Do you smell burning toast? How about burnt coffee? Is someone smoking in here? Are you baking cupcakes? If you have found yourself asking these or similar questions and everyone around you is shaking their head and looking at you like you’re crazy, you’re probably not. You’re just experiencing phantom smells.

Phantom smells is a symptom of perimenopause and menopause. Some women detect aromas or odors that no one else does, and they can occur any time, any place, and last days, weeks, or longer. You may notice the smell in one or both nostrils. Occasionally the smells are pleasant or rather ordinary, but more often they are offensive or disgusting. Although the smells may not be real, the experience is. 

Read about menopause and phantom smells

Phantom smells: What’s going on?

We did two short videos (here and here) on TikTok about phantom smells, and suddenly women from around the world wrote to tell us about their nose-stimulating experiences. They are smelling much more than burnt toast and cupcakes: the partial list includes gas, chemicals, rotten eggs, freshly cut grass, cheap plastic, cheap perfume, fried onions, body odor, sewage, beer, maple syrup, chicken soup, cat litter box, dog poop, bleach, stuffing, hot curling iron, rotten meat, burnt wires, air fresheners, and flowers. We were surprised by the number of pleasant aromas women reported, since foul odors are more common. 

In addition to hormonal fluctuations, phantom smells (also known as phantosmia or olfactory hallucinations) may be caused by sinus infection, dry mouth, vitamin deficiencies, hypothyroidism, head injury, aging, use of certain medications (some antibiotics, statins, and blood pressure meds), allergic rhinitis, nasal polyps, depression, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease. 

In a 2018 study from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of more than 7,400 adults age 40 years and older, the researchers found that phantom smell perception prevalence was 6.5 percent and was greater among women, younger people, individuals with poor health, a history of head injury, and dry mouth. Another study named sinus problems as a significant cause (52 to 72 percent of cases). Phantom smells associated with the brain tend to be more persistent.

Our Community's Experience with Phantom Smells

Here is a full list of phantom smells that our community has shared with us (note: We update this page often, so if you are experiencing a phantom smell that is not on this list, please email us at info (at) wearemorphus (dot) com and we will add it).

This is a list from our incredible community who has shared the phantom smells they are experiencing:

• Fried onions
• Vicks Vapor rub
• Skunk
• Fresh cut grass
• Gasoline
• B.O.
• Dry cleaning fluid
• Cheap plastic smells (like flip flops)
• Matches
• Electricity / overheated electronics
• (Cheap) perfume
• Cheap incense
• Heat & electricity
• Coolant
• Rotten food (meat)
• Burning rubber
• Burned plastic
• Smoke
• Sweet smells
• Sewage
• Dry cleaning fluid
• Hot pans
• Sulfur
• Garlic
• Nice and rats
• Decaying flesh
• Weed
• Pizza
• Fresh bread
• Oily hair
• Eggs
• Fish
• Mildew
• Cigars
• Butter
• Naphthalene
• Peppermint
• Dry cleaner fluid
• Vomit
• Beer
• Perfume
• Baking
• Maple syrup
• Blueberry muffins
• Cupcakes
• Pancake syrup
• Onions
• Pinto beans
• Chicken soup
• McDonald’s
• Cat box
• Cat pee
• Cat poop 💩
• Dog poop
• Sour milk
• Metal
• Air fresheners
• Hot curling iron
• Chlorine
• Bleach
• Floral scents/flowers
• Feet
• Stuffing
• Chrysanthemum
• Paint
• Sharpies
• Burnt wires
• Car exhaust

Bottom line

The important message is, You are not going crazy! If you have any questions or concerns about your smelly experiences, consult with your doctor, especially if you have had any head injuries or are taking medications associated with phantom smells. Over time, the phantom smells will disappear and they will be merely a memory!

In the meantime, you might consider doing saline rinses, using a humidifier, and eating foods rich in vitamin B12 like liver or organ meats, beef or eggs (or supplements for plant-based readers) and zinc. And feel free to share your “smelly” experiences with us!

We're doing our own research on members of our community. Please fill out our survey about phantom smells or any of our other surveys we are conducting.