Fragrance: A Wolf in Lamb’s Clothing?

Every day, we use products enhanced by fragrance:  soaps and shampoos, creams and cosmetics, laundry detergents, and an array of household cleaning agents. Such products are required to list their ingredients, but I’ve been surprised to learn that the term “fragrance” can cover a multitude of potentially harmful substances. We have no idea which specific chemicals we may use to spray, scrub, or smooth our skin.

Fine fragrance products are very opaque. Fragrance companies carefully protect their formulas, a mix of natural and synthetic substances that create the unique floral, woody, or spicy “nose.” But chemicals, such as “…phthalates, parabens, musk, and aldehydes, used for scent longevity or preservation, [sic] can disrupt hormones (endocrine disruptors), cause allergies, trigger asthma, or have reproductive/carcinogenic effects.”¹

According to Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP), a science-based policy and advocacy group, the “84 billion-dollar personal care products industry is one of the least regulated in the United States.”² The lack of regulation leaves people exposed to toxic chemicals through our frequent use of perfumes and personal care products. Equally, there is a lack of transparency. The catch-all term “fragrance” on a product label may mask carcinogens and other toxic chemicals linked to adverse health effects.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a team of scientists, physicians, and experts in environmental health, echoes the BCPP’s findings about the hidden presence of potentially toxic fragrance chemicals. EWG found that two phthalates in particular—dibutyl phthalate and diethylhexyl phthalate—often appear on a label as “fragrance but do not have to be disclosed as individual chemicals.”³

Phthalates and parabens are linked to numerous health concerns. “[These]…endocrine disruptors are known to affect how women’s bodies use estrogen and thus have been linked to breast cancer. Research has also shown that endocrine disruptors can harm the immune system – an effect that makes us more susceptible to disease and viruses.”⁴ 

EWG research shows that the U.S. lags behind the EU, Canada, and many other countries that have enacted strict rules on cosmetics, skin care, and other personal care products, banning chemicals such as phthalates, parabens, PFAS, and petroleum distillates. “Some of these nations have restricted or completely banned more than 1,600 chemicals from cosmetic products,” while the “U.S. Food and Drug Administration has banned or restricted only nine chemicals for safety reasons.”⁵

Awareness is the first step in protecting one’s health. I think I’ll be reading the fine print on product labels more closely.

1. alitura.com/blogs/beauty-benefits/the-top-10-toxic-chemicals-in-perfumes-and-cologne
2. bcpp.org/our-work/personal-care-products
3. ewg.org/the-toxic-twelve-chemicals-and-contaminants-in-cosmetics
4. ewg.org/the-toxic-twelve-chemicals-and-contaminants-in-cosmetics
5. ewg.org/the-toxic-twelve-chemicals-and-contaminants-in-cosmetics