The Scary Truth About Artificial Fragrances
Walk into any beauty supply store and you will find rows upon rows of perfumes and body sprays in their pretty bottles with celebrity endorsements and women and young girls trying out the various options.
It makes my heart sink every time I see this because I know that if these lovelies only knew what was in those fragrances that they would never put them on their bodies or spray them around their loved ones.
We are attracted to perfumes (and other forms of artificial fragrances like candles, air fresheners and room sprays) because we want to smell pretty or make our homes smell nice, but the toxins found in these products are incredibly dangerous with side effects like central nervous system disorders, respiratory failure and more.! Hold up, pause and reread that. Central Nervous System Disorders! Respiratory Failure! And More!?!! Huh??? How is that even possible that things we use daily, year over year are that dangerous??? [See this article for more info]
Advocate David Lawrence Dewey says
“In 1986, the National Academy of Sciences recommended before the 99th US Congress that fragrances be tested for neurotoxicity. Has this occurred? No! Have personal care products been tested for effects on inhalation, for absorption through skin and eyes, getting into the bloodstream or targeting organs. No! And why is this?”
Mr. Dewey, honestly, I’d like to know the answer to that question myself!
I can tell you that one road block surrounding artificial fragrance disclosure is that ingredients in fragrances (especially perfumes) are deemed to be trade secrets and are protected information. So even if you tried to find out what was in them you wouldn’t have the right to know because of their proprietary formulas. Yet we regularly use these fragrances on our bodies, in our homes, near our children and even sometimes spray them on our pets assuming that they are safe. We believe that there is no way that anyone would knowingly put our health in jeopardy. Not necessarily so!
We are led to believe that there are governmental agencies set up to protect us from dangers like this, but the truth is very often those agencies don’t look into what is in products until complaints arise. We live in a country that is a ‘buyer beware’ society. It is up to US to do our own research and discover on our own why or why not we should or shouldn’t ingest or otherwise use products on our near our person, yet much of the information isn’t readily available to us. This is why I’m so passionate about getting the message out there that very often common household and personal care products are not only making us sick, but even slowly killing us.
The Facts
Did you know that artificial/synthetic fragrances have been linked to allergies, cancers, birth defects, and endocrine disruption? Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that can affect the bodies endocrine system. Without getting too sciencey our endocrine system is responsible for the regulation of our metabolism, growth and development, tissue function, sexual function, reproduction, sleep, and moods.
Who would have ever thought that using artificial fragrances could disrupt the body so much and wreak so much havoc on our systems?
When we start to look at it very often we can discover that our migraine headaches are triggered by prolonged exposure to our perfume, or facial cleanser, or shampoo etc. Our kids hyperactivity or mood disorder could be coming from exposure to chemicals in his/her body wash or body spray. And to think that using these products throughout our lives from childhood could affect our fertility and ability to have children in the future? This is craziness!
So What Can You Do?
My suggestion is to discontinue use of any and all products in your home or that you use on your body that contain artificial fragrances. Stop burning candles, ditch the plug in air fresheners, stop using the lotions and potions that make you smell pretty and exchange all those things for products that use only natural ingredients like essential oils or go fragrance free completely and add your own natural ingredients to make it smell nice or fresh.
Avoid the use or purchase of any product that doesn’t fully disclose all of the ingredients in the label. It’s not worth the risk to you or your loved ones.
Start one day at a time and adjust your buying habits and educate yourself about the many toxic chemicals found in our common household products. The more you know and the more you use your power of purchase to vote on what products you want to see made available to you the sooner the industry will be forced to pay attention and step up their game!
And don't think you need to switch everything in a day. Go at your own pace by starting to get rid of products in your home that could be dangerous and replacing them with ones that are clean and safe. If you have questions, reach out to me I’ve been working on this in my own home and life for years and can help point you in the right direction.