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Do people stop smelling their own scent after a while?

post #1 of 18
10/19/10 at 8:45am
Thread Starter 
I think I have read that our noses get so used to one smell that after a
time it gets filtered out of out olfactory radar. If this is so, isn't there a
danger of over-application of one's scent or too many re-sprays?

I must admit I find it amazing that a friend of mine, who has dogs, seems to be
totally unaware of how much her house smells of them! I don't like to point it
out to her, but I am sure she doesn't notice the stench anymore.

Do any of you fail to notice your own scent after a few hours (or minutes even?)

The only ones I own that follow me around for ever are Angel (no surprise there,) Eau de
Rochas. Melongrano and Cinnabar. The rest seem to blend into my skin and become less part
of the atmosphere around me and more part of my body.

How do you feel about olfactory fatigue?
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post #2 of 18
10/19/10 at 8:54am
Yes, I think it's a scientific fact that we cease to smell (that is, our brain ceases to take note of) what's around us constantly. Which makes sense from an evolutionary perspective -- we need to adapt to our environment, yet be alert to any unusual smells, as they might indicate a threat.
On vacation recently, I wore one scent for three days in a row, and by day three I could barely make it out. Isn't this why so many of us fragrance junkies change scent during the day? To reset the ambiance, and the nose.
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post #3 of 18
10/19/10 at 9:22am
Since I wear something different everyday, I rarely experience olfactory fatigue. I think it happens for sure though when you have the same scent/smells surrounding you day after day, hour after hour. As C Rose said, on some level your brain just starts filtering it out as a normal part of your environment.

I do notice when my dog gets skunked, at first it bothers me a lot and then I just sort of get used to it - it's there, but not so bothersome. Unfortunately, no amount of washing him takes it away totally and lucky for me he's not an indoor dog, he only likes to be inside when it's really hot or really cold.
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post #4 of 18
10/19/10 at 9:42am
It a very rare thing for me to wear the same fragrance two days in a row. So it has never happened to me. I remember in the early 80s I wore Opium,Shalimar,Femme and Coco, never had any trouble smelling them. LOL
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post #5 of 18
10/19/10 at 10:02am
Yes, I do get olfactory fatigue. Occasionally, I get a whiff of my own scent, and wonder, "Who is wearing my perfume?" Then I realise it's me! LOL!
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post #6 of 18
10/19/10 at 1:44pm
I know that olfactory fatigue does happen. I used to only have one or two scents on hand and would be aware that after the first few minutes, I could not smell them but everyone else could. That's why, now that I am a collector, I never wear a scent more than two days in a row. Then I take a break from that fragrance. That way I can always experience them anew.

Years ago I had a coworker who was given a bottle of Oscar de la Rente by her hubby. I loved it at the time. Every day, however, she sprayed on more and more. All of us had to sit down and 'splain it to her. She said, "But I can't smell it anymore!" We said, "We CAN!" I still can't tolerate Oscar.
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post #7 of 18
10/19/10 at 4:54pm
I do think do think some people over-apply due to olfactory fatigue (It must be that CK Eternity fades the quickest, as I smell the most over-applications of it.), but I have always found it sensible to use no more than a certain amount of sprays, that is relative to the perfume's strength. Even two sprays of Poison is unlikely to flip anyone out in public.

It's shocking what people can actually stop smelling, in their own homes. I watch that show 'Hoarders' and sometimes people live in piles of feces with pet carcasses rotting under their chairs and stuff. Other people cannot enter their homes without Hazmat gear and ventilators.
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post #8 of 18
10/19/10 at 8:25pm
When all the rooms in our home smell fresh and clean, it helps us enjoy our perfume more! About a month ago I insisted that my husb. take the clothing of his chair in the bedroom and put it all in his laundry bag. Something didn't smell right in the room. After he took care of his clothes I still got a wiff of something that smelled like BM. After pondering on this dilemma I found what it was! Finally! It was the 15 pumpkin seeds on a paper towel by my window that I was drying out to save for planting next spring!

