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ALLERGIES TO PERFUME – WHAT CAN YOU DO? Are you one of those who suffer from allergies when you use perfume? Do you come out in a rash or does your skin become itchy when you apply it to your skin? Here are a few tips about what you can do. 1. Concentration. Allergens are more likely to affect you if they are in a concentrated solution, and most perfumes on the market come in a range of different concentrations. One of the problems is that manufacturers do not all give the same names to their different products, so it is always best to ask before making your purchase, but the strongest solution is usually Perfume followed by Cologne or Eau de Toilette. Always choose the weakest product. It won’t last as long but you can easily compensate for tenacity by applying it more frequently. The weaker the solution, the less likely it is to affect you. 2. Where to apply perfume. You may find that some parts of your body are more sensitive than others. Never apply perfume to very sensitive areas like around your eyes and mouth, but if you have only ever worn your fragrance in one place, it might be worth experimenting a little to see if other areas are less sensitive. 3. Perfume Classification. Perfumes can be classified into groups and although there is considerable variation within each group, perfumes within the same classification often share a number of common ingredients. If you find you are reacting to perfumes, are they all in the same classification? If they are in the Chypre category for example, many fragrances of this type traditionally contain Oakmoss which is a known irritant. It might be worth trying a perfume in a completely different classification. 4. Patch testing. Ask your doctor about patch testing to try to isolate the material that causes the allergic reaction. If it is limonene for example, you would need to avoid citrus fragrances like Eau de Cologne. If it was Geraniol, you would avoid florals etc. 5. Shop around. Just because you are allergic to some perfumes does not mean that you are allergic to all of them, so keep testing fragrances and shop around – you may well find one or two that suit you. 6. Diet. Perfumes are some of the most complex mixtures known to man. Each essential oil can contain hundreds of chemical compounds and these compounds cover a spectrum of chemical groups – alcohols, esters, aldehydes and so on. It is such a complex mixture that it is virtually impossible to predict all the reactions that take place within the fragrance. When you apply the perfume to your skin you are adding another cocktail of chemicals – all the ones on your skin. These latter chemicals will be strongly affected by what you eat. It may be worth experimenting with your diet to see if that reduces your sensitivity to certain ingredients. It is also believed that eating lots of additives and E-numbers in your food can make your skin more sensitive. 7. Pets. There is evidence to show that two or more dogs or cats in the home during the first few years of life will significantly reduce the likelihood developing allergic reactions in later life. If you are reading this it will by definition be probably too late for you, but you may be thinking of starting a family and it might be something to consider - it is certainly worth further investigation. 8. Obsessive cleanliness. There is no doubt that more children today are developing allergies than ever before. One factor that is consistently mentioned in the literature is problems with our immune system due to the fact that it no longer fulfils the function for which it was designed. Now that most of us live in a relatively germ-free environment, the immune system does not have to work so hard fighting the bugs and it appears to find other things to concentrate upon - like pollen or perfume! The answer might be for us not to be so obsessed with cleanliness and occasionally allow ourselves to be exposed to a little bit of everyday dirt and grime - with care and common sense of course! 9. Avoiding skin. If you have tried everything and still react to perfumes there may be no alternative but to apply the perfume to clothing instead. Indeed the Victorian fashion of “Handkerchief Perfumes” was based upon this idea. Some perfumes however may contain higher levels of chlorophyll – the naturally occurring green colour in plants that is present in the extract when solvent extraction takes place. Chlorophyll can stain clothing. 10. Drugs. There is some evidence to suggest that if you are taking aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, this can make your skin more reactive. 11. Allergist. Seek professional advice regarding contact dermatitis. Again, your doctor would be the first port of call. John Stephen Perfumer |
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