Somebody on your team can’t breathe around perfume, or doesn’t want to. A fragrance-free policy clears out the most common sources in one go, and much of the work is simply buying different soap and cleaners and unplugging the air fresheners. This page is for HR, managers and office leads.
Evidence key Strong Moderate Weak How we grade
Why bother
It’s a real workplace health problem. Over 20 years (1993–2012), California's work-related asthma surveillance confirmed 270 cases linked to perfume or air fresheners at work, 3.8% of all confirmed cases; perfume was the 9th most common workplace asthma exposure. Moderate evidence. Weinberg 2017 94% of workers with fragrance-related work asthma in California were women, mostly in offices, health care and schools, and most cases came from perfume worn by others. Moderate evidence. Weinberg 2017
In US surveys, far more people wanted fragrance-free workplaces than opposed them. About two-thirds (64.6%) of US adults did not know fragrance ingredients don't have to be listed on the label, and more than half would prefer fragrance-free workplaces (53.2% vs 19.7% against) and health care (54.8% vs 22.4%). Moderate evidence. Steinemann 2016 Support for fragrance-free health care and workplaces is not limited to people with symptoms: in Germany roughly 70% of those who backed them reported no fragrance-related health effects themselves. Moderate evidence. Klaschka 2020
And the scent isn’t doing you any favors. Smell scientists reviewing the evidence found that scenting workplaces to boost mood or productivity is not well supported, and noted that a chemically intolerant employee can react to a fragranced workplace. Moderate evidence. Dalton & Jaén 2010 Industry-funded
California’s public health department already recommends it. The California Department of Public Health recommends enforced fragrance-free workplace policies, no air fresheners or fragranced cleaners, and better ventilation instead of odor masking. Moderate evidence. Weinberg 2017
A policy or an accommodation?
They’re different things. An employee who asks for an accommodation is handled one person at a time, and it doesn’t have to mean a building-wide ban. Workplace accommodations for fragrance sensitivity do not have to be a building-wide ban: the US Labor Department's Job Accommodation Network lists scent-free meeting rooms, moving a worker away from air fresheners and vents, telework, air purifiers, signage and staff education. Moderate evidence. De Vader & Barker 2009 In Hunt v. St. Peter School (1997), a scent-free classroom was treated as a reasonable accommodation, but a school-wide fragrance ban was ruled an undue hardship. Moderate evidence. De Vader & Barker 2009
A fragrance-free policy is a choice you make for everyone. You don’t need to wait for a request, and having one in place makes the individual requests easier. Employees who want to ask for an accommodation can use our workplace guide.
Make it cover more than perfume
Fragrance-free policies need to cover cleaning and laundry products, not just perfume: of 60 people who react to fragranced products, 50 named cleaning products, 47 perfume and 41 laundry products as persistent triggers. Moderate evidence. Roy 2026
A fragrance-free sign is not enough on its own: Canadians with chemical sensitivities described workplaces and hospitals with 'scent-free' policies where staff still wore scents and scented cleaners stayed in use. Moderate evidence. Roy 2026
How to roll it out
Fragrance-free policies are easier to make work when they start with a needs assessment and an inventory of the cleaning and personal products in use, involve employees in drafting, and agree how violations are handled before launch. Weak evidence. De Vader & Barker 2009
- Walk the building and list what’s scented: air fresheners, plug-ins, diffusers, restroom supplies, hand soap, cleaning and laundry products.
- Swap what you buy first. Fragrance-free soap and cleaners, and no air fresheners. That part is fully in your control.
- Draft the policy with employees, not just for them. Use the template below as a starting point.
- Announce it with a start date and a reason, and tell cleaning contractors and regular visitors too.
- Put up fragrance-free signs in meeting rooms, entrances and restrooms, and share our one-page fact sheet so people know why.
- Decide ahead of time how you’ll handle slip-ups: a private, friendly reminder first.
A policy you can copy
A starting point. Edit it to fit your workplace.
[Organization name]: Fragrance-free workplace policy Why Some of our employees and visitors have health conditions that fragranced products can trigger. To help everyone breathe comfortably, [all indoor areas / these areas: ___] are fragrance-free. What this covers - Personal products: perfume, cologne, aftershave, and scented lotions, hair products and deodorants. - Air fresheners, plug-ins, reed diffusers, oil diffusers and scented candles. - Cleaning, laundry and restroom products bought for the workplace. What we will do - Buy fragrance-free cleaning products, hand soap and restroom supplies. - Remove air fresheners and diffusers, and keep ventilation working well. - Let new staff, contractors and regular visitors know about this policy. What we ask of you - On work days, choose fragrance-free personal products. - Don't bring air fresheners, diffusers or scented candles to work. If you're affected Talk to [contact name / HR]. Requests for accommodation are handled confidentially. If there's a problem Reminders are private and friendly. [Describe what happens after repeated issues.] This policy was written with input from [employees / a staff working group] and will be reviewed on [date].
Graded claims show their evidence level and source. General information, not legal advice. For your situation, contact the Job Accommodation Network or an employment lawyer.