It's a fair question — and one I used to ask myself before I understood how potent these chemicals are.

Here's the thing: fragrance chemicals are designed to be volatile — meaning they easily become airborne and travel through the air. They're also designed to stick to fabrics, skin, and hair. So even a "small amount" from one person's deodorant or laundry detergent doesn't stay small — it spreads into the air, settles on surfaces, and gets inhaled and absorbed through the skin by everyone in the room.

You may have become desensitized to the smell — our olfactory senses get dulled with repeated exposure — but that doesn't mean the chemicals aren't there. In fact, the same chemicals that make products smell good are also known to be carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and neurotoxins.

And the research is clear: this isn't just about feeling uncomfortable. Medical studies have shown that exposure to fragranced personal care products on another person does have measurable negative health impacts. One study found that multiple breast cancer biomarkers went down after just 28 days of ceasing to use personal care products with phthalates, sulfates, and parabens — which "fragrance" almost always contains. Conversely, daily exposure increases those biomarkers.

So when people make the ask to be fragrance-free, it's not about being picky. It's about preventing measurable harm. goes here

Here's what happens: When you wear a fragranced product, the chemicals don't stay on your skin. They volatilize — they become airborne. These particles are tiny — small enough to travel dozens of feet and stay suspended in the air for hours. They also settle on surfaces, clothing, and hair, where they can persist for days, weeks, or even months.

So when you walk into a room, you're not just bringing your scent — you're bringing a cloud of airborne chemicals that everyone in that room inhales and absorbs through their skin. For many people, that cloud triggers immediate reactions: headaches, nausea, difficulty breathing, brain fog, irritability, and more. For others, the effects are cumulative — building up over time and contributing to chronic health conditions.

Medical studies have confirmed that these chemicals are absorbed through the air into the skin — so even if someone with sensitivities wore a mask, the exposure from people around them still negatively impacts them. This isn't about being sensitive — it's about basic chemistry and public health.

You're right — we can't avoid everything. And I'm not asking you to.

Here's the reality for me: I have already changed my diet. I have switched all my own personal care products to fragrance-free, paraben-free, and phthalate-free versions. I have reduced my exposure to environmental toxins wherever I can. I have done everything in my power to reduce my risk of cancer recurrence and fibroid regrowth.

And you know what? It hasn't felt overwhelming. It's actually felt empowering. I've taken control of what I can.

But here's the thing I cannot control: other people's fragrances.

When someone walks into a room wearing fragranced products, those chemicals travel through the air and enter my body through my skin and lungs. I don't get a choice in the matter. I can't "avoid" it the way I can avoid processed foods or choose organic produce. The only way I can avoid it is if other people choose not to wear fragrances.

And studies show that fragrance chemicals do increase cancer risk. The breast cancer biomarker study is powerful proof: just 28 days of switching to products without phthalates, sulfates, and parabens (which "fragrance" almost always contains) actually reversed cancer-associated biomarkers. That means reducing exposure to fragrances in personal care products actually has a big, measurable impact on cancer risk.

For me, now that I've changed everything else in my life, exposure to other people's fragrances feels like the bulk of what is upping my cancer recurrence risk. Without it, I actually feel like I'm doing really well. With it, I feel like all my hard work is being undermined by something completely out of my control.

I know I'm incredibly lucky that I don't have to deal with many other environmental exposures that other people face — and I hold deep compassion for those who do. But this one thing — fragrances — is actually in other people's control. It's something that people can choose to reduce, and it would make a huge difference for me and for so many others.

So when I ask you to be fragrance-free, I'm not asking you to avoid everything. I'm asking you to help me avoid the one thing that's still out of my control — and that you have the power to change.