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Where NOT to wear fragrances

Poll Results: In your opinion, what is the place where one should really NOT wear fragrance?

 
  • 40% (30)
    Job interview
  • 53% (40)
    Gym
  • 4% (3)
    Church
  • 1% (1)
    Workplace
  • 1% (1)
    When you are a guest at someone's home
75 Total Votes  
post #1 of 69
2/25/13 at 9:13am
Thread Starter 
Hi everyone!

Besides when places tell you specifically to avoid wearing fragrances (e.g. a meditation retreat), where do you think one should NOT wear any fragrance?

I admit it - I really think it is lame when people wear fragrance to the gym. There is a guy where I go that wears so much the whole gym stinks.
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post #2 of 69
2/25/13 at 9:15am
Gym - Agreed, never.

Job Interview - Never

Every other time - always!
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post #3 of 69
2/25/13 at 9:21am
I've always avoided wearing one at a funeral - not sure why though
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post #4 of 69
2/25/13 at 9:22am
I wear frags to the gym BUT only low projecting quiet frags.
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post #5 of 69
2/25/13 at 9:25am
Sporty fragrance like chanel allure homme sports works well at the gym
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post #6 of 69
2/25/13 at 9:25am
The only place I wouldn't is at a hospital, because there could be sick people with allergies there.

And I tend to not wear them on dates either, because it's cliche.

Gym

I think it's okay to wear fragrance at the gym, as long as you go light and wear a fresh scent. And don't spray parts of your body that would touch the machines. Usually, the throat works. But I'd rather smell like Virgin Island Water at the gym than ass sweat.

Job Interview

I think it's okay here too, but just go very light. I would spray it an hour before I go to the interview to dissipate the scent cloud.
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post #7 of 69
2/25/13 at 9:29am
Everywhere, unless you're visiting some asthma patients or something.
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post #8 of 69
2/25/13 at 9:34am
Same here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by alexwagner View Post

I wear frags to the gym BUT only low projecting quiet frags.
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post #9 of 69
2/25/13 at 9:35am
Job interview.
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post #10 of 69
2/25/13 at 9:42am
I don't wear mine during air travel.
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post #11 of 69
2/25/13 at 9:48am
It's not a black or white all or nothing thing.

I mean, if you wear six sprays of Antaeus on the back of your neck and then you start benchpressing, that's just disrespectful.
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post #12 of 69
2/25/13 at 10:51am
Or even worse......Lapidus.
Quote:
Originally Posted by noirdrakkar View Post

It's not a black or white all or nothing thing.

I mean, if you wear six sprays of Antaeus on the back of your neck and then you start benchpressing, that's just disrespectful.
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post #13 of 69
2/25/13 at 11:08am
The poll doesn't quite work since you can only vote once even though there are multiple correct answers. I chose Job Interview because that's the one where I'd NEVER EVER even consider wearing fragrance.

I was part of a hiring panel once where a guy walked in wearing a fragrance and instantly lost any chance at getting the job. I knew it before he even got to say hello. An older gentleman on the panel scrunched his nose and rolled his eyes. The moment I saw that, I knew the applicant was doomed. It's a shame too. He was a smart guy and probably pretty talented, but he didn't know how to get a job. Believe me, there's a big difference between being the right person for a job and knowing how to get the job.

I would have also selected Gym. Most of my friends are women, and they often gripe about guys on the prowl at the gym. Wearing fragrance there can give the impression that you're there to pick up women rather than there to work out.
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post #14 of 69
2/25/13 at 11:45am
The poll also needs a "none of the above - I wear fragrances everywhere" option
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post #15 of 69
2/25/13 at 11:48am
I think a small amount of scent is acceptable for all occasions, even interviews and funerals, being it is very, very discreet.

I only think the hospital is where fragrance should be excluded as some people have reactions to scents.
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post #16 of 69
2/25/13 at 12:03pm
The gym. Not sure how you guys do it, but I consider the gym to be a place to go and sweat - no need to be all pretty and sweet.

I disagree about the interview. If the person doesn't like my fragrance, they don't need to take the job! But really, any fragrance worn in an interview (by either person) should be something very subtle of course.


