It’s no secret that certain smells evoke memories and emotions. Bringing back both the good and the bad.

• The smell of walnuts reminds me of my grandmother’s farm. She had a walnut tree and a shed that reeked of walnuts.
• Yet I realized a few years ago that I also associate the smell of walnuts with head pain. It turns out that this was my first migraine trigger!
• The smell of homemade biscuits also remind me of my grandmother because she made them every morning whenever we visited her.
• While I can’t really say that the smell of pecan pie evokes a certain memory, it definitely evokes some serious feel-good emotions for me!

How far would you take it though? Even though I love the smell of baking biscuits and the memories it evokes, I would not want to smell it all the time. If for no other reason than it would eventually lose the power to evoke the memory.

Apparently, though, I could be in the minority. Recently, according to my Google Analytics, my blog showed up in the list returned when someone searched for “KFC Perfume!” Now that’s just crazy! Crazy that my blog showed up. Even crazier when you learn there actually is a KFC Perfume! OR, at least there was a KFC scented candle for a while.

Not to be out done, Pizza Hut has created a pizza-scented perfume! Sadly, though, in case you wanted some, it was a limited-edition item from 2012. Sorry!

It’s been said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Could you also take a shortcut by tempting his nose?

Seriously, though, since scents evoke strong emotions, they are a large industry because companies know that the way to our pocket books is through our noses!

P.S. There must be something to it and to the power of suggestion. As a child I ate enough fried chicken to last a lifetime. And I rarely eat it anymore. Very rarely. But right now? I can almost taste it after just thinking about it while writing this post!

Today, I’m talking about trade secrets today. What are trade secrets? I’m glad you asked. Here’s the Wikipedia definition of trade secret:

A trade secret is an invented formula, practice, process, design, instrument, pattern, commercial method, or compilation of information which is not generally known or reasonably ascertainable by others, and by which a business can obtain an economic advantage over competitors or customers.

That’s a mouthful, right? Take note of that last phrase: “by which a business can obtain an economic advantage over competitors or customers.” I understand that a business might want an advantage over its competitors. But, to have and economic advantage over customers? That sounds downright sinister to me!

Why am I talking about trade secrets? Easy. The fragrance industry hides their ingredient list behind a claim that the list is a trade secret. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) “A major loophole in federal law allows fragrance manufacturers to hide potentially hazardous chemicals in product scents, including substances linked to allergies, birth defects, and even cancer.”

Check your labels. If you have a cologne or perfume, you’re likely not even going to find an ingredient list on it. Check your personal care and makeup products. The most you’ll see is “fragrance” or perhaps “masking fragrance.” When it comes to household cleaners and such, they’re not even required to tell you their full list of ingredients.

The question you need to ask is this: “Why are they hiding their list of ingredients?” Trade secret? I call foul on that. Let me illustrate.

If I packaged my Cauliflower and Cheese recipe, I would have an ingredient list that reads as follows:

Cauliflower, milk, cheese, butter, egg, whole wheat flour, mustard, chipotle powder, sea salt, black pepper

Do you really think that someone else could reproduce my Cauliflower and Cheese dish from that list? Maybe, if they had the list plus the dish and a lot of expensive equipment. But I seriously doubt it. Many couldn’t even recreate it with the recipe. (It’s a great recipe by the way. Like Mac & Cheese without the guilt!)

What’s a person to do? Don’t buy anything with fragrance in it – unless the fragrance’s ingredients are listed. Why? Simple – we don’t know what’s really in it. And there are some scary ingredients found in fragrances. Don’t take my word for it. Go back to that EWG article I mentioned earlier. Read that to learn more.

My very first blog, Breathe Free, started in 2007. I haven’t posted on their in a while, but it still gets some traffic and comment. Usually from those who suffer with fragrance sensitivity. Last Friday, I got another comment. You can read the entire comment on this post. It’s the bottom entry, from Elain Mendez.

Continue reading Fragrance Sensitivity – Not For Wimps →