I relate to everyone of you but the strong smells also get to my chest and makes it very hard to breathe and yes you are right just as bad or worse than cigarette smoke also people with asthma and copd I had to change dentists because of decorations in the waiting area

I also hold my breath. I am asmatic and have no tolerance for perfumes, candles and especially cinnamon

Our Joanns here is the same way. I have a similar reaction.

Also, that new car smell....well it is really the plastics and synthetic fiber that are out gassing, some really toxic things too like formaldehyde and cyanide. I think the reason that for some folks it is a good smell is that they like having a new car. I hear antifreeze tastes sweet too, does not mean I want any in my koolaid. There are so many artificial scents out there that are really irritating...I don't need my dish soap to smell like citrus fruit or mint, I don't need my laundry soap to smell like "fresh air" either. Again natural scents do not trigger my allergies and the best air freshener is fresh air. In my old job I used to have to do home visits to some really stinky homes but the worst was when I had to go to this place where artificial vanilla was puffed into the air every fifteen minutes, and she chain smoked, what was her major complaint, her asthma was not getting any better despite the doctor upping her meds, and she had children with asthma so bad they needed nebulizers every day...was she open to just unplugging the room odorizer, no, lets not go there when I suggested she smoke outside. It was so bad I would only go into her home if I could sit by an open door...she did not like that either, it diluted the vanilla scent. OYE some folks!

I'm allergic to just about everything but I don't want the world to alter itself to accommodate a minority. That mentality causes more problems than the solutions it offers. Some scents affect my gag reflex not just breathing. The opera has always been touchy but I don't assault women in the bathroom over it. I've seen it done. Ain't pretty.

I don't shop in Walmart at all because of all the out gassing of plastics, I can tolerate the grocery store OK, but big box stores like Walmart are pure hell. Because the doors are always opening and closing they engineer the stores air return systems to minimize air exchange...They don't want to loose cool air in the summer or heated air in the winter. So as a consequence the store air is recirculated over and over and the gasses that cause distress are trapped and intensified. Thank goodness for online shopping!

I realize that in a month the scented pinecones will be gone, but in my experience, they have other stuff that they put out for other holidays that smell just as offensive to me. :( And in a way, I do want the world to conform to "a minority of us" since the world wants smokers to conform to non-smokers' wants!!! If one set of the population has to conform, why shouldn't the rest??

As far as perfumes and dyes? I can't tolerate either of them. I have been diagnosed as "allergic to the bacteria on my skin"...meaning that if I get even the slightest nick in my skin, I get a really bad infection. Unfortunately, this means that sinus infections are always severe and the extreme scent of the holidays make things far worse than necessary.
Also, I cannot walk thru the grass barefoot since I am allergic to even the grass!!! :( I can't even have house plants due to allergies, but I try to make the best of things. :)

There I am on my soap box again. :(

I just happen to like the smell of cinnamon and yes it can be overwhelming to a lot of people. I have the same problem as you when I go into a candle store or a store with perfumed soaps and lotions. Give me some fresh air ! :roll:

Last year about this time, my DD had bought some of those cinnamon pinecones and then came to visit me. She pulled them out of the car and put them on the hood while in the house. When we went outside you could immediately smell them so you know they were very strong.

I don't like the strong scent either, glad I don't have to work ther.