I'm not surprised. I have become very sensitive to smell myself. I get the most severe migraines from things like washing detergent or some cheap perfumes. It is so bad that even the smell of the neighbour showering or spraying on deodorant can trigger a migraine. I am relatively close the the neighbour where my office is LOL!
Have you tried completely natural products. I can't suggest anything off hand, but literally the homemade type of stuff?
I tried an olive based natural soap and my anxiety disorder came back within hours. The longer I go soap free the more I realize that I don't need the stuff. I'm not sure what it is in the soaps that cause this to happen but at this stage I don't even want to try anything as it's more than likely going to put me back there again. Some industrial dish washing liquids make my nose run almost immediately when doing the dishes. Not in its usual form but when it is mixed with water. I think the manufacturers deliberately put certain ingredients into their products tempting you to go out and buy more of their products to solve a problem created by them. Example the bath soap makes you smell when you sweat so you then need the us their deodorants to combat the smell. I bet if you take any product of theirs you will experience a side effect and they will undoubtedly have another product offering a solution. I have been soap free for 6 weeks now and have no intention of using soap again. It's just a psychological thing of not using soap I struggled with at first. I removed all soaps from my bathroom which made it easier. I had no Idea that I had a Social Anxiety Disorder my whole life until I started reading up about it and was only diagnosed a few years ago. I thought I just had a nervous personality. Many people have it but just haven't realized that it is not normal. If I were you I would go soap free for a few days and see what happens. You've got nothing to lose and you may be surprised at the results. I've realized that we have been scammed our whole lives by these businesses so that they can make huge profits.
Oliva soap description: Made from pure unrefined olive oil, Oliva is kind and gentle to the skin. Oliva is not tested on animals, contains no artificial colours or perfumes, is completely vegetarian. 100% biodegradable.
I wouldn't be surprised by any of that. I haven't used normal soap on my face since I was a teenager. I've used a very old brand that was PH balanced long before it was a fashion, but I found that that too has become rubbish. Now I actually wash my face with blend of a paraben free gel like face wash we get here and aqueous cream. I keep telling people that you don't need to scrub your body. You only need to clean it. People have bought into the 'germ free' lie that makes them sick. Without the good germs we are sick and even more prone.