Question from Derbra Lynn Dadd
Ever since your enthusiastic response to my post Let’s petition to remove scent from products through change.org. I’ve been thinking about what we can do to accomplish the goal of reducing or eliminating toxic fragrances from public places. I’m considering how best to do the petition, and there are other things we can do to improve the situation without depending on the decision of a multinational corporation.
One of them is to promote products of all types that could be used instead of the ones with toxic fragrances. I’m working on such a list and would like your help.
The first thing I want to do is add a “fragrance-free” search to Debra’s List. But to do that I need to define what “fragrance-free means.
I want to get your opinion.
Over the years, “fragrance-free,” “unscented” and other such terms have meant to me that a product contains no toxic petrochemical fragrances.
On Debra’s List I allow products that contain natural essential oils as functional ingredients or for scent. These I do not consider to be toxic, but neither are they fragrance-free. They have a fragrance, just not a toxic fragrance. I allow them because many natural and organic products have their own scent from the ingredients used, not added. And they are not petrochemical fragrances. So should “fragrance free” mean “no petrochemical fragrances” or “no fragrances of any sort from any source”?
On the other hand I have steered away from including products like All Free & Clear which are fragrance-free but basically petrochemical detergents. Should I include these?
It seems to me that for our purposes I should include on a “fragrance-free list” any product that does not have toxic petrochemical fragrance, making note of 1) products that contain natural fragrances and 2) products that are made from petrochemicals or may have toxic ingredients. This way, anyone choosing products from a list would have the greatest number to choose from. Someone who is an average consumer, for example, may be willing to switch to All Free & Clear, but not Soapnuts. And then there is another whole type of consumer that doesn’t want to give up fragrance but might switch to a natural one.
How does this sound to you?
Any comments on this criteria?
I think if we can get more people to use existing fragrance-free products, then we can encourage other manufacturers to eliminate the fragrance as we want them too.
Also, any fragrance-free products you would like to add here are welcome.
Here are some interesting links to pages that discuss the definition of unscented and fragrance-free. There is no legal definition.
Birch Hill Happenings: What is Meant by Unscented, Fragrance Free, Scent Free and More?
http://birchhillhappenings.com/unscented.htm
Our Little Place: FDA “Regulation” of Cosmetics and Fragrances
http://www.ourlittleplace.com/fda.html
http://www.ourlittleplace.com/terms.html
You stated the issues very clearly. I agree with your criteria and your reasons. I think the list should state the definition being used at the top.
Personall I would not include essential oils as they could be allergenic for some.
Dahliyahttp://www.nontoxic.com
Natural fragrances are just as devastating to me as synthetic scents such as lavender.
My feeling is fragrance-free means: no added chemical scent as well as no natural scent. It is misleading to claim a product is fragrance-free, when it contains essential oils. For someone who has health issues such as asthma or allergies this detail is very important.
A.
More to the above general comments-products with natural scents based on a true natural source (i.e. essential oils) should be denoted. Even natural scents can irritate. The word “fragarance” I have taken to be “code” for toxins present.
Interesting product suggestions above. I’m a Melaleuca fan, actually. Makes shopping very easy. If Melaleuca makes it we’re buying it- because not one product Ive tried yet has failed or disappointed us. Our clothes have never been cleaner, nor the fabrics held up as well as they do with Unscented Mela-Power and Mela-Brite. Tub & Tile, while including a strong citric acid based scent, there is NO scrubbing involved for hard water and soap deposits.
While Melaleuca products can involve scents, they are “clean” scents. But I can see even where some of their product scents would be hard to handle.
So if there is any way to separate toxic fragarance products from non toxic scented produts, and then true unscented products the reference will be helpful overall.
I’m not a fan of products with petrochemicals either, but for the main intention of eliminating fragrance, yes, I think they should be added to the list. All synthetic fragrances should not be used, only those that are naturally scented with pure essential oils. In general, nothing should be scented. A good unscented liquid soap I would add to the list for house cleaning and personal care is Dr. Bronner’s Baby Mild (unscented), also Eco’s Earth Friendly Products; Vermont Soap; Ecover; Aubrey Organics; etc. I’ve been buying my items from Mountain Rose Herbs online, they use all natural and organic herbs and essential oils. Hope this helps a bit.
I’d like to add another vote for Dr. Bronner’s! Though I do have MCS, it is not as severe as some people experience. Somehow, I can wash clothes, and myself ! with Dr. Bronner’s, and the scent does not cause any problems. It is light and natural and not, as synthetics are, intense and persistent. The most troubling feature of synthetic fragrances, to me, is the fact that they are virtually impossible to get away from. Once in fabric, especially, they defy removal.
