not be a specific catalyst for your fragrance allergy. Some sudden fragrance allergies are random; your body can develop an allergy to anything at any time. You may have also just come into contact with a new trigger for the first time.

In other cases, allergies can be triggered by inflammation or your immune system overreacting. In extreme cases, these immune system reactions are called hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs). Fragrance allergies can also be related to other physical events, such as pregnancy or being on chemotherapy.

Anyone can develop an allergy at any time, and more than 40 percent of the population of the United Kingdom is afflicted.

Identifying Fragrance Allergy Symptoms

You can only formally pinpoint a fragrance allergy through patch testing (more on this in a minute) but let’s look at the most common symptoms to see if this feels in line with your current reaction. You don’t need to be formally diagnosed with a fragrance allergy to start seeking relief.

Skin Irritation

The rash that develops as a reaction to an allergic reaction is called allergic contact dermatitis. Contact dermatitis is characterised by:

• Itching
• Redness
• Swelling
• Texture change
• Hyperpigmented

If you’re experiencing this type of allergic reaction, this is very important: don’t scratch your skin. There’s a secondary risk associated with contact dermatitis, and that’s a skin infection from scratching.

Scratching takes the bacteria from your fingernails and puts it in open skin. This becomes a real risk when you’re having a serious allergic reaction: when your immune system is already overwhelmed, your ability to fight infections is reduced. I have experience with this, and my immune system was so overwhelmed that it took weeks to fight the infection and reaction.

Respiratory Response

Respiratory symptoms of a fragrance allergy can scale from annoying to severe and quality-of-life altering. They can resemble both asthma symptoms and seasonal allergies. Common symptoms include:

• Nasal inflammation
• Runny nose
• Sneezing
• Itching eyes

If you feel your tongue or throat swelling, you’re experiencing an anaphylactic reaction and need to seek emergency medical attention.

Headache/Migraine

Fragrance allergies can trigger everything from minor headaches to full-blown migraines that last for days. Forever Fragrance Free founder Zoe Ashbridge has experienced this:

“A week or so before I had my allergy patch test, I was getting really bad headaches, and I was putting it down to stress, tiredness, working too hard, etc.,” shared Zoe.

“It turned out that all my headaches were from a scented candle that I was burning. It contained ylang-ylang (for tranquillity, ironically). Ylang-ylang was an ingredient that triggered a reaction in my patch test.”

In normal life, we’re typically surrounded by a large number of fragrances that can trigger allergic reactions. Here’s where to start looking for your fragrance sensitivity.

Sources of Fragrances

Scented products are unfortunately very common in normal life, so let’s explore some of the obvious and surprising hiding places.

Perfumes And Colognes

Colognes and perfumes are easy to identify as their only purpose is to provide fragrance. What might not be obvious: the average perfume contains up to thousands of different chemicals. Any one of these chemicals could be triggering your allergic reactions.

Personal Care Products

Fragrances can be found in virtually every personal care item: soaps, moisturisers, shampoos, lotions, cosmetic products, etc. Sometimes fragrances are even hidden in surprising places, such as tampons and toilet paper.

Household Items And Cleaning Products

Air fresheners, cleaning products, and laundry products are common triggers for a perfume allergy. Less obvious triggers include scented trash bags and candles.

Living With Fragrance Allergies

When you experience your first allergic reaction to fragrance, it’s easy to desperately think “Is this the rest of my life now??”

The initial autoimmune reaction to a new fragrance allergy is oftentimes much more intense than the day-to-day. It may take time to find the source of your problems, but you’ll learn to avoid and react to flares. Here’s where to start.

Medical Tests And Diagnosis

Patch testing (AKA contact allergen testing) is the first place to start investigating the source of your allergic reaction. Don’t just get the default test – make sure that your dermatologist or allergist/immunologist understands when your problems started so they can be as specialised as possible.

Treatment Options

Your doctor will provide specific insights for your perfume allergy, but generally, allergic reactions are treated with oral antihistamines. I’ve been taking an antihistamine daily for 10 years since I had a severe autoimmune response known as an I.D. reaction, and I wouldn’t have the same quality of life without this ongoing treatment.

You can also calm your skin with topical antihistamine ointments or oatmeal baths.

Anti-Inflammatory Lifestyle

An allergic reaction is an inflammatory response, and leading an anti-inflammatory lifestyle helps some people minimise allergy symptoms. This includes avoiding inflammatory foods and potentially taking anti-inflammatory supplements.

This is a big-picture approach to managing your perfume allergy – it’s one thing to say “avoid inflammatory foods” but another thing entirely to remove all sources of inflammation from your diet.

I started taking anti-inflammatory supplements (zinc and turmeric) 6 months ago and have seen reduced flares in my allergies. This is a process of trial and error. Talk to your doctor about exploring this as a part of your long-term care.

Reducing Exposure To Fragrances

Fragrance sensitivity is a headache (sometimes literally!) but it’s beneficial to notice the silver lining: fragrances are bad for you. And not in a small way; fragrances and perfumes are linked to an enormous number of health issues.

There’s no need for them; fragrances are replaceable or avoidable. Here’s how to reduce your exposure and improve your overall health (plus avoid allergic reactions, of course).

Fragrance-Free Vs Unscented

When picking products, look for these labels below – but know they’re just a lead in the right direction and will require further vetting:

• Fragrance-free
• Unscented
• Hypoallergenic
• Products with the Eczema Association seal

Important warning: A “fragrance-free” label sadly isn’t a sure fix for a fragrance allergy, but it could be okay for your sensitivity. Read our full guide on fragrance-free and unscented product labels to understand the difference.

Reading Ingredient Lists

If you know what specific ingredients you’re allergic to (your patch test results), then read the product ingredient panel on all of your products. Any who can’t pinpoint their exact allergy should consider reaching for products with shorter ingredient lists. Simple products are your friend when you have fragrance sensitivities.

Finding Alternatives Or Removing Products

This is your new motto: remove or replace. Start with removing: remove all unnecessary items from your routine and home. Many scented products in your environment are genuinely unnecessary.

For example, I stopped using fabric softener years ago and can’t comprehend why people spend money on exposing themselves to these chemicals. This process is a bit like the Matrix – you’ll be shocked by how normalised but unnecessary many fragrances are.

When replacing products, test them first if you can – free samples are ideal. This will help you avoid spending unnecessary money on products that you’re allergic to.

Creating A Fragrance-Free Environment

Buy fragrance-free products when possible; baby products are great for this. DIY other products yourself. For years, I’ve experimented with making my own laundry detergent and household cleaners – I found many great recipes on the website Bren Did.

If you share environments with other people (housemates, coworkers, etc.) communicate your new fragrance allergy with them. This will alert them that you may ask them to remove their air fresheners, etc. down the road.

My allergies were a huge inconvenience at first, but now I’m extremely grateful that it forced me to remove so many chemicals from my life. I hope that once your flare is managed, you’ll find that peace of mind as well.