Perfume Allergy: Symptoms, Causes, and Cure

Allergies are considered one of the most common as well as fastest growing chronic conditions worldwide nowadays. A wide variety of symptoms are associated with allergic reactions that may range from simply making you miserable which is easy to cope with, to putting you at high risk of life-threatening conditions.

But when we talk about perfume allergy, the overwhelming majority of reactions people often experience are barely perfume sensitivities as true allergic reactions occur rarely in minuscule incidents. Now, you might be wondering – what is the difference between perfume allergy and perfume sensitivity? Keep reading to know the details.

In this article, we’ll be discussing everything that you need to know about a perfume allergy along with perfume allergy symptoms, perfume allergy causes, how it differs from perfume sensitivity, and of course, possible measures to cope with it. So, let’s get started.    

 

Table of contents

• What is a perfume allergy?

• Perfume allergy vs perfume sensitivity

• Perfume allergy symptoms

• Perfume allergy anaphylaxis

• Causes of allergy to perfumes

• How to cope with your allergy to perfumes

• Final words

 

What is a perfume allergy?

A perfume allergy, otherwise known as a fragrance allergy, is a condition in which a person experiences unpleasant adverse reactions after being exposed to a perfume or other fragrant products such as cosmetics or air fresheners.

 

Perfume allergy vs perfume sensitivity

In a perfume allergy, a person develops an overreacting immune response to any of the chemicals or ingredients used to produce the perfume that repeatedly identifies that chemical or ingredient as a harmful substance, and causes allergic reactions as a natural defense.   

The process of developing an allergic immune response takes a considerable course of time, usually several days, and manifests various allergic symptoms such as skin rash and breathing difficulty that could last from a few days to several weeks.

On the other hand, perfume sensitivity happens when your body treats any of the chemicals or ingredients in perfume as an irritant and produces some reactions when it perceives irritation. It doesn’t necessarily involve the whole immune system in the body.

Symptoms of perfume sensitivity are mild and lighter than allergies and generally go away within a few hours. You may have a mild headache or merely sneeze a few times and get back to normal. Reactions of perfume sensitivity occur only because the body tries to get rid of the irritations caused by the perfume ingredient and gets back to its normal condition.

In fact, most ingredients in perfumes that trigger reactions aren’t truly allergens, rather they’re irritants that some people find well irritating. This is the main reason why the overwhelming majority of reactions people experience with perfumes are perfume sensitivity and there are very rare cases of perfume allergies.

 

Perfume allergy symptoms

Signs and symptoms of a perfume allergy vary from person to person depending on the severity of conditions and the nature of ingredients that trigger allergic reactions.

Common symptoms may include:

• Skin rashes
• Contact dermatitis
• Hives
• Itching, with or without rash
• Difficulty breathing
• Scaly or dry skin
• Reddish and patchy skin
• Itching around the eyes and throat
• Conjunctivitis
• Blisters on the skin that may ooze pus or get crusty
• A sensation of burning on the skin

 

In perfume sensitivity, symptoms are usually mild and easily reversible. They may include:

• Headaches
• Nausea
• Persistent cough
• Sneezing
• Postnasal drip where the nasal mucus drips down the back of the throat
• Running or stuffy nose with a feeling of itchiness
• Difficulty breathing

 

Perfume allergy anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis is an emergency condition in which a person has serious difficulty breathing or feels impossible to breathe that needs immediate medical attention. It happens when the airways get inflamed due to the high volume of antibodies released in the body when an allergen or perfume chemical enters the body and seriously triggers the immune system.  

 

Causes of allergy to perfumes

Ingredients, especially chemicals used to make perfumes or other fragrant products act as allergens that trigger various allergic reactions in a person’s body.

Perfume allergy or fragrance allergy may result from:

• Inhaling the perfume or fragrance
• Touching the liquid or material of the perfume or other scented products
• Getting sprayed by the liquid of a perfume

Experts say perfume or fragrance is assumed to be the second largest cause of skin allergies.

Fragrance in personal-care products is the second most common cause of allergic skin reaction (after nickel in jewellery) and the most common cause of reactions from personal-care products, according to Dr. Sandy Skotnicki-Grant.

