Fragrance - just a little ingredient to make products smell nice, right? If only that was the case, but alas, the term fragrance is an umbrella term and a loophole that companies use to sneak thousands of undisclosed toxic chemicals into their products. When I say thousands I mean 3163 to be exact. Anytime you see the word "fragrance" or "parfum" on a product it can contain any number of these chemicals and you will never know what they are and companies are protected from disclosing the ingredients in their fragrance due to it being a "trade secret".
Uncovering the truth about what these chemicals are doing to our bodily systems is scary and explains why so many of us these days are experiencing so many health issues like eczema, asthma and allergies. Not only that, but these ingredients are endocrine disruptors which means they affect the hormones that your endocrine system produces and can result in miscarriages, prenatal abnormalities, infertility SIDS, and even cancer.
Hormone Disruption
When hormone balance is disrupted, the needed hormone messages are not sent where they need to go or in the right amounts. This disrupts thyroid function estrogen-action and ovulation. Many chemicals found in fragrance, like phthalates, are toxic to your ovaries and impact your fertility. They damage follicles in their development into eggs. Phthalates also mess with your ovaries' ability to produce estrogen and progesterone, further throwing off your hormonal balance.
Inflammation and Infertility
These chemicals are inflammatory in nature. Women use on average 12 different products every day which expose them to 168 toxic ingredients (now think how much higher this number is if every product contains fragrance). Think about the amount of chemical exposure over the years, over a lifetime! Every hair wash, swipe with a scented wipe or application of fruity lip gloss increases the risk for hormone imbalance and the havoc it wreaks. In pregnancy, hormonal disruption and inflammation increase risks for birth defects, preeclampsia, and low birth rate.
Autoimmunity and unfair burden
Women, on average, use more personal care products than men. This means they have an increased exposure to chemical toxins in fragrance. This increased exposure plus the physical and emotional demands of pregnancy and postpartum may explain why more women suffer from autoimmune conditions than men. Not only is developing an autoimmune condition a major health concern, but conditions such as Hashimoto's Throiditis, if uncontrolled, increase the risk of infertility, lower IQ scores in babies born, and may increase the risk of miscarriage by as much as 300%.
Did you know?
The people who work in fertility clinics are not allowed to wear perfume or cologne as they release chemicals that are toxic to eggs and sperm. Why, then, are we not telling pregnant women and family's trying to conceive to stop wearing fragrance and using products that have fragrance as an ingredient?
Don't become a statistic. Ditch the fragrance and start opting for more natural options. Choose products that are "fragrance-free", but make sure the other ingredients are natural, too. Better yet, start making what you can at home, it is easy, fun and makes you feel empowered.
Here's to you becoming the gatekeeper of your family!