It's My Space, Not Yours - Research Institute for Fragrance Materials

It’s My Space, Not Yours:
Popular Myths, Scientific Realities &
Public Perception
Ladd W. Smith, PhD, Dipl. ABT, Fellow ATS, CAE
President
Research Institute for Fragrance Materials, Inc
Scent World 2011
December 8, 2011

Things you’ve heard
• What is that?
• Oh, that’s nice
• Hmmm …
• Yuck!
• Let me tell you what I think about what
you are doing
• I don’t care … I already know
• My perception outweighs your facts and
logic
• You’re just interested in selling product

Beholder’s perception
An open mind is the best
way to look at the world.

Little disagreement …

One solution …

Another solution …

Disagreement ...

Disagreement?

Pleasure vs. pollution?

What is “scent?”
wikipedia
• An odor is caused by one or more volatilized
chemical compounds, generally at a very low
concentration, that humans or other animals
perceive by the sense of olfaction
• Odors are also commonly called scents, which can
refer to both pleasant and unpleasant odors
• The terms fragrance, scent, and aroma are used
primarily by the food and cosmetic industry to
describe a pleasant odor, and are sometimes used
to refer to perfumes
• In contrast, malodor, stench, reek, and stink are
used specifically to describe unpleasant odors

Blogs, Sept 2011
• Fragrance is a very personal choice, I
cannot see any way that someone else
can tell me what I will or will not like.
• Agreed. In my house my wife does have
great influence on what fragrance I use
based on her likes/dislikes. She respects
my opinion as well when it comes to her
choice of fragrances for her use.

Neural mechanism supports
survival in an uncertain world
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - 12:44 in Psychology & Sociology
• A new study uncovers a pivotal role for the
human frontal lobe in the promotion of
behavioral flexibility during voluntary
choice. The work, published by Cell Press in
the June 11th issue of the journal Neuron,
presents a critical new neural mechanism
that supports the decision to adapt or
maintain behavior when change is not
explicitly instructed by the external
environment.

More about choice …
Frontiers Research Topic on The Neurobiology of Choice
Julia Trommershaeuser , , 2011, Center for Neural Science, New York Univ
“Research on economic decision-making seeks to
understand how subjects choose between plans of
action (lotteries, gambles, prospects) that have
economic consequences. The key difficulty in
making such decisions is that typically no plan of
action available to the decision-maker guarantees a
specific outcome, rather, consequences are risky or
uncertain. … Moreover, researchers across all these
fields are, in parallel, studying how decisions are
guided by learning and how the computations
relevant to decisions and choices are represented
neurally.”

Can you tolerate this?

Frustration …

Confined space or worse?

Involuntary “exposure”

Headache is common complaint …

The brain is complicated

Still a lot we don’t know

People influence what we
perceive and believe

Clinical research
• Dr. Pamela Dalton, Monell, 1996
• “The influence of cognitive bias on the
perceived odor, irritation and health
symptoms from chemical exposure”
• The results provide strong evidence
that both the perceived odor and
cognitive expectations about a chemical
can significantly affect how individuals
respond to it.

Positive or negative …

OMG, “XYZ” is a VOC!

So is silage

So is body odor

So is an onion

Guilt by association …
• I smell something
• I have a “problem” (irritation, sensitivity,
headache, rash, etc)
• Therefore, the smell (your product)
caused my problem

An “argument”
Dartmouth Writing Program
A good argument will have, at the very least:
• a thesis that declares the writer's position on
the problem at hand
• an acknowledgment of the opposition that nods
to, or quibbles with other points of view
• a set of clearly defined premises that illustrate
the argument's line of reasoning
• evidence that validates the argument's
premises
• a conclusion that convinces the reader that the
argument has been soundly and persuasively
made

Is the argument logical?
A syllogism is made up of three statements
• the major premise, or general
observation
• the minor premise, or particular
observation
• the conclusion, which is something that
one might rightly deduce from the
premises given

One syllogism
• All scientists are brilliant
• I am a scientist
• Therefore, I am brilliant
But, the first statement, the major
premise, is not true.

Another syllogism
• Everyone who has taken the preparatory
course has passed the exam
• John Q. has taken the course
• Therefore, John Q. will pass the exam
The major premise is true.
Could John be the first exception?

