one of google's answers: Do air fresheners work by numbing out your nose?
I don't know if the claim in that page is correct in the first place (I don't think I remember my high school chemistry :P), and also it seems pretty old (dated 19-Dec-1980) and things might have changed since then... at any rate, the numbing effect is only partially responsible and "The numbing effect is temporary and not thought to be harmful in itself"