I’ll start by saying I KNOW this is not a popular topic. People like what they like and they don’t want to budge.
That’s fine. I get it. BUT you should at least KNOW what you’re buying.
FRAGRANCE is listed as an ingredient on probably every single personal care product in your home as well as in cleaners, candles, air fresheners & fabric softener.
It’s quite literally EVERYWHERE, but here’s the thing: This is the FIRST ingredient I look for when I’m shopping. If “fragrance” or “parfum” is listed as an ingredient – back on the shelf it goes.
Why? Because “fragrance” itself is NOT an ingredient. I used to think it was just something added to the product to make it smell pretty and asked no questions. Then I found out “fragrance” is a term used by companies as a catch-all for thousands of different harmful chemicals; and they don’t even have to tell you what those chemicals are, because it’s considered “proprietary information.”
We do know, however, many of those chemicals are phthalates which are ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING chemicals.
What does it mean for a chemical to be disruptive to the endocrine system? Simply put, it changes the way your body works. It gets in the way of natural, normal body functions. When you think endocrine system, think hormones. It also controls your reproductive system & your metabolism. These are not things you want to mess with!
These chemicals are also taxing to your gut health, and your gut houses 70-80% of your immune system! We want to love on our gut – not contribute to its toxic load.
Long story short, when you buy something that has fragrance, you really don’t know what you’re getting. You can be sure it has harmful chemicals in it, but there’s no way of knowing exactly which ones.
You may not realize it, but you’re washing your hair with fragrance, washing your hands in fragrance, washing your clothes in fragrance, applying fragrance to your face, applying fragrance throughout your hair, spraying fragrance all over your body – and not only are you breathing in all the toxic chemicals, but they’re going STRAIGHT to your bloodstream to be carried to every organ in your body.
So, how do you avoid this? It can be hard and frustrating at times trying to find items that DON’T have fragrance, but start by looking for products that call out things like “fragrance-free,” “unscented,” & “free & clear” on the label. Make sure you still flip it over though to make sure you don’t see fragrance in the ingredient list! It’s usually toward the end of the list, so I usually start at the end and work backwards to save time.
Apps like “Think Dirty” and “EWG’s Healthy Living” can help you find cleaner products as well – but still make sure you’re double checking the ingredients.
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