You will never meet anyone more sensitive to smells than me. Something as small as burnt toast makes me nauseous and headachy. I have 4 Olfa mats and 2 Fiskar's mats purchased as long ago as 15 years ago to as recently as last Christmas and none had/have slightest smell. All my mats came from Walmart so I wonder if the fact that they are hung in a large open space for who knows how long helps to get ride of any smell the mat may have.