In my last post I discussed why avoiding artificial
colorants is important to our health.
Today I want to take a serious look at artificial fragrance. Artificial fragrances can be found in soaps,
shampoos, lotions, candles, air fresheners, laundry detergent, and so much
more. Let’s face it, most of us like smelling good and enjoy walking into a
room with a pleasing aroma.
Unfortunately, if those wonderful smells are coming from artificial
fragrances, they are causing you more harm than good and also have a negative
impact on the environment.
What is in artificial fragrances?
Thousands of chemicals are used to make various synthetic
scents. Just one scent may consist of
over 100 different chemicals. None of those
chemicals need to be listed individually on the label, as the formula is
considered “trade secret.” 95% of
artificial fragrances are made from petroleum-based chemicals such as benzene,
toluene, xylenes, and methanol. Most
also contain phthalates.
What are the health concerns of certain components in artificial fragrances?
Benzene is a
colorless, flammable liquid with a sweet odor.
Although benzene is formed from natural processes, such as volcanoes and
forest fires, it is more commonly derived from coal and petroleum. Benzene is often used in plastics,
detergents, pesticides and other chemicals.
Exposure to benzene is known to cause cancer, leukemia, drowsiness,
dizziness, unconsciousness, and death. 1,2
Toluene is a
clear, colorless liquid with a strong, sweet, and pungent odor that occurs
naturally in crude oil and in the tolu tree.
Toluene is used as a solvent and to make paints, paint thinners,
medicine, dyes, explosives, detergents, fingernail polish, spot removers,
lacquers, adhesives, rubber, antifreeze and in some printing and leather
tanning processes. Inhaling toluene can
cause death and unconsciousness.
Repeatedly breathing toluene over long periods of time can cause death,
permanent brain damage, or depression and may cause birth defects. High-level exposure may affect the kidneys,
nervous system, liver, brain and heart.
The vapor can irritate the eyes.
Skin contact can cause dry skin and rashes. Low to moderate levels of exposure to toluene
can cause confusion, light-headedness, dizziness, headache, fatigue, weakness,
memory loss, nausea, appetite loss, coughing, wheezing, and hearing and color
vision loss. 3,4
Xylenes are
colorless, sweet-smelling liquids produced from petroleum. Xylene is used as a solvent, a cleaning
agent, and paint thinner, in paints and varnishes, and in the printing, rubber,
and leather industries. Exposure to
xylene may cause harm to the liver, the nervous system, the kidneys, or the
urinary tract and may cause birth defects related to organ development. 5
Methanol, or wood
alcohol, was once made as a byproduct from the destructive distillation of
wood; however, today it is produced from carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and
hydrogen. Methanol can be fatal no
matter if it is ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. It depresses the central nervous system
similarly to ethanol poisoning. Once in
the body, methanol is also converted to formaldehyde and then to formic acid,
which causes hypoxia at the cellular level. 6
Phthalates are
esters of phthalic acid7 and are used mostly as plasticizers. Phthalates are what soften vinyl plastics
that are common in toys,8 give shower curtains their smell and are
common components of the fragrance formulas in lotions, soaps, cleansers, hair
care products, nail polish, air fresheners, detergents, cleaning products and
more. Much research has been conducted
on the harmful effects of phthalates.
Phthalates have been shown to cause birth defects of the genitals,
reduce the level of sex hormones, to be linked to breast cancer and several
other types of cancer.9 Phthalates have also been shown to cause a
“proliferation of breast tumor cells” and to cause anti-estrogen treatments,
such as tamoxifen, to be less effective against tumors.8 Di-ethyl phthalate has been linked to
developmental abnormalities in the fetuses of exposed mothers and to later
learning disabilities in children of exposed mothers.9
Dioxin is
formed by burning chlorine-based chemical compounds with hydrocarbons.10 Although dioxin, is not necessarily a deliberate
ingredient in artificial fragrances, it is often an unintended byproduct of the
interaction of the many chemicals used in the formula.9 Dioxin is known to cause cancer, severe
reproductive and developmental problems, and damage to the immune and hormonal
systems. “Dioxin exposure has been
linked to birth defects, inability to maintain pregnancy, decreased fertility,
reduced sperm counts, endometriosis, diabetes, learning disabilities, immune
system suppression, lung problems, skin disorders, lowered testosterone levels
and much more.”10
Formaldehyde
is another unintended byproduct of the interaction of the many chemicals used
to produce artificial fragrances.
Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen. Even short-term exposure can be fatal. Long-term exposure to low levels of
formaldehyde may cause respiratory difficulty, eczema, and sensitization.11
Galaxolide is a
polycyclic musk that is used in some perfumes, soaps, cosmetics and detergents.12
Galaxolide has been shown to have
hormone disrupting effects. Galaxolide
can bind to and stimulate human estrogen receptors and may, also, affect
androgen and progesterone recptors.13
Tonalide is
another polycyclic musk that is used in cosmetics, detergents, cigarettes, and
toiletries.14 Tonalide has
been shown to increase the proliferation of estrogen-responsive human breast
cancer cells.”13 Tonalide has
also been “identified as a photosensitizer, a chemical that becomes more toxic
when exposed to sunlight on the skin and has been linked to liver toxicity.”13
How do I know if a product contains artificial fragrance?
By law the chemical components of an artificial fragrance do
not have to be listed individually, as the formula used by each company is
considered a “trade secret.” Read the
labels carefully. Look for terms such as
“artificial fragrance,” “fragrance,” “parfum”, or “fragrance oil.” Be aware that “fragrance oils” are not the
same as the 100% natural “essential oils” and that some people may have an allergic response even to "essential oils." In addition, products labeled “unscented” or
“fragrance-free” often contain masking agents to hide the odor of other
chemicals. 14
How to smell good safely
·
Read all product ingredient lists carefully.
·
Avoid buying products listing “artificial
fragrance,” “fragrance,” “parfum,” or “fragrance oil” on the label.
·
Look for products that say “no artificial
fragrance” and “phthalate-free.”
·
Buy certified organic products; but still check
the list of ingredients. I just
discovered that one of my favorite organic lotions has artificial fragrance in
it.
·
Make your own home cleaning products.
·
Make your own air fresheners.
·
Make your own soap and other toiletries. Recipes will be in future posts.
·
Buy beeswax candles.
Additional Comments
Although I have been using natural, mostly organic, personal
care products for many years to avoid the harmful chemicals that I will be
discussing in future posts, I still enjoy lightly scented products,
fragrances, scented candles and air fresheners. Having done the research for this article, I will now be discarding all of
my perfumes, candles, scented wax and room fresheners.
For many of us, replacing every personal and home care product that has
artificial fragrance (which would be just about all of them) at once would be
prohibitively expensive. So, please,
at the very least commit to yourself that as you use up what you are currently using, their new
replacements will contain no artificial fragrance or artificial colorants.
Source:
6 “Methanol” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methanol
7 “Phthalate” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phthalate
8 “Phthalates” http://safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=290
9 “Avoid
Artificial Fragrances,” by Danna Norek http://www.naturalnews.com/z033634_fragrance_chemicals.html
10 “Dioxin” http://www.ejnet.org/dioxin/
11 “Formaldehyde” http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/formaldehyde/
12 “Galaxolide” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxolide
13 “What is the difference
among perfume, eau de toilette, eau de perfume, and fragrance?” by Dahlia
Kelada, January 30, 2013 http://salvenaturals.com/blog/?tag=artificial-fragrance
