L’eau de toxins?

Everyone loves a dash of perfume. But with over 4000 synthetic chemicals making up the fragrance industry, a whaft of delicious scent is more Goodbye impulse moment and Hello petrochemicals. Scented oils, perfumes and fragrances have adorned us since the earliest human civilisations to mask or enhance body odour, that these days you may only encounter on the Circle Line.

The 1800′s heralded the commercial synthesis of aroma as the distillations of alchemy gave way to modern chemistry. With the ability to create synthetic chemicals from petroleum distillates, the foundations of modern perfumery were laid, unleashing a plethora of new and enticing smells that had been previously unattainable. Perfume was at the dawn of an era of mass marketing, to become an industry worth today an estimated £640 million, in the UK alone.

With over 30,000 designer perfumes on the market, fragrances are everywhere from soaps, scents, candles to body scrubs. Alluring aromas make us feel good, they can invoke strong memories and emotions, and a scent can truly express individuality or mood. So what is there not to like?

The bad smell of Fragrance

You would assume that a scent redolent of roses and would actually be made from roses. Wrong. Today’s perfumes are made up of a concoction of over 4000 chemicals.  The “recipe” for a scent found in almost all our body care to cleaning products, is a closely guarded secret, protecting perfumers from counterfeiters. Therefore there is no legal need to list the ingredients used, with the catch-all word “parfum”, being explanation enough.

“Parfum” however is a chemical cocktail. This includes parabens, phthalates and other synthetic compounds, containing solvents similar to those used in adhesives and many other known toxins. The National Academy of Sciences reports that 95% of the chemicals used in fragrances today are  comounds derived from petroleum, including known toxins capable of causing cancer, birth defects, and central nervous system disorders, to allergic reactions and asthma.

Brands such as Calvin Klein’s’ Eternity for Women,’ The Body Shop’s ‘White Musk’ and Jean Paul Gaultier’s ‘Le Mâle’ all contain phthalate esters and synthetic musks, two of the most potentially hazardous man-made chemical groups. Synthetic musks are suspected hormone disrupters and some types (nitro musks) are carcinogenic. In a study conducted by Greenpeace, virtually all the perfumes tested contained these chemicals, shown to cause unwanted health impacts. And when washed into the water cycle they are harmful to the environment too.

Smelling good but feeling bad

Watery eyes, or feeling sneezy? This is fragrance insensitivity, the most common reaction to intolerance to perfumes or scented goods such as candles and air fresheners. Symptoms can include dizziness, fatigue, rashes, watery eyes to a sore throat or tight chest. Many body care products are heavily perfumed, and at least one study has demonstrated links between heavy perfume exposure during pregnancy, and learning disabilities and behaviour disorders in children. Studies have also shown that inhaling fragrance chemicals can cause circulatory changes in the brain, with links to learning difficulties and depression.

Sperm whales and animal extracts

Sometimes it is not possible to create synthetic compounds, so animal extracts are used to provide the base earthy notes of richness and warmth that only an animal note can give. However problems are encountered in collecting natural animal oils as they are difficult and expensive to extract. This means the captivity and harvesting from Musk Deer, the collection of civet from the glands of Civet cats, to Beaver farms harvested for their castor. Sperm whales historically provided Ambergris, an opaque secretion from the diseased whale intestine. Since 1977, Ambergris has been outlawed, which will be a relief to many, next time they scent the décolletage.

Gorgeously natural and smelling divine

Occasionally spraying yourself with conventional perfume is probably nothing to worry about. But if you are worried about health risks of prolonged exposure, the safest option is to choose natural or organic perfume or body products. Even if a product is labelled fragrance free or unscented, this does not guarantee there are no fragrance chemicals as no perceptible odour may mean a masking fragrance.

More and more perfumers are going back to the blended magic of herbs and flowers. By incorporating the principles of aromatherapy or homoeopathy, some blended mixes of essentials oils are mood enhancing and not only smell divine but act kindly to our bodies and surrounding environment. Perfumes can be laid in beeswax that are gently warmed on the fingertips before being applied to the skin, to traditional sprays and Eau de Toilettes.

For aromatic inspiration that are kind to you and the planet why not try Jo Wood’s natural and organic Eau de Toilette, Neals Yard’s Remedies to Roll, or Beauty Naturals range of body, bath and skin care products.

CHECK OUT some of our favourite ORGANIC and NATURAL PERFUMES Click Here

By Alice C Doyle