Not all of us love that fresh paint smell, in fact it can cause a significant amount of the population to feel incredibly unwell.
After painting it’s common to have to suffer a strong chemical smell in your home for several days, and it often lingers for several weeks as the paint fully cures on your walls and woodwork.
Completely scent free paint is rare. All wet coatings have some kind of odour while they are being applied. However, there are natural paints available which have barely any odour associated with them, and they don’t have the sharp chemical fumes you’ll experience with conventional paints.
Very low odour paints are available in the UK. The key difference lies in how they are formulated and what ingredients they contain.
Why Does Paint Smell?
Paint smell comes from volatile organic compounds, often shortened to VOCs. These are chemicals that evaporate into the air as the paint dries, a process called off gassing. During this process you and your family are inhaling the chemicals that were in your tin of paint. Off gassing can last up to several weeks, or longer in some cases.
In conventional paints, VOCs come from solvents, plastic binders and preservatives. They are used to keep the paint liquid in the tin and help it form a durable film on the wall. As the paint cures, these chemicals gradually evaporate into the surrounding air.
Oil based paints and traditional high gloss finishes tend to have the strongest odour because they contain higher levels of solvent. Even modern water based paints still rely on acrylic resins and additives that can produce a noticeable smell.
What Chemicals Create VOCs?
Some common chemicals responsible for VOCs found in standard paints include formaldehyde, toluene and acetaldehyde. While these may be present in relatively low amounts, they are responsible for the sharp, synthetic scent many people associate with decorating.
This is why the phrase “low VOC” does not always mean “no smell”. A paint can meet regulatory limits and still produce an odour during application and drying.
What Makes Some Paints Virtually Smell Free?
It’s possible to make paint without harsh synthetic chemicals. These natural paints use plant based binders and mineral formulations to create paints that are just as effective, but without the horrible smell.
Conventional paints usually rely on synthetic resins and petrochemical solvents. These ingredients help with durability and film formation, but they are also the main source of strong paint smells.
Lower odour natural paints are formulated to use:-
- Water as the primary carrier instead of heavy solvents.
- Mineral pigments rather than synthetic colourants.
- Plant-based or mineral binders instead of plastic resins.
- No harsh chemical additives.
Because there are no volatile solvents to evaporate, there’s only very low levels of smell released into the room.
Odourless Paint for Walls - What to Look For
When people search for odourless wall paint or odourless emulsion paint, they are usually decorating bedrooms, living rooms or home offices and want a finish that will not dominate the space with fumes.
For interior walls and ceilings, look for:
- Very low VOC content, expressed in grams per litre. For example, our Auro paints range generally has <0.01gl VOCs compared to up to 30g in conventional formulations.
- Clear ingredient information from the manufacturer.
- Water based formulations.
- Mineral or plant based binders
How Long Does Paint Smell Last?
With conventional paint, it’s not unusual for odour to linger in your home for several days and possibly weeks. In the case of oil based gloss, the smell can persist even longer, particularly if ventilation is limited.
This will obviously be unpleasant in high use areas like living rooms, and can cause particular issues for sensitive individuals when used in bedrooms.
Natural interior paints do not cause long term issues with smells. Because there are no volatile solvents evaporating into the air, the smell during application is milder and tends to dissipate quickly as the surface dries.
Can Paint Smell Cause Headaches or Allergic Reactions?
For many people, the smell of paint is simply unpleasant. For others, it can trigger more noticeable reactions and even allergies.
Common reactions to conventional solvent based paints include:-
Headaches and Nausea
Strong solvent fumes can cause headaches, dizziness or nausea, particularly in enclosed spaces.
Asthma and Respiratory Sensitivity
People with asthma or respiratory conditions may find that heavy paint fumes irritate their airways, and even trigger asthma attacks - especially during application.
Even if you do not consider yourself chemically sensitive, reducing indoor emissions can make decorating more comfortable overall.
What to Look For If Odourless Paint is Important
If avoiding strong smells is important to you, don’t rely on labelling that says a paint is low voc or low odour. This can be on the tin and the paint may still absolutely stink and make you feel unwell if you’re particularly sensitive.
- Check the VOC content in grams per litre (g/l).
- Look for clear ingredient transparency.
- Consider natural paints with mineral or plant based binders.
- Choose reputable suppliers who specialise in low-emission products
This approach gives you more confidence than relying solely on the phrase “low odour” on the front of the tin.
Need Advice on Getting The Right Paint?
If you want paint that doesn’t stink, you can achieve this by choosing paints formulated with water, minerals and plant based ingredients instead of heavy petrochemical solvents.
If you need advice, or have particular concerns about paint ingredient allergies, our team has decades of experience and will be delighted to help you find a gentle paint that’s easy to be around during application. Please do contact us and we’ll be happy to help.
Paint does not have to fill your home with fumes. With natural paint formulations, you can achieve a durable, attractive finish without the lingering chemical odour.