You shouldn't wear fragrances while hunting. Unless your SoTD is doe urine.
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post #17 of 69
2/25/13 at 12:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jridgen View Post

The poll also needs a "none of the above - I wear fragrances everywhere" option

Agree. I'd consider it appropriate virtually anywhere provided common sense is exercised with application.
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post #18 of 69
2/25/13 at 12:07pm
Gym. Please don't.
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post #19 of 69
2/25/13 at 12:32pm
Gym. It ends with a shower anyway.
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post #20 of 69
2/25/13 at 12:39pm
Job interview. Why, really, why?
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post #21 of 69
2/25/13 at 12:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dougczar View Post

I disagree about the interview. If the person doesn't like my fragrance, they don't need to take the job!

I think you might be misunderstanding. At a job interview, meaning, you applied for the job and they're deciding whether or not to hire you. There isn't a job for to take if the person or people conducting the interview turn you down.
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post #22 of 69
2/25/13 at 1:03pm
At funerals
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post #23 of 69
2/25/13 at 1:04pm
You should never wear a fragrance when you're on the International Space Station.
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post #24 of 69
2/25/13 at 1:13pm
My first thought was hospitals and clinics. Usually they have a sign up saying it's a fragrance-free establishment.
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post #25 of 69
2/25/13 at 1:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oscroft View Post

You should never wear a fragrance when you're on the International Space Station.

AHAHAAHAAAA!!! Awesome. I'm so tempted to steal that and start a follow up to the "Which frag should I wear taking grandma to a cage fight?" thread... which was of course a follow up to the "Taking my girl out to a pretty upscale strip club for her first time..." thread. Oh, basenotes comedy, how I love thee.

UPDATE: I couldn't resist.
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post #26 of 69
2/25/13 at 1:20pm
I don't wear any fragrance when I go to the doctor's.
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post #27 of 69
2/25/13 at 2:15pm
I surely wouldn't wear my fragrance to a gym only to shower it off. Maybe AFTER the shower.
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post #28 of 69
2/25/13 at 2:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by L'Homme Blanc Individuel View Post

I think you might be misunderstanding. At a job interview, meaning, you applied for the job and they're deciding whether or not to hire you. There isn't a job for to take if the person or people conducting the interview turn you down.


Yeah, seriously...what is dougczar smoking?


Hey, whatchou smokin' dougczar?




I agree about wearing one to a job interview--bad idea.

As far as the gym, I'll wear one spray. And I find Givenchy Play Sport is best.
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post #29 of 69
2/25/13 at 2:49pm
My last job interview i put 6 sprays of Aventus and i got the job quite easily. No joke. The person hiring was female though and im guessing she liked it.
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post #30 of 69
2/25/13 at 2:57pm
I would feel naked anywhere without some type of scent on, especially a job interview, but it would have to be subtle.

I could try and say no about airplanes out of respect for any neighbour, but everyone has just squirted all the duty free on liberally, so ones own subtle stuff would be drowned anyhow.

I think if one was in an orchestra, then a loud scent would be rude and unkind to ones fellow players concentration. Any kind of job requiring total focus should require polite frag wearing by all.

Subtle and projecting no further than ones own nose and chest is fine for most places IMO.

Only absolutely none at hospitals or suchlike where it would make people feel more sick than they were already.
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post #31 of 69
2/25/13 at 3:03pm
hospitals/funeral's. Everything else can work out.
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post #32 of 69
2/25/13 at 3:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Buysblind View Post

Yeah, seriously...what is dougczar smoking?


Hey, whatchou smokin' dougczar?



not the good stuff today.

But seriously, I know he meant that in that situation you would be the interviewee, not the interviewer. However, I think the same applies both ways. As much as the interview is to determine if that person is right for the job opening, it also allows the one being interviewed the chance to determine if that company is right for him...

Besides, if you normally wear fragrances, wouldn't going to an interview without fragrance kinda be like you are misrepresenting yourself? What if you get hired and then start rocking the YSL Opium? Then they have to go through the hassle of firing you, decontaminating your workspace, and finding an Aventus wearer...
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post #33 of 69
2/25/13 at 3:36pm
I couldn't imagine having to smell something on myself while I'm at the gym.
Only acceptable scent at the gym is sweat!
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post #34 of 69
2/25/13 at 4:18pm
Prison.
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post #35 of 69
2/25/13 at 4:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wheatstraw2 View Post

Prison.

Good call
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post #36 of 69
2/25/13 at 5:32pm
If the person giving the interview does not like what you are wearing. They might simply not hire you due to that, they may think it could be offensive and could possibly be a problem with others around the workplace.

I do the hiring with HR at my job.

