Colognes That Won't Give You A Headache

Many people experience severe headaches from smelling even pleasant scents, such as colognes and perfumes. Scientists believe that this could be because certain scents cause a person's blood vessels to swell and dilate, stimulating the nerve system in the brain associated with head pain. It could also be that a person is allergic to a chemical element creating the smell or has a fragrance sensitivity to certain odours. To avoid headaches, it is best to avoid strong scents and opt for perfumes with natural ingredients.

Natural and hypoallergenic perfumes

Perfumes are a great way to express yourself and leave a lasting impression. However, many people experience allergic reactions or headaches from wearing certain fragrances. If you're looking for perfumes that are gentle on your skin and won't trigger migraines, natural and hypoallergenic perfumes might be the answer. These perfumes are crafted with clean, natural ingredients, reducing the risk of adverse reactions.

Hypoallergenic products, including perfumes, contain fewer chemicals and synthetic substances that can cause allergic reactions. This label indicates a reduced allergy potential, making these perfumes ideal for individuals with sensitive skin or scent sensitivities. However, it's important to note that 'hypoallergenic' doesn't guarantee the absence of allergic reactions, but rather signifies a lower likelihood based on the manufacturer's assessment.

Common Allergens in Perfumes

To better understand hypoallergenic perfumes, it's helpful to know the common allergens found in fragrances. These include:

• Citronella
• Oak moss
• Rose
• Honey
• Peru balsam
• Essential oils
• Synthetic ingredients like acetone and linalool

These allergens can trigger reactions such as a runny nose, itchiness, rashes, or even migraines.

Benefits of Natural and Hypoallergenic Perfumes

• Reduced Allergy Risk: By excluding common allergens and harsh chemicals, these perfumes minimize the chances of allergic reactions and migraines.
• Clean and Natural Ingredients: Hypoallergenic perfumes are crafted with carefully selected, natural ingredients, ensuring a safer and healthier option for your skin.
• Transparency: Brands like Dossier list all their ingredients, providing clarity and peace of mind to consumers.
• Vegan and Cruelty-Free: Many hypoallergenic perfumes, including Dossier's collection, are vegan and cruelty-free, ensuring ethical and animal-friendly choices.
• Long-Lasting Fragrances: While natural perfumes may require more frequent reapplication, some hypoallergenic perfumes offer long-lasting fragrances, such as Dossier's sweet floral-citrus eau de parfum.

Recommended Hypoallergenic Perfumes

• Dossier's Hypoallergenic Perfumes: Dossier offers a range of vegan, cruelty-free, and paraben-free perfumes, providing an aromatic experience without compromising your health.
• Skylar's Perfume Discovery Spray Sampler Set: This set includes five unique fragrances, such as Boardwalk Delight and Vanilla Sky, giving you a variety of options to find your perfect scent.
• ADK Balsam & Lavender Artisan Perfume: This natural and hypoallergenic perfume combines notes of lavender, tangerine, vanilla, mint, and balsam fir for a refreshing and soothing fragrance.
• Lavanila's Pure Vanilla Perfume: With notes of pure Madagascar vanilla and tonka bean, this perfume offers a sweet and creamy fragrance while remaining clean and natural.
• Ellis Brooklyn: Founded by Bee Shapiro, a former New York Times beauty columnist, Ellis Brooklyn focuses on creating fragrances that are "clean and non-toxic."

Final Thoughts

Clean perfumes

Understanding Fragrance Sensitivities

It's important to recognize that fragrance sensitivity is a common issue, affecting 1-4% of the general population, according to the National Eczema Association. For those with fragrance sensitivities, certain notes or ingredients in perfumes can trigger adverse reactions such as headaches, nausea, and even skin problems. It's worth noting that scent perception is subjective and influenced by individual experiences, memories, and cultural background.

Opting for Clean and Natural Ingredients

The rise of brands focused on clean and natural ingredients offers a promising solution for those with fragrance sensitivities. These brands prioritize transparency in their ingredient lists, disclosing the use of natural, naturally derived, or "safe synthetic" ingredients. This shift towards ingredient transparency empowers individuals to make informed choices and identify fragrances that work for them.

Recommendations for Clean Perfumes

• Jo Malone Poppy & Barley Cologne: This floral scent combines blackcurrant, poppy, and barley, making it a versatile choice for both day and night wear.
• Marc Jacobs Perfect Eau de Parfum: A unique blend of rhubarb, daffodil, almond milk, cedarwood, and cashmeran, topped with a whimical cap that adds to its charm.
• Chloé Eau de Parfum: A feminine and light scent featuring floral notes of rose, peony, magnolia, and lily of the valley, complemented by warm amber and cedarwood.
• Dedcool Fragrances: This unisex vegan fragrance brand offers nontoxic and potent scents without overwhelming your senses. Their formulas are free from harmful ingredients like phthalates and animal byproducts, reducing the likelihood of negative reactions.

Additional Tips for Headache-Free Fragrance Wear

When choosing and wearing fragrances, consider the following tips to minimize the risk of triggering headaches:

• Opt for low-sillage scents, which leave a subtle trail behind. Examples include Glossier You, Musti Eau de Soin, and Jo Malone Wild Bluebell.
• Explore citrus perfumes, as they tend to be more agreeable than big florals or ambers. Options such as Annick Goutal Eau d'Hadrien, Hermès Eau d'Orange Verte, and L'Occitane en Provence Citrus Verbena are worth considering.
• Be mindful of the amount you spray. Start with two sprays, and gradually increase if needed, but avoid overdoing it to prevent overwhelming yourself and others.

