26/08/2026
Do you enjoy shopping in a scented environment? Have you been aware of a waft of fragrance when entering a clothing or homeware shop? Walking along a busy high street recently I noticed several shops that were pumping fragrance into the doorway and into street. Many of these were clothing or homeware shops, but even a charity shop, where I dropped off a couple of items, had artificially fragranced air.
It’s big business. Research shows that in a scented space, 18% more time was spent in store and 22% more products were purchased. Source “Scentair”. Smell is a powerful trigger of emotions and certain aromas create a feeling of luxury, comfort or wellbeing. And it’s not only retail that has jumped on the olfactory marketing bandwagon, restaurants and cafes are using artificial fragrances which mimic vanilla, cinnamon, coffee or freshly baked bread. While you feel that you are walking into a caring, nurturing space, or you’re anticipating a carefully crafted meal made with quality ingredients, it may be nothing but a bottle of artificial fragrance and a diffuser.
The safety of ambient fragrances has not been established and the individual ingredients don’t have to be declared. They are complex mixtures of synthetic chemicals , solvents and carriers. When released into the form of fine particles and volatile organic compounds, they can be carried deep into the lungs, potentially triggering airway inflammation and sensitivity reactions. Regulation is weak. Protection for customers is provided by the fragrance industry itself through self regulation. It is intended to manage risk for the ‘average’ customers, disregarding the more sensitive person.
While our bodies are designed to deal with a level of toxin exposure, through our liver kidneys and lungs, these are novel products. The tiny particle size means that, unlike dust, they are not easily removed from the lungs. There’s much more research needed before we know how harmful these fragrances are, but I will be avoiding any space that uses them. While we can’t avoid these substances entirely, we can be more aware of exposure risks. Consider also cleaning products, body care and products like bin bags which are increasingly likely to be perfumed.
