A Letter to Everyone Who Breathes and to Anyone Tired of Being Scented Without Consent

We've All Been Played

I need to tell you about something that's been making me feel quietly furious.

I live in Miami. My building has a chic lobby the kind with polished stone, soft lighting, and the vibe of "you've made it." But I don't use it. I take the basement elevator instead the one that smells like garbage and pets because it's the only air in the building that doesn't make me instantly nauseous.

The lobby is pumped with a "signature" scent so aggressive it feels like my lungs are being told to behave. Every time I walk in, my breath tightens. My stomach turns. My body says no before my mind even catches up.

And here's the part that makes me feel like I'm losing it: the people who work the front desk breathe this all day. So I asked them how they do it. They looked genuinely confused and said they don't smell anything.

Then it happened again at the retirement home where my dad lives. The same artificial fog. The same throat-closing sweetness. The same feeling that if someone with asthma walked in on the wrong day, it could turn into a real emergency.

And still nobody says anything. Because "it smells nice." Because "it's clean." Because "that's just what lobbies do now."

So I went online, looking for proof I wasn't crazy. And I found people finally talking about candles and air fresheners. I felt relief finally, we're naming the fragrance oils in home scent.

But something else hit me hard: People will call out a mall brand for being "toxic"… and then spray luxury designer perfume like it's immune from the same reality.

Same industry. Same secrecy. Same playbook. Different packaging.

And that's when I realized: This isn't just about scent preferences. This is about consent. This is about air. This is about what we've normalized breathing.

When Did Our Breath Become Something They Can Own?

It used to be the woman whose perfume lingered too long in an elevator.

Now it's everywhere:

• Ubers and Lyfts
• Hotel lobbies and boutiques
• Doctors' offices and waiting rooms
• Coworking spaces and gyms
• Elevators, hallways, stairwells
• Airports and airplanes
• Schools and daycares
• Hospitals, retirement homes, and "wellness" spaces
• Events, venues, even "Grand Central"-level public spaces

And it's not just the air. It's in your products, too:

• Shampoo, conditioner, hair spray
• Detergent, cleaning sprays, dryer sheets
• Makeup, lip gloss "strawberry," body wash "coconut cream"
• Deodorant, lotion, "fresh" everything

The faker and further away from nature it gets, the worse it feels.

And the most uncomfortable truth? Even if you chose your perfume… your perfume tray might be your hidden harm. Not because you're bad. Because you were never given the full story.

We've Been Played

We've been played because we normalized breathing synthetic fragrance all day, everywhere. And just because you can't smell it doesn't mean it's not there.

Secondhand scent is becoming as unavoidable as secondhand smoke used to be except this time, it's first-hand exposure in places you can't opt out of. Not your choice. Not your body's vote. And the industry depends on that.

The Machine That Profits From Your Lungs

Here's the business model:

• If odors are "shameful," then products that "solve" odors become a necessity.
• If "clean" has a smell, then unscented becomes suspicious.
• If scent equals status, then fragrance becomes identity.
• And once fragrance becomes identity, you can sell anything.

So Big Beauty sells the fantasy. Ingredient manufacturers supply the formulas. Aircare brands normalize the fog. Building scenting companies pump it into shared air. Influencers make it aesthetic. And the rest of us just… inhale.

This is the last frontier where "they can put whatever in it" and hide behind a single word: fragrance.

Because in the U.S., fragrances in cosmetics are allowed to be listed simply as "fragrance" (or "parfum") on labels rather than disclosing every component. The FDA explains this directly: fragrance formulas are typically proprietary, and disclosure may be limited. U.S. Food and Drug Administration

So whether it's mass or luxury, cheap or expensive, celebrity or heritage house you often don't get transparency. You get mythology.

Something Doesn't Add Up (So I Looked at the Receipts)

I'm not writing this to be dramatic. I'm writing it because the science and the lived experience keep pointing in the same direction:

1) Fragranced products can affect health at scale

Population studies have found a significant share of people report adverse effects from fragranced consumer products headaches, respiratory issues, and more. ScienceDirect

There's also specific research connecting fragranced product exposure with migraines and reported sensitivities in large population samples. The Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub

2) "Scent" isn't just smell it's indoor air chemistry

Fragranced products emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Research on indoor air chemistry shows fragrance ingredients (including terpenes/terpenoids) can contribute to indoor pollution, and reactions in indoor air can generate secondary pollutants such as formaldehyde and ultrafine particles under certain conditions. ScienceDirect

3) Air fresheners and car fresheners emit VOCs

Studies analyzing plug-ins and vehicle fresheners have identified VOC emissions and note that some emitted compounds are associated in the literature with health concerns (including asthma triggers). NASA Technical Reports Server

4) Scenting public spaces is designed to change behavior

This isn't accidental. Scent marketing companies openly describe ambient scenting as a strategic tool to influence mood, perception, and consumer behavior in commercial environments. Mood Media

So if you've ever wondered why you suddenly "love" the smell of a place you just walked into… Sometimes that isn't taste. Sometimes that's design.

The Soft Harm Nobody Wants to Talk About

Not everyone reacts the same way to fragrance. But the problem is bigger than sensitivity. The problem is unavoidable exposure.

We're building a world where you need to tolerate chemical scenting to:

• Get healthcare
• Visit your elderly parent
• Go to the gym
• Ride in a car
• Go to work
• Come home

And we're acting like the only "reasonable" person is the one who stays quiet.

But what's actually reasonable is asking: Why is my breath the thing that has to compromise?

My Manifesto (What I'm For)

I'm not anti-scent. I live in scent. I love perfume. I love beauty. I'm anti-lying. I'm anti-secrecy. I'm anti-consentless scenting.

Here's what I believe:

Breathable scent: What you wear should respect your lungs, not overpower them. Learn why I made the switch.

Scent with intent: Mood support and wellbeing, not chemical cover-up and status theater.

Transparency: If it goes on our bodies and into our air, we deserve to know what's in it. U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Consent-based scenting: Shared air is shared space. People should be able to opt out.

Fragrance-free spaces are kindness: Especially in healthcare, elder care, schools, and public transit.

"Clean" isn't a spell: Greenwashed words don't replace ingredient disclosure or real standards.

Luxury doesn't equal safer: In fragrance, expensive often means better branding not better truth.

What I'm Asking You to Do

I'm not asking you to stop loving perfume. I'm asking you to stop giving away your breath like it doesn't matter.

Start with you (Primary)

Audit your air and your body: Your home scent, your car scent, your laundry scent, your shower products, and yes your perfume tray. Ask: Do I actually feel better using this? Or just more "acceptable"?

Then ask for consent (Secondary)

Ask your workplace/building: Do we really need pumped scent? Can we reduce it or offer fragrance-free zones?

In hospitals/retirement homes/events: push for fragrance-free policies where vulnerable people can't choose exposure.

And share the truth (Secondary)

Talk about this without shame. Because the fastest way the machine wins is by making you feel "dramatic" for wanting clean air.

A Quiet Line I Can't Unhear

Just because you don't smell it… doesn't mean it isn't there.

And if you can smell it and it hurts you your body is not being difficult. It's being honest.

Your breath is not a marketing channel. It's your life force. And it deserves consent.

This article is part of our ongoing commitment to transparency, breathable scent, and consent-based wellness. Learn more about our approach to clean formulation and ingredient disclosure, or explore our Aroma Perfume collection.