Toxins in Fragrance

By Laura Michelle Powers: Celebrity Psychic, Author, and host of Healing Powers Podcast

Even if you are not using perfumes and fragrances, chances are you exposed to dozens of them every day! Fragrances are added to all kinds of personal products, candles, air freshener, and even products you might not expect like lip gloss and eye makeup. This is an issue because fragrance manufacturers can list fragrance and then not have to specify the components in the fragrance in the ingredients and a lot of these ingredients are quite toxic!

Types of hazardous chemicals detected:

• Respiratory toxicants and chemicals linked to asthma.

• Chemicals linked to breast cancer including benzene and 1,4-dioxane, which have been linked to mammary tumors.

• Hormone-disrupting compounds are linked to breast cancer: oxybenzone, propylparaben, and two phthalates (DEHP and DEP).

• Other chemicals linked to skin irritation and neurotoxicity.

Studies show that there are about 38 chemicals that are not listed on the labels in 17 branded fragrances like Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Bath & Body Works, Old Spice, Calvin Klein, and more) The average fragrance product contains 14 chemicals that were not disclosed on the label. Most commonly, fragrances contain phthalates, parabens and synthetic musks that may cause reproductive problems, hormone disruption, and possibly cancer. The exact ingredients in synthetic fragrances are protected as “trade secrets” and therefore, are not disclosed on the label.

Here are a few reasons why added fragrances are damaging to your health:

Mystery Ingredients

When it comes to scented products, consumers have no idea what's inside in the bottle. Fragrance manufacturers are allowed to hide behind ‘trade secret' to protect their concoctions, and leave consumers in the dark about the allergens, irritants, and toxins. The products may contain known allergens, and you will use them without it.

Toxic Ingredients

What fragrance can do for you? Most chemicals exposed can trigger allergies, migraines, kidney and liver problems, to name a few. There’s also evidence that some of the toxins found in fragrances may also contribute to neurological degeneration.

You Might as Well Be Smoking

A recent study showed that using air fresheners in the house is the equivalent health-wise to smoking 20 cigarettes a day! There are also lots of healthier options like essential oil diffusers or natural air fresheners (I like these by Attitude).

Additional Reasons to avoid toxic fragrances.

1. Fragrance can mean a cocktail of up to 3,000 different ingredients and most have NOT been tested for safety.

2. Many of these unlisted ingredients are irritants and can trigger allergies (runny nose, watery eyes, itching skin), migraines, and asthma symptoms.

3. Perfumes can trigger an asthma attack.

4. Based on lab experiments, individual fragrance ingredients have been associated with cancer and neurotoxicity.

5. They are linked to early puberty in girls.

6. They are linked to reduced sperm count in men and reproductive defects in the developing male fetus.

7. They are associated with obesity and insulin resistance in men.

8. Exposure to phthalates may cause liver and kidney failure in young children when products containing phthalates are chewed for extended periods.

Sources:

3 Reasons Perfume Stinks for Your Health

Air Fresheners Cause Lung Cancer

Does your perfume Include Toxic Chemicals?

Natural Beauty Tip: 11 reasons to avoid toxic perfume & cologne

Right to know: Exposing toxic fragrance chemicals in beauty, personal care, and cleaning products