Heightened Sense of Smell

Why I Started Bella Palms: My Experience with Heightened Sense of Smell

I never expected a weekly shot to change the way I experience the world around me but that's exactly what happened.

Shortly after starting a GLP-1 medication, I noticed my sense of smell was significantly heightened. Not broken, just intensified. Everything was more overwhelming. Fragrances I had worn for years suddenly felt like too much. My son would walk into the room wearing cologne and I'd have to ask him to leave. Lotions I loved, perfumes I'd sprayed without thinking, all of it became unbearable, especially on the days when nausea hit hardest. It was similar to the scent sensitivity many women describe during pregnancy, that altered sense of smell where everything just hits differently.

I also noticed a shift in my preference for certain scents. Things I used to love I couldn't tolerate. Others I was drawn to in a completely new way. My whole relationship with fragrance had changed overnight and nobody warned me it was coming.

I wasn't frustrated exactly. I understood what was happening. But I had a problem I couldn't solve.

There Was Nothing Out There For Me

I went to Sephora. I went to Ulta. I asked for fragrance-free luxury body care and was met with almost nothing. What I found was clinical and basic, the kind of thing that feels like a compromise, not a treat.

I didn't want to give up feeling good about my body care routine. I just needed to control it on my own terms.

The other issue was that fragrance-free felt like an all-or-nothing choice. Some days I wanted no scent at all. Other days I wanted something light, just a hint. But one spray of even a "light" perfume was too much intensity with my increased sense of smell. There was no in-between option anywhere on the market.

So I Built It

That's why I created Bella Palms. I needed a luxurious, unscented body butter that felt indulgent not medicinal. And I needed the option to add a light touch of scent on the days I wanted it, with complete control over the intensity.

Now my routine looks like this: after a hot shower at night, I reach for my body butter. No fragrance. Just rich, clean hydration that feels like a treat, not a compromise. On the days I want a little something, I add a drop from my scent kit. That's it. My choice, my level, my control.

If Your Sense of Smell Has Changed

If you've noticed fragrances hitting differently — a heightened sense of smell, an altered reaction to scents you used to love, or a new sensitivity that feels similar to pregnancy-related scent changes — you're not alone. Many people on GLP-1 medications describe exactly this experience.

You don't have to choose between luxury and comfort. You just need products that let you decide.

That's what Bella Palms is for.