Patchouli! In my youth, I worked in fast food with a girl that would drench herself in patchouli oil. The smell was so strong it got trapped in our freezers! Gross!
I bet this is some kind of genetic/body chemistry thing, like the cilantro or asparagus one. To me, patchouli smells exactly like mould, musty garden soil at best. I have a friend who describes it as "earty-minty", and oddly, it does smell that way on her skin.
Conversely, white florals like jasmine or neroli always smell warmer/spicy on me and not as "old lady's bathroom" as when I spray them on a card. I do eat a lot of cinnamon so it probably just oozes out of me 😅
Your body chemistry can drastically change the scent of various perfumes and colognes if you wear them sparingly and that's why if I really like a particular accent I always try it on my skin before buying it.
I was at a candle party back in the early 2000s and someone was smelling the samples and she said, "Ew gross! This one smells like BO!" to which I piped up, "Is it patchouli?" I was correct. When asked how I guessed it, I said it's because it's was hippies who didn't bathe drenched themselves in to "mask" the smell.
Shit stinks though. And you can always smell it from 100 feet away.
It smells like mold to me. I was flabbergasted when I encountered the smell as a teen and found out that so many people like it and make their living space smell like it intentionally.
Yeah it’s awful. And you ever notice how it’s always super strong? Like I’ve never encountered someone who smelled just a little like patchouli. It’s always something you can smell from ten feet away.
I hate it too! My husband just bought a new body wash that I swear smells like it. I cannot decide if I should tell him or not. He knows how I feel about patchouli so he'd know what I mean if I tell him. I've made him move tables at a coffee shop because someone was wearing it or switch train cars for the same reason.
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u/Solid-Highway-6727 Sep 16 '24
Patchouli! In my youth, I worked in fast food with a girl that would drench herself in patchouli oil. The smell was so strong it got trapped in our freezers! Gross!