Why smelling good could come with a cost to health
Fruity, floral, musky – from candles and cleaning products to lotions, soaps, lipstick and cologne, we live in a scented world. What is lurking in the air?
About 4,000 chemicals are currently used to scent products, but you won’t find any of them listed on a label. Fragrance formulations are considered a “trade secret” and therefore protected from disclosure – even to regulators or manufacturers. Instead, one word, fragrance, appears on ingredients lists for countless cosmetics, personal care and cleaning products. A single scent may contain anywhere from 50 to 300 distinct chemicals.