Parfum (a.k.a. Fragrance)

                                                        But... it smells so good!                                                                  

  ource: PerfumPerfume Shop, Amman, Jordan, Asia. https://quest.eb.com/search/perfumery/2/322_2753572/

                                   Perfume-Shop-  Amman Jordan-Asia (accessed February 18, 2019)

       

In your daily routine some of you may makeup while some of you might not. However, I bet most of you have a perfume bottle or two on your dresser, just in reach to spray on before you leave the house. I mean, who doesn’t love smelling good?  But, have you ever thought about where this perfume comes from or where it is made or what is actually in it? Like most people, I also wear perfume on the daily without thinking of where it comes from or how it is made. I mean, what could possibly be wrong with something that smells so good?

Truth is, the ingredients in a perfume are not as sweet and beautiful as they smell.  Perfumes are not made of natural ingredients anymore, instead chemicals are synthesized in labs that produce desirable scent. We actually don’t know all the ingredients in a perfume. This is because perfume brands are not legally required to list all fragrance ingredients that they use to make a perfume.  In fact, the Canadian cosmetics regulations have a loophole that allow cosmetic companies to lump all fragrance ingredients into two categories of “parfum” and “fragrance”.¹ There are over 3000 fragrance producing chemicals on the market.² So, ask yourself this: how many of those 3000 chemicals are hidden behind the labels parfum and fragrance? Again, we don’t know, and this is why these ingredients are called “secret chemicals”.  Also, Health Canada doesn’t test the safety of fragrance ingredients, therefore we don’t know if these chemicals are safe to use and if they are, then in which amounts.¹ But wait, this is not all, perfumes also have hormone disruptors, which disrupt hormone function, and sensitizers that cause allergies.²   So, why are perfumes still allowed to be on the market? This is because Canadian rules and regulations that govern the cosmetics industry are simply not strict enough.

What are some steps that we can take to ensure that the perfume products that we use are safe? First, we should promote stricter law surrounding the cosmetics industry. Second, limit the use of fragrance containing products. Thirst, instead of using products that are labelled “unscented”, use products labelled “fragrance-free”.  Why? Because “unscented” is actually a fragrance that masks the scent of another fragrance.¹ Last, but not least, support other people and groups that advocate for safer cosmetics.

¹Heather, Sarantis,; Olga V., Naidenko,; Sean, Gray,. Not So Sexy: The Health Risks of Secret Chemicals in Fragrance, Canadian Edition [online]; des Libres Canadian Book   and Public Policy; 2003. https://wwwdeslibrisca.libproxy.mtroyal.ca/ID/224069

           (accessed February 4,   2019).

²Fortineau, Anne-Dominique. Chemistry Perfumes Your Daily Life [online]; Chemical Education; 2004, 81 (1), p 45. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ed081p45 (accessed February 4, 2019).