Remember that everyone's sensitivity to fragrances can vary, so it's always a good idea to test new perfumes in small quantities and monitor your body's response.

Fragrance ingredients and their effects

Fragrance compounds can cross the blood-brain barrier and interact with receptors in the central nervous system. They may also produce immediate changes in body functions, including blood pressure, brain activity, and pulse rate.

Some fragrance ingredients, such as acetaldehyde, benzophenone, butylated hydroxyanisole, and butylated hydroxytoluene, are linked to serious health problems, including cancer, endocrine disruption, allergies, and skin irritation.

Essential oils, often considered natural and safe, can also cause allergies and contain carcinogens and endocrine disruptors.

Overall, the effects of fragrances on the human body are complex and varied, and further research is needed to understand their full impact.

How to treat scent-related headaches

Scent-related headaches are often referred to as "perfume-related headaches" or "olfactory migraine attacks". While scientists are still researching why they occur, there are a few ways to treat them.

Prevention

The best way to prevent scent-related headaches is to avoid strong scents as much as possible. This includes perfumes and scented products such as air fresheners, laundry detergents, and fabric softeners. Opt for unscented products and use scented products in well-ventilated areas.

Treatment

If a headache occurs, treat it as you would any other headache. Over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen can help alleviate symptoms. Removing the source of the offending odour can also help reduce the length and severity of the headache.

Alternative treatments

Aromatherapy, which uses essential oils from plants for healing, is another option for treating scent-related headaches. Essential oils are considered a complementary therapy, so be sure to check with your doctor before incorporating them into your treatment plan.

Some essential oils that may help with scent-related headaches include:

• Lavender: Place a few drops of lavender oil into boiling water and inhale the vapours, or rub the oil into your skin for pain relief.
• Peppermint: Inhale, apply to the skin after diluting with a neutral oil, or take by mouth in very small doses.
• Rosemary: Add rosemary oil to a base oil and rub into the skin, or add to bathwater.
• Ginger: Used in Asian medicine to relieve stomachaches, nausea, and diarrhea. It can be used as a massage oil to relieve joint and muscle pain.
• Bergamot: Inhaling the scent of bergamot oil may help reduce anxiety and support the stress response.
• Frankincense: May help reduce anxiety, support the stress response, and improve sleep.
• Eucalyptus: Helps reduce swelling, clear nasal congestion, and relieve pain.

It is important to note that full-strength eucalyptus oil should not be ingested or applied directly to the skin; it should be diluted first.

Additionally, be cautious of artificial scents, as they can often be stronger and more irritating than natural essential oils.

Recommended colognes that don't cause headaches

It is believed that around 30% of people have sensitivities to certain odors, which can cause headaches and other allergy-like symptoms. If you are one of those people, it is best to avoid wearing perfumes and colognes and stay away from others who do. However, if you still want to wear a scent, there are some perfumes and colognes that might be safer choices for you.

Jo Malone

The Jo Malone brand seems to be a popular choice for people with sensitive noses. One of their perfumes, Wild Bluebell, is described as having a soft and fresh scent, and it is said to be not too overpowering. Another one of their fragrances, Poppy & Barley, is a floral scent that is not overwhelming and works for both day and night wear.

Tocca

One of Tocca's perfumes is said to have a stronger scent than Jo Malone's Wild Bluebell, but it is still described as pleasant and suitable for a date night. Its top notes include Italian bergamot, grapefruit leaves, green pear, and apple, while the middle notes are ivory gardenia, crushed violet petals, jasmine, tuberose, and blue iris. The base notes are blonde wood and white musk.

DKNY Be Delicious

This perfume is described as having a crisp and refreshing scent with fruity notes and some warmth. It is said to be light and refreshing, with hints of cucumber, grapefruit, green apple, tuberose, and sandalwood.

Phlur Ameline

This perfume is described as floral and woody, and it does not seem to bother the reviewer unless she holds her wrist up to her nose for a long time.

Dedcool Milk

This fragrance is described as subtle and pleasant, and it is said to be a good choice for those who are okay with frequent reapplication, as the scent dissipates in a couple of hours.

Barr & Co Original Scent

This perfume is described as THE most comforting scent, and it comes in the form of a perfume, moisturizer, and bubble bath.

Glossier You

This is a popular choice for people with sensitive noses, but no specific scent notes are mentioned.

Abercrombie 8

This perfume is said to be a good choice for those who cannot tolerate super sweet or fruity fragrances.

Philosophy Sweet Cream

This perfume is said to smell like an actual milkshake or cookie, making it a good choice for those who prefer sweeter scents.

Chloé

This perfume has floral notes such as rose, peony, magnolia, and lily of the valley, mixed with notes of warm amber and cedarwood.

Do Son Eau De Parfum

This perfume is described as delicate and spicy, featuring hints of tuberose, orange blossom, jasmine.

Heretic Florgasm

This genderless fragrance caused no negative reaction and is described as pleasant, but the scent dissipates quickly.

Stella Eau de Parfum Rollerball

This perfume has warm amber and rose notes and is a good choice for those who prefer rollerball applicators.

Travel Spray Étoile Filante

This travel-friendly fragrance has key notes of osmanthus, magnolia, and jasmine, leaving a soft fruity scent.

Clean and transparent brands

Some people might find relief with clean/natural/transparent perfume brands that are more focused on using clean and natural ingredients. These brands tend to be more transparent about their ingredients, making it easier for individuals to identify and avoid specific chemicals that may trigger their headaches. However, it is important to note that even these brands cannot guarantee that their products won't cause migraines, as everyone's triggers can be different.

Frequently asked questions