Some organic solvents in oil-based paint also can aggravate asthma, and people with asthma can be affected by newly applied house paint or solvents used in art materials. A typical perfume contains tens to hundreds of volatile organic compounds, originally discovered in natural products such as flowers or fruits but typically synthesized chemically. People with asthma should be very wary about wearing perfume themselves, and should do so only after careful testing of a particular brand. For children with asthma it is particularly important to make sure that parents and child care workers avoid using any perfume unless there is clear evidence that the child is not sensitive to the particular perfume being used. Parties at which perfume is worn can be a big problem for people with asthma.
Flowers are the source of many perfumes.
Most people with asthma get nasal congestion and wheezing from exposure to some flowers, while other flowers appear to be much less problem. Unfortunately it is not possible to predict the asthma-causing properties of a flower from its smell, so one is not necessarily safe with flowers that do not have a strong smell. Over the past few decades perfumes have expanded from being personal adornments to becoming additives in a large number of household products. Products that usually contain asthma-triggering perfumes or solvents include soaps, dishwashing liquids, laundry detergents, fabric softeners, shampoos, paper tissues, paper towels, toilet paper, hairspray, cosmetics, facial creams, sun creams, deodorants, colognes, shaving creams, after shave lotions, air fresheners and candles. Even one such product in a household can result in a significant increase in asthma symptoms.