Ahhh…the sweet smell of petrochemicals!

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) reports that, while many popular Perfumes, Eau de Toilette and Body Sprays contain trace amounts of natural essences, they also typically contain unlimited amounts of potentially hazardous synthetic chemicals, some of which are derived from petroleum. To protect trade secrets, makers are allowed to withhold fragrance ingredients, so consumers can’t rely on labels to know what hazards may lurk inside that new bottle of perfume.  

“A rose may be a rose,” reports EWG. “But that rose-like fragrance in your perfume may be something else entirely, concocted from any number of the fragrance industry’s 3,100 stock chemical ingredients, the blend of which is almost always kept hidden from the consumer.”

For some it’s intoxicating. It may also be TOXIC!

From sneezing and wheezing to rash and headache, many people suffer an allergic reaction to perfume—even when it’s on someone else. “Anything that gives perfume an odour is very likely going to be an allergen. That means your cologne- or perfume-soaked colleague could be the cause of your runny nose.

Look at your perfume bottle and read the ingredients. It reads like a chemistry book. You can get lost among all the benzyls and ethyls. But it’s the ingredient listed simply Fragrance or Parfum that worries us the most. Those terms are a catchall for 10,000 different ingredients!

Thanks to trade-secret laws protecting perfume and cosmetic makers from divulging the specific formulas for their scents, there is usually no way to know exactly which of those 10,000 ingredients you’re dabbing onto your neck or wrist. But a good bet is that any scented cosmetic—from perfume and Eau de Toilette to body lotion and deodorant—will contain a group of petroleum-based chemicals called phthalates.

Phthalates are wonderful for cosmetics because they make things smear really well. When it comes to perfume, phthalates keep all the liquid’s different elements suspended and evenly distributed.

So what’s the problem? Some phthalates—namely one called diethyl phthalate (DEP)—are shown to disrupt our hormones, including testosterone. That’s a big concern for pregnant women. There’s evidence connecting phthalates to developmental disorders, especially among newborn boys!

More research has linked DEP to poor lung function and myriad sperm issues, from lower counts to reduced motility.  Which means men—particularly adolescents who fumigate their still-developing bodies with aerosolized body sprays—could be at risk. You’re purposely spraying these chemicals close to your body and rubbing them right on your skin, there’s no question people are exposed.

What’s more worrying is the increase in children as young as 3 and 4 using perfume adorned with cartoon and animation characters to entice them to buy it.  These children are already contaminating their bodies with unknown chemicals on a weekly basis from such a tender age.  It just begs belief!

My skincare range is made with the finest of Essential Oils which in themselves provide a natural aroma, no artificial fragrances are used.  The power of plants & flowers is all that is needed to keep you smelling wonderful.