| What is Fragrance Fatigue and How Do You Fight It? |
| What is Fragrance Fatigue and How Do You Fight It? |
Have you ever wondered why after a few weeks you can’t smell the air freshener in your house or car as much or when people say they like your perfume even though you can’t smell it? This phenomenon goes by many names, like Olfactory fatigue or nasal fatigue. We like to refer to it as “fragrance fatigue” since it tends to affect how people perceive fragrances in our line of work. Understanding fragrance and how it works is not only our job but it’s our passion, so we are very familiar with fragrance fatigue. Here is some science behind how it works and how to combat it.
Have you ever wondered why after a few weeks you can’t smell the air freshener in your house or car as much or when people say they like your perfume even though you can’t smell it? This phenomenon goes by many names, like Olfactory fatigue or olfactory adaptation. We like to refer to it as “fragrance fatigue” since it tends to affect how people perceive fragrances in our line of work. Understanding fragrance and how it works is not only our job but it’s our passion, so we are very familiar with fragrance fatigue. Here is some science behind how it works and how to combat it.
What is fragrance fatigue?
To put it simply, fragrance fatigue is your body’s natural desensitization to the same smells over time. Your body generally desensitizes itself to all stimulation over time to prevent overloading your nervous system so you can respond to new stimulation more easily. For example, if you never got nasal fatigue towards the perfume you wear, you would have a more difficult time smelling the spoiled chicken in the fridge because the perfume would mask the odor.
What is fragrance fatigue?
To put it simply, fragrance fatigue is your body’s natural desensitization to the same smells over time. Your body generally desensitizes itself to all stimulation over time to prevent overloading your nervous system so you can respond to new stimulation more easily. For example, if you never got nasal fatigue towards the perfume you wear, you would have a more difficult time smelling the spoiled chicken in the fridge because the perfume would mask the odor.
If fragrance fatigue is inevitable, why would I use an air freshener?
The most obvious reason that we use air fresheners is because we like good smells and dislike bad smells. To dive a little deeper odors themselves can have an impact on us mentally and even physically. The part of our brain that processes smells called the olfactory bulb is also linked to the area of the brain that controls emotions(the amygdala) and associative learning. Therefore, it’s important to not only eliminate the foul odors in our facilities and homes, but we should also add a pleasant one.
If fragrance fatigue is inevitable, why would I use an air freshener?
The most obvious reason that we use air fresheners is because we like good smells and dislike bad smells. To dive a little deeper odors themselves can have an impact on us mentally and even physically. The part of our brain that processes smells called the olfactory bulb is also linked to the area of the brain that controls emotions(the amygdala) and associative learning. Therefore, it’s important to not only eliminate the foul odors in our facilities and homes, but we should also add a pleasant one.
How do I combat fragrance fatigue?
There’s a lot of ways to trick your brain into regaining sensitivity to smells that you’ve only been exposed to it for short periods at a time. The quickest way is to smell something that has a bit of acidity to it like coffee or lemons. You can also just smell the sleeve of your shirt which has also been shown to reset your sensitivity to a smell due to soaps in your fabrics or skin care products. If you’re exposed to the same smell for a period longer than an hour, it can take a day for your sensitivity to that odor to return. If you’re exposed to the same smell repeatedly, it can take even longer for your sensitivity to return. The best way to combat fragrance fatigue in that instance is to alternate between two or more fragrances that you like.
This is why when selling or stocking our products, we advise that you carry two or more fragrances at a time, so you and your customers can alternate each month. This will keep them sensitive to the product’s fragrance and confident that they are buying quality products that work as promised. Typically air freshener’s weight are only made up of about 5%-10% fragrance oil. 20% or more of Fresh Product’s air fresheners are fragrance oil, which means our products last longer than our competitors.
How do I combat fragrance fatigue?
There’s a lot of ways to trick your brain into regaining sensitivity to smells that you’ve only been exposed to it for short periods at a time. The quickest way is to smell something that has a bit of acidity to it like coffee or lemons. You can also just smell the sleeve of your shirt which has also been shown to reset your sensitivity to a smell due to soaps in your fabrics or skin care products. If you’re exposed to the same smell for a period longer than an hour, it can take a day for your sensitivity to that odor to return. If you’re exposed to the same smell repeatedly, it can take even longer for your sensitivity to return. The best way to combat fragrance fatigue in that instance is to alternate between two or more fragrances that you like.
This is why when selling or stocking our products, we advise that you carry two or more fragrances at a time, so you and your customers can alternate each month. This will keep them sensitive to the product’s fragrance and confident that they are buying quality products that work as promised. Typically air freshener’s weight are only made up of about 5%-10% fragrance oil. 20% or more of Fresh Product’s air fresheners are fragrance oil, which means our products last longer than our competitors.
