This is disturbing. If anyone has worked in an office environment, you were bombarded with horrible fragrances from perfumes, lotions… and they could give you a headache. The worst was Chanel which was a favorite of the loose women in the office. The wife and I only found out about what it was because of the stench when a woman got behind us in line at the grocery store, and the wife asked her what perfume she was wearing. At work things were so bad there was a directive from management about not using these things in the office because there were people that complained, but it didn’t change anything.
Of the five senses, the sense of smell is believed to have the most transformative power to take us back into a moment in time. Grandma’s apple pie. A summertime bonfire. An ex’s cologne.
But the effects of scents don’t merely induce a nostalgic memory; they’re not just psychologically powerful. The scents we smell also have consequential physiological effects.
Fragrances have been used for thousands of years by many different cultures. For example, in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), aromatic herbs such as Murraya and Elsholtzia have been used for millennia in treating various maladies.
And there are more than 200 references to perfumes and fragrances in the Bible; Jesus being gifted frankincense is perhaps the most familiar.
However, in the 20th century, the evolution of scents took a dramatic turn due to the advancement of various chemicals. Instead of using botanicals to create sweet aromas, the perfume industry switched to synthetic, lab-made forms of fragrances.
Unfortunately, this advancement has ushered in unforeseen health consequences that are affecting not just us but also our future offspring.
How Fragrances Harm Hormones
According to a study published in Medical Hypotheses, many fragrance ingredients have been shown to disrupt healthy hormone balance. These compounds are called endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) because they mimic natural hormones and therefore dysregulate the body’s delicate endocrine system.
“This is a problem because our bodies cannot distinguish between naturally occurring and synthetic hormones,” explained Janet Nudelman, senior director of Campaign for Safe Cosmetics for Breast Cancer Prevention Partners.
When we light a candle, apply makeup, spray perfume, or use a laundry detergent that contains fragrances, EDCs are released, thus facilitating hormonal disequilibrium.
“Depending on the timing of exposure, EDCs can contribute to early puberty, can cause reproductive or developmental harm, and can also increase breast cancer risk,” she told The Epoch Times.
Multiple studies have shown that EDCs like phthalates, a common ingredient of synthetic fragrances, impair fertility and are associated with an increased chance of breast cancer.
Affecting More Than Hormones
In one Danish study, researchers hypothesized that dibutyl phthalate—a type of phthalate used in many cosmetic products—within pharmaceutical drugs increased breast cancer risk in women.
In this epidemiological review, scientists discovered that breast cancer risk increased two-fold for women on drugs containing this phthalate. The study concluded, “Our results suggest that women should avoid high-level exposure to dibutyl phthalates.”
Research published in Medical Hypotheses shows that EDCs like phthalates and parabens penetrate the bloodstream through the skin, disrupting endocrine homeostasis and increasing the likelihood of breast cancer development.
A large body of data shows a robust correlation between EDCs and miscarriage, preterm birth, and, according to a review published in Frontiers in Public Health, developmental abnormalities.
In the review, researchers analyzing various phthalates’ effects on babies in utero found “substantial evidence that prenatal phthalate exposure results in abnormal fetal development and adverse perinatal outcome.”
The same meta-analysis also showed that maternal phthalate exposure was associated with lower birth weights and, interestingly, higher rates of obesity in developing children—indicating that a mother’s phthalate exposure affects not just fetal development but also the adolescent development of her offspring.
Another ingredient often used in various fragrances as a coloring agent is styrene, which the Department of Health and Human Services and National Toxicology Program (pdf) lists as a chemical that is “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.”
Other fragrance ingredients include camphor, a neurotoxin; linalool, a chemical known for causing respiratory complications (pdf); and benzyl acetate, a compound that negatively affects the central nervous system.
The Questionable Regulation of Fragrance Ingredients
Though there’s mounting evidence against these chemicals’ safety, the governmental agencies that oversee the approval of using and selling these chemicals haven’t taken decisive action against the chemical industry.
In 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limited certain phthalates used in food packaging. But the agency stopped short of banning all phthalates, saying it needed more evidence from petitioners to enact a total ban on phthalates.
“The FDA and the EPA lag behind many countries with respect to regulations on consumer products,” said Homer Swei, senior vice president of the Environmental Working Group (EWG). “The EU, Canada, and Japan all have stricter regulations,” he told The Epoch Times.
Each year, chemical companies pour millions of dollars into lobbying, a practice critics say sustains inappropriate influence over regulatory agencies and elected lawmakers.
“The trade associations for the chemical industry and the conventional cosmetics industry would have us believe that the dose makes the poison and the public doesn’t have to be worried about a little bit of a cancer-causing chemical in a bubble bath or baby shampoo,” said Nudelman.
“But the reality is none of us live in a bubble, and we are exposed, and re-exposed, to cancer-causing chemicals—and hormone-disrupting toxic chemicals—from the minute we wake up in the morning until we go to bed at night. And the science is showing that those cumulative exposures and low-dose exposures and the timing of those unsafe chemical exposures are adding up to harm,” she said.
Natural Versus Synthetic Fragrance
Natural fragrances are made with botanical ingredients found in nature, but synthetic fragrances are made of manmade chemicals.
However, this oversimplifies the full story of natural and synthetic fragrances.
Companies that include fragrances in their products are not required to list the ingredients used to formulate the scent. Instead, consumers see “fragrance” or “natural fragrance,” even though both contain dozens of components.
When we see “fragrance” on a label, this implies that many of the ingredients used are synthetically derived. “Natural fragrance” excludes harsh chemicals like phthalates, but it still goes through the industrial manufacturing process.
“‘Natural’ is not a regulated fragrance term, which makes it difficult to compare ‘natural fragrances’ between brands. ‘Natural’ communicates where it comes from but not how it is processed, its quality/grade, or testing,” said Swei.
Many ingredients found in “natural” fragrances, such as pulegone, beta-myrcene, and lilial, have been shown to induce worrying health complications like cancer. Lilial, a highly allergenic chemical that causes reproductive harm, is banned in Europe.
Because of the ambiguity surrounding fragrance ingredients, Swei encourages consumers to look for specific fragrance ingredients from products and brands that disclose their fragrance ingredients.
The Omnipresence of Fragrances
The impact of fragrances doesn’t just affect perfume enthusiasts and cologne connoisseurs. Fragrances affect most Americans, considering they are implemented in most household cleaning and personal care products.
Suzi Swope, a natural esthetician, fragrance expert, and founder of the health and lifestyle blog “Gurl Gone Green,” pushes back on the normalcy of having numerous scents frame our everyday lives.
“If you constantly need to have things scented, I would take a step back and ask yourself when was the last time you just smelled nothing. Just clean, fresh air,” she told The Epoch Times.
“Fragrance isn’t taking away scent; it’s masking the everyday scents and smells that make up life as we know it. Who wants to go through life with a mask on?
“I know our ancestors didn’t have Glade plug-ins at their fingertips, but they did have nature—with all its scents, fresh flowers, and spices. A return to nature seems as close to ‘normal’ as one could get, yet our lifestyles don’t show it,” she added.