Our sense of smell is one of our most primitive senses and has a powerful connection to both emotion and memory.
This is why you may have your 'favourite' perfume or cologne that you wear every day.
What you may not realise is that this daily ritual is not only posing a health risk to yourself, but may also cause others around you to suffer headaches, dizziness, nausea and fatigue when they are exposed to your scent.
Most synthetic perfumes or colognes contain hundreds of chemicals that have been linked to cancer, reproductive toxicity, allergies, and more for anyone with a chemical sensitivity.
As a reader of this blog you are no doubt conscious of the ingredients being used in your skincare, food etc., but this may not extend to your fragrance because it's not like you get to see a list of all the nasty names listed on the packaging or the bottle.
Out of mind, out of site, and perfume manufacturers make the most of being able to hide behind the fragrance 'trade secrets' clause that excludes them from having to disclose their ingredients.
In fact, your fragrance may contain any number of the 3000+ stock chemical ingredients used by the fragrance manufacturers. Alarmingly, a report by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics' found 66% of the secret chemicals, and 19% of the listed chemicals found in product tests had not been assessed for safety.
I understand that not everyone is going to ditch their perfume or cologne after reading this, but there are a couple of instances when you really should give it a miss, find an alternative or at least spray it on your clothes rather than your skin.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or struggling to get pregnant in particular, then it is strongly recommended by many health experts to avoid using perfume completely due to the chemicals most contain including:
Phthalates: A synthetic preservative that has been linked to cancer as well as reproductive effects (decreased sperm counts, early breast development, birth defects) and liver and kidney damage.
Parabens: Synthetic preservatives known to interfere with hormone production and release.
Synthetic musks: These are linked to hormone disruption and are thought to persist and accumulate in breast milk, body fat, umbilical cord blood, and the environment.
Fortunately there are a growing number of alternatives on the marketing that use organic essential oils that are 100% naturally derived.
These come from botanical ingredients such as flowers, fruits, seeds, bark, leaves, wood, and other natural raw materials.
The great thing about the natural perfumes and colognes is the mystery around your sweet smell. You can be original and not have everyone immediately guess what perfume you are wearing when you walk by because they have smelt it on dozens of people before.
You'll not only smell unique (in a nice way) but you won't be harming your own or other's health either.
As a reader of this blog you are no doubt conscious of the ingredients being used in your skincare, food etc., but this may not extend to your fragrance because it's not like you get to see a list of all the nasty names listed on the packaging or the bottle.
Out of mind, out of site, and perfume manufacturers make the most of being able to hide behind the fragrance 'trade secrets' clause that excludes them from having to disclose their ingredients.
In fact, your fragrance may contain any number of the 3000+ stock chemical ingredients used by the fragrance manufacturers. Alarmingly, a report by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics' found 66% of the secret chemicals, and 19% of the listed chemicals found in product tests had not been assessed for safety.
I understand that not everyone is going to ditch their perfume or cologne after reading this, but there are a couple of instances when you really should give it a miss, find an alternative or at least spray it on your clothes rather than your skin.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or struggling to get pregnant in particular, then it is strongly recommended by many health experts to avoid using perfume completely due to the chemicals most contain including:
Phthalates: A synthetic preservative that has been linked to cancer as well as reproductive effects (decreased sperm counts, early breast development, birth defects) and liver and kidney damage.
Parabens: Synthetic preservatives known to interfere with hormone production and release.
Synthetic musks: These are linked to hormone disruption and are thought to persist and accumulate in breast milk, body fat, umbilical cord blood, and the environment.
Fortunately there are a growing number of alternatives on the marketing that use organic essential oils that are 100% naturally derived.
These come from botanical ingredients such as flowers, fruits, seeds, bark, leaves, wood, and other natural raw materials.
The great thing about the natural perfumes and colognes is the mystery around your sweet smell. You can be original and not have everyone immediately guess what perfume you are wearing when you walk by because they have smelt it on dozens of people before.
You'll not only smell unique (in a nice way) but you won't be harming your own or other's health either.
