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I’ve followed the same
post-gym ritual
for years: After working up a
sweat
, I douse myself in perfume for a quick refresh before heading home to shower. Sometimes I’ll even sneak a few spritzes before working out to pump myself up. Nothing too crazy. However, on a recent visit to Barre 3 in New York City’s West Village, I was stopped before I could even uncap my bottle. I spotted a sign that read “Please limit the use of scented products while exercising in the studio.”
I live in a bubble of fellow fragrance lovers—my entire career revolves around beauty and
perfume
. But even though thousands of people adore scent, there are just as many who are sensitive to it. And in some cases, completely despise it.
After seeing that sign at the workout studio, I began wondering whether establishments could really enact fragrance bans, and if they’d become, well, somewhat commonplace. Turns out, there are a variety of locales that already ask patrons to avoid wearing perfume, and it spans much further than fitness centers. For example, it’s standard practice to not wear fragrance in medical settings—especially fertility offices. It’s also frowned upon at high-end omakase restaurants.
The Araki
in
London
has a disclaimer on
their booking page
that says “Please refrain from wearing perfume, eau de cologne, etc. in order to enjoy the aroma of the food to the fullest.”
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It’s also common knowledge in the LGBTQ+ community that wearing fragrance is a major no-no at leather bars, like
The Eagle
in New York. “It’s understood that no personal scent is allowed…or preferred might be a better way to put it,” one of my gay friends, who asked to remain anonymous, told me. Some spaces, like the now defunct bar The Mineshaft, had an iron clad no-fragrance policy.
Queerty
reported that The Mineshaft “required members not to wear
cologne
or any scents, as most patrons preferred a natural smell of sweat and musk.”
The real question is, are these bans even enforceable? And do those with fragrance sensitivities actually condone these policies? For the latter, it depends on who you ask. TikTok users have very strong feelings about wearing perfume in public.
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“Perfume should be banned in public places, especially public transit,” one person commented on
a viral TikTok
of mine. A few months ago, I wore an
oud perfume
on the subway which prompted everyone who sat next to me to immediately get up and move further away (oops). I chronicled my experience and 1.6 million views later, the discourse that followed was…passionate to say the least. “It’s honestly disrespectful to wear perfume in public,” another wrote. Both comments garnered thousands of likes.
People in my life who have fragrance sensitivities hold less stringent sentiments. (And let’s be real, internet commenters tend to blow things way out of proportion.) “I compare fragrance sensitivities loosely to peanut allergies,” says
Deb Carpanzano
, a public relations executive in New York who struggles with certain scents. “If you think about it, peanuts aren't banned, even though some people can’t eat them. So something like a fragrance ban seems unfair and unlikely to be upheld or enforced.”
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As
scent layering
has become more popular, Carpanzano’s sensitivities have increased. She tends to get nauseous around musky and super
sweet fragrances
, and sometimes extra strong smells can lead to migraines. “Worst case scenario, I lose my appetite and it takes a few hours until I feel normal again.”
Lauren Balsamo
, beauty director at
Cosmopolitan,
also experiences nausea and light-headedness around strong scents, which makes aspects of her job difficult. “When I’m testing perfume for a story, I spray a blotter far away from my desk because the scent tends to linger,” she says. Enclosed spaces with loud aromas are also triggering for her. “I immediately get car sick if I’m in a ride share and the driver is wearing a strong fragrance. Also, I know it’s trendy for hotels to have their own signature scent, but sometimes it’s so overpowering and I can’t escape it in the room.”
Still, while both Carpanzano and Balsamo struggle with serious scent-induced side effects, they’re not totally on board with full-out bans. “Fragrances allow individuals to express themselves, so I don't think a ban is fair,” says Carpanzano.

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Source: https://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/fragrance/fragrance-sensitivity-perfume-bans/