What are your most feared scrubbers?

I am surprised with your selection, many of these fragrances are my favorites.

One scrubber that comes to my mind - EL Aromatics Elixir. Unbearable and nauseating ad infinitum.

Lol! Christmas pot pourri doesn't sound too unappealing. Then again, I'm attracted to anything Christmassy.

Vraie Blonde - turned to ginger on my skin. Like the kind of ginger they use in travel sickness tablets (which now CAUSE me to feel nauseous while travelling!)

The one fragrance that truly repulsed me was Paul Sebastian PS. It smelled like "caca".

Chic by Caroline Herrera...honestly, smelled of chemical and urine...

Wrappings by Clinique is a bad one for me too.

VM I Hate Civet ~ alot of my most favorite frags are on your scrubbing list...

I like many of the scrubbers. Some, like 24, Faubourg and Aromatics Elixir are personal favorites.
I also don't have any problems with Amoreuse, Nuit Noire, Yatagan, Dioressence, and Timbuktu.
You don't like animalics, that's for sure. And you probably dislike certain types of green, woody notes.
So, you ask, what do I scrub?
1. There is a gere that is overly sweet, fruity, heavy, and loud and smells like the perfumer threw "everything but the kitchen sink" in the formula. Yosh Omnicient 0.96 was that way for me. There are many others. I would have to refer to my list, which is not beside me at present.
2. Soapy aldehydes. I am not in the least averse to aldehydes, but the harsh, oily ones bother me. Small perfumers are most apt to overdo the soapy notes; they rarely survive the committee approval process of mainstream houses.
3. Smoke. It's fine in the air, but not on me. No Lonestar Memories or others like it.

Arabie

Angel
LouLou by Cacherel
Eden by Cacherel
Poison (original, tendre & pure, but I like hypnotic)
Narciso Rodriguez for Her
Joop pour Homme (I think this is the worst one)
Tom Ford Voile de Fleur
Estee Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia
Bronze Goddess
There are many more, but these are the first few that come to mind

Angel
Amarige (used to wear it, stopped, and tried a new bottle last year and was repulsed by it)
Michael Kors
Iris by Santa Maria Novella (ordered a sample and it was suffocating on me)

These are the ones that come to mind right now but there are others.

Tubéreuse Criminelle, Sunflowers, and one that I erased the name from memory, but the vomit inducing stench still lingers. All I remember is that it was something reasonably well selling.

No fragrance has ever made me nauseous, luckily, but...

Yes, Chaoskitty! Serge Lutens Tubereuse Criminelle. That camphorous-menthol-y-numbing thingy shone through way too bright and way too long. Scrubber.

Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile and Creed Love in White. Probably an allergic reaction or an oversensitivity to something in the formulas but these made me feel as if my brain was swelling deep into its watery protective membrane and my head would soon explode, plus made my throat feel like it was swelling shut. Scrubbers.

Prada, the original one. Hideously musky. I've never put it on myself but every time I get a whiff of it I seriously cannot get away fast enough. I want to scrub if off the wearer but can't get close enough for fear it might rub off on me. Scrubber. Off someone else.

Regina Harris - Amber Vanilla.

Two of my favorite notes. Gone horribly horribly unspeakably wrong. Actually - I don't think there was either Amber (of any ilk) or Vanilla in this one. I couldn't get this off my skin fast enough.
It was so bad - I couldn't even bring myself to swap it.

Those are the types of scrubbers that scare me. Ones that sound like I should love - I put it on with abandon - and realize I made a HUGE mistake.

Thankfully, that doesn't happen too often.

I think I got a BAD sample, honestly, and had such high hopes for this sleeper, but I recently had to scrub off Bill Blass' NUDE. I got the sample from Scentedmonk*y and it may very well have been bad. The haze around me was more like skunk and urine than anything I had tried. I still think it's worth a shot with a fresh batch.

