Fragrance for a special situation (anatomy lab)

Ah good ol anatomy. I tell you I don't envy you not one bit. I took A & P last year. The pig wasn't so bad, but man that cat stunk to high heaven after a week LOL! That scent can be trapped in your nose for days. I don't care how much perfume you spray on. That smell will always be there.

You can try spraying something, but I remember going into anatomy labs and getting a really weird mix of my SOtD and the formaldehyde from the cadavers... Maybe something really fresh and neutral..?
I think its also a little in your head, picturing the 'specimens' and the smell... Not something you forget...

Would a floral aldehyde blend well enough to conceal the formaldehyde?

I doubt it. I'm thinking.

Oh I really got a great giggle
out of this one LOL;
weather intended or not,
you just summed up
my feelings about floral aldehydes
in general - 100%.

They just don't work for me .

I'm thinking. For one thing, try using a silicon hair product rubbed on your hands. It might help shieild you from the odor soaking into your hands, and let more of it wash off. Gloves alone won't do it, and every time you put a fork to your mouth you'll get a whiff of cadaver. This is a good time to diet with smoothies that you can drink through a straw with your hands in your lap.

I don't think I'd go with fresh. It seems like it would clash like mad and not really have the oomph to cover anything. I can't think a gourmand would do it, either. Gag me. Nothing sweet.

Don't use anything you like now. It'll burn in your memory and you'll imagine formaldehyde in the background the rest of your life. I can't really imagine anything that's going to blend with formaldehyde and smell good. Maybe....

You could tap the CdG line for Avignon which is a strong incense. You could go for a straight patchouli--I'm thinking of Montale's Patchouli Leaves but I think it's discontinued. A rose patchouli might be more to your liking. Yup, I'm sniffing my hand with Rose perfume over MPL and that might be your ticket. Patchouli has a camphorous medicinal quality more evident in some than others, and the rose softens the whole thing. I think there's been a recent thread on rose/patch fragrances--the only one I can think of off the bat is Voleur de Roses from L'Artisan but I don't recall it having the strength or pepperiness of MPL.

Spice might be a option--something like Cinnabar. Or heck, get McCormick whole cloves and make a sachet for your pocket. Or maybe a paste of lemon oil and ground anise. I'm not kidding, you know.

I'm not too sure but maybe something like Comme des Garcons Odeur 53..?

Shycat might have hit the nail on the head here with the Incense line from CdG or going for spicy fragrances, as they might do well to mask the formaldehyde, or maybe neutralise it somehow.. I think going floral might just create a weird mix really...

Its hard to say what would work well, as I remember going in to the labs with just AdG and not being able to smell anything after classes.. Try out a few things and let us know how you went..

"What layers with formaldehyde" . . . Just when you think every question has been asked! Looks like an inspirational spring board for Demeter. I bet Luca Turin could wade in on this, too.

I find that Thierry Mugler's "Cologne" veils fowl scents remarkably well!
If I ever visit the fragrance department and spray something on my wrist that I immediately regret and find repulsive, I automatically reach for the "Cologne" to spritz on top as I have found it often neutralizes the stench long enough until I can get home and showered.

Its unisex, fresh, clean and non-offensive!

If it's your hands you are worried about, I'd use a scented lotion regularly, and wash with the lab's deodorizing soap/liquid. Another option, a cheap one, is to use cooking extracts and soak your hands in a mixture of extracts and water. I used to use peppermint extract to lose the rotten/formaldehyde scent and I would add some to a lotion. I was not thrilled with smelling like mint but it was better than the alternative. And to keep the smell out of my nose, I'd use a good saline spray.

As I recall, I kind of got used to the scent and it bothered ousiders more than people in the class. After a while, I just didn't smell it.

But please investigate deodorizing washes, some really do work alright.

Nothing like the smell of that course, but there are worse smells in actual practice. Pseudomonas, C-diff, and of course gangrene are very distinctive.

Ohhh yeahhh...gross anatomy lab. I do remember my 2 fragrant semesters of it very well.

I ended up eating what seemd to be only peanut butter sandwiches on plain white bread with glasses of cold milk for the first week or so. Seemed like the formaldehyde odor saturated my hair, clothes, lab smock, hand skin through the latex gloves etc. And eat cooked chicken then? Not a chance. Chicken for some reason looked and seemed to taste like what I imagined cadaver tissue would for at least a month after that first day in lab.

3-4 daily hot soapy showers when possible, liberal application of fragrance shampoo in each, incessant hand washing and frequent clothes/sox changes helped, but I know I was sillaging formaldehyde/human remains odor everywhere until those classes were long into the past. At that time I wasn't into putting on fragrance other than whatever was added to my deodorant/soap/shampoo du jour

And only wear one pair of shoes to the lab. You'll have to throw them away after.

