That which they call a “fragrance” can mean a strange and mysterious concoction of toxic chemicals.
Pretty smells of course aren’t necessarily toxic — After all, organic roses still smell amazing. But if you see the word “fragrance” in the ingredients list of your perfume, beware, beware. “Fragrance” has become a sort of euphemism for all sortsa chemicals, as I wrote about in a previous perfume post.
To smell sweet and stay nontoxic, check out this list of 10 “fragrance”-free products. The list was put together by the Environmental Working Group, which has launched a Valentine’s Day campaign urging you to “Buy Your Sweetheart Products that Show it All.”
EWG’s even put together a “Be My ‘Fragrance’-Free Valentine” (PDF) — an educational card-like brochure — to include with your safely scented gift –
I haven’t actually tried any of the products on EWG’s list — but if anyone here has, perhaps you’ll weigh in? If you’re looking for massage oil, you might also check out Good Clean Fun‘s love oil sampler, which I wrote about here.
What really surprises me is that, as far as I can tell, no celebrity has come out endorsing a “fragrance”-free perfume line. It seems like slapping your name on a scent line is all the rage these days. Paris has one. Britney has one. Nicole Richie’s is coming out. I know a lot of celebrities who promote the kinds of causes that lie behind the chemical-less movement in perfume – banning animal testing and promoting natural ingredients, for instance – but I haven’t heard of any who have tried to get involved specifically with any particular line of products. It seems like to me there’s a great potential for marketing to this niche. So many people out there would like to see more products with fewer chemicals. People are beginning to realize that, if it’s bad in your food, it’s probably bad to put on your skin too.
Comment by Fragrances — June 6, 2007 @ 3:44 pm
You may already have posted on this, but I also noticed, since it is pool-time at my house now, that EWG has recently put up a list of sun-tan lotions as well. My only concern about these products is price. It seems to me that, too often, in order to be environmentally friendly and organic, you must pay a much higher price. Whole Foods is a good example. Their products are always much more expensive than those found in regular grocery stores. There are several problems with this, but the most important is that only the wealthy can truly afford to live this healthier lifestyle. Will there ever come a day when safer, chemical-free products will be as affordable as riskier ones?
Comment by Fragrances — June 21, 2007 @ 12:28 pm
thanks I love roses
Comment by dj — July 13, 2007 @ 9:15 am
My dermatologist advised me to use fragrance-free facial wash or soap for my face. My gynecologist also advised me to choose fragrance-free feminine wash. It seems that healthy products require that they should be fragrance-free.
My problem is this what will happen if my favorite perfume becomes fragrance-free? Perfumes aren’t perfumes without any smell, scent or fragrances. We can’t deny the fact that organic ingredients are more fragrant than the synthetic ones. Organic ingredients however are very expensive. It’s like extracting a milliliter of oil from a ton of scented flower petals. It’s very impractical to spend too much during production.
Comment by Wedding anniversary gifts — July 30, 2007 @ 12:20 am