A study in 2004 found that 11 percent of people had a reaction when patch-tested with a standard mix of fragrances used in cosmetics and grooming products.

https://www.besthealthmag.ca/article/fragrance-sensitivity/

People who have asthma or any other underlying respiratory conditions are at higher risk of developing perfume allergies in comparison to healthy ones.

 

How to cope with your allergy to perfumes

The first and foremost option to fight perfume allergies is to identify the substances causing your allergy symptoms and avoid them. Once you are aware of what ingredients of perfumes you are allergic to or sensitive to, you can easily avoid them by thoroughly checking the ingredients mentioned on the labels.

In general, man-made synthetic chemicals, even though they are mentioned as hypoallergenic materials, are more likely to trigger allergic reactions compared to natural and plant-based perfume ingredients. Choosing natural perfumes or vegan perfumes can reduce the chances of allergies in most cases.

Oral medications such as antihistamines and topical corticosteroid creams are usually used to treat allergies. Nasal sprays and eye drops are also helpful. Allergy symptoms usually go away from several hours to several days with simple home remedies. Effective home remedies include essential oils, vitamin C supplements, and nasal irrigation with saline water, as well as others.

 

Effects of a few essential oils that come among the most popular choices of home remedies for allergies:

 

Peppermint essential oil

Peppermint oil can help with easing congestion and cough as it contains significant amounts of menthols.

A 2013 study published in Respiratory Medicine showed that menthol inhalation can reduce cough sensitivity and influence inspiratory flow in people with chronic cough ⁽¹⁾.

 

Here you can see our pure and natural Peppermint.

 

Lemon essential oil

Lemon essential oil has antihistamine properties and thus can help alleviate inflammation and relieve excess mucus.

 

Here you can see our pure and natural Lemon Essential Oil.

 

Lavender essential oil 

Lavender essential oil possesses noticeable anti-inflammatory properties that can hugely help with reducing allergic inflammation in the respiratory airways.

A 2014 study published in the Life Sciences found that lavender essential oil is effective in inhibiting allergic inflammation and mucus cell hyperplasia and thus can be used as an effective alternative medicine for the treatment of bronchial asthma ⁽²⁾.

Here you can see our pure and natural Lavender Essential Oil.

 

Geranium essential oil

Geranium essential oil has tremendous anti-inflammatory properties that can effectively help with managing symptoms of allergic diseases.

A 2016 study published in Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry suggested that geranium essential oil exerts anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and can help treat and prevent allergic diseases even anaphylaxis ⁽³⁾.

Here you can see our pure and natural Geranium.

 

Final words

Perfume allergies are common and can make you miserable. Some perfume allergies can also be serious and even life-threatening. It’s important to treat them earlier. Most symptoms of perfume allergies have been reported as symptoms of perfume sensitivities that are mild and usually go away within a few days with simple home remedies such as essential oils and vitamin C supplements. But if the symptoms seem to be persistent and severe, it’s highly recommended to seek immediate medical attention. 

 

Disclaimer

This article has been published purely for educational and informational purposes. Any part of this content cannot be used as a substitute for prescribed medical guidelines including advice, diagnosis, and treatment.

 

 

References:

 

1. Millqvist, Eva, et al. “Inhalation of Menthol Reduces Capsaicin Cough Sensitivity and Influences Inspiratory Flows in Chronic Cough.” Respiratory Medicine, vol. 107, no. 3, Mar. 2013, pp. 433–438, www.resmedjournal.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0954-6111%2812%2900428-3
2. Ueno-Iio, Tomoe, et al. “Lavender Essential Oil Inhalation Suppresses Allergic Airway Inflammation and Mucous Cell Hyperplasia in a Murine Model of Asthma.” Life Sciences, vol. 108, no. 2, July 2014, pp. 109–115, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0024320514005177.
3. Kobayashi, Yuko, et al. “Inhibitory Effects of Geranium Essential Oil and Its Major Component, Citronellol, on Degranulation and Cytokine Production by Mast Cells.” Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, vol. 80, no. 6, 1 June 2016, pp. 1172–1178, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26927807/