If you look at the back of your skincare, perfume, shampoo, scented candles, makeup and pretty much all personal care packaging you will probably see the word "fragrance" or "parfum" in it. These words are actually listed to replace each individual ingredient (chemical) so that companies can protect their signature scents/trade secrets. This exemption from disclosing what is on their label is due to the 1973 Federal Fair Packaging & Labeling Act. Under U.S. law, the word itself can contain over 4,000 different chemicals such as phthalates (chemicals used in plastics), formaldehyde (used in embalming) and musk ketones (a type of hormone) that can completely destroy your health- from migraines and allergies to reproductive issues and even cancer. 

The word "fragrance" is not regulated by the FDA, which means that manufacturers can pretty much put whatever they want into their products and claim that they are safe. Meanwhile the European Union has banned many of these chemicals from cosmetics since 2004 because of their proven endocrine disrupting properties.

Fragrance chemicals damage your health & those around you.

Phthalates are one of the hormone and endocrine disruptors that interfere with your body's natural hormone production. They are linked to health issues like reproductive problems in men and women, diabetes, weight gain and according to a study published in Environmental Health Perspectives, phthalates are toxic to the brain and nerve cells, which can affect brain development in children. Plus artificial musks can accumulate in the body and be found in breast milk. Phthalates are used to make fragrances last longer and some artificial musks are even linked to cancer. And if you have asthma, fragrance formulas are considered to be among the top five known allergens that can trigger asthma attacks.

Fragrance is the new second hand smoke.

When you choose to use products with fragrances in them not only are you destroying your own health but also the health of anyone you come into contact with. This is why it's so important to stop using fragrance-filled products. Unfortunately now that you know this information, you will see that fragrance is in almost everything from your personal care items to your trash bags. In a 2016 study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives tested 1,500 items from more than 100 brands and found that every single product contained at least one type of phthalate — even baby lotion! 

Despite all this evidence, phthalates are still widely used in personal care products as well as cleaning products including dishwashing liquids and soaps due to their ability to enhance fragrance performance while boosting viscosity.*

Phthalates are proven hormone disruptors.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals are something that everyone should avoid but especially if you're pregnant or planning on having children in the future and this goes for men too! In 2009 a U.S. government study found that phthalates disrupt the development of male reproductive organs in fetuses, infants and children.

Phthalates act like estrogen in the body and have been linked to infertility and birth defects.

Phthalates are chemicals used to make plastics more flexible. They act like estrogen in the body, which means they can cause reproductive problems and birth defects in babies.  They have also been linked to low sperm counts, testicular cancer and decreased testosterone, which can affect fertility.

So what do we do?

Until the U.S. starts making changes like our international trading partners in the regulation of cosmetics, we must do our own due-diligence. More than 40 nations have already taken steps to ban or restrict more than 1,400 chemicals or contaminants in cosmetics and personal care products, including chemicals linked to cancer, reproductive harm and neurological harm. Keep up the pressure on the government and on manufacturers to require complete disclosure of all chemical ingredients in consumer products, especially products that are used daily. Support companies (TGS) who's products do not have the word fragrance or parfum in the ingredients. Even if it says fragrance-free, naturally derived or all natural, look at the ingredients on the back to be sure.

This was one of the reasons why I created The Golden Secrets and my first product decades ago, The Signature Blend Essential Oil. This is long before essential oils were widely known and used. One of my first slogans was, "scents that make sense." Trying to encourage people to steer away from conventional perfumes that disrupt their health and instead use organic essential oils that work with their body. There is no reason to use chemicals when nature gives us all the beautiful scents we could ever need. Essential oils work with the body, not against it like chemical, conventional perfumes. That is one of the reasons why I started sharing, I noticed how profound this blend not only made me feel but positively affected those around me. It's joy in a bottle.

All of my products are produced from only the finest plant botanicals, cold-pressed, unrefined oils, and the highest quality essential oils that are a product of steam distillation, CO2 extraction, or cold-expression from a single botanical source. I only select ingredients that are: 100% natural, non-toxic, non-GMO, organic, wildcrafted, plant-derived, sustainably sourced, Leaping Bunny approved, free of parabens, phthalates, propylene or butylene glycols, petroleum, sulfates, PEGs, TEA, DEA, silicones, pesticides, artificial dyes, fragrances, carcinogens & all synthetics. My highly concentrated formulas do not contain any fillers. The entire collection is soy, wheat, gluten-free and vegan, with the exception of the Coconut Lip Balm which contains USDA Certified Organic Honey.

Learn more about the dangers of fragrance here:

https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/ask-ewg-what-fragrance 

https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/toxic-fragrance-air