A practical, public advocacy resource for grocery and big-box retailers serving fragrance-sensitive customers.

Cover of a retail guide titled "The Fragrance-Aware Retail Guide: Serving Customers with Fragrance Sensitivities" with a blurred grocery store aisle background and a shopping cart in the foreground.

  • Fragrance sensitivity affects a significant portion of the population, yet most retail environments are not designed with this reality in mind.

    For many customers, everyday shopping involves involuntary exposure to fragranced products that can trigger adverse reactions. As a result, some shorten trips, avoid entire categories, or rely exclusively on delivery.

    This guide offers practical, phased actions that improve access without eliminating product choice.

  • The guide includes:

    • A clear overview of fragrance sensitivity

    • The business case for fragrance-aware practices

    • A three-tier implementation framework

    • Shelf tag and staff guidance examples

    • Scope boundaries and research citations

    It is structured for phased adoption rather than all-at-once change.

  • This resource was developed for:

    • Retail buyers and category managers

    • Store operations and merchandising teams

    • Accessibility, DEI, or sustainability leaders

    • Store managers and frontline staff

    • Fragrance-sensitive customers advocating locally

    If you are exploring how to make retail environments more inclusive while preserving product choice, this guide is designed to support that effort.

  • Fragrance sensitivity is often minimized, and retailers operate within complex constraints.

    We believe progress happens when guidance is practical, respectful, and grounded in real-world implementation. This guide is offered as a shared advocacy resource to support that progress.

  • We share this guide directly via email.

    Providing your information helps us understand who is using this resource and continue developing thoughtful advocacy materials.