Did you know this one thing can be causing your health problems?

What is Fragrance?

Fragrance is a combination of natural and synthetic chemicals to create a scent or smell. Those synthetic compounds are a combination of up to 3,000 chemicals. YES, I said 3,000. Those chemicals are parabens, phthalates, turpentine, metals, and talc to name just a few. So, when you see the word fragrance on the ingredient label it can be any one of these VERY harmful chemicals.

What is fragrance in?

EVERYTHING!!! Yes, I mean everything. Just to name a few: soap, shampoo, deodorant, sunscreen, body wash, lotion, makeup, toner, serums, room sprays, car vent clips, wall plugins, candles, cleaning sprays, garbage bags, vacuum bags/filters, dryer sheets, laundry soap, and of course perfume/cologne. How much of just this list touches your body every day several times a day?

Read that label if it says the word “fragrance” or “parfum” avoid it. You can not go off what the front of the product says as the marketing can be very deceiving. Take the room spray I purchased last year thinking I was doing good because it said essential oil blend on the front, yet on the back, it said “fragrance”. So, in reality, I purchased a room spray that was choked full of harmful chemicals that can cause serious health conditions.

What is fragrance doing to our bodies?

First and foremost, it is disrupting our endocrine system. Let me pause here to explain what our endocrine system is so you can truly understand.

What is the endocrine system?

Your endocrine system is the glands located all throughout your body. Hormones are made in those glands and released into the bloodstream and fluids surrounding cells. Receptors in organs and tissues respond to those hormones that are released from those glands.

Hormones control and regulate our bodies. For example, insulin is a hormone for those that have diabetes they either produce too much insulin or not enough. Which makes me think do the fragrances used by our parents influence those that have type 1 diabetes? I wonder if there is a study out there that can link the two.

Some examples of other hormones are estrogen, testosterone, thyroxine, and triiodothyronine. These four hormones control sexual development, growth, development, and metabolism. So if your Thyroid hormones are disrupted by fragrance can that be affecting your metabolism? What about it disrupting your sexual function? Could it be causing erectile dysfunction and/or vaginal dryness? I have so many more questions after digging deep into this!

Ok, now that you have an idea of what your endocrine system is aka HORMONES, let’s get back to what fragrance is doing to our bodies. It is disrupting our hormones and causing chronic health issues, cancer, allergic reactions, decreased fertility, reproductive abnormalities, and a crap ton more!

What are some of these chronic health conditions? Asthma, cardiovascular problems, cognitive issues, gastrointestinal issues, immune system problems, migraines, skin problems, and neurological problems. Check out this blog for even more information it is eye-opening!

How do we change this?

Stop buying anything that has the words “fragrance” or “parfum” in the ingredient list. Do not even go off what the front of a product says as the marketing industry is there to SELL products, not look out for us! Make your own cleaning products or purchase from reputable brands that only use natural essential oils. Stop buying body products laced with these chemicals, there are so many great natural brands these days.

The switch can be overwhelming but do not fret. You do not have to go through your house and throw out everything you have. Wait until you need to replace a product and switch to a natural one. I have been making my own perfume and room sprays for years due to being allergic to “fragrance” since my teens.

Perfume/room spray: 3 oz filtered water, 1 oz vodka or rubbing alcohol, 10 drops of essential oils, and a 4 oz glass spray bottle. Double or triple recipe for larger bottles.

All-purpose cleaner: 8 oz Glass spray bottle, 1 tsp. Dr. Bronner’s Sal suds or ¼ cup dr. Bronner’s castile soap in preferred scent, 10 drops of essential oil, 8 oz filtered water. Shake before each use, spray, and wipe.

I won’t name names as I do not want them coming after me but there are several brands out there calling themselves clean natural products, but they are NOT. Read that ingredient list!

My favorite “Clean” brands

Dr. Bronner’s is an amazing all-in-one cleaner. They provide you with a dilution sheet on each bottle or you can look it up online as well and the uses are astronomical. They are my go-to soap for my home and body!

Charlies Soap is a powerful laundry detergent that saves you money. We switched to this detergent over a year ago and I have saved so much money just in this area of cleaning alone. You only use 1 Tbsp. of powder per load. YES, I said 1 Tbsp. That’s how powerful it is! $19 gets you 100 loads this includes large loads.

An essential oil diffuser is a great way to have your room smelling great instead of using candles. You can find several different ones on amazon to fit your aesthetic for under $20.

For the makeup lovers out there, Juice Beauty, Honest Beauty, and Tula are great “clean” options for all your beauty needs!

Dr. Squatch has great soaps, deodorants, shampoos, and conditioners in several different scents that work for both men and women alike!

Finale notes

Read those ingredient lists. Even if you are not experiencing any adverse side effects at this time that does not mean that later down the road you or those you love will not. “Fragrance” and “parfum” are slowly killing us. Where you spend your money is where the change will start. If this is something that you care about spreading the word is also another great way to make a change.

With so many products laced with these hormone-disrupting chemicals these days, we cannot completely avoid them everywhere we go. Having your home as a safe space to get a reprieve from these very harmful chemicals will put you at a great advantage to better overall health.

Want to learn more here are some great influencers to check out, Celest Thomas @celestthomas, Maia James @gimmethegoodstuff, and Taylor @toxinfreetay.

If you found any of this helpful please share. Sharing is the best way to get the word around about this blog! Thank you for the read today, I can not express how much it means to me that you are here!

~ Tina