You may already start thinking from the headline of this report....WHAT? Don't you worry, so did I since I am the type of women that consistently uses perfume EVERYTHING.
The important thing about this is that you may have chemical sensitivities to what is you are using that smells so fantastic. Some chemical sensitivity symptoms include: allergies, headaches, red face, puffy eyes, memory loss, decreased cognition, difficulty concentrating and reading, dysautonomia, blurry night vision, experiencing tired legs after prolonged standing, even chronic fatigue syndrome and of course contact dermatitis. Is this all worth smelling great?
So how many of you know what chemicals are in your favorite perfume? Did you know that most chemicals are not listed on the bottles, rather just the boxes that we tend to throw away as soon as we purchase them?
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics in partnership with the Environmental Working Group (EWG) developed a study and took several of our favorite perfumes and tested them to see what was contained in them. The study showed that 17 products (including one that I use) had some 'unidentified' chemicals in them. Click here to read the full report http://www.ewg.org/notsosexy/release.
As there is going to be a deeper investigation about these findings, maybe we should be more careful about what we put on our bodies. From an industrial hygienist point, we can be exposed to chemicals by ingestion, inhalation and SKIN ABSORPTION.
What is in your perfume?
For more toxic health information, please go to the HazMap website www.hazmap.org.
For more information about this study, click here http://www.ewg.org/notsosexy/release.
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Add a Comment5 Comments
This is sadly the case for me. For many perfumes and soaps, it seems like all of the really fancy ones always gets me sick. Sometimes I get ichy or watery eyes, and ones I even suffered from horrible hives all over my body.
Soap is the worst because you try to wash your hands and then you end up with a rash.
Now I am gonna have to check out those links.
June 6, 2010 - 8:05pmThis Comment
wow great informaation i did not now perfumes had all those chamicals and yes makes me sick at time when some people wear too much of it
May 25, 2010 - 10:38pmThis Comment
Thanks so much for this information. I have allergic reactions to perfume and fragrances, and they also aggravate my asthma. I've gone into department stores and broken out in hives because they had perfume salespeople spraying perfume in the air. I have to carefully remove the inserts in magazines that have perfume samples so they don't make me ill. My allergist recommended using fragrance-free laundry detergent and fabric softener, and that has really been helpful.
May 18, 2010 - 6:42pmI used to wear perfume, and enjoyed it a lot, but now that it makes me sick I do everything I can to avoid it! You'd be surprised at how many places it's found, and how annoying that can be. Great post!
This Comment
It is funny you mentioned that Allison because I recently went to a makeup/perfume store recently and for the first time, I walked out of there with the WORST headache and I was coughing and sneezing. The only perfume I smelled was Brittney Spears' new one. I thought this was really odd.
May 16, 2010 - 10:36amThis Comment
This is great information! I did not really consider the skin absorption factor, either.
I am someone who is so sensitive to the smells of perfume, but I do enjoy the subtle fragrances in the house. If I have any type of fragrance that is remotely strong on me or in the house, I get a severe headache. I can't pass the perfume or candle stores in the mall without getting a little headache, and didn't really consider that this was a "chemical sensitivity" issue. Interesting!
May 16, 2010 - 10:27amThis Comment