My tastes have changed, but I've had to scrub some things sooner than I'd like due to actual headaches. They are typically very sweet, high-amber content scents. Opium (I know!!!), was one of them. So was Angel. My mind's eye about fragrance defies my propensity for headaches when I encounter different scents. Poison, too is a headache scent for me. I want to revisit it again, because a few ladies have mentioned it on SOTD recently, and also because Lou Lou was a scrubber years ago and now I love it. Eden too, and Jungle L'Elephant. Beware of changing tastes...you never know if today's scrubber becomes tomorrow's love.

Wrappings - BIG TIME!

Aromatics Elixir, L´Artisan Fou d´Absinthe and Dzonghka, CdG Sticky Cake, Giorgio.

Angel
EL Youth Dew
Bill Blass Nude
Flowerbomb (turns to purest pepper on me, just pepperpepperPEPPER)
There's also a Yosh scent on the list but I can't remember which one it is - I've never liked any of her frags, but this one specific one was awful.

Oh no, my dear darling Amoureuse is on VM's list. That's O.K., not everything works on everyone.

Scrubbers for me:

Angel - so vilely, sickeningly sweet on me that I felt like I was going to get a cavity right there, as well as lose my lunch

Montale Blue Amber - I can imagine it being a lovely fragrance on others, but my skin amplified the amber to the point where it was literally unbearable.

I have a high tolerance, even for things I am not crazy about, but these are definitely scrubbers for me:

Angel - I've tried to find what others like, but to no avail
Aromatics Elixir - I wore it at one tme, but why bother with something that makes me unconfortable
L'air de Rien - Yuck
Opium - Great in others, not on me
Coriandre - I thought I had liked it at one time, maybe it went bad
Eau de Dior - Maybe a bad coincidence, but I think somrthing in it made me cry
Youth Dew - Just too much
Flower Bomb - Double yuck
Narciso Rodriguez - I don't know what it is about that one!
Une Basir de Dragon - Could not wash it fast enough
Must de Cartier - Newer version, I liked the old one in the cigarrette lighter-like container

Maybe my sample of Nude hadn't gone bad. Geez. Maybe it really does smell like skunky urine.

Oh yeah, last week I had to scrub off Knowing. Tested it after reading others wearing it on SOTD and Turin's recommendation. But it had to go, for me, and at my husband's request. He nearly stuck his head out the window in the car when we left Macy's. I got the "honey, oh hell, what IS THAT?" I can appreciate it as a well made scent, but NO, not on me.
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One more, like Arwen_elf: Le Baisur de Dragon. Beautiful on everyone else but me.

Amoureuse by Parfums DelRae
Blu by Bruno Acampora

No need to apologize VM I Hate Civet ~ just let me know when you need a good home for all your scrubbers! I'll gladly adopt them!

Trussardi Light Him
Jasper Conran Mister
Joop! Homme
Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin

...all catastrophic! I would much rather hurl myself through a plate-glass window than wear any one of them.

Aromatics Elixir (interesting how many of us share that dislike!)
SL Ambre Sultan (that medicine touch...!)
Anything with tuberose

Lushsoup, I got a sample of Bill Blass Nude from another Basenoter so am pretty damn sure it wasn't off (it certainly didn't *look* off - no weird colour or consistency) but it was repellant. I rarely actually 'scrub' frags off because I want to give them a chance to develop, but after a few hours I busted out the dishsoap. (oh dear I feel a bit bad saying I didn't like it! - I'm sending out some samples to other BNers this week - if anyone wants to try Nude, let me know, I'll send it on)

Chengfun - offense! GREAT offense! I *love* Bruno Acampora Blu! (I'm kidding about the offense ) - and am more than willing to adopt, a la Ubuandibeme, your Blu.

Lastly, is there a more violently loved/hated frag than Angel?