I'm kinda surprised by the number of people here who had anatomy lab. Maybe we were all traumatized by the stink and are still trying to soothe the pain! LOL!

Well, as a pathologist, I am well acquainted with formaldehyde! It does seem to permeate the hair, doesn't it?

Covering up that smell I think is nearly impossible - like having BO and dousing oneself with perfume to cover it. But maybe we could just distract from it.

Perhaps some high pitched citrus or strong lavender scent? Something too "perfumey" could make a really obnoxious smell of something that is right now "just" (!) chemical.

On the other hand, you could go with a chemical type scent (Hermes Habit Rouge Eau Delicate was described that way to me when I asked someone what they thought of it - I actually like the medicine smell, but I digress...). Perhaps MPG Eau de Camille - I used to wear that until someone in the office said "something smells like ozone" and tried to determine the source. I had just sprayed it on and told them it was probably my cologne! Another example is Eau de Caron Pure. Kind of ozoney and may distract from the formaldehyde. Gap Heaven smells like Johnson's baby shampoo and may have a similar effect.

Possibly an email to Luca Turin (anyone have his email address?), outlining the formaldehyde problem and asking him if he would be so kind as to take the time to post his recommendation(s) here on this Basenotes thread, would be a worthy task for one of us.

I regret reading this thread....*gross*

I've been reading all your responses because it is a very interesting subject and thank God i don't have to go anywhere near one of those places where i can find that odor, now, can a very small amount of it be used as a perfume ingredient? I guess it can be used, hell, people use eugenol as one, but what can it be gained by adding it to a formula? a drier fourgere? i have no idea!
cheers

if no one else emails Luca Turin, I certainly will. I'm dying to know the answer to this unique fragrance conundrum!
--------------------------------------
UPDATE: I did email Luca Turin (remember how I emailed the Robert Piguet company about Fracas and heard back from the president? I'm dangerous with email access that way...). If he doesn't respond here but to me, I will report back. Of course, he might also think I'm a nutter (he'd be correct) and avoid a response altogether. We'll see what transpires...

Sent tonight at approximately 8:00 PM EST:


l.turin@flexitral.com

Dear Mr. Turin:

The following discussion is taking place on the www.Basenotes.net site

http://community.basenotes.net/showthread.php?t=201998

and we were hoping you could help with the problem of 'disguising' the formaldehyde odor that seems to attach itself to those individuals involved with gross dissection of formaldehyde preserved human cadavers or animals.

Can you help us by recommending a suitable fragrance/chemical that would help mask such odors which attach themselves tenaciously to those involved?


Thanks,

kbe (Ken)

OK Mia..two nuts are better than one in most cases

lol Ken. JINX!

poor guy. he's definitely gonna think we've all been huffing too many fragrance samples. (and he' be correct!) lol

I still get that churning in my gut when I imagine the smell of formaldehyde and the dried up person on front of me... If I recall, the worst part was the wet lab sessions during the reproductive system.. *shudders*

:: puts Panda Express chow mein away in fridge::

Wow..here it is right from the 'Source' folks:

Dr Turin was kind enough to answer my email just a few minutes after I sent it. What a nice guy!

"Hi Ken
Formaldehyde smells of russet apples, so a female med student could wear Be Delicious or Tommy Girl. If male, the med student could wear Cool Water but is probably doing so already.


Best wishes,


Luca and Tania"

Hey, I didn't get a response

::sulks::

lol Iove the "...is probably already doing so."

How interesting... Russet apples, i would never have thought...



Sorry......

s'ok, chimera45, I managed to finish the Kung Pao Chicken.


yeah, a New England apple orchard in the Autumn is not what formaldehyde brings to mind. However this brings me one step closer to trying Tommy Girl (I have bad associations with an ex-bf and Tommy cologne for men. All Hilfiger scents give me shivers, but Dr. Turin's raves over the stuff, and now this, might cause me to overcome my Hilfiger-phobia).

...given those two unfortunate options, perhaps the cadaver / formaldehyde smell isn't so nasty afterall....

LOL! Good one!

Ummm try sprinkle or spray some lime or citrus or lemon on yourself. It's a cheap solution.

Rose d'Ete by Les Parfums de Rosine is an apple-rose combo.
Or, maybe you should just go for something with cinnamon, which combines nicely with apple.
How about the lovely Serge Lutens Cedre?
That might work.
Hey, if all else fails, there's Febreeze.
JK.