I used to love to wear patchouli and had favorite perfumes like Albert Nipon when I was in my early twenties (1970’s) but by the time I reached my late twenties, I started becoming sensitive. My first surprise was that the Yardley lavender soap that I had used for years now caused my hands to swell and ache. Now, if I even smell petrochemicals or fragrances, I get rashes. I am hypersensitive to chemical smells. Many “pleasant” fragrances, like in fabric or air fresheners, are chemical not natural. I don’t get a rash from smelling bread, rotting food or sweat. I can’t walk down the street without being subjected to other people’s chemical pollution. In frigid winter, I can smell what fragrances people are wearing inside their cars with the windows closed.
I honestly think that others are just not sensitive enough to the poisons in the air that we are all breathing. Is it autoimmune? I am not so sure. My adult children are also becoming now more sensitive. Many people in our town are becoming more sensitive and we live in a town with very little industrial pollution. Just like the hidden microplastics in our bodies, I think that there are micro pollutants in the air and some people have become more sensitive.
The other day I went to see a doctor and she immediately rubbed her hands with hand sanitizer - as is the safest practice today. The smell just about gagged me. She said that it was only alcohol but alcohol does not smell like flowers. She let me sit by an open window but too late. I got a facial rash later.