Let me add most work places DO NOT allow colognes etc due to some people being allergic.
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post #37 of 69
2/25/13 at 5:41pm
I would never wear cologne to a job interview. Period. I once worked for a very prominent judge who, a few months after I had been hired, told me that if I had worn cologne to the job interview, I would not have been hired, no matter my qualifications. Simple as that. And I would never have known the reason.

This was before my cologne obsession began, obviously.
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post #38 of 69
2/25/13 at 5:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CologneFan85 View Post

If the person giving the interview does not like what you are wearing. They might simply not hire you due to that, they may think it could be offensive and could possibly be a problem with others around the workplace.

I do the hiring with HR at my job.

Let me add most work places DO NOT allow colognes etc due to some people being allergic.

I will simply not to apply for that job bc I couldn't wear fragrances
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post #39 of 69
2/25/13 at 5:42pm
What's with all this "no scent at the gym" nonsense? So if I've put on a good longevity frag earlier in the day, and I'm going to the gym in the afternoon, I should do a thorough scrubbing-off of the frag before hitting the gym? Really?

Now, putting on a frag *right before* going to the gym would be bogus.
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post #40 of 69
2/25/13 at 5:46pm
I allow them. Being we are outdoors. But I have to look at a Fellow employee standpoint. If someone comes in smelling very strong of cologne or perfume, I can guarantee somebody will complain. And this could lead to minor issues later I could avoid now. But after landing the job do as you will. lol Kinda get what I mean? Just don't do it at the interview.......
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post #41 of 69
2/25/13 at 5:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CologneFan85 View Post

Let me add most work places DO NOT allow colognes etc due to some people being allergic.

Glad I work in a blue-collar, factory machine shop environment where colognes and allergies are the last thing anyone is worried about.
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post #42 of 69
2/25/13 at 5:51pm
I am a longshoreman. But our HR dept has had a few people react to someone colognes " not a exaggeration by someone complaining" But a serious allergic reaction. I'm the first to admit I do wear colognes on some days. lol

I do hear ya though, we have one of the highest death rates from job injuries. I've seen someone get smashed by box trailer falling on them.
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post #43 of 69
2/25/13 at 6:05pm
Again - all these posts about no scents in puritanical American hospitals.

Doesn't anyone ever visit patients and give them a bottle of perfume? I've been doing this for a dozens year, the female patients are delighted, and immediately spray them on. The nurses wander by and say how nice they smell, and get to put some on too.

And what about flowers? Don't they have them in hospitals, and don't they emit scent all the time?
Cheers,
Renato
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post #44 of 69
2/25/13 at 6:14pm
Fine for a job interview...never at the gym.
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post #45 of 69
2/25/13 at 6:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by L'Homme Blanc Individuel View Post

The poll doesn't quite work since you can only vote once even though there are multiple correct answers. I chose Job Interview because that's the one where I'd NEVER EVER even consider wearing fragrance.

I was part of a hiring panel once where a guy walked in wearing a fragrance and instantly lost any chance at getting the job. I knew it before he even got to say hello. An older gentleman on the panel scrunched his nose and rolled his eyes. The moment I saw that, I knew the applicant was doomed. It's a shame too. He was a smart guy and probably pretty talented, but he didn't know how to get a job. Believe me, there's a big difference between being the right person for a job and knowing how to get the job.

What you write can be looked at in another way. I think, without knowing it, the applicant avoided working at a rubbish work establishment where he was most probably never going to get on well - wasting his time there, until finally forced to go elsewhere. Fascinating how an employer isn't looking for talent to make him money, but is looking for someone who doesn't smell better than he does.

Wearing scent may be an ideal filter for weeding out the rubbish jobs and finding that good one.
Regards,
Renato
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post #46 of 69
2/25/13 at 6:19pm
Definitely not at an interview!

You want to try your best to NOT eliminate yourself from the running before you even start, why run the risk of wearing a scent the panel won't like.

This sadly applies to shaving too, I can't remember the last time I've been clean shaven apart from an interview!
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post #47 of 69
2/25/13 at 6:24pm
Thread Starter 
I'll revise my poll...this is fun!
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post #48 of 69
2/25/13 at 7:17pm
If wearing to the gym is a must, then no more than a spray or two.

With the heat and an enclosed area, you'll radiate throughought the the gym. No one wants to smell perfume & sweat & rubber.
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post #49 of 69
2/25/13 at 7:57pm
I've been known to do a very light application to the body of an eau de cologne before gym. Has about as much diffusion as a scented deodorant/antipersperant and probably less longevity.
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post #50 of 69
2/25/13 at 8:25pm
Scuba diving.

