Fragrance: emerging health and environmental concerns

Abstract

Products containing scent are a part of daily life. The majority of cosmetics, toiletries, household and laundry products contain fragrance. In addition, there is exposure to fragrance from products that are used to scent the air, such as air fresheners and fragranced candles. In spite of this widespread use and exposure, there is little information available on the materials used in fragrance. Fragrance formulas are considered trade secrets and components that make up the fragrance portion of the product are not revealed on labels. Fragrance is increasingly cited as a trigger in health conditions such as asthma, allergies and migraine headaches. In addition, some fragrance materials have been found to accumulate in adipose tissue and are present in breast milk. Other materials are suspected of being hormone disruptors. The implications are not fully known, as there has been little evaluation of systemic effects. There are environmental concerns as well, as fragrances are volatile compounds, which add to both indoor and outdoor air pollution. Synthetic musk compounds are persistent in the environment and contaminate waterways and aquatic wildlife. At present there is little governmental regulation of fragrance. The fragrance industry has in place a system of self-regulation. However, the present system has failed to address many of the emerging concerns. Industry needs to responsibly address concerns and ensure that scented products are safe for users, those inadvertently exposed and the environment. It is essential that an industry that is, and wishes to continue to be, self-regulated should identify and address concerns in a forthright and responsible manner.

Health hazard evaluation report: evaluation of indoor environmental quality at an accounting office, Florida.

“…Several hundred different chemicals are used to make fragrances, many with little available health data. Fragranced products have been implicated in causing dermatologic problems [Buckley et al 2002] and inducing or worsening respiratory problems [Bridges 2002] including asthma [Baldwin et al 1999;Kumar et al 1995;Caress and Steinemann 2009] and vocal cord dysfunction [Hoy et al 2010]. Fragranced products are reported to trigger symptoms in individuals with asthma [Baldwin et al 1999;Kumar et al 1995;Caress and Steinemann 2009], hay fever [Baldwin et al 1999], and migraines [Kelman 2004 and2007], even when the individuals are not "allergic" to fragrance ingredients.…”

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“…Fragrance can enter the body through lungs, airways, skin, ingestion, and via pathways from the nose directly to the brain and can cause headaches, irritation to eyes, nose, and throat, dizziness, fatigue, forgetfulness, and other symptoms. Fragrance is the number one cause of skin allergic reactions to cosmetics 185,186 .…”

Risk of Children’s Dermal Exposure to Galaxolide through Personal Care Products

“…There are more than 2000 known fragrances used in PCPs like perfumes, moisturizers, bath or hair care products, or even cosmetic products [6]. But there are also some PCPs with such a residual quantity of fragrances that are not referenced in the product's composition, and can even be labelled as "fragrance-free", namely some children or baby PCPs.…”