Do you work in an office and notice perfumes, colognes other scents bother you? There's a reason for this. All across beauty products and other plastics like nail polish, hair sprays and perfume is presence of chemicals called phthalates. 

Phthalates are a family of chemicals used in plastics and many other products to soften and increase the flexibility of plastic and vinyl. Some studies have shown in men this chemical can reduce the amount of testosterone causing infertility issues. In women it's been show to cause polycystic ovarian disease which causes the menstruation cycle to change. 

These chemicals are what we can endocrine disruptors - meaning they change the hormones in our body, whether it's estrogen or testosterone. 

Can you avoid it? 

If we were to test 100 people, 95% of them would have some degree of phthalates in their urine sample. My advice to anyone who is experiencing headaches or other sinus issues with regards to their coworker wearing too much cologne or perfume is to nicely tell them that it's affecting your sinuses and I don't feel comfortable. You can build up immunity towards it.