An attractive young man exchanges lusty glances with a scantily clad, heavily airbrushed supermodel as a breath of wind seductively tousles her hair. What fragrance ad is it this time? Allure? Irresistible? Illusion? One was accurately named....Poison!
In honor of
Breast Cancer Awareness Month, let's unmask the fragrances that ingenious marketing promises will turn the average female or male into ravishing sex magnets. Many of the ingredients
mimic estrogen which in high levels have been known to cause cancer. Instead of worrying about how sexy her breasts look, a woman who indulges in synthetic fragrances should be concerned about just keeping her breasts.
Fragrance on a label can indicate the presence of up to 4,000 separate ingredients. There is no way to know what the chemicals are, since on the label it will simply read "fragrance." Some problems caused by these chemicals include headaches, dizziness, rash, hyper pigmentation, violent coughing, vomiting, skin irritation—the list goes on. They can also trigger asthma.
Pthalates are used to keep fragrance chemicals in solution. They are found in almost all fragrances and manufacturers are allowed to list them under the name fragrance or parfum. Phthalates are used to enhance fragrances, as solvents, and to denature alcohol.These chemicals have been shown to enter the bloodstream and concentrate in fat cells. They are extremely potent estrogen mimics and some are 10 000 times more potent than estrogen itself.
High levels of estrogen have been known to cause cancer.DEP is the phthalate found in the highest levels in humans and a study published in Environmental Health Perspectives (December 2002) found that DEP is damaging to the DNA of sperm in adult men at current levels of exposure. DNA damage to sperm can lead to infertility and may also be linked to miscarriages, birth defects, infertility and cancer in offspring. Recent product tests found the chemical in every fragrance tested in the United States.
Did You Know?- 95% of chemicals used in fragrances are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum. They include benzene derivatives, aldehydes and many other known toxics and sensitizers - capable of causing cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders and allergic reactions.
- Neurotoxins: At Home and the Workplace, Report by the Committee on Science & Technology, U.S. House of Representatives, Sept. 16, 1986. (Report 99-827) Central Nervous System (CNS) disorders (brain and spine) include Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
- Chloroform was found in tests of fabric softeners: EPA's 1991 study.
- A room containing an air freshener had high levels of p-dichlorobenzene (a carcinogen) and ethanol: EPA's 1991 study.
- An FDA analysis (1968-1972) of 138 compounds used in cosmetics that most frequently involved adverse reactions, identified five chemicals (alpha-terpineol, benzyl acetate, benzyl alcohol, limonene and linalool) that are among the 20 most commonly used in the 31 fragrance products tested by the EPA in 1991!
- Thirty-three million Americans suffer from sinusitis (inflammation or infection of sinus passages).
- Headaches cost $50 billion in lost productivity and medical expenses and 157 million lost work days in 1991. "Focus on Fragrance and Health," by Louise Kosta, The Human Ecologist, Fall 1992.
We can grumble about the onslaught of chemical fragrances out there but where does the true responsibility rest? There are some environments we cannot control, but we can make choices about what we put in our shopping carts and allow in our homes.
If you have products that are synthetically fragranced there IS a way to solve this problem. THROW THEM AWAY and replace them with unscented items or products formulated with truly pure essential oils. Be aware that labels can look "natural", "green", and "botanical" and still contain synthetic chemical fragrances. Look for anything on a label that lists FRAGRANCE OR PARFUM--just say no. The cure begins with prevention!
Want to learn wellness tips about using therapeutic essential oils?
Subscribe to my aromatherapy e-newsletter!
Join the Healthy Moms Community
An attractive young man exchanges lusty glances with a scantily clad, heavily airbrushed supermodel as a breath of wind seductively tousles her hair. What fragrance ad is it this time? Allure? Irresistible? Illusion? One was accurately named....Poison!
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, let's unmask the fragrances that ingenious marketing promises will turn the average female or male into ravishing sex magnets. Many of the ingredients mimic estrogen which in high levels have been known to cause cancer. Instead of worrying about how sexy her breasts look, a woman who indulges in synthetic fragrances should be concerned about just keeping her breasts.
Fragrance on a label can indicate the presence of up to 4,000 separate ingredients. There is no way to know what the chemicals are, since on the label it will simply read "fragrance." Some problems caused by these chemicals include headaches, dizziness, rash, hyper pigmentation, violent coughing, vomiting, skin irritation—the list goes on. They can also trigger asthma.
Pthalates are used to keep fragrance chemicals in solution. They are found in almost all fragrances and manufacturers are allowed to list them under the name fragrance or parfum. Phthalates are used to enhance fragrances, as solvents, and to denature alcohol.These chemicals have been shown to enter the bloodstream and concentrate in fat cells. They are extremely potent estrogen mimics and some are 10 000 times more potent than estrogen itself.
High levels of estrogen have been known to cause cancer.DEP is the phthalate found in the highest levels in humans and a study published in Environmental Health Perspectives (December 2002) found that DEP is damaging to the DNA of sperm in adult men at current levels of exposure. DNA damage to sperm can lead to infertility and may also be linked to miscarriages, birth defects, infertility and cancer in offspring. Recent product tests found the chemical in every fragrance tested in the United States.
Did You Know?
We can grumble about the onslaught of chemical fragrances out there but where does the true responsibility rest? There are some environments we cannot control, but we can make choices about what we put in our shopping carts and allow in our homes.
If you have products that are synthetically fragranced there IS a way to solve this problem. THROW THEM AWAY and replace them with unscented items or products formulated with truly pure essential oils. Be aware that labels can look "natural", "green", and "botanical" and still contain synthetic chemical fragrances. Look for anything on a label that lists FRAGRANCE OR PARFUM--just say no. The cure begins with prevention!
Want to learn wellness tips about using therapeutic essential oils?
Subscribe to my aromatherapy e-newsletter!
Join the Healthy Moms Community