The Truth Behind The Pretty Word… Fragrance.
From candles to conditioners, eyeshadows to exfoliators, the word “fragrance” or “parfum” (so fancy, huh?) lurks in most of our beauty products. As luxurious as the word sounds, that nice fragrance may hide the chemicals and potential side effects that go into making it.
Here’s the inside scoop behind what this pretty word means when listed on the ingredients for some of your favorite products.
According to The Environmental Working Group (EWG)...
“The word ‘fragrance’ or ‘parfum’ on the product label represents an undisclosed mixture of various scent chemicals and ingredients used as fragrance dispersants such as diethyl phthalate.”
So what does this mean for those exposed to phthalates, an industrial chemical, in their products?
- According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), fragrances are considered the leading cause of cosmetic contact dermatitis (aka rashes).
- Many people show other allergic reactions to fragrance such as...
- Headaches
- Sneezing
- Runny Nose
- Dizziness
- Itching Skin
- Dizziness
While not everyone will have issues with the fragrance in their products, synthetic fragrance isn’t a necessity whatsoever in high-quality products so why the need for extra chemicals? To still experience a beautiful scent without the chemicals, we recommend looking for products using non-synthetic fragrance such as essential oils like the ones in our SLEEP Skincare Collection.
Check out EWG.org and this article Fragrance Allergies: A Sensory Assault for more information.