SloCountyMoms.net

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and all too often, our sweethearts are unknowingly exposed to toxic chemicals posing as ‘beautiful’ smelling perfumes, lotions, sachets, etc.  Because of the practices of the manufacturing and chemical industries, and the laws that govern those industries, companies are allowed to use toxic ‘fragrances’ to mask unpleasant smelling and highly toxic chemicals in their products. 

Here is an excerpt from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) current newsletter:

“Nobody wants to give their sweetheart a Valentine’s Day gift laced with toxic chemical fragrances. But many of us may unwittingly do so. That’s because a major loophole in federal law allows manufacturers to hide potentially hazardous chemicals in product scents, including substances linked to allergies, birth defects, and cancer in animal studies.

Take a quick look at a personal care product label, and you’ll nearly always find a long list of chemical ingredients in tiny print. Chances are, somewhere in the midst of these technical chemical terms, is the simple word “fragrance.” Although companies are required by law to list all chemicals ingredients in a product, a special loophole allows them to hide what’s in the “fragrance” component[1]. And what’s hidden in that simple word can include complex mixtures of up to hundreds of chemicals that studies show may be linked to a variety of health problems, including allergies, skin reactions, endocrine/hormone disruption, and possibly even birth defects. Companies are not required to test cosmetics for safety before they are sold. The label is the primary protection we have to make decisions about products we rub, pour, and lather on our skin and hair. Yet when it comes to fragrances, we don’t even have this simple protection.”