Perfumes and Aftershaves - Is Smelling Good, Good For You?

Perfumes and Aftershaves - Is Smelling Good, Good For You? It’s often the last thing we put on, isn’t it? Getting ready goes something like this - hair, makeup (if we wear it), clothes, the right underwear, the right shoes, the right coat and bag. Then a spritz of perfume or aftershave and we’re done, good to go.

In this article:

What Exactly is in Perfume?
So, We Can Just Avoid Them, Right?
What Effect Can They Have?
Where Do These Chemicals Come From?
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
Is There An Effect on the Environment? ​/
What’s the Answer?! ​​

It was Coco Chanel who famously said, “A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future”. And whilst that’s probably not true, there’s a certain truth in a spritz of our favourite scent making us feel empowered and ready to take on the world.

But are we choosing to smell good at a cost? Do we really know what’s in the beautifully designed bottles that we use to spray their contents liberally all over us? What is it that makes all these different smells? What about the cost to the planet?

Let’s take a look at why spritzing ourselves to smell good, might not necessarily be doing us any good.

What Exactly is in Perfume?

There are around 4,000 chemicals that can be used and mixed together in unique ways to make up our favourite perfume. This is shocking enough, but how many do you think are in cigarette smoke?

250.

We don’t need to do the maths for you.

We’re spraying a significantly larger cocktail of chemicals over us to smell good than we would expose ourselves to by walking into a cloud of cigarette smoke.

And it isn’t just what we spray on our bodies that contains this cocktail of chemicals. What we use to clean our clothes and homes, spray around our bathrooms and even the candles we light for a peaceful ambience are all adding to this cloud of toxins that surround us.

So, We Can Just Avoid Them, Right?

Not exactly. Even more shocking is the fact that not one of these 4,000 chemicals are listed on our perfume bottles - because they don't have to be. Each different perfume or aftershave has a unique formulation, and each one is a trade secret, meaning that by law, manufacturers don’t have to declare what’s in their product.

Instead, the word “fragrance” is used on formulation lists as a catch all ingredient on everything from perfumes to laundry liquid.

Each perfume can contain between 50 to 300 different chemicals, and exactly what they are, is on a need to know basis. We’re just told that our perfume contains “fragrance”.

This means that there is no agency regulating these chemicals, or their safety because they simply don’t know what’s in them.

What Effect Can They Have?

In 2018, a study found that three-quarters of the toxins found in 140 common beauty and cleaning products came from fragrance. Those toxins identified have been linked to chronic and frightening diseases including cancer.

A different 2018 report found 1,200 “chemicals of concern” including seven carcinogens, or known cancer-causing chemicals. This list also included known endocrine disruptors called phthalates, meaning that they could potentially interfere with our reproductive health and child development.

Endocrine disruptors can put our hormones out of whack, which can cause our periods and menopause symptoms to feel worse. It can also cause depression and anxiety and cause hormone-related acne.

Where Do These Chemicals Come From?

Sadly, since we don’t know what’s in our perfumes, we don’t know where these chemicals of concern are commonly used. The fragrance industry argues that the level of exposure is low and therefore not hazardous when used in “normal” amounts.

What we do know, however, is that a large proportion of the chemicals used to create fragrances are derived from petroleum. How these are then used to make things, and us, smell nice, is unknown, again due to those trade secrets.

Given that compounds with names such as acetone, phenol, toluene and nitro musk are known to be used in the fragrance industry, it certainly sheds Dior, Paco Rabane, Jean Paul Gaultier (plus all the others, we’re not singling any out) in a different light.

For a real in-depth look at the toxicity and safety of some of the chemicals used in perfumes, aftershaves and other products designed to come into contact with our skin, have a read of the Scientific Committee on Cosmetic Products and Non-Food Products Intended for Consumers report.

Exposure to these chemicals might cause us to develop a headache or feel nauseous. Plus, they might be doing something under the surface that is quite scary. But for some, these toxins make life pretty tough indeed…

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, or MCS, is a condition that causes a reaction, similar to an allergic reaction, caused by a sensitivity to the “very low levels of chemicals in everyday products”.

MCS Aware explain why - the systems that would normally deal with these chemicals, the immune and detoxification systems, stop working properly meaning that the body simply cannot process these toxins. A sufferer will react to minute chemical traces, at levels far below what is normally considered harmful.

The main symptom of MCS is a headache that can be triggered by exposure to literally any chemical, particularly those used to fragrance perfumes, toiletries, cleaning products, washing powder and DIY products such as paint.

Other symptoms include nausea, difficulty breathing, confusion, exhaustion and even collapse. The most hypersensitive of MCS sufferers can become housebound in order to avoid all contact and exposure. For all MCS sufferers, simply socialising can become a stressful and upsetting experience.

If you think you may have MCS, visit the MCS Aware website for support and information.

Is There An Effect on the Environment?

A common chemical used in fragrance is synthetic musk. Synthetic musks are known to end up in our water systems after we shower them off. They can then end up in our drinking water, as well as bioaccumulating in the fatty tissues of fish and other aquatic wildlife. Synthetic musks are also, therefore, entering the food chain.

What’s more, since perfumes are produced from petrochemicals, their carbon footprint is heavy, made worse by the energy-intensive processes required to manufacture them.

What’s the Answer?!

So, what can we do? It’s a complex and multifaceted subject. We can choose not to wear perfume or aftershave. But what about all the other fragranced things we come across on a day to day basis?

In our own homes, we can opt for natural and unfragranced cleaning products, or make our own. (Watch out for some natural products though, as they still might contain “fragrance” and even some essential oils can be synthetic if they’re not listed as “pure” essential oils.)

When we’re outside of our homes, things get trickier. But our advice is, if you’re concerned about exposure to fragrances, to minimise your contact. This means doing all you personally can at home to avoid exposure and spending as much time as possible in the fresh air.

A friend of mine with MCS politely requests that we all avoid wearing perfume if visiting her at her house, but aside from the ability to work from home, that’s all she can do. Headaches and nausea are all part of her leaving the house.

There isn’t much you can do to avoid fragrances elsewhere, so it would be a stressful life if you tried to avoid all exposure. So, like anything, it’s about minimising your risk. Good luck!

If you are wondering what the best perfumes to use are, we recommend looking for artisan perfumes made from natural ingredients.

This article is not meant to treat or diagnose. Please visit your doctor for advice about any health concerns you may have.

References

This article is not meant to treat or diagnose. Please visit your doctor for advice about any health concerns you may have.