Is It Time to Ditch Synthetic Perfumes?

Standing on an elevator to head to this year’s Expo West natural products trade show, I was sharing the elevator ride with a family. The mother complained to her son that all the cologne he sprayed on himself was giving her a headache. The prime opportunity presented itself. I humbly asked the stricken lady “have you ever tried natural perfumes? Some people are allergic to all perfumes, but mostly it is synthetic perfumes that bother people so badly.” She said that she hadn’t. I suggested that she look online for some recipes and try making her own and see if it helps. We all got off at the ground floor and parted ways.

Fragrance allergies are common these days. WebMD has an article dedicated to understanding this phenomenon:

“Scent sells. So not only are there definitely more fragranced products in the world, the fragrances themselves are also more complex. And for many people, repeated exposures can bring about a constellation of symptoms,” says Tracie DeFreitas Saab, MS, a human factors consultant with the Job Accommodation Network at West Virginia University. DeFreitas frequently works with employers and employees on work environmental issues.

Those symptoms, she tells WebMD, can range from classic “allergic” reactions, such as sneezing, runny nose, and watery eyes; to headaches, inability to concentrate, and dizziness; to respiratory issues, such as breathing difficulties and wheezing; to skin reactions, such as itching, hives, and other rashes.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), fragrances are considered the leading cause of cosmetic contact dermatitis. As a health problem, this sensitivity alone affects more than 2 million people, and studies suggest that sensitivity is on the rise.

I may be mistaken, but it is safe to say that most people get their perfumes from the mall or from the Axe spray aisle at Target. Needless to say, they are all made out of synthetic chemicals which are harmful to the human body in one way or another. These corporations do not care about human life and the ingredients they use are most often not properly tested for safety.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), in conjuncture with the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, issued an eye-opening report entitled “Not So Sexy: Hidden Chemicals in Perfume and Cologne.”

“Widespread exposure and a long-standing culture of secrecy within the fragrance industry continue to put countless people at risk of contact sensitization to fragrances with poorly tested and intentionally unlabeled ingredients (Schnuch 2007),” the report stated.

Laboratory tests commissioned by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and analyzed by Environmental Working Group revealed 38 secret chemicals in 17 name brand fragrance products, topped by American Eagle Seventy Seven with 24, Chanel Coco with 18, and Britney Spears Curious and Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio with 17.

The average fragrance product tested contained 14 secret chemicals not listed on the label. Among them are chemicals associated with hormone disruption and allergic reactions, and many substances that have not been assessed for safety in personal care products.

What people are spraying themselves with, whether they get it from the mall or from Target, has not been properly tested for safety and is not even legally required to appear on the ingredients list on the perfume labels. “Also in the ranks of undisclosed ingredients,” the report continues, “are chemicals with troubling hazardous properties or with a propensity to accumulate in human tissues. These include diethyl phthalate, a chemical found in 97 percent of Americans (Silva 2004) and linked to sperm damage in human epidemiological studies (Swan 2008), and musk ketone, a synthetic fragrance ingredient that concentrates in human fat tissue and breast milk (Hutter 2009; Reiner 2007).”

The government has not even stepped up to the plate to do its basic job of environmental and consumer protection, which is not surprising, since industry lobbyists have weaseled their way into top positions at the FDA and EPA. “The federal government is equally uninformed. A review of government records shows that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not assessed the vast majority of these secret fragrance chemicals for safety when used in spray-on personal care products such as fragrances. Nor have most been evaluated by the safety review panel of the International Fragrance Association or any other publicly accountable institution.”

“Fragrance secrecy is legal due to a giant loophole in the Federal Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1973, which requires companies to list cosmetics ingredients on the product labels but explicitly exempts fragrance. By taking advantage of this loophole, the cosmetics industry has kept the public in the dark about the ingredients in fragrance, even those that present potential health risks or build up in people’s bodies. To make matters worse, FDA lacks the authority to require manufacturers to test cosmetics for safety, including fragranced products, before they are sold to consumers. As a result, people using perfume, cologne, body spray and other scented cosmetics like lotion and aftershave are unknowingly exposed to chemicals that may increase their risk for certain health problems.”

To me, these synthetic fragrances don’t even smell good. So why are we harming our bodies in order to douse ourselves with cheap, nasty smelling perfumes?

The cost is not worth it. “The Campaign commissioned a laboratory analysis of men’s and women’s fragrances as well as scented products marketed to teens of both genders; all products tested contained a range of ingredients associated with health concerns, such as allergic sensitization, and potential effects on the endocrine system or reproductive toxicity.”

While some people are allergic to all perfumes, synthetic or natural, it is clear that harmful chemicals in synthetic perfumes are the cause for a large portion of modern day fragrance allergies.

This not only affects us, but it affects babies in the womb.

When sprayed or applied on the skin, many chemicals from perfumes, cosmetics and personal care products are inhaled. Others are absorbed through the skin. Either way, many of these chemicals can accumulate in the body. As a result, the bodies of most Americans are polluted with multiple cosmetics ingredients. This pollution begins in the womb and continues through life.

A recent EWG study found Galaxolide and Tonalide, two synthetic musks, in the cord blood of newborn babies (EWG 2009). Both musks contaminate people and the environment worldwide, have been associated with toxicity to the endocrine system (van der Burg 2008) and were identified in the majority of products tested for this study. Similarly, a pregnant woman’s use of some fragrances and other cosmetics frequently may expose her growing fetus to diethyl phthalate (DEP), a common perfume solvent linked to abnormal development of reproductive organs in baby boys and sperm damage in adult men (Washington Toxics Coalition 2009). New research also links prenatal exposure of DEP to clinically diagnosed Attention Deficit Disorder in children (Engel 2010). This analysis found DEP in 12 of 17 products tested, at levels ranging from 30 parts per million (ppm) to 32,000 ppm in Eternity for Women.

These corporations do not care about human life, therefore they do not deserve our hard-earned income. We should not degrade ourselves, our health, and the health of others by purchasing synthetic perfumes that are harmful to human health.

The EWG article concludes with a call to action to all people of conscience. “People have the right to know which chemicals they are being exposed to. They have the right to expect the government to protect people, especially vulnerable populations, from hazardous chemicals. In addition to required safety assessments of ingredients in cosmetics, the laws must be changed to require the chemicals in fragrance to be fully disclosed and publicly accessible on ingredient labels.”

More than that, companies have to create alternatives to synthetic perfumes. That is why we at Ridha Naturals have created our Heavenly Scents perfume line. It is 100% natural, plant-based, and free of synthetic ingredients. It features a unique men and women’s blend based on Middle Eastern herbal traditions, giving it a lush, mystical tone.

To answer the question of this article, yes, it is more than due time to ditch synthetic perfumes. We can smell great without harming our health.