Mainly to protect colleagues with genuine sensitivities — migraines, asthma, chemical sensitivities or allergies — since fragrance circulating in a shared, enclosed workplace can trigger real symptoms in people who have no way to opt out of smelling it.

A genuine accessibility issue, not just a preference

For someone with a fragrance-triggered migraine or a respiratory condition, a colleague’s perfume isn’t a minor annoyance but a genuine barrier to comfortably doing their job, which is why some workplaces move to a blanket no-perfume policy rather than trying to police what counts as ‘too strong.’ It’s a similar logic to other reasonable workplace accommodations, just applied to something that’s easy to underestimate if you’ve never personally experienced a fragrance-triggered health reaction.

  • Protects colleagues with migraines, asthma or chemical sensitivities
  • A blanket policy is often simpler and fairer than judging individual strength
  • Reflects a genuine accessibility need rather than personal taste

These policies have become somewhat more common in recent years as awareness of fragrance sensitivities has grown, alongside wider workplace conversations about accessibility and reasonable accommodation more generally.

Employers introducing these policies are usually responding to a specific, documented request from an employee rather than acting on a general assumption or trend.

Our guide to how to apply and wear perfume and guide to perfume allergies and sensitive skin both explain this further, alongside our complete guide to perfume.