Elizabeth Arden Red Door. I too used to wear Amarige and decided to seek something similar. The notes in these two are almost identical, but everything that works for Amarige turns vile in Red Door. I walked around the store for about 20 minutes trying to give it a chance before nausea and cramps sent me to the ladies' room to scrub.

lushsoup Knowing is a good winter fragrance on me. I'd give it another chance in cooler weather and apply more sparingly. Then again, I love those chypres!

Speaking of chypres-- Paloma Picasso also gives me terrible stomach cramps for the first 20 minutes or so, but I love it so much I just endure the agony.

I also recently realized that I just can't wear Angel either. I'd sampled it several times over the years, unable to make up my mind. This past week I gave it another shot and it was just horrible-- the patchouli, with all those gourmand notes of vanilla, chocolate, fruit, AND caramel! Is all that really necessary, people?! It was like a head shop farted a Dairy Queen. Glad others can wear it though; more for you gals!


I used to say this, and it made me sad because I really wanted to like Fracas. I grew tuberoses this year and I love the scent of the flower. Then I figured out the trick for Fracas-- I apply just a little to the back of my knees! It's still not a fragrance I feel comfortable wearing in public, but in this way at least I can wear it!

That is the funniest thing I've seen all day.

A perfect description of Angel, at least on me.

Borneo 1834 – smells like chocolate vomit on me.

Sikkim (turpentine)

Chanel No. 18 (smells like the spit your mom used to clean your face when you were a kid)

Alliage (mildew)

Anything that is tuberose-dominant

Most of what is on the shelves in the cosmetics dept. at my local Macy's (I live in a small town and they do not stock much of interest)

I've never become nauseated, etc from a fragrance, but at the top of my "I hate this more than anything" list is Creed Love In Black. That is so disgusting to me.

For the record, I've said many times that I think Aromatics Elixir is the most beautiful fragranace ever created. It can be hard to wear, and usually smells better at a distance than to the wearer.

I also like Bill Blass Nude, and considered making it my daytime "signature" (but I'm too fickle). However, I feel its my duty to give a home to unwanted bottles :-)

While I generally like Estee Lauder fragrances, several recent ones are scrubbers for me: Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia, Bronze Goddess, and the new Sensuous.

BTW, I'm wearing Knowing today, and it is wonderful in small doses.

Interesting thread, VM! There are two categories of fragrances that make me feel ill:

1. Certain strongly aldehydic perfumes, like Chanel Nos. 5 & 22, Creed Fleurissimo, and Malle Iris Poudre. I suppose if I stuck with them, maybe they'd be OK, but I just can't get past the openings.

2. Very sweet florals. I recently tried Drole de Rose and Lipstick Rose, and they made me feel nauseated. Not sure if it's the ultra-sweet violets (I love violets, usually!), the berry notes, or what. The very sweet Missoni also upset my tummy, but I'm going to try it again. It sounds so delicious on paper!

Re: Tuberose. I loathed it until Carnal Flower (sorry for the redundancy with my HG thread). Give it another try in time. My recent conversion has blown my mind about previous scrubbers.

Nude: I still want to like this. What am I missing?

Knowing: Same thing--I have to try it in micro-doses I think.

Angel: I'm thinking trying it in lotion form may allow me to avoid scrubbing.

All in all, scrubbers may become loves--I'm willing, because I've seen it happen.

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Nude is unique in the way it includes characteristics of several fragrance categories: green, aldehydic, musky, mossy. While it has a very floral heart, its the combination of those four catagories that makes it interesting to me. The aldehydes give it lift and effervescence, while the musk keeps it grounded and closer to the skin - the two balance eachother. Plus, I like the classical floral heart: rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang. It just works for me.

No worries, VMIhc!

Amoureuse is a very strong frag, and, if it went wrong on someone, I could see it going really wrong. (Like the poem about the little girl with the little curl right in the middle of her forehead. . . .)

Agree with above three and add:
Versace Dreamer
Zino
Live Jazz

Great thread, VM I hate civet!

