How do I tell my co-worker his cologne is making me sick?

We had this in our office as well. My coworker said to her supervisor (with all of us in the office) very tactfully “with us all sharing such a small office, I would appreciate if everyone would be respectful of the smells in here and not spray any perfume or wear anything too strong because otherwise it is difficult for me to breathe.”

You could consider a similar approach, perhaps one-on-one.

I’m not sure people understand – both men and women included – that cologne and perfume should be noticeable when you’re intimately close to a person, not standing a few feet away. Nobody should have a scent, any scent, from that distance. This is ironically the reason showers exist.

when you walks in to your office say “Hey! you smell that!? it seems that there is a horrible smell that just came in through the vents! it smells like horrible cologne!”

Go the allergy or asthma route, but just say you have a “sensitivity” to the scents and chemicals in perfumes and strongly scented lotions so you aren’t actually lying.

Speak these exact words. “The stink you are wearing makes me want to puke.”

I would go @Supacase‘s route. I am very sensitive to cologne and perfume (not allergic or anything, it just really bugs me). I had to work in a very small space with a guy who wore too much cologne. I told him I had a sensitivity to cologne and asked him to cut back. It worked nicely.

You say… “Hey co-worker! Your cologne is making me sick!”

Most offenders in that way do not realize they have over done it! This is a co-worker and you should have the right to tactfully say “you may not realize it but your cologne is quite powerful and you might want to try using less”...I would even tell him it is actually unpleasant for you. This is your workspace too and having someone foul it up like that is not acceptable.

Just tell him nicely…in the voice of Pepe Le Pew ;)

@Supacase idea is great. It makes it a health issue that the employer must deal with. It places the problem on management’s doorstep and they have to deal with it.

He’s putting it on to smell good. That’s the result he’s hoping for.

This is a very delicate matter because it involves personal embarrassment. I never did find the right way to handle it myself. A coworker had the habit of applying spray cologne after she arrived in the office—not in the ladies’ room but right there in our midst. The fragrance might have been pleasant enough if taken in small doses, but when she sprayed not just herself but all the air around her, that made it a killer.

I thought about saying to her “Your cologne is lovely, Ruthie, but I’m OD’ing on it when you put it on in here. Would you mind going a little lighter and putting it on before you come in?”

That was many years ago. Maybe I’d do it now.

The thing is, any such approach essentially relies on the other person’s goodwill and unwillingness to offend. Growing up with younger siblings I learned that exposing a sensitivity like that can just backfire by showing them how to get at you. Some people still behave that way in the workplace, as I have learned to my sorrow when begging for a little less loud chatter around me. Maybe a very large fan pointed in his direction would do the trick.

In your place I would probably ask my manager to let me move to another cubicle far, far away and explain the reason. You can’t work with one hand holding your nose.

You can say “hey I smells something bad here,it’s stink!,I can’t even breathe,do you know what’s this painful smell?” to your other friend when he/she’s around,then by doing that he/she will realize that his/her smell will make other people feel uncomfortable. You don’t even have to talk with him/her,just make sure it can be heard.

Just sugarcoat it. In other words, hide a “insult” (which is not really what you’re doing as much as alerting the individual to a particularly offending issue) in a complement. Say something to the effect of “John/Jane, your cologne is really nice but that’s some strong stuff! It must be a good product. I’d go with a little less though.”

Definitely a job for management. Don’t characterize the person or the smell, just tell them it makes you feel ill and interfers with your work and your work relationships.

@kruger_d Good call. This kind of thing is the reason businesses hire Human Resources specialists. That, and benefits of course.

I’d go the polite anonymous note route. It’s too awkward for face-to-face!

Generally in life honesty is the best policy, but in cases like this you dont want to offend a nice person if they’re not deliberately being inconsiderate. I suggest advising them you have a sensitive nose and strong cologne makes your sinus irritated. I would turn it around on myself and say “I’m so sorry, I have this awful sinus issue which is irritated by strong cologne, would you be so kind to wear a little less to the office because my eyes really burning lately”. This way you’re telling them indirectly that they wear their cologne too strong, and if they’re a nice person they’ll consider your ‘burning eyes’ next time they spray.