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Newsjock

(11,733 posts)
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 08:16 PM Nov 2014

Hey, You Know Those Fragrances Stores Use to Lure You Inside?

No One Seems to Know What They're Made Of or How They Affect Your Health. Have a Nice Day.
Source: The Stranger

The first thing you notice upon approaching Alderwood Mall is the smell. It hits you before you even open the door, and quickly envelops your entire being. Once inside, the olfactory assault comes at you from all angles: the baking brown sugar emanating from Mrs. Fields Cookies, the warm bready pretzels arising from Auntie Anne's, the cinnamony sweetness wafting out from Yankee Candle. This is no accident.

Retailers are increasingly using scents as a way to entice customers into their stores. An article earlier this year in the Wall Street Journal noted that the fragrances that businesses diffuse through heating and air-conditioning vents have become key elements of those businesses' brands. Even hotels, apartment buildings, hospitals, and gyms have gotten into the "scent marketing" game.

Many of these scents are produced by ScentAir, a Charlotte, North Carolina–based company that claims to be "the largest and most experienced scent provider," operating in 105 countries with more than 40,000 "deployments." Phone calls and e-mails to ScentAir weren't returned, but its website details the emotional value embedded in fragrances.

... Anne Steinemann conducts research on pollutant exposures and related health effects. After studying about 50 types of fragrance products, she has begun to worry about the impacts these manufactured scents may have on our health. She says fragrances are a mixture of several dozen to several hundred primarily synthetic chemicals. What's troubling is that we don't know exactly what they're made of.

Read more: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/hey-you-know-those-fragrances-stores-use-to-lure-you-inside/Content?oid=21093207
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Hey, You Know Those Fragrances Stores Use to Lure You Inside? (Original Post) Newsjock Nov 2014 OP
I hope everyone checks out KT2000 Nov 2014 #1
I don't know how nail salon workers manage to live more than a few months. NYC_SKP Nov 2014 #2
aren't they awful!? KT2000 Nov 2014 #12
I've designed a half dozen nail salons as an engineer reflection Nov 2014 #28
Good for you. I went to one once when my daughter pnwmom Dec 2014 #40
Twice a year we get our heater and AC maintenanced yeoman6987 Nov 2014 #6
And just think of it! If it doesn't truedelphi Nov 2014 #8
be an informed consumer KT2000 Nov 2014 #13
That suggestion would be helpful except... Bette R. Daize Nov 2014 #25
Yes - I am aware KT2000 Nov 2014 #33
AGREED!!!!! Bette R. Daize Nov 2014 #35
Nicely done.. Fumesucker Nov 2014 #19
Way back when I remember Mad magazine malaise Nov 2014 #3
I've read that if you make your home smell more like baking cookies Fawke Em Nov 2014 #4
Or you could just bake some cookies..... llmart Nov 2014 #9
Easier, simmer some apple cider with a spice bag or cinnamon stick csziggy Nov 2014 #17
When we had our open house, I baked a big pan of homemade cinnamon rolls SoCalDem Nov 2014 #22
yep NJCher Dec 2014 #39
Thanks for yr article. Marin County Calif's Environmental Health Network truedelphi Nov 2014 #5
Funny, I usually take those fragrances as a warning that the store was not meant for me. tritsofme Nov 2014 #7
It makes me run the other way. brer cat Nov 2014 #11
I cannot bear going into fabric stores.. SoCalDem Nov 2014 #23
When I took zoology in college, brer cat Nov 2014 #24
No way! MissB Dec 2014 #38
There was a thread on cinnamon earlier this weekend. Wella Nov 2014 #10
Maybe they can come up with a new car smell Jackpine Radical Nov 2014 #14
They could name it "Inevitable" Fumesucker Nov 2014 #21
or the "fresh bread" fragrances used to drive the olfacted out of Subway MisterP Nov 2014 #15
"To me, it smells like fecal matter mixed with cologne," said no teenager, ever. DRoseDARs Nov 2014 #16
Those smells do a good job at keeping me AWAY from Abercrombie & Fitch. Odin2005 Nov 2014 #18
I used to work at such a store tabbycat31 Nov 2014 #20
The application of toxic chemicals in public places.... Bette R. Daize Nov 2014 #27
You honestly think a college age low level employee has control over this? tabbycat31 Nov 2014 #31
Tabby, of course I am not referring to the peons Bette R. Daize Nov 2014 #34
Scented candles will drive me out of a store faster than anything. The Velveteen Ocelot Nov 2014 #26
i have to stay out of malls and cleaning products aisles demigoddess Nov 2014 #29
I'm not allergic to any of that stuff; I just think it stinks. The Velveteen Ocelot Nov 2014 #30
I spray the perimeter of my store with deer urine Renew Deal Nov 2014 #32
I gag every time I walk past an Abercrombie & Fitch store. Initech Dec 2014 #36
and this is why I don't shop in malls. hollysmom Dec 2014 #37

KT2000

(20,544 posts)
1. I hope everyone checks out
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 08:23 PM
Nov 2014

Anne Steinemann's site.
http://www.drsteinemann.com/

It is one thing to shop for a few hours but workers are exposed every day. Not good.