It's really interesting to see what works for some but not for others, and some of the descriptions given here are priceless

Here are a few of my offenders:

Alexander McQueen's Kingdom. A sweaty jockstrap would be putting it nicely.
Carolina Herrera: Woah! Gag on contact! Were I to wear this, I'd be issued with an Anti-social Behaviour Order.
Je Reviens: Makes me smell like a lichen-covered pissoir.
Chance: cloying, turns me instantly into a peevish adolescent.
JPG Classique: stale bonbons and fermenting soft fruit
Femme: chicken tikka masala (and I seriously *love* this perfume )

Yes, my dear VM, I adore Sisley's Soir de Lune, it's my daytime signature -- hence the narcissistic moniker. I also love its big evening sister, Eau du Soir.

LT gave both scents one star in his Guide -- he seems almost to have a pathological hatred of all things Sisley. That makes me rather sad, but doesn't undermine my choices. These perfumes smell lovely on me -- whereas Kingdom doesn't!

I guess we could re-appraise Rochas' Chicken Tikka Masala as a new gourmand?

The only fragrances I really dislike so far are:

Diptyque Oyedo
Guess/Marciano
Hugo Boss/Hugo Women (gives me a headache)
Serge Lutens Miel d'Bois

Oh my gosh...SakeCat22 I hate Regina Harris Amber Vanilla also! It turns to 3 day old roast turkey on my skin. Ghastly!
Eau de Vie Almond--artificial awfulness.
French West Indies Coco and Caramel. Both smell nothing like anything found in the natural world. (Martian sewage gasses!)
Amandes Orientales: 3 months without a bath homeless person.
The Heart is Deceitful: High grade pot oil, then urine.

Just to name a few....

Serge Lutens' Miel de Bois was horrendous on me.

Tuberose in general has been unwearable, although lushsoup's 180 has me wondering about Carnal Flower now.

What a great thread! (Who can convince SMM to compile stats? ).

I'm one of those people who turn fragrances sweet and amplify vanilla and amber. I also get headaches from certain/too many aldehydes and synthetics. That might explain some of my scrubbers.

All of these I've tried on & had to scrub off (and either made me nauseous or gave me a headache):

Jungle L'Elephant (they've poured in one particular synthetic material with abandon and it's all I can smell. Too much of).

Angel (There are some wearers of this on whom the scent becomes pretty or interesting. On me - sickly sweet, cloying horror).

Wrappings

Aromatics Elixir

Youth Dew

Midnight Star by Neil Morris (The aldehydes in this are like a big red migraine button for me, unfortunately).

Bigarade Concentrée (Got this as part of the minis kit, absolutely doesn't suit me and smells very, very sour and sweaty).

En Passant (Some may adore this - alas, I get dead flowers in a vase of stagnant water).

And, I'm sad about this one, but Fracas. (I have a love-hate thing with Tuberose. In some fragrances I can't get enough of it & have several Tuberose scents in my 'drobe; in others, it's awfully nauseating. Fracas is the latter. A small disclaimer: I've smelled Fracas on others and in some cases it's very good and makes me want to try it again. But no, it just doesn't work for me at all. It makes me feel ill).

Eau Du Soir by Sisley. (I'm so sorry for Sisley lovers, but for me, this scent is a horrid, horrid, instant headache).

Paul Smith London. (I don't know what happened; bought it one winter, wore it for a couple of months and presumably liked it... recently threw my bottle away because I knew I'd never, ever wear it again. It turns my stomach. Too sweet).

P.S. there are a couple of scrubbers on others' lists that I'll gladly take off your hands! Ambre Sultan, Rochas Femme and 24 Faubourg just for starters!

Without a doubt, the absolute worst scrubber for me was Etat Libre d'Orange Secretions Magnifique. It is beyond description--smells "bad" and is nausea inducing. I must add, it was a difficult one to get off the skin. Having recently tried Montale Red Oud, I was thinking maybe it was a mis-match of ozone and oud notes. However, on further reflection, Red Oud actually reminds me of the disgusting Secretions Magnifique. Red Oud was also difficult to remove.

