I am guilty of being a scent junkie. I love perfumes, colognes, body sprays and all types of lotions. I am partial to a clean fresh aroma. Something light and crisp. I can be in the company of someone wearing a distinct perfume and automatically be taken back to a place in time that reminds me of the scent. I am very scent oriented. So is a lot of people. That's why when this new study came out, concerning hazardous hidden chemicals in perfumes and fragrances, I listened very carefully.

Makers of popular perfumes, colognes and body sprays market their scents with terms like “floral,” “exotic” or “musky,” but they don’t disclose that many scents are actually a complex cocktail of natural essences and synthetic chemicals – often petrochemicals.

Laboratory tests commissioned by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and analyzed by Environmental Working Group revealed 38 secret chemicals in 17 name brand fragrance products, topped by American Eagle Seventy Seven with 24, Chanel Coco with 18, and Britney Spears Curious and Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio with 17.

The average fragrance product tested contained 14 secret chemicals not listed on the label. Among them are chemicals associated with hormone disruption and allergic reactions, and many substances that have not been assessed for safety in personal care products.

Also in the ranks of undisclosed ingredients are chemicals with troubling hazardous properties or with a predisposition to accumulate in human tissues. These include diethyl phthalate, a chemical found in 97 percent of Americans and linked to sperm damage in human studies and musk ketone, a synthetic fragrance ingredient that concentrates in human fat tissue and breast milk. 

Fragrance secrecy is legal due to a giant loophole in the Federal Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1973, which requires companies to list cosmetics ingredients on the product labels but explicitly exempts fragrance. By taking advantage of this loophole, the cosmetics industry has kept the public in the dark about the ingredients in fragrance, even those that present potential health risks or build up in people’s bodies.

To make matters worse, FDA lacks the authority to require manufacturers to test cosmetics for safety, including fragranced products, before they are sold to consumers. As a result, people using perfume, cologne, body spray and other scented cosmetics like lotion and aftershave are unknowingly exposed to chemicals that may increase their risk for certain health problems.

Numerous other products used daily, such as shampoos, lotions, bath products, cleaning sprays, air fresheners and laundry and dishwashing detergents, also contain strongly scented, volatile ingredients that are hidden behind the word “fragrance.”

On Wednesday, the Fragrance Materials Association issued a statement saying "There is nothing 'secret' about the ingredients being used in fragrances" and that a list of the chemical information on the ingredients that any consumer, or special interest group wants can be found at http://ifraorg.org/

I went to the website. Did I feel any better about the ingredients disclosed to be in my perfumes? No. The fragrance market is a billion dollar society where revenue is everything. I'm a bit skeptical. So what can one do?

For starters, there are natural products. Yes, they cost a bit more, but they are "clean." No chemicals involved. In the West Palm area, Whole Foods on P.G.A. Blvd is the first place I would start. They have everything you could possibly need. Also the Greenwise Publix on P.G.A Blvd. at Legacy, also has a huge selection of natural perfumes and fragrances.

In the slide show below, some of the worst chemical offenders are listed. Should you stop using your favorite perfume? That's totally up to you. There are alternatives. As the heat of the summer increases, less scent might be better anyway. There are some delicious natural soaps that leave residual fragrance on your skin, better then any perfumes. Give it a try. You might be surprised at the results.

My Contact: LisaRKohl@aol.com Email me anytime. Tell us your story. Subscribe to my columns.