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scents and headaches

post #1 of 196
Thread Starter 
I mean is it a common ingredient? Or a certain ammount of that ingredient? I was sniffing some Davidoff Cool Water earlier today and i've had a headache for the past hour or more, what gives?
post #2 of 196
Synthetic ozonic notes, perhaps?
post #3 of 196
Some people just get headaches. One of those would seem vulnerable to getting a headache from a fragrance that really repels them. Once I worked with a lady who had asthma so bad she had to have her automobile gassed up by her hub. Of course she could be set off by strong phumes. I remember once I'd stopped by TJMaxx at lunch and put a test spray of Georgio BH homme on my hand. She walked by and sniffed it. She liked it so it didn't cause any asthma problem for her. There may in fact be something that causes irritation but the reaction might also be amplified when it is displeasing to the person.
post #4 of 196
I (and my fiancee it seems) get headaches from Obsession for Men. Great scent, but can't wear it. :/
Kerr
post #5 of 196
Thread Starter 
I think Obsession makes my head a little hazey too. I think Farenheit is another danger zone. I don't normally get headaches, i think i've gone years without getting a headache on it's own (discluding colds, flu etc). Too much time in the sun can give me a headache because we hardly ever see the sun except for maybe 2 months of the year here...there's something in there ere smellies i tell thee [smiley=angry.gif]
post #6 of 196
Vetiver - Adolfo Dominguez
Escape - Calvin Klein - [smiley=lipsrsealed.gif] [smiley=tongue.gif] [smiley=lipsrsealed.gif] [smiley=tongue.gif] [smiley=lipsrsealed.gif] [smiley=lipsrsealed.gif]
Farhenheit - Dior [smiley=tongue.gif] [smiley=lipsrsealed.gif] [smiley=tongue.gif] [smiley=lipsrsealed.gif] [smiley=tongue.gif]
post #7 of 196
ROCHAS MAN - i hate it !!!
XS - paco rabanne


and some oriental stuff too...

[smiley=lipsrsealed.gif]
that kind of smell make me sick....
post #8 of 196
In my expiriences with headache inducing fragrances most have been brought on by heady sweet floral compilations with notes of tuberose, carnation , gardenia , jasmine, ylang ylang, rose . Beautiful by Estee Lauder is a good example. Seems like it literally takes the breathable oxygen out of a room.
post #9 of 196
It's the cost.
--Chris
post #10 of 196
Quote:
Originally Posted by DustB

It's the cost.
--Chris


Damn you, Chris! You beat me to it! I was going to say the sudden realization that you've just flushed x-amount of dollars down the toilet on a stinker.

Aaron
post #11 of 196
Lily of the valley gives me a headache.
post #12 of 196
Quote:
Originally Posted by lazycalm

[quote author=DustB link=1122047523/0#8 date=1122060995]It's the cost.
--Chris


Damn you, Chris! You beat me to it! I was going to say the sudden realization that you've just flushed x-amount of dollars down the toilet on a stinker.

Aaron[/quote]

Well, I certainly can't argue with that! [smiley=laugh.gif]

As for myself, really intense (synthetic) citrus notes (like Issey) or stinging wood notes (Platinum
Egoiste) send me over the edge....
post #13 of 196
Allergens.
post #14 of 196
Quote:
Originally Posted by milamber

Allergens.

I'm with Milamber. The two times I got ill from fragrances, I was thinking it just had to be something I was having an allergic reaction to. If only I knew what it was...
post #15 of 196
Trussardi - Uomo ... can't stand it!
post #16 of 196
Synthetic ingredients such as those in Ocean Pacific. Also oakmoss is known to cause allergic reactions in fragrances such as Trussardi Uomo, Patou Pour Homme, Nicole Miller, Tabac Man, Jacomo Paradox, and Bond No. 9 Great Jones.
post #17 of 196
Pthalates, benzophenone, synthetics, etc. cause headaches. Usually not single notes like Oak Moss though, there is such a minimal amount of any singular note in a fragrance that it is unlikely to cause a headache.
post #18 of 196
Several of those I mentioned give me an immediate headache as they must have a higher dose of oakmoss!
post #19 of 196
Poison - CD. I can´t, I can´t ....
post #20 of 196
Thread Starter 
So why do they put allergens in? Only kidding. Yeah, thanks guys that makes sense. [smiley=tekst-toppie.gif]
post #21 of 196
I sampled some Burberry London yesterday & loved it @ first, but it began to give me a headache after awhile .
post #22 of 196
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by CologneJunkie

I sampled some Burberry London yesterday & loved it @ first, but it began to give me a headache after awhile .

bummer, lol [smiley=evil.gif]
post #23 of 196
That's some pretty intense scents mentioned...I got a headache just thinking of how they smelled.