I got close to them- sniffed and realized it had a bm smell. Must be some chemical reaction as they were drying. I got those out of the room and into little seed envelopes really fast.
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post #9 of 18
10/19/10 at 9:11pm
This happens to me. I remember wearing Insolence for a few days in a row, and by about the fourth day, I could barely smell it, even though I had sprayed the same amount as on the first day when it seemed so strong and striking.

There was also a time when I wore Sheer Obsession, probably also for a few days. One day, I kept spritzing more and more on (while at home thankfully), because I just couldn't smell it. Then I took a nap in the afternoon. Sleeping must have caused the necessary break in the olfactory fatigue, because when I woke up the smell of the fragrance was overpowering! I think I had to change my clothes.
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post #10 of 18
10/20/10 at 8:55pm
O.F. or anosmia as they sometimes call it, is definitely real. Some people are totally anosmic to certain types of smells and most people loose the ability to smell their own fragrance long before it's actually gone. Personally, I become anosmic faster to stronger smells. I happen to love tuberose, which is (in)famous for its longevity and sillage. But 30 minutes in and I can barely smell it at all. It takes huge restraint on my part to not be constantly reapplying Carnal Flower or Amarige, but I would be absolutely sickening to those around me if I did!
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post #11 of 18
10/21/10 at 4:05pm
I have to be careful of falling head over heels in love and wearing something all day every day...that is when I stop smelling it. As long as I mix it up a little...but inevitably I slip into wanting to wear Jicky or Bois des Iles every day until I can't smell them. Then I back off and start all over again

*is crazy*
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post #12 of 18
10/21/10 at 4:14pm
A former colleague had certainly hit some sort of LD50 with her dousing of Angel...yet she said she did not smell it at all. She could always pick out other scents but her tolerance for Angel was absurd. I went through this in college with Oscar, someone politely informed me of my error. Anway, not having a signature scent seems to preclude this problem. Hooray for over buying!
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post #13 of 18
11/19/10 at 9:08am
Sorry to bump and old thread, but I suffer from this as well

I'm wearing A*Men today, and have had it on since 6:30AM. Right now I can hardly smell it, and only get whiffs of it every now and then. To me, it doesnt smell like its projecting at all.
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post #14 of 18
11/19/10 at 9:37am
Yep, this is one reason why I wear a different scent every day. The other reason is that I have the attention span of a gnat and I always want to try something different!
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post #15 of 18
11/21/10 at 11:51am
I think we've all had this happen as newbies. When I was younger, I'd buy a bottle of something and wear it until it ran out. At first I'd wear one spray. By the bottom of the bottle, I'd be wearing 6 or 7 sprays and I'd somehow think it smelled the same. That's why you get those older ladies who have worn the same perfume for 40 years who completely marinate in it every day...

With all my perfumes, a large scented candle collection, reed diffusers, and usually some flowers, I know in theory that my apartment REEKS (albeit in a good way), but I never notice it unless I'm coming back from a vacation. But new visitors never cease to think that I'm basically insane...
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post #16 of 18
11/21/10 at 1:32pm
Thread Starter 
I bet your apartment smells GREAT rogalal.
I think it's always best to overgild the lily than
use so little nobody notices.
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post #17 of 18
11/21/10 at 3:07pm
I think I have a problem smelling certain perfumes. I never know if they've dissappeared from my skin or not and always ask my husband to confirm. I think my skin eats fagrance because even Angel is gone after a couple of hours. I often overapply as a consequence. bad girl.
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post #18 of 18
11/22/10 at 11:14am
this is called adaption. and yes, over-application is the problem, as well as spraying to close to the nose. stronger odors will block faster. note that some molecules (ionones for instance, and the same effect is with natural violets) are more likely to trigger adaption than others. it will pass eventually (you can smell a lovely violet again in a minute or two) when the smell goes away. it is not anosmia! anosmia is a very rare disease, and i believe there is no relation. using the same perfume daily should be no problem, just don't apply too much and too often, and with reasonable distance from you nose (i find the wrist is perfect).
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Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Female Fragrance Discussion › Do people stop smelling their own scent after a while?