Fragrances by Design

Materials that quickly get into the air

The use of perfumes, colognes, and products which contain fragrance have increased tremendously over the past few decades. Historically, fragrance has been for luxury and special occasion use. Since the 1970s fragrance has become a part of daily life. The use of fragrance has increased ten-fold since the 1950s. The fragrance industry doubled it size during the 1980s.

Scented products are generally perceived as pleasant, a harmless means of self-expression and certainly not a significant health concern. Very little thought is given to the numerous products used a a daily basis that contain fragrance unless you happen to be one of the growing numbers of people adversely affected by scented products.

The fragrance industry has traditionally been a very secretive industry. For decades secrecy was required to protect fragrance formulas from being copied by others. Fragrance formulas are considered "trade secrets" and do not have to be revealed to anyone, including regulatory agencies. On the label, only the word fragrance must appear in the list of ingredients. The secrecy of the industry has lead to tremendous problems in terms of regulation, monitoring, and impact on those that have problems from fragrance.

What few laws that are in place, are not enforced. FDA Petition #99P 1340 was filed in 1999 by the Environmental Health Network of California asked that existing laws be enforced. The FDA has not taken any action.
With modern analytical capabilities, most fragrance formulations can be revealed. However, this procedure is too costly for the average individual. Even if an individual can pinpoint the specific ingredient/ingredients that are problematic, it does little good. Since the individual ingredients in fragrance do not have to be listed in the ingredients, it is impossible to determine which product contains the problematic ingredient.
Information that is available on fragrance is often widely scattered and difficult to access. The Fragranced Products Information Network was launched in the Fall of 1997 to make available information easily accessible.

By design, fragrances are composed of materials that quickly get into the air. Once in the air, these materials poses serious health concerns for many with asthma, allergies, migraines, chronic lung disease, and other health conditions. Up to 72% of asthmatics report their asthma is triggered by fragrance. Asthmatics and others that are negatively impacted by fragrance often have difficulties working, obtaining medical care, and going about activities of daily living because of others' use of scented products.
Asthma is a serious respiratory disorder involving constriction and swelling of the airways. It is reaching epidemic proportion with over 155 million people world wide having asthma. Asthma attacks are triggered by exposure to irritants and allergens. While it is not known why asthma rates are soaring, it is known that avoidance of triggers is essential in management of asthma.

The Institute of Medicine placed fragrance in the same category as second hand smoke in triggering asthma in adults and school age children. According to the latest information from the National Institute of health, 26.3 million people in the US have been diagnosed with asthma.
Key findings of the report by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics show:

• In 1998, 10.6 million people (39 per 1,000) had experienced an asthma attack or episode in the previous