 

NYC_SKP

(68,644 posts)
2. I don't know how nail salon workers manage to live more than a few months.
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 08:47 PM
Nov 2014

The smell of acetone and other solvents prevents me from spending more than a minute inside one.

Products used in nail salons can contain many chemicals that can have serious health effects.

Some potentially hazardous chemicals, the types of products they can be found in, and how they can affect a worker include:

Acetone (nail polish remover): headaches; dizziness; and irritated eyes, skin, and throat.
Acetonitrile (fingernail glue remover): irritated nose and throat; breathing problems; nausea; vomiting; weakness; and exhaustion.
Butyl acetate (nail polish, nail polish remover): headaches and irritated eyes, skin, nose, mouth, and throat
Dibutyl phthalate (DBP), (nail polish): nausea and irritated eyes, skin, nose, mouth, and throat. Long-term exposures to high concentrations may cause other serious effects.
Ethyl acetate (nail polish, nail polish remover, fingernail glue): irritated eyes, stomach, skin, nose, mouth, and throat; high levels can cause fainting.
Ethyl methacrylate (EMA), (artificial nail liquid): asthma; irritated eyes, skin, nose, and mouth; difficulty concentrating. Exposures while pregnant may affect your child.
Formaldehyde (nail polish, nail hardener): difficulty breathing, including coughing, asthma-like attacks, and wheezing; allergic reactions; irritated eyes, skin, and throat. Formaldehyde can cause cancer.
Isopropyl acetate (nail polish, nail polish remover): sleepiness, and irritated eyes, nose, and throat.
Methacrylic acid (nail primer): skin burns and irritated eyes, skin, nose, mouth, and throat. At higher concentrations, this chemical can cause difficulty breathing.
Methyl methacrylate (MMA), (artificial nail products, though banned for use in many states): asthma; irritated eyes, skin, nose, and mouth; difficulty concentrating; loss of smell.
Quaternary ammonium compounds (disinfectants): irritated skin and nose and may cause asthma.
Toluene (nail polish, fingernail glue): dry or cracked skin; headaches, dizziness, and numbness; irritated eyes, nose, throat, and lungs; damage to liver and kidneys; and harm to unborn children during pregnancy.

For a broader list of potentially dangerous chemicals that may be found in nail salons, read EPA's Protecting the Health of Nail Salon Workers (PDF).

KT2000

(20,544 posts)
12. aren't they awful!?
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 09:39 PM
Nov 2014

unfortunately they are often operated by people from other countries and all they have are dust masks!

reflection

(6,286 posts)
28. I've designed a half dozen nail salons as an engineer
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 10:57 PM
Nov 2014

And I always drop a capture hood just to the side of each station, one that leads to an exhaust fan. The owners complain sometimes, because of the added cost, but I never budge off the design. Those chemicals are no good. If the owner elects to do away with them, I make them sign a release form absolving me of any claims due to deviation from design. You hate to dig in your heels but sometimes it's necessary.

pnwmom

(108,925 posts)
40. Good for you. I went to one once when my daughter
Mon Dec 1, 2014, 02:48 AM
Dec 2014

was going to her senior prom, but after that we both vowed -- never again! What a stinky place.

 

yeoman6987

(14,449 posts)
6. Twice a year we get our heater and AC maintenanced
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 08:57 PM
Nov 2014

And we get the fragrance package. It's only 40 bucks extra. It smells so good for months. We have neighbors in our community getting it now too. It is wonderful and highly recommended. No headaches or anything. Just a wonderful fresh smelling house. Selling a house? Do this and you will get top dollar!

truedelphi

(32,324 posts)
8. And just think of it! If it doesn't
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 09:18 PM
Nov 2014

Contain chemicals that cause cancer, then it probably contains chemicals that cause reproductive harm to a developing fetus.

Or maybe it contains both.

And then people wonder why one out of eight American women gets breast cancer, our pets live to be eight years old, and then die of rare bone cancers, and other atrocities of modern life.

