A few weeks ago, I published a question from a reader wanting to know about Toxins of Dawn Dish Detergent.
I answered her question by giving her a link to the ingredients of Dawn provided by Proctor & Gamble, which included a list of fragrance ingredients from the International Fragrance Association.
She commented
When clicking on the perfume link, hundreds of possible ingredients are listed, with this as part of the intro :
“Our perfumes are formulated with the greatest care and utmost attention to safety. Whenever a perfume is developed or enhanced, our safety scientists evaluate the detailed composition of the perfume to ensure that the product is safe to use. Perfumes are formulated taking into account our stringent internal safety standards for every ingredient, as well as the safety standards set by the International Fragrance Association (IFRA). We adhere to the IFRA Code of Practice and the IFRA Standards. For more information about IFRA go to www.ifraorg.org.”
Can this be true? I thought all perfumes (not including organic essential oils) contain toxic chemicals.
Well, it turns out that Women’s Voices For the Earth has been asking this question for almost ten years, and just recently release a report on the subject.
Here are some links to help you find everything.
Especially see the last link, which shows which chemicals on the IFRA list are known to be toxic by other organizations.
Kudos to Women’s Voices for the Earth for doing this work.
EcoWatch: Are Toxic Fragrances Making You Sick?
Women’s Voices For the Earth Report Overview
THE REPORT: Unpacking the Fragrance Industry: Policy Failures, the Trade Secret Myth and Public Health
More information on fragrance ingredients from Women’s Voices for the Earth
Fragrance Chemicals of Concern Present on the IFRA List 2015
Take a look at this if you want to see what chemicals in fragrances are considered toxic by organizations outside of the fragrance industry.
