Francesca Lyman details health problems that may be caused by sweet-smelling gifts. Most people can tolerate fragrance products but some people with asthma, rhinitis, allergies, or dermatitis may find them aggravating to their condition. With some 5,000 fragrances in commercial use, the range of suspect ingredients is broad. While they include all kinds of botanical and animal-derived ingredients, for the most part, 95 percent of the ingredients in fragrances are synthesized from petrochemicals. Of course, perfumes do their job by volatilizing, but to an environmental health expert, they are just another VOC (volatile organic compound). According to one source, some 75 percent of asthmatics react negatively to fragrance. (See: http://www.msnbc.com/news/871197.asp)