I'm surprised that Cool Water could provoke a headache, although I remember a delivery guy who doused himself in the scent making it linger for half an hour in the office hallway. Constant exposure to a fragrance (especially when you're not wearing it) can make you feel sick. I don't know how a lot of women can wear these floral and (especially) vanilla infused fragrances...SENSORY OVERLOAD for me!
post #24 of 196
Quote:
Originally Posted by iMaverick

Â*I don't know how a lot of women can wear these floral and (especially) vanilla infused fragrances...SENSORY OVERLOAD for me!

Hence why I primarily wear nice & crisp men's frags!
post #25 of 196
Le Male gives me a bad headache...
post #26 of 196
There are many different scent chemicals that can trigger headaches in susceptible people. They appear to vary from person to person, and to some degree the response is quantitative (i.e. a lot of the chemical is more likely to set off a headache than a little). Getting a headache is NOT an allergic response because an allergy is an inappropriate immune system response that usually includes rashes, swelling, etc. I do believe certain people may become able to identify their specific headache triggers, but no particular component in fragrances can be blamed across the board.
post #27 of 196
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by docluv45

There are many different scent chemicals that can trigger headaches in susceptible people. Â*They appear to vary from person to person, and to some degree the response is quantitative (i.e. a lot of the chemical is more likely to set off a headache than a little). Â*Getting a headache is NOT an allergic response because an allergy is an inappropriate immune system response that usually includes rashes, swelling, etc. Â*I do believe certain people may become able to identify their specific headache triggers, but no particular component in fragrances can be blamed across the board.

This also makes sense.[smiley=dankk2.gif]
post #28 of 196
I've found that a friend of mine who is allergic and gets bad headaches to many fragrances is fine with light or citrusy scents. For example she's found that she can wear Clinique Happy and oddly enough the men's Acqua di Gio with no problem.

On another note when I first tried L'Eau de Issey about five years ago I remember getting the worst headache and smelling it on my jacket as well days after spraying it on in the store. Yet now I really like it and it doesn't bother me at all ... any ideas why that might be?
post #29 of 196
Why is it that some fragrances just give you a bad headache,etc..?This happens to me whenever I use certain fragrances..no special reason..just happens..Why is that?
post #30 of 196
Guess I was blessed at birth with no allergies to anything including fragrances. Some of them do give me headaches of a different origin: where to get them for less? why they were discontinued? how to find words to describe them? how come that promotional campaign does not match the fragrance? etc.
post #31 of 196
It's the same with me. I associate some of the headaches with gardenia notes or really pungent florals, but certain others give me a headache and I can't figure out why. I do avoid these like the plague, because they guarantee a migraine. Do any of these bother you? (Just thinking about them makes my head throb)

L'Air du Temps
Annick Goutal Gardenia Passion
CSP Aloha Tiare
Clinique Happy Heart
Eau des Merveilles (I LOVE this stuff, though, but wearing it is painful)
Jessica McClintock
Kai
Eau de Lune
Calyx
Fracas
Annick Goutal Heure Exquise
Annick Goutal Songes
Lou Lou
Bora Bora
Michael Kors Island
Boheme
Prada
Yvresse
Noa Fleur
Gres Cabaret
Hermes Hiris (woe is me - another I love deeply)
Flower by Kenzo
Lancome Miracle
YSL Paris
post #32 of 196
I mentioned before that I like Eau des Merveilles but it gives me an awful headache as you!

Also..YSL Paris
Happy Heart Narcisco Rodriquez
Happy Heart
Kenzo

And some iothers I can't think of now.Like you they bring on a terrible migrane type headache ...
post #33 of 196
Some notes are almost 100 % headache-inducing to me. The worst is lily of the valley, second... roses. I don´t care about the lily of the valley, because I don´t like it much anyway, but I love roses
post #34 of 196
Hyacinth is the only specific note I can think of that I know gives me a headache, and I am allergic to them au natural too. I have wondered though what it is in Eau des Merveilles that can cause headache.....perhaps ambergris? I don´t know.
post #35 of 196
Technically these are not allergies, but rather chemical sensitivities. Some folks brains are especially sensitive to certain odors (or foods, for that matter) and when those molecules hit the receptors, the migraine centers of some people's brains are activated. Some molecules seem more prone to do this than others but it is a very unpredictable thing. It also seems that some people require certain combinations to trigger the migraine so that one scent or another may not trigger anything, but when two are presented together, then a headache may result.
post #36 of 196
Samsara gives me bad migraines with nausea and an aura shortly after i wear it and it breaks my heart as i like it a lot.
post #37 of 196
I'm keeping a list so that I might eventually figure out what it is I'm sensitive to.

