Not So Sexy : Secrets in Fragrances

I stumbled upon a website, safecosmetic.org ,and was intrigued by the report on fragrances detailed below:


The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics commissioned an independent lab to test 17 fragrance products. Campaign partner Environmental Working Group assessed data from the tests and the product labels. The analysis reveals that the 17 products contained, on average:

• Fourteen secret chemicals not listed on labels due to a loophole in federal law that allows companies to claim fragrances as trade secrets.
• Ten sensitizing chemicals associated with allergic reactions such as asthma, wheezing, headaches and contact dermatitis.
• Four hormone-disrupting chemicals linked to a range of health effects including sperm damage, thyroid disruption and cancer.

The majority of chemicals found in this report have never been assessed for safety by any publicly accountable agency, or by the cosmetics industry’s self-policing review panels.

Health Concerns
Allergies
Fragrance is now considered among the top five allergens in North America and European countries and is associated with a wide range of skin, eye and respiratory reactions. Repeated, cumulative exposure to chemical sensitizers like allergenic fragrance ingredients increases the chance that a person will develop allergic symptoms later in life. Our tests found an average of 10 chemical sensitizers in each fragrance product

Hormone disruption
Exposure to hormone disruptors has been linked to a wide range of health problems, including an increased risk of cancer, especially breast and prostate cancers; reproductive toxicity and effects on the developing fetus; and predisposition to metabolic disease such as thyroid problems or obesity. We found 12 ingredients with the potential to act as hormone disruptors in the products we tested
Chemicals in people
When sprayed or applied on the skin, many chemicals from perfumes, cosmetics and personal care products are inhaled or absorbed through the skin. A recent EWG study found synthetic musk chemicals Galaxolide and Tonalide in the umbilical cord blood of newborn infants; these chemicals were found in all but one fragrance analyzed for this study. Diethyl phthalate (DEP), which appeared in 12 of the 17 products we tested, has been found in 97 percent of Americans tested by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Where They Come From
Some perfume and cologne ingredients are found on product labels, but others hide under the secretive ingredient "fragrance." Due to this trade secrets loophole, nearly half of the ingredients in the products we tested were not listed on labels.
Below is a list of products tested and number of chemicals found in lab tests not listed on product labels.

Clinique Happy Perfume Spray - 9
AXE Body Spray For Men - Shock - 10 
Jennifer Lopez J. Lo Glow- 11 plus highest number of hormone disrupting chemicals
Abercrombie & Fitch Fierce (for men)- 11 
Victoria's Secret Dream Angels Heavenly - 13
Hannah Montana Secret Celebrity- 13 
Halle by Halle Berry - 13 plus highest number of hormone disrupting chemicals
Calvin Klein Eternity (for women)-14
Bath & Body Works Japanese Cherry Blossom, 
Calvin Klein Eternity for Men - 15
Quicksilver (for men) -16 plus highest number of hormone disrupting chemicals
Old Spice After Hours Body Spray (for men)-16
Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio (for men)-17
Britney Spears Curious-17
Coco Mademoiselle Chanel-18 
American Eagle Seventy Seven-24

Health risks from secret chemicals depend on the mixture in each product, the chemicals’ hazards, that amounts that absorb into the body and individual vulnerabilities to health

problems.

Whatever you decide it is good practise not to spray parfume directly onto your skin.