I am (gasp!) a smoker - DH quit about 10 yrs ago. I've always used scented detergents/softeners. A year or so ago, DH also asked me to start using the scented 'beads' in the laundry as well, which I do. All is good for a few days.
I pulled a set of sheets out of the closet the other day which had been there for a couple of months since last being laundered. When I got into bed that night, they only smell like 'fabric' - no lasting scent from any of the products used (or anything else for that matter). Smelled like quilting fabric that I bring home fresh (as it were) from the fabric store - starchy/sizing??
So I'm not sure that all those scents (for those of us who do not have sensitivities) are really worth. But I'll still use them.