The Scent of Flowers and Your Fragrance Allergy

I love flowers. The way they look and the color they provide. Honestly, I love everything about them. Well, almost everything. As my fragrance allergy continues to advance, so does my sensitivity to the scent of flowers.

I almost always have fresh flowers in my kitchen, but some bother me more than others, and there’s actually a scientific reason behind that. The chemicals that make up the scent of flowers also cross-react with the chemical constituents our T-cells have labeled as invaders.

Allergic Contact Dermatitis

As a Type IV delayed hypersensitivity allergy, Allergic Contact Dermatitis involves our memory T-Cells. Chemistry behind the aroma or scent of flowers is incredibly complex. The scent of flowers is never the result of a single chemical. And that makes it a challenge. Take a look at this chart.

The Scent of Flowers and individual chemicals

Linalool Allergy behind the scent of Roses

If you have a Linalool Allergy , you may be bothered by Roses and Hyacinth. It is helpful to know that these flowers contain Linalool as a portion of their chemical constituent structure. While this chart is definitely not conclusive of all fragrance chemical constituents, it does help you understand how complex the scent of flowers is.

It would be impossible to list all constituents of a flower as each flower has hundreds of constituents. It’s why I advise against the use of Essential Oils. They contain hundreds of chemical constituents and can be a recipe for disaster for someone with fragrance allergies.

Aroma Chemistry Affects the Scent of Flowers

It’s important to note that the aroma chemistry of a flower is incredibly complex. The smell of any one flower is never the result of a single chemical constituent. The ingredient “Fragrance” on a product’s ingredient list is made up of hundreds of chemical compounds making its signature scent. Even more challenging, these signature scents are proprietary, and companies are not required to disclose their mix. It’s why those of us with fragrance allergies must avoid all fragrances.

Roses

The rose is highly complex. The major constituents of the plant’s essential oil are Rose ketones. Other compounds include geraniol, citronellol, farnesol, linalool, and 2-Phenylethanol.

Carnations

In comparison to roses, Carnations have a fainter scent, but for me personally, carnations contain many of my fragrance allergies. Their major aroma chemicals are eugenol and benzoic acid derivatives. The carnation can also contain Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, and Limonene. As a side note, Cloves, also a problem for Balsam of Peru Allergy, have a high level of Eugenol.

Lilies

Lilies have a high level of Linalool. Actually, a lot of plants contain linalool, more than 200 species actually! This is why it’s a prevalent allergen. A vast number of personal care products include Linalool as a fragrance. Other aroma-contributing compounds in lilies include Benzyl Alcohol and Cinnamic Alcohol.

Hyacinth

Hyacinth has several compounds responsible for the citrusy and balsamic scent. Ethyl 2-methoxybenzoate has a fruity scent, and cinnamyl alcohol (also found in cinnamon) has a strong balsamic smell. Linalool is also a main component of Hyacinth.

Lilacs

Lilacs contain benzyl methyl ether. Especially when in full bloom, it contributes a fruity scent to the lilac. Cinnamic Aldehyde is the main component and helps with the classic lilac scent.

I also want to say that this graph above is really just a rough guide to the chemicals that flowers contain. There’s a lot of variation between specific types of flowers, even within one flower type.

For the Love of Flowers

I have begun to use a lot of artificial flowers in my home. Some, especially the poly ones, are so lifelike! I love them because they don’t bother my fragrance allergy. I found these below on Amazon and they are truly lifelike and extremely reasonable!

Let me know if you’ve found one flower to be trickier than another for you and your fragrance allergy! And if you get to try out any of these gorgeous flowers from Amazon!