 

Bette R. Daize

(43 posts)
25. That suggestion would be helpful except...
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 10:33 PM
Nov 2014

...you will only see it listed as "fragrance." Companies are not required by law to list the chemicals that make up their fragrance as it is considered to be proprietary. That is no accident. Companies are given a free pass on this matter so there is no way you can be an informed consumer. Unless maybe if you pay to have a lab analyze it but maybe then you would be sued by the company for trying to steal their formula. Understand that the ingredients, mostly petrochemicals, are rarely tested for safety. Anyone who pays for that crap is giving companies permission to play Russian Roulette with the health of themselves and their loved ones. And not to mention coworkers who have no desire to be exposed to someone else's toxic soup but have no way to avoid the fumes for 8+ hours a day. Aren't we exposed to enough pollutants as it is in this modern life?

KT2000

(20,544 posts)
33. Yes - I am aware
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 11:37 PM
Nov 2014

of this. People have to start asking for that information though, even if they will not give it. Eventually consumers will realize they have something to hide.
A lot of products will have partial lists and that may get them started in learning about how chemicals are affecting the public's health.
We can't sit back - we are all being impaired by these products.

 

Bette R. Daize

(43 posts)
35. AGREED!!!!!
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 11:57 PM
Nov 2014

But I wouldn't waste my time requesting information from companies that they shouldn't be ashamed to list in the first place.

Buy organic products that do list their ingredients. And we have to learn to read the labels carefully. "Natural" means absolutely nothing. And products that are "70% organic" means just that. The other 30% could still be the worst toxic chemicals imaginable. All this is meant to mislead, so reject it.

We do have the power to change this.

malaise

(267,827 posts)
3. Way back when I remember Mad magazine
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 08:52 PM
Nov 2014

writing about the smell of everything and predicting just this day.

Fawke Em

(11,366 posts)
4. I've read that if you make your home smell more like baking cookies
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 08:54 PM
Nov 2014

that it sells faster on the market.

As someone who associates smell with memories as much, if not more, than sight, I'd believe it.

csziggy

(34,120 posts)
17. Easier, simmer some apple cider with a spice bag or cinnamon stick
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 10:04 PM
Nov 2014

That will produce a nice smell with little work and give the same feeling.

SoCalDem

(103,856 posts)
22. When we had our open house, I baked a big pan of homemade cinnamon rolls
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 10:21 PM
Nov 2014

and had coffee made in a big commercial pot.. We sold it that day

More than a couple of realtors asked for my recipe for the cinnamon rolls

NJCher

(35,434 posts)
39. yep
Mon Dec 1, 2014, 02:31 AM
Dec 2014

I bought my house because of the secluded location, but the owner's corn bread muffins are still etched in my mind--sitting there on the counter, fresh from the oven.


Cher

truedelphi

(32,324 posts)
5. Thanks for yr article. Marin County Calif's Environmental Health Network
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 08:56 PM
Nov 2014

Petitioned the FDA to place warning labels on Calvin Klein's Eternity perfume.

One member of the Network, Barb Wilkie, undertook a complete study of the ingredients in just that one perfume. The reuslt was a book that was over 170 pages long, and detailed the health impacts of over fifty separate chemicals.

Among the many items in the perfume is this one: 3,7 Dimethyl-trans-2,6-octadien-1-yl-acetate, about which the MSDS stated, "The toxilogical properties of this chemical have not been investigated." Part of the same MSDS also proclaims that an individual should "avoid contact with skin or eyes."

There are fewer than 500 hundred chemicals that have been investigated with enough thoroughness in enough research studies that any human would have general knowledge of what the chemical compound was, whether the chemical in question was benign or toxic, and if toxic, what its effects would be.

Most chemicals fall into the same category as the chemical named above. And then that person would know even less with regards if Chemical A can and should be used in conjunction with Chemical B. Yet if one perfume contains over 50 significant chemcials, a thinking person realizes how we really are in the dark as to what these things are doing to us.

And with corporations claiming a greater hold over "modern day science" every moment of every week, we cynics know that two research studies now proudly proclaim that "mercury is good for the developing brains of babies." (A proclamation that real scientific investigators from back in the 1930's would certainly have a problem with, if htey were still around to take up the cause.)

brer cat

(24,402 posts)
11. It makes me run the other way.
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 09:31 PM
Nov 2014

I have asthma, but even if I didn't the scents would drive me away.

SoCalDem

(103,856 posts)
23. I cannot bear going into fabric stores..
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 10:25 PM
Nov 2014

the smells wafting from all that dye make my eyes burn and my nose run..

