What You Don’t Know About Fragrance
According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), women in the US apply an average of 168 chemicals to their faces and bodies every day. Fragrance is in most of these products and is a blanket term to hide up to 3,000 toxic scent chemicals from the ingredients list.
Do you know fragrance is a blanket term used to hide up of 3,000 toxic scent chemicals + ingredients. Personal care product companies are required by law to list the ingredients they use, but fragrances and trade-secret formulas are exempt.
Artificial fragrances are in every conventional personal care product, candles, cleaning products, laundry detergents, BABY products, air fresheners, hair products, and makeup – because experts say its safe in small amounts. Synthetic fragrance is linked to endocrine (hormone) disruption, allergies, headaches, autoimmunity, asthma attacks, and cancer.
Other harmful compounds found in conventional personal care products:
Phthalates – a compound used to make fragrances last longer – are linked male reproductive damage. Artificial musks – present in breast milk — are carcinogenic (can cause cancer).
Polyethylene glycol (also called PEGs) which are found in most cosmetics are a known human carcinogen (can cause cancer).
Aluminium. a heavy metal found in drugstore deodorants and antiperspirants increase the risk of brain disorders – Alzheimers, Parkinsons–, as well as breast cancer, kidney disease and osteomalacia (bone disease).
The reality is, eating clean is incredibly important. But, in this day and age, toxic chemical compounds are omnipresent, and we need to be mindful of our choices.
If you do not understand an ingredient, then I recommend you consult the EWG’s database or the @thinkdirtyapp.
As a general rule, if there are parabens, phthalates, fragrances, parfum, mineral oil (petroleum), SLS, dimethicone, phenoxyethanol, and the list goes on, chuck it.
The solution? Start cleaning up your products. Do it slowly. Think deodorants, face creams, shampoos, handwashes, dish soaps. There are amazing companies and DIY options.
You can use apps like @thinkdiry or @ewg which both have exhaustive data bases with detailed info on all the products you can think of.
I know the attachments many of us have to our perfumes and favourite mascaras. Fortunately, non-toxic companies are popping up by the dozen.
If you are interested in my favourite products, just reach out to me in the comments below if you have any questions.
Sources:
https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/ask-ewg-what-fragrance
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26592479/