Quote:
Originally Posted by L'Homme Blanc Individuel View Post

AHAHAAHAAAA!!! Awesome. I'm so tempted to steal that and start a follow up to the "Which frag should I wear taking grandma to a cage fight?" thread... which was of course a follow up to the "Taking my girl out to a pretty upscale strip club for her first time..." thread. Oh, basenotes comedy, how I love thee.

UPDATE: I couldn't resist.

Awesome. These threads pop up from time to time. Here's a decent one.

edit: Crazy! That link's to a post I made exactly two years ago to the day about pretty much the same topic. nutz
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post #51 of 69
2/25/13 at 8:40pm
Restaurants. Strong scents cover up the delicious smell of that porterhouse steak. Let me smell my food please.
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post #52 of 69
2/25/13 at 9:24pm
Personally I wouldn't want to wear fragrance to an event/occasion that I knew would be sad or scary (funeral of a loved one, dreaded medical appointment) only because I tend to associate feelings with scent. If I ever wore that particular fragrance again I would most likely have flashbacks to the negative feelings. Otherwise, I agree with those who have said that fragrance can be appropriate for any occasion or situation. However, I am one of those people who intentionally wears fragrance to the gym - a small amount of a soft fragrance, for my own enjoyment. It helps to mask the smell of all the sweaty people who don't wear fragrance to the gym.
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post #53 of 69
2/26/13 at 5:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ashara View Post

Personally I wouldn't want to wear fragrance to an event/occasion that I knew would be sad or scary (funeral of a loved one, dreaded medical appointment) only because I tend to associate feelings with scent.

I can sort of understand why you may think that way, but I look at it totally different.

Not only do I wear scents to dental and medical appointments, I've worn them when I was knocked out for surgery.
It's nice to smell good while someone operates on you (I wore Bvlagri PH on both occasions).

And I've worn scents to the funerals of my loved ones. What's the point of getting all dressed up in one's best suit, and then leaving out the near essential component of a nice scent?
Cheers,
Renato
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post #54 of 69
2/26/13 at 7:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Renato View Post

I can sort of understand why you may think that way, but I look at it totally different.

And I understand why you think the way you do.
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post #55 of 69
2/27/13 at 6:30am
I think it's absolutely hilarious and completely silly to wear a fragrance when you're being operated on in a hospital! Of course, that's just my opinion.

Fragrance in a hospital is just selfish for many reasons, some outlined earlier in this thread.

I also think wearing a loud fragrance when backpacking, caving, rock climbing, kayaking, ect. with a group of other people is annoying and uncalled for.
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post #56 of 69
2/27/13 at 6:41am
Within this poll, gym is the obvious choice, but I'd also say that all the other options could strongly qualify for a close second place.

Other choices would also be, as correctly aforementioned, hospital, plus I'd also add one's own moments of ailment, indisposition or illness, when almost any fragrance worn would be either nauseating or tiresome or perceived in an altered way or too imperceptible etc.
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post #57 of 69
2/27/13 at 6:55am
Went to a job interview yesterday..wore Gucci pour homme 2...starting on my new job monday..so much for this poll :P
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post #58 of 69
2/27/13 at 7:09am
i feel its ok to wear fragrance everywhere, the key is moderation.
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post #59 of 69
2/27/13 at 7:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smells_Familiar View Post

I think it's absolutely hilarious and completely silly to wear a fragrance when you're being operated on in a hospital! Of course, that's just my opinion.

Why?
I like it, and I can afford it.
Cheers,
Renato
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post #60 of 69
2/27/13 at 7:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimmy6700 View Post

Went to a job interview yesterday..wore Gucci pour homme 2...starting on my new job monday..so much for this poll :P

Congratulations! I have interviewed many people in my life and can honsetly say fragrance was never a consideration.

Normally, on the off-chance I did detect any fragrance, I would just assume that it was part of "looking good for the interview".

Most people don't wear a suit/tie on a daily basis, but usually do on a job interview. So if they are wearing a fragrance, I would just assume that they probably don't do that normally either, bit did to get "dressed up" for this formal occasion. And if they were really qualified for the job, but were coated in something very strong, you could just mention that when they start work that they should maybe tone down the frarance wearing... 99.9% of people would simply say "no problem" and it wouldn't be.
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