Today, we're looking at a beauty product. The front label reads, "rosehip oil, geranium, etc." The company name has a nice, natural ring to it. Yet, as we turn the bottle over to read the ingredients, we find several troubling chemicals including fragrance.
You may wonder, "Is fragrance bad for you?"
When ingredient lists include fragrance, you aren't really sure what's actually in the product. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), fragrance may contain more than a dozen "potentially hazardous synthetic chemicals". Some of the chemicals are petroleum-based.
Upon conducting laboratory testing, EWG discovered 14 hidden chemicals not listed on an average fragrance 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.” EWG also states that some of the hidden ingredients are chemicals “with troubling hazardous properties or with a propensity to accumulate in human tissues.”
There are safer ways to make skin care smell good. Hyssop Beauty Apothecary uses botanical ingredients including essential oils that provide a naturally pleasant scent to our products.
For more information about hidden chemicals in fragrance, read EWG's report, "Not So Sexy".