Scent Ethics

For your benefit and the benefit of those around you, here are some suggested rules of scent etiquette.

A General Rule

Wear only soft scents. A soft scent is one that would still smell pleasant even if it were exaggerated by one hundred times. Most scents are so harsh they are uncomfortable. 

Etiquette

If you use perfume, fragrances or a scent, you should have at least three kinds:

One to use when you are all by your self. This scent you can put on as heavy as you like and breath it in until you grow tired of it. It does not matter if no one else likes it because it is for your time alone.

One to use when you are with your spouse. It should be a scent you both like. It is your impression that your spouse will always remember you by.

One to use when you are in public. It should be a mild and pleasant scent to nearly everyone and should be offensive to no one. It should be subtle. This scent should be chosen as carefully as the other two. An idea may be to experiment with something citrusy or fruity.  Use it lightly and remember the one foot rule; another person should be within a foot of you to notice you are wearing it. Don’t reapply a scent simply because you can no longer smell it. Often a scent will become common to the person who is wearing it and they will be unable to notice the smell. If you think you may need to reapply, first check with several other people to see if they agree that you should.

Why is less better?

A scent should blend with your natural body odors to create a unique subtle scent that is your impression. Anyone smelling it again, may quickly think of you, and the times you have had together. A scent bypasses logic and influences the emotion and memory centers of the brain. If you use so much that there is 99% scent overwhelming 1% of your natural scent, it is like a song consisting of only one word sung over and over again. It is no longer uniquely you. It lacks that personal element that only you can give it.

Further, the nose tires easily. Like a beautiful picture on the wall that eventually fades into the paint until someone new notices it, a scent that is always present eventually disappears from awareness. You want a subtle scent that appears and disappears. A scent that will keep an interest. To do that you need the slightest touch of scent so that it disappears, and reappears only when you move, letting off a tiny burst of you. Keep in mind that the smell of scent by itself is not sexy. Only when a scent is in combination with your natural odor does it come alive. It should not be used as a deodorant to cover up your natural fragrance.

Your sense of smell often fades as you age. This is the reason older people often over use a perfume. Please do not trust your own sense of smell to decide how much is enough. It will always smell less intense to you than it does to others. To get a more honest answer from others ask "Do you think this scent would be better with more or less applied?" Be especially aware of reapplying because the scent has faded. It probably has not faded but your nose may have become over exposed to it. 

Certain perfumes can give some people migraines, nausea and even mood changes. We are gradually seeing a shift in attitudes toward the wearing of scents. Hospitals are now asking visitors to refrain from using perfumes. A scent is supposed to make you more appealing. If you are applying so much that it is making others ill, it is failing miserably for its intended purpose. Remember; people who use too much of a scent tend to be self-centered. They presume that because their scent smells good to them and doesn't make them nauseous, then it must be alright for everyone else. Let common sense tell you to go extra light on your scent in public places or anytime you will be in a close proximity with others, even a short elevator ride.

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