Are you having trouble getting pregnant? Maybe it is your husband’s cologne…or yours.
Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit consumer advocate, has conducted an independent study on “secret” ingredients that can be found in colognes and came up with some startling results.
After analyzing 17 perfumes and colognes, EWG found that some contain compounds that may interfere with your hormones. In fact, the chemical diethyl phthalate, which was found in a previous Harvard study to cause sperm damage, was found in 12 of the 17 scents tested.
But, diethyl phthalate wasn’t the only potentially harmful chemical found in the scents tested. However, one problem is that some of the chemicals used in perfumes and colognes are not listed on the label. How can the manufacturer avoid listing the chemicals? They can say the scent is trademarked and that the formula for it is “proprietary knowledge.” That is, they don’t list the chemicals because they don’t want the imposters to fake their scents.
Still, it can be frightening. AE77, sold by American Eagle Outfitters, had 24 chemicals in it that weren’t listed on the label. Chanel Coco was right behind it with 18 chemicals that were unlisted.
One of the authors of the study, Dr. Olga V. Naidenko said EWG don’t really know how harmful the chemicals in the scents are “because the emphasis in the industry is not on long-term testing.” She went on to say that “while infrequent use could be fine,” same chemicals might build up and cause adverse side effects.
EWG is hoping that the results of this study will push for greater regulation of scents, including all ingredients listed on the label.
If you would like to see how your perfume or cologne ranks, check out the EWG database of cosmetics and personal care products. http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/
The bad news for me is that my favorite perfume, Paloma Picasso got a 6 out of 10 hazard rating and contains ingredients that have been linked to cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity, allergies/immunotoxicity, and other concerns such as irritation, and endocrine disruption.