My bad list:

Drakkar Noir
Noir Epices
Arpege (lady's version)
post #38 of 196
I've noticed that sometimes I get headaches even from my "trusted" scents if I spray them on generously straight after shower. I guess I inhale too much, also warmth of the body makes the effect stronger. But I can't name any particular notes, except maybe aldehydes.
post #39 of 196
Malmaison from Floris London is so spicy at the top note that I get an instant headache. WAAAAAAHHHH!!!!
post #40 of 196
So far, the only things that give me headaches are the "intoxicating" flowers - especially tuberose, to a lesser extent really strong jasmine and gardenia. And the totally synthetic scents from Commes de Garcons, the Odeur line, *all* give me a sharp stabbing pain in the center of my head and a sharp stabbing pain deep in my chest when I inhale them. It's easy enough to avoid the CdGs, but my older daughter is a huge fan of tuberose-based fragrances and she likes to walk around in a cloud of it. (I love tuberose too, I make a tuberose fragranced bath and body line and I like to wear Fracas sometimes, but I go light with it)
post #41 of 196
Does anyone here have experience with a particular fragrance(s) that brings on a headache because, for me, M7 Fresh is particularly headache inducing!
post #42 of 196
PI and Caron puH are big time headache inducers for me.
post #43 of 196
L'eau D'Issey and maybe Aqua di Roma.
post #44 of 196
Frags that contain oakmoss, as well as the more synthetic ones such as Magnetism, Black Code and Issey Bleue, are the most likely to cause allergic reactions including headaches.
post #45 of 196
Obsession for Men does it for me. Too bad because I love it.
post #46 of 196
Roma Uomo
Azzaro PH.
Geir - The topnotes I can take, but the drydown made me dizzy no matter how many sprays.
Truth by CK - this one gives me a sharp headache.
post #47 of 196
Frags that are based around (or contain too much of) notes like clove, vanilla, vetiver, etc which can be cloying if used in large amounts.

Some examples:

Caron Pour homme - too much vanilla

Penhaligons no. 9 - too much clove
post #48 of 196
Quote:
Originally Posted by MisterK

Obsession for Men does it for me. Too bad because I love it.

This just started happening to me lately!! It is unfortunate because I used to love it as well. I'm hoping I will get back into it.
post #49 of 196
I also vote for Geir along with Chanel Sport (these two scents are identical in my opinion). The first millisend of a spray from these and I start seeing stars. And not in a good way.

TNMA
post #50 of 196
SL's Ambre Sultan - just last weekend on the way home with a new bottle of it!
post #51 of 196
A few that do it for me:
Gucci Rush
Gucci PH
Gucci Envy
Platinum Egoiste
M7
Eternity
Ambre Sultan
post #52 of 196
John Varvatos
Gives me that sharp feeling behind my left eye like someone's trying to drill through there and then starts. Not good.
post #53 of 196
I have developed both headaches and upset stomach to all the following

Floris Elite
Cabochard
Fracas for Men

Jeff
post #54 of 196
Fleurs d'Oranger is giving me a headache and turning my stomach right now.
post #55 of 196
Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin and Le Male are big headache inducers too..
post #56 of 196
Geir. Ugh.
post #57 of 196
I have problems with Kenzo Pour Homme (pity because I find this one is very original with monster longevity), Body Kouros (incense), Magnetism (to powdery), Le Male (too much vanila).
post #58 of 196
Eternity for men
Moschino Uomo?
Paco Rabanne XS
Narciso Rodriguez for her
Tendre Poison
YSL Paris
Eau d'Issey
Aromatics Elixir
post #59 of 196
Eau des Merveilles. It´s makes me feel like I´ve snorted up salty water. Sadly. I like it a lot I can wear it but have to be extremely modest.
post #60 of 196
No perfumes or colognes give me a headache, but All (the brand) Citrus Breeze Fabric Refresher gives me an instant splitting headache.

Also, the Tommy Bahama cologne, while it doesn't give me a headache, actually hurts my nose when I smell it. It's like a sharp spike or something is driven right up my nasal passage. I kinda like the smell of it after it settles down a bit, but I could never subject myself to the nasal trauma it induces.
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