They use formaldehyde to set the dye..

brer cat

(24,402 posts)
24. When I took zoology in college,
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 10:32 PM
Nov 2014

I couldn't stay in the lab with the formaldehyde long enough to do my work. I temporarily removed (sounds better than stole) the frog I was to dissect, took it to the dorm and ran it through a washing machine. It actually helped some, although some of the parts were a bit hard to identify.

I avoid fabric stores also, but I don't know if they still use formaldehyde.

MisterP

(23,730 posts)
15. or the "fresh bread" fragrances used to drive the olfacted out of Subway
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 09:52 PM
Nov 2014

if you can taste they don't want your business: they want repeat customers

 

DRoseDARs

(6,810 posts)
16. "To me, it smells like fecal matter mixed with cologne," said no teenager, ever.
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 09:58 PM
Nov 2014

Fecal matter? Really? Out of the mouth of a 17-yr-old boy? Right. Quote what he said or don't quote him at all.

Odin2005

(53,521 posts)
18. Those smells do a good job at keeping me AWAY from Abercrombie & Fitch.
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 10:07 PM
Nov 2014

I can't even go into the mall without having autistic sensory overload because of the god-dammed perfume!!!

tabbycat31

(6,336 posts)
20. I used to work at such a store
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 10:14 PM
Nov 2014

(Bath and Body Works). We were given a (concentrated) bottle of room spray (for sale at the store) and instructed to spray it in the hallways to attract customers. Security was onto us and we had to do this when a guard was not nearby.

This came from corporate, not from the individual stores. We had complaints (mostly from security) but we were powerless.

 

Bette R. Daize

(43 posts)
27. The application of toxic chemicals in public places....
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 10:50 PM
Nov 2014

...is nothing short of an ASSAULT.

Unfortunately, it appears to be standard practice when it should be a crime.

And by the way, if I was house hunting and entered a house that was spewing chemical imitations of comfort foods, I would not go any further than the front hall. I would consider it a toxic waste site and exit immediately.

Don't you think it is time to push back on this industry that is both totally frivolous and dangerous?

tabbycat31

(6,336 posts)
31. You honestly think a college age low level employee has control over this?
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 11:00 PM
Nov 2014

I don't know if you've worked in retail in the 21st century, but unless you're working for a Mom and Pop, everything is controlled by corporate. We could pass customer feedback up the chain but rarely would anything get done.

If we didn't spray outside in the halls, we would lose our job.

 

Bette R. Daize

(43 posts)
34. Tabby, of course I am not referring to the peons
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 11:41 PM
Nov 2014

The big picture is what matters.

However, trying to fight the laws that allow these toxic fragrances are nearly pointless as an army of chemical industry lobbyists will spring in to action.

The way to fight back is with the wallet. Don't buy the crap. If they can't and/or won't list all the ingredients clearly on the label, avoid it. If it doesn't sell, they will stop producing it. Educate your friends and family about the hazards of these products.

As for the stores that spew fumes to "lure" customers, refuse to patronize them and don't hesitate to tell them why. Tell your local mall owners you are forced to shop online now because the fumes are unacceptable in their properties.



The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,280 posts)
26. Scented candles will drive me out of a store faster than anything.
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 10:48 PM
Nov 2014

I hate them, especially the food-scented ones, like vanilla or cinnamon. I've found a few pine-scented ones that aren't too bad but most of those scents make me want to Yankee Candles are the worst.

demigoddess

(6,640 posts)
29. i have to stay out of malls and cleaning products aisles
Sun Nov 30, 2014, 10:58 PM
Nov 2014

now I have to stay out of fabric stores and even doctors' offices. I get a headache each time I go to the Doctor.

hollysmom

(5,946 posts)
37. and this is why I don't shop in malls.
Mon Dec 1, 2014, 02:21 AM
Dec 2014

I actually shop in stand alone outlet stores (or used to, they are all moving away from the warehouses now going to outlet malls. ) I live where there used to be an IFF International fragrances and flavors plant - thankfully not gone, when the wind came this way I started getting sick. I have a sensitivity to scents now. Have to buy fragrance free everything but - about 15 years ago, I started getting anxiety attacks in malls. I liked to shop in Macy's but avoided the sprayers, Now I can't go near that place. I think the anxiety attacks are due to scents in the buildings, I tell people they are feeding them chemicals to make them irresponsible spenders, ha ha . Oh and please someone tell people that scented candles are not good christmas presents for everyone. - My sister-in-law - who does not listen to me - gives me 2 things every Christmas - scented candle s and pierced earrings ( no holes in my ears never were , never will be)

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