Why I No Longer Use Fragrance

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I just want to start out by saying, this is not fear-mongering.

I am simply sharing a fact that to me was pretty eye-opening and life-changing when I first learned about it.

At the time, I was struggling with a lot of health issues, my autoimmune disease flaring up being one of them. Through a series of way too many Google searches, I found the book No More Dirty Looks, and after reading it, I was shook.

It taught me that what I’m putting on my body and breathing into my lungs is just as important as what I’m putting in my body.For whatever reason (I know the reason: companies put profits over ethics), this stuff is not common knowledge.

You see it on the shelf, you think it’s safe. Surely companies can’t sell products that aren’t safe and harm our health, right? Right???

No, my friend. No.

So I share this so that you can also be informed of what you’re really buying and filling your life with. Information is power, and we all deserve to be aware if something we’re using is causing us harm.

What is Fragrance, Really?

Fragrance, also labeled as perfume or parfum, is defined by the FDA as a combination of chemicals that gives each perfume or cologne (including those used in other products) its distinct scent.

According to the International Fragrance Association (IFRA), there are 3,163 materials listed as being used in fragrance compounds, and this number is constantly growing.

These compounds are made up of a mix of natural ingredients (from plants) and synthetic chemical materials (i.e. alcohol + petrochemicals) and are what make up a “fragrance.”

The thing about fragrance is, it’s in just about everything. And fragrance does not discriminate: It’s in women’s products, men’s products, baby products, kid’s products, household products, and more. You can find it in:

perfume

cologne
deodorant
shampoo
conditioner
hair spray
body wash
facial cleansers
acne products
astringents
lotions and moisturizers
makeup
hair color
feminine products
shaving cream
aftershave
baby wipes
over the counter drugs
candles
air fresheners
carpet fresheners and shampoos
cleaning products
laundry detergent
fabric softener
dryer sheets
dish soap
dishwasher detergent

This stuff is e v e r y w h e r e.

Fragrance & Cosmetics Laws

The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) and the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials (RIFM) are solely responsible for developing and setting voluntary standards for the chemicals used in fragrance compounds. Keyword here being “voluntary.”

Due to the versatility of fragrance, it is in several different consumer product categories, including cosmetics, which is defined as any product intended to be applied to a person’s body to enhance their appearance.

Contrary to popular belief, cosmetics are not FDA-Approved, they are simply FDA-Regulated.

FDA-approved products must undergo premarket approval, meaning they are subject to a review of safety and effectiveness by the FDA and must gain FDA approval before the product can be marketed. FDA-regulated products, on the other hand, do not need to undergo any premarket approval.

Cosmetic products and ingredients, aside from color additives, are not required by law to have FDA approval before they hit the market.

Product Testing

Per the FDA, the law does not require FDA approval before cosmetic products can hit the market. The only “requirement” is that they must be “safe for consumers when they are used according to labeled directions, or as people customarily use them.”

Simply put, the individuals and companies that create these products are expected to take the necessary steps to ensure their products + the ingredients they use are safe. But they don’t have to.

As of 2019, of the 12,500 ingredients determined by the FDA to be used in cosmetics, less than 20% have been evaluated for their safety. And of those 12,500 ingredients, a mere 11 are banned and 3 are restricted from use in the United States.

To put that into perspective, the European Union has banned 1,328 ingredients from cosmetics.

Trade Secret Laws

In the U.S., companies are required by law to disclose all ingredients of cosmetics and personal care products on the label. However, fragrance is exempt from this regulation, so each individual fragrance ingredient does NOT need to be listed out. Instead, they can all simply be listed as the ingredient “fragrance.”

Cleaning products, on the other hand, are NOT required by federal law to disclose the ingredients their products are made of, and most, if not all, of them contain fragrance, too.

Companies are allowed to get away with using this blanket term to encompass all of the many different ingredients that make up their fragrance, and in the case of cleaning products, just flat out not disclose any ingredients due to Trade Secret Laws.

Meaning, they don’t have to disclose the dozens, if not hundreds, of chemicals that we put all over our bodies and inhale multiple times a day, because they don’t want people stealing their formulas.

Why We Should Care: How Fragrance Impacts our Health

Contrary to what most people think, the majority of our exposure to hazardous pollutants that affect our health and well-being actually happens indoors. The primary source being common consumer products that contain fragrance.

Exposure to fragrance has been linked to a range of adverse health effects, including asthma, allergies, headaches, migraines, skin irritation, contact dermatitis, mucosal symptoms, cancer, and nervous system, respiratory, reproductive, and endocrine disruption.

Fragranced products emit dozens of different volatile compounds, such as terpenes, that react with the ozone where they generate secondary pollutants such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde.

Acetaldehyde, a chemical on California’s Proposition 65 listed as a known or suspected carcinogen (aka it’s known/suspected to cause cancer), is known to adversely affect the kidneys and reproductive, nervous, and respiratory systems.

Benzophenone, an ingredient found in fragrance compounds, is linked to endocrine disruption and organ system toxicity, while derivatives of it are also potential endocrine disruptors. Experimental studies indicate that benzophenone may also lead to several kinds of tumors.

And this is only scratching the surface of the dangers associated with fragrance. We still don’t know the whole picture, because little information exists on the chemical compounds found in, and emitted from, products that contain fragrance. And a large part of that is because companies are not required to disclose all of the ingredients they use to make up their fragrance compounds.

On average, American women use 12 personal care products every day that contain 168 different chemicals. Men, on the other hand, use an average of 6 personal care products daily that contain 85 different chemicals. The majority of these products are applied directly to the skin, the body’s largest organ, where they are absorbed directly into the bloodstream.

The average skin absorption rate is 64%, but varies based on location and is affected by absorption mechanisms (transcellular, intercellular, appendageal). Penetration through more sensitive areas, like the genitals, is estimated to be 100%, whereas an area like the forearm is 8.6%. Areas with a higher concentration (density + size) of hair follicles, like the scalp, also influence the rate of absorption.

When we apply these chemicals, they aren’t just sitting on top of our skin. The instant they come into contact with our skin, they are slowly working their way into our bodies and into our bloodstream.

Without even knowing it, we are exposing ourselves to some of the worst chemicals out there, and our health and the health of those we love are suffering as a direct result.

Is it Really Worth it to Stop Using Fragrance?

Video gif. A man in a blue jacket and pink scarf, dramatically tosses gold glitter in the air. Text, "Yes girl!"

For me, it has 1000% been worth it. And this is coming from the girl who used to buy everything heavily scented. Bath & Body Works was my ride or die.

Since I stopped using fragrance 5 years ago, I haven’t regretted it for a second.

–> I didn’t realize I was getting pretty regular headaches until I stopped using fragrance.

–> I didn’t realize part of the reason I had chronic hives for over a decade of my life was because of fragrance.

–> I didn’t realize how disgustingly strong and nauseating fragrance actually is until I stopped using it. What was once an aisle I enjoyed, I actually can’t bear to be in the laundry detergent or perfume aisles in stores anymore because the scents are just too strong.

I do not miss traditional fragrance and traditional products at all, because I’ve found safer products to use that work just as good, if not *better* in some instances.