Between attraction and avoidance: from perfume application to fragrance-free policies

Abstract

Background: According to a national representative survey, 19.9% of the German population describe various adverse effects on personal health upon exposure to fragranced consumer products. This study investigates whether these fragrance-sensitive persons have a higher risk awareness compared to the general public, whether they show a different safety behavior concerning fragrances and whether they reduce exposure and hence risk. Results: The presence of fragrances can have a major impact on the participation in public activities. Half of the fragrance-sensitive persons have ever been prevented from going to some place to avoid exposure to fragrances. More than half of them prefer fragrance-free alternatives (products, laundry, hotels, airplanes, health care facilities, or workplaces), while there are also fragrance-sensitive individuals, who indicate to prefer fragranced products and spaces. Half of fragrance-sensitive persons use perfumes to feel themselves more attractive. Furthermore, there is a large number of persons who prefer fragrance-free alternatives without being fragrance-sensitive. Around half of the general population indicate not to use a fragranced product if they know that it emits hazardous air pollutants. This shows that health effects associated with the presence of fragrances proved to be one out of several factors, but not the only one, which influences attitudes towards fragrances and their usage. The answers given reveal the multitude of aspects influencing risk awareness and safety behavior. According to the survey results, 7.4 workdays were lost due to illness from fragranced product exposure in the workplace per person on average, with estimated personal economic costs of 14.5 * 10 9 Euro/year in Germany. Conclusions: The high prevalence of persons who correlate their health effects with exposure to fragrances shows that existing risk communication instruments are too weak, even for people who are aware of a risk, like fragrancesensitive persons. The data substantiate how important it is to respect cognitive dissonance, confirmation bias and the inadequacy of the deficit model in risk management. The issue of adverse health effects associated with fragrances has reached a dimension, which requires immediate action: The results of this study are strong supporting arguments in favor of fragrance-free policies.

Trends in contact sensitization, results, and implications from a contact dermatitis clinic in Israel

“…The dynamics in fragrance sensitization can be related to changes in the substances used in perfume manufacturing, as indicated by the increasing sensitivity to components of fragrance mix II 24 as well as the emerging sensitivity to Linalool and Limonene, 25 both are not represented in the EBS. In addition, the increase awareness towards the usage of “fragrance‐free” products, 26 especially among patients with atopic dermatitis has its' impact as well. Potassium dichromate was restricted in 2014 by the “European Union registration, authorization and Restriction of Chemicals” (REACH) Council in the production of leather goods.…”

Assessment of Personal Relaxation in Indoor-Air Environments: Study in Real Full-Scale Laboratory Houses

“…Therefore, the woody odors in LH-A might have influenced the comfort and relaxation evaluations of participants in this house. However, negative reports of odor exposure suggest that fragrances can also degrade human health [32]. As the magnitude of the effect of odor exposure depends on individual sensitivity or odor hedonics, and on the duration of the exposure (acute or chronic), the personal attributes, exposure dose, and duration of a fragrance must be appropriately considered [27].…”

Dampak Perilaku Konsumen Dan Pengaruhnya Terhadap Perluasan Merek Wewangian Mewah

“…Jawabannya juga bisa disebabkan oleh efek tidak langsung, karena orang yang memakai parfum cenderung menjaga penampilannya, seperti pakaian yang bagus dan menarik, tata rias, gaya rambut, dan mengirimkan sinyal lain yang lebih halus melalui perilakunya. Ursula Klaschka (2020) menyebutkan Lebih jauh lagi, dapat dibayangkan bahwa masyarakat yang lebih menyukai produk bebas pewangi pada umumnya akan tetap menerima wewangian pada beberapa jenis produk khusus, misalnya pada produk perawatan pribadi dan parfum. Selain itu, perbedaan sikap terhadap penggunaan parfum sendiri dan parfum yang digunakan oleh orang lain mungkin disebabkan oleh preferensi subjektif pribadi yang berbeda terhadap berbagai aroma dan konsentrasi.…”

“…Dari hasil uji T didapatkan bahwa Pengaruh seputar konsumsi wewangian berpengaruh terhadap Sikap terhadap penggunaan wewangian. Ursula Klaschka (2020) menyebutkan Orang-orang yang peka terhadap wewangian cenderung membaca referensi produk untuk mendapatkan informasi tentang bahan-bahan wewangian, sehingga mereka dapat menyesuaikan perilakunya. Namun, kurang dari separuhnya melakukan hal tersebut.…”