This message is so pervasive that many men and women feel it necessary to wear a fragrance in order to be desirable or feel sexy. Advertisers and marketers also know that there is a very powerful connection between scent and memory, as well as scent and emotion, and they use this frequently in their promotions. The result is that fragrance is considered a 'normal' component of our everyday lives. Many consumer products contain fragrances. Perfumes make their way into our mailboxes as well.
Some companies use scented stationary for their mass mailings.
Nobody seems to think that this use of fragrances is anything by pleasant and harmless. The problem is that fragrance products are not necessarily harmless, and many can cause some very unpleasant effects. Few people realize that there are at least 5,000 different chemicals used by the fragrance industry in the manufacture of fragrance products. Nor do they realize that a fragrance product such as perfume may contain as many as 600 individual chemical ingredients. Many of those chemicals that have been tested are regulated by the federal government as hazardous materials.