Validating the argument
• Have you suppressed any facts?
• Have you manipulated any facts?
• Do you have enough evidence?
• Do you have too much evidence?
• Is your evidence current, reputable?

Respiratory research objective
To understand the physiological effects
of exposure to fragrance materials upon
inhalation from a consumer product,
when that product is used as intended

Cilia and mucociliary
escalator
Oropharynx
to main
bronchi
Airways
Alveolarcapillary
membrane
CONFIDENTIAL MS IFRA NA 11.2011

Program structure
EXPOSURE
BIOAVAILABILITY
WHERE DOES THE
MATERIAL GO UPON
INHALATION?
PROTEIN
REACTIVITY
IMMUNE SYSTEM
STIMULATION
CLINICAL
RESPONSE
WHAT DOES THE MATERIAL
DO IN THE RESPIRATORY
SYSTEM?
WHAT EFFECT DOES THE
MATERIAL INTERACTION
WITH THE AIRWAY HAVE?

2-Box model scenario

Air dispersion model output
Concentration (mg/m 3 )
Peak Air Concentration in
Room of Interest (bathroom,
bedroom, living room, etc.)
Peak Air Concentration in the
Rest of the House
Risk Assessment Tool
for Application to:
• Fine Fragrance Spray
• Aerosol Air Care
• Scented Candles
• Incense
• Reed Diffusers
• Heated Oil Plug-In
Time (min)

Alternate 2-box scenario
(Nearfield/Farfield analysis)

Upper airway deposition model

In Vivo corroboration
• OECD 412-based pilot in vivo inhalation
study completed successfully
– Laboratories competent and produced
reproducible, reliable data for all endpoints
evaluated
• Materials identified for 2011-2012 testing
– Materials procured and on site
– Studies underway
– Dosimetry Subgroup reviews all data and dose
recommendations

Cellular cytokine profiling
• Triple co-culture air-liquid system
• Materials can be delivered as an
aerosol, gas, or insoluble particulate
forms at a set flow rate and
concentration (identify dose/unit area)
• Cross-talk between cell types can be
studied without overt destruction of
cellular structures
• Cytokine profiles to be evaluated by
multi-analyte flow cytometry and ELISA
targeting distinction in cytokine
expression patterns between respiratory
irritants and respiratory sensitizers

Dendritic cells identified
(CD86/DAPI)

Macrophages identified
(CD14/DAPI)

Type II epithelial cells identified
(SP-C/DAPI)

Cytokines of interest
• Successful pilot study
– Macrophage Inflammatory Protein (MIP)-2
– RANTES
– Interferon (IFN)-γ
– Interleukin (IL)-1β
– IL-4
– Intracellular Adhesion Molecule (ICAM)-1
– IL-5
– IL-10
– IL-13
– Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-α
– Transforming Growth Factor (TGF)-β
– Macrophage Chemotactic Protein (MCP)-1

Lady gaga to rock out Times
Square on News Year’s Eve

Who is this, a scientist?

Point …
The incoming president of the American
College of Asthma Allergy and Immunology
(ACAAI) - Dr. Stanley Fineman - gave a talk at
the ACAAI’s recent annual meeting
implicating use of air fresheners in the
increasing rates of asthma and allergies. The
ACAAI issued a press release on Dr.
Fineman’s talk, which has been picked up by
several media outlets, including msnbc.com
and USA Today, among others.

Counterpoint …
Consumers can be assured that the
fragranced air fresheners they use in their
homes are safe … There is no definitive
scientific evidence, clinical or otherwise,
to prove that fragrance materials cause
asthma, nasal congestion, sneezing, or
runny nose … it is irresponsible to assign
blame to popular consumer products
without supporting scientific evidence.

Counterpoint …
The safety of fragrances marketed today is
based on clinically proven, scientific
studies reviewed by an independent panel
of experts, published in the highest level,
peer-reviewed, scientific journals available
to anyone … The fragrance industry
welcomes scientific dialogue, but insists
on real science and fact-based consumer
education and medical advice.

