18 Places "Fragrance" May be Lurking in Your Home
/What’s the big deal about “fragrance”, anyway?
“Fragrance” when on a personal care product label is a vague term created to legally hide synthetic chemicals that have been blended together to create a certain smell in your body products, cleaning products and home products. The truth is, hundreds of chemicals could potentially be in "fragrance" companies don’t have to disclose (to the consumer or even the FDA) the chemicals in their mixture because "fragrance" is considered a "trade secret".
The problem is that 75% of products that contain fragrance contain within that mixture phthalates (thal-ates). These are known endocrine disruptors (disrupt the endocrine system). What is the endocrine system? It's the collection of glands that produce hormones which regulate metabolism, growth and development, tissue function, sexual function, reproduction, sleep, and mood, among other things. The endocrine system is made up of the pituitary gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, adrenal glands, pancreas, ovaries (in females) and testicles (in males). In addition to messing with all these glands and the production of hormones, phthalates have also been linked with allergies, dermatitis, and respiratory distress.
Where is fragrance?
It’s in a DISTURBING number of products found in households across the US. Because we don’t have a regulatory organization putting good safety precautions in place and testing for safety, toxins are all around us and consumers in the US must be EXTRA vigilant about label-reading. I’d say if you can avoid just one ingredient in the next year in an effort to decrease your daily toxic load, fragrance would be the best place to start.
Here are 18 products that commonly contain fragrance (or “parfum” or “perfume”)
1. Scented candles
2. Plug-ins
3. Air-freshener sprays
4. Laundry products
5. Personal care products for your body, hair or for skincare (this is a HUGE category, just get used to reading your labels!)
6. Tissue
7. Toilet paper
8. Feminine care products
9. Trash bags
10. Cleaning products
11. Kid’s products (we have a friend who even has scented swimming goggles!)
12. Diapers
13. Sanitary wipes/ baby wipes
14. Drawer sachets
15. Synthetic pot pouri (like those scented pine cones you see everywhere during the holidays that are anything but “natural”)
16. Bath products like scent Epsom salt
17. Carpet deodorizers
18. Car “air-fresheners”
Now what?
What you can do NOW to decrease toxins in your home, and, thus, decrease the toxic load for you and your family. Just take a look at your labels. At least “fragrance” is an ingredient that will be on the label. My best advice when searching for safe products is ignore the front of the label all together. There companies often make claims they don’t live up to when it comes to what they actually put in the bottle. Flip over the back and take a minute to REALLY read the ingredients. If you see fragrance listed, and/or a whole host of synthetic chemicals you can’t pronounce or have never hear of, that should be a red flag. In almost EVERY case, there is a safer alternative if you take the time to seek it out.
In short, if a company isn't willing to fully disclose the chemicals in their fragrance cocktail or if you don't know if those chemicals are safe, AVOID that product. I do.
What if I can’t do without all the smells?
Now that I know about this issue, I use organic essential oils for all my “smelly” needs (as well as for their therapeutic benefits!) I have essential oil candles, a necklace diffuser, room sprays, car diffuser, regular diffuser and beautifully (naturally) scented body and cleaning products!
When shopping essential oils, choose organic, PURE oils that don’t contain fillers or any synthetic chemicals. Beware the box-store brands.
My favorite oils are blends from Pure Haven (which are all USDA Certified Organic):
· Tranquility (for emotional support, focus, anti-inflammation) cedarwood, lavender, frankincense, sweet orange and chamomile. .2fl oz for $24.95
· Be Well: (for immune boost, mood enhancer & respiratory support) lemon, eucalyptus, tea tree and peppermint. .2fl oz for $14.95
Above blends available at this link:
https://shop.bydesign.com/PureHaven/#/shop/from/?categoryID=71