OH BOY! Overwhelming perfume/ whatever is something I've griped about on this forum a few times now.
I have left places because of it. I have let employes go because of it. I have (in the past) turned down dates because of it. I won't invite it in my house. Or car.
The price of the stuff does not indicate quality. Pure organic ingredients do, and while they can be strong as well, they will not induce migraines, like synthetic stuff does. (in my experience, anyway)
ALSO: Your own body chemistry can alter a fragrance without you knowing. What smells heavenly in the bottle can begin to smell like cat pee on you after about 1/2 hour.
I have been in restaurants where the next table is filled with multiple perfumed people (the WORST situation
) and I have not been able to fathom what my food tastes like. I only taste perfume.
The worst case for me was a client (in my barber shop) that we came to call "Perfumed Paul." A really nice man and good client, HOWEVER he used cologne, shampoo, soap on a rope, deodorant and aftershave (and probably toothpaste) all in the same fragrance and all at the same time. He even had a spray for his car interior, he told me.
We could smell him coming from outside the shop.
After he left the shop, each time, I would have to neutralize the chair and sink, all my tools and toss the cape he used. Toss the magazines too, wipe down the coat rack and scrub my hands repeatedly before my next client arrived. Sometimes his 'scent' would linger all day in spite of everything.
One day he was complaining that he was constantly having a hard time getting a seat on the train to go to and from work. He said, "even though there are seats available, people say they are 'saved' and so I stand, only to find the train pulls out and the seats are empty. When I take one, whoever is in the next seat looks quite annoyed. I don't get it.... that shouldn't be allowed. I paid for a ticket like everyone else!"
I realized this might be my only opportunity, so as diplomatically as I could I explained that his 'scent' might be the cause of the problem. (that's how I found out everything he used)
Well, he was truly shocked. He prided himself on being very well groomed and spared no expense on the products he was buying at a very high end boutique.
As a result, I lost him as a client. Unfortunate, but not a bad thing. My employees were relieved and I didn't have to take migraine pills.