Are you looking for a non toxic perfume? Did you know that the FDA does not require perfumes or fragrances to disclose their ingredients? As hard as it is to believe, it is true.
This info is from a previous blog post, but it is relevant here so I will share it again. From an older article on Web MD, titled, Does Perfume Have Hidden Health Risks?, there is a quote from the senior vice president for research for the EWG "'The fragrance mixture itself can be comprised of dozens, even hundreds, of individual chemicals, and those don't have to be listed on the label" If you want to learn more about this topic this article is a great place to start.
There is also this concern, taken directly from the FDA's website - "the phrase " and other ingredients" may be used at the end of the ingredient declaration." No disclosure as to what those ingredients are. None. Zero.
There is also this concerning paragraph from the same webpage on the FDA's labeling regulations for cosmetics "The ingredient or mixture of ingredients acting as a masking agent, i.e., covering the undesirable off-odor of a product without adding a discernable odor to it, may be declared by their individual name(s) or as "fragrance" (in lieu of a better designation). A masking agent present in a product at an insignificant level may be considered an incidental ingredient under § 701.3(1)(2)(iii) in which case it need not be declared on the label."
So if perfume makers do not have to disclose their ingredients how do you know if they contain toxic ingredients or if they are clean? You have to look for brands that do disclose their ingredients. Ideally they will provide 100% ingredient transparency so you can decide on each ingredient yourself.
Do you know about Skin Deep?
The EWG has a data base of ingredients rated on a scale of 1-10 (1 being safest, 10 being the worst).
You can even build your own skin deep report if you have an ingredient list!
From EWG here is a list of 25 ingredients commonly found in perfumes that scored a 10 (remember 10 is the worst) in Skin Deep
Aniline BHA Cyclohexanone Dibutyl phthalate Diethylhexyl phthalate Hydroquinone MIBK Nano titanium dioxide Nano zinc oxide (20-60nm) Octoxynol-6 Octoxynol-7 Octoxynol-11 Octoxynol-12 Octoxynol-13 Octoxynol-16 Octoxynol-20 Octoxynol-25 Octoxynol-30 Octoxynol-33 Octoxynol-40 Octoxynol-70 PEG-3 Sorbitan oleate PEG-6 Sorbitan oleate Resorcinol Styrene
I have chosen to avoid these kinds of chemicals, because they contribute to adverse health effects and are known to disrupt hormones.
Years ago when I learned what was in conventional fragrances, perfumes, colognes and other scented products, I was horrified and quit using them on my body and in our home. Products in the health food store were disappointing, they were labeled poorly and did not disclose what exactly was in them. Feeling hopeful I would look them up online only to find that they contained "fragrance" and then didn't bother to elaborate on what exactly that was in their product. To me that comes across as 'we aren't going to tell you what it actually is because it's not good', after all if it was just essential oils they would be proud of that and would fully disclose it!
For years while my kids were really little and kept me extra busy I just stopped wearing scent. But eventually I found space in my life to start blending essential oils. I used essential oils because they are made directly from scented plants! The plant material is steamed with water which causes the plant to release it's essential oil, making it truly from nature. (Now there is a lot more to essential oils and using them, but that is outside the scope of this article. We do explain the difference between essential oils, absolutes and CO2 in the FAQ on our website here). Since 2015 non toxic perfume making with essential oils has been a hobby of mine that I really enjoy. I have recently started selling it on my organic deodorant website that over the years has grown to include other organic body care products too.
We provide full ingredient disclosure, meaning we tell you every single ingredient in our non toxic perfume. Our perfumes contain 20% essential oils & absolutes, mixed with 80% jojoba oil (we can also use fractionated coconut oil).
We have masculine, feminine, and unisex blends
Tropical Vanilla Island Flower, Creamy Coconut Lime, Dreamy Sandalwood Tonka, Simply Vanilla (and a few more currently in the works)
We have samples and full size bottles, you can find here
FAQ about non toxic perfume
What perfumes are not toxic? Most perfumes that you find in the store are going to contain chemicals, remember that the FDA does not require perfume makers to disclose thier ingredients.
What scents are not toxic? Look for brands that offer 100% ingredient transparency
How do you know if a fragrance is toxic? The only way to know is to have a list of the ingredients and run it through a data base like the EWG's Skin Deep.
You might also like Is Your Clean Perfume Actually Clean?