Next down in intense reactions--I get an ammonia note from some fragrances. I don't know what it is, but it practically sears the inside of my nose and sinuses when I smell these fragrances. I have found that some have a tolerable amount, but these are the ones I have tried so far that are asphyxiating:

Juicy Couture Dirty English
Caron Pour un Homme
Acqua di Parma Colonia Intensa
Bois 1920 1920 Extreme
Parfum d'Empire Iskander
Serge Lutens Gris Clair

Next in degree of "scrubworthyness" are the ones which elicit headaches or allergy-type reactions. I haven't been keeping good track of actual scents, but here are a few:

Anything by Avon
Anything by Yves Rocher
Narciso Rodrigues for Her
Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely
Anything by Andy Tauer
Terre d'Hermes
Anything by Escentric
Fragrances that use cheap or synthetic patchouli (or some accord that uses patchouli with synthetics)--an example is Angel

Finally, there are the ones that are decent except for some nauseating note. My latest dislike is the red cinnamon candle wax / floor wax that I smell in many fragrances which are meant to be spicy. Again, the list is not comprehensive:

Estee Lauder Sensuous
Lancome Magnifique
Anything by Dyptique (except Philosykos)
Dior Dolce Vita
Lancome Cuir
Kenzo Jungle Elephant
Kenzo Amour Indian Holi

LedByMyNose, I apologise for my chemistry which does not seem to agree with Blu. I have tried very hard to like Blu since I collect tuberose frags and would have loved to add it to my wardrobe. Unfortunately I only have a small sample of Blu so it's not worth you adopting it.

Stéphanie de St-Aignan Amande Honorable. Poo-ey.
Poison & flankers.. all of them give me a headache. What's in them?

Oh god, forgot Miel du Bois. Horror. Not so much because of the infamous incontinent cat-note many get, but because I do. Not. Like. Honey. At all. And it's a true honey-fest.

Also, everything with a prominent cedar note. Dyptique Tam Dao, and above all, D&G Light Blue. Keep it awaaaaaay I tell you.

Chengfun - my offense was in jest. I call myself a tuberose lover but, as someone else mentioned, Fracas is a no-go for me as well. Cloying.

Veuve Amiot, I have a sample of Amande Honorable on the way, it sounded rather fab in the write-up, so we'll see...

I hope I did not put you off it.

I got a sample too, after reading a glowing review of another Basenoter and having it recommended when looking for almond scents. Good news: it works on others - so the problem may well be my chemistry.
Hope it works for you!

And now, I am inspired to start another thread.

LOL, VM! You are making me hungry for Indian food.

I'm loving the descriptions in this thread. Let me add Youth Dew to my scrub-worthy list of fragrances. Also Musk Ravageur. I loved it at first, but it was just too much heavy sweetness in the final analysis.

How sad to hear that my beloved En Passant disappointed you, Nukapai! LedByMyNose and veuveamiot, I really like Amande Honorable.

Shocking is my number 1 favourite perfume - and I don't get civet from it, I get honey
Amarige is a perfume I once got married in
Anais Anais is a perfume I wore almost excusively for several years - I don't wear it now, as I find it powdery
I dunno. I think a lot of your scrubbers would find themselves very much at home on my dressing table and on my skin. It just goes to show how different we all are. Number 1 scrubber for me would be Angel - and yet, this one is immensely popular. Likewise, Boudoir...I couldn't even get out of the shop wearing that, it HAD to come off. Even after I'd scrubbed it off, the memory lingered and made me feel ill. Perfumes are so very visceral in their effect, aren't they?

Angel. I thought I was going to be sick when I tried the stuff.

Boudoir smelled like dirty knickers to me. My daughter found it even worse, and said to her it smelled of dick cheese (pardon the expression!). Either way, genitalia came to mind, and not in a good way. :-O

Clemmie, I love it that your daughter can say "dick cheese" to you.

That's all. XD