Other so-called “natural” products, like Mrs. Meyer’s, may, as they claim, use “natural” essential oils, but they must also add synthetics. I have washed sheets in Mrs. Meyers detergent, rinsed them thoroughly and then dried them on the line and then had to get up during the night and change sheets because the scent just wouldn’t quit!
I would welcome your list of fragrance-free products! If I want any fragrance, I can add my own essential oils in the concentration I personally choose.
Also, Sue Apito’s idea is wonderful! She is right on about companies that mislead consumers.
In addition to Mrs. Meyer’s, there are many other product lines (like Clorox “Green Works”) that trumpet themselves as “natural” when they are not. The headaches I’ve gotten from Green Works (never, never again!) were not synthetic, and that was the only “natural” thing about them.
I very much like the way you would categorize products re fragrances, i.e. natural scents and those with petrochemicals in them. I agree that the easier we make it for non-MCS folks the bette. Kudos on your solution!
Patrecia
I use to look for fragrance free, now I look for TOXIC free. I love my Ava Anderson shampoo and Vermont soaps, they have a “scent” but no added fragrances. One needs to make sure they don’t have a problem with a scent, I do with lavender and read labels to make sure it is not in any of my products. Fragrance free does not mean toxic free.
I try to always buy products that are free of synthetic fragrances. I also have to stay clear of lemongrass – the herb and the essential oil because I am very allergic to it. I’ve educated myself for the past 20 years on this subject, my research includes the study of herbal medicine and aromatherapy. What concerns me a lot are the companies that lie. There are companies selling synthetic fragrances “as” essential oils. Companies that market their products as “non-toxic” but whose perfumes violate IFRA recommendations and which contain ingredients that do not exist except as synthetic fragrance ingredients. I’d love to see you address this issue – synthetic fragrances marketed “as” essential oils. The average consumer has no idea they are being lied to!
I like the way you have defined the list so we have the largest list available to make those determinations ourselves. I like to be as toxic-free as possible, but have regular allergies and sometimes have to resort to a more toxic product when my allergies inhibit a more not-toxic naturally fragranced choice from being an option.
I found out the hard way that “Fragrance Free” on a label doesn’t mean that. I have an acutely sensitive sense of smell and MCS. I smell all kinds of perfumey, junky smells in these fragrance free products and have allergic reactions to them. It means they use fragrance simply to cover up the unpleasant odors the ingredients have, not add fragrance for the aesthetic experience. This link Debra gave us explains it very well. I think all of us contributing here should read it so we
I definitely think a fragrance free list should exclude both conventional products with petrochemicals and products with natural fragrances. I do use plenty of products with natural essential oils but I often run into ones that are just as headache inducing as conventional fragrances. I don’t beleive it would be helpful to end up with products like these on the list. For example i recently bought some natural laundry soap that claimed only to be scented with just essential oils of magnolia and lily. Seems pretty benign, but no, this stuff was so overpowering and smelled like stinky conventional soap. I am suspicious there was some hidden added fragrance.
I think exceptions could be made for products that use very minimal amounts of essential oils. I have used products that use the oils more as a preservative than a fragrance and they are extremely faint.
Fragrance free, to me, means free of all added fragrance wether it’s from a natural or synthetic source. Scented with natural fragrance, as opposed to petrochemical or other synthetics, is another distinction. Full ingredient disclosure is yet another distinction I’d like to suggest. (Current FDA requirements are ingredients that make up less than 1% of the formula may be omitted from the ingredient list. Soap requires zero disclosure.) I suffer from food allergies and MCS myself, so I know how frustrating it is when producers aren’t forthcoming with complete ingredient lists.There are makers with strict ethical standards, such as myself, who alway disclose what goes into a product no matter how tiny the amount. Unfortunately there are also many who use botanical extracts coupled with synthetic fixatives, yet call their product all natural. And people who outright lie, as Sue Apito said.
For the list to be useful to me, I would need it to have three categories: 1) non-toxic and fragrance free 2) non-toxic with only all natural essential oils (no synthetics of any kind), and 3) no fragrance but not all non-toxic, i.e. can have petrochemicals.
Personally, I will not buy or use any product from the last category. Sometimes I want no fragrance at all. But usually, an all natural fragrance is so light and short-lived to me that it is not a concern. It is the synthetic scents that live on and on and either I can’t stand, or they eventually bother my breathing, if I have to breathe too much of them. Thanks for doing this!