Industry guidance

“Maximum impact
with minimum downside”

Also: Maximum impact
with minimum downside
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Scent intensity … 1
Crater Lake Company
We have added a Very Strong option in our scent intensity
menu, but feel that in most cases, selecting the Medium to
Strong intensity is adequate. With that said, if you choose to
have your products very strongly scented, please be advised
that:
• A. By doing so may cause skin irritation. In almost ALL cases,
we find that the Medium to Strong scent intensity option is
adequate. By choosing the Very Strong scent intensity, you
acknowledge that you are aware of the possible skin
irritations that this may cause.
• B. We do not recommend Very Strong scent intensities for
spice and citrus based fragrances as this may cause an
irritation. Keep in mind that these scents are naturally strong
to begin with and recommend a medium intensity for
fragrances in the spice and citrus family.

Scent intensity … 2
Crater Lake Company
• C. Some scents are naturally light regardless of the
proportion of fragrance oil we use in the product.
Choosing Very Strong for naturally light scents does
not make the fragrance any more apparent than
choosing the recommended medium to strong scent
intensity. This may also compromise the product's
stability as the oils and butter ratios are pretty closely
calibrated.
• D. Choosing the Very Strong scent intensity option
may change the viscosity of our shower gels and
shampoos. Depending on the fragrance oil, it may
cause the base to become either more fluid or thick.

Scent intensity … 3
• E. We reserve the right to decrease the scent
intensity requested if we believe it is in your best
interest. Since we have a good knowledge of the
scents we carry and their characteristics, there may
be times where I’ll make a judgment call on a
particular scent. If I do, I will try to contact you first
and consult with you regarding the matter.

Scent intensity … 4
Crater Lake Company
All intensity levels are within safe usage guidelines, however
scent intensity is not an exact science. Within the
recommended guidelines, there are no fixed percentages of
fragrance oil usage. Asking us to super-scent something
doesn't mean we pour half the bottle of fragrance oil into
the base! Scent intensity formulation takes the fragrance oil's
natural characteristics to determine the correct percentage
amount to use in the specific product to ensure that its
integrity and stability is not compromised. For example, a 2%
fragrance oil load using a vanilla-based scent may be
characterized as being Light, whereas the same percentage
load using a spice-based scent may be deemed Strong.

Intensity, compound ratios,
snapdragons, honeybees
Wright, Lutmerding, Dudareva, Smith, 2005
Floral scent is used by pollinators during
foraging to identify and discriminate among
flowers … The ability to discriminate among
scents may depend on both scent intensity
and the ratios of the concentrations of the
volatile compounds of a complex mixture
rather than on the presence of a few
compounds … The ability of honeybees to
discriminate among the scents of different
cultivars was a function of the intensity of the
floral scent.

Emily, at a conference …
“Also, we spoke about your research and
you were laughing at my fear of
fragrances. I would love to understand
more about what you do and if it means
it’s safe to buy febreeze (sic)!”

“You can check out any time you
like, but you can never leave”

Dear Emily … 1
• The article, in the link below, notes the difference
between irritants and allergens and informs people
that the allergy-like symptoms they may be
experiencing may not be an allergy at all. One item of
interest is that the first irritant noted on the list is
“perfumes and other substances with strong odors.”
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/painter/2010-
08-23-yourhealth23_ST_N.htm
• Here is a good, unbiased website that you may want
to consult for general science issues.
http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/
• This one tends to look at scientific “crises,” and tries
to provide perspective. http://www.acsh.org/

Dear Emily … 2
• Here is one about “chemicals.” Many people don’t realize
that everything is a chemical, even a rock. The “cool
science” and “everyday chemistry” tabs are
instructive. http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content
• This one looks at natural vs. synthetic. It is easy to find
statements about the relative safety of “natural” products,
but remember that Mother Nature built her plants and
animals to survive. So they have innate protection
mechanisms. Some are mechanical things like prickles,
while some are chemical toxins. I can tell you I have a
healthy respect for bees, since I am allergic to them and
have had a few “too close” calls at the ER.
http://drholly.typepad.com/natural_vs_synthetic/

Dear Emily … 3
• You and your family should not be afraid of
exposure to chemicals, natural or synthetic, any
more than you should be afraid of crossing the
street – because you can exercise judgment in
what you do.
• You mentioned Febreze, so I found this
citation. You can find others easily by searching,
or you can call the manufacturer directly – in
this case it is Procter & Gamble.
http://www.gooddogmagazine.com/how_safe_i
s_febreze.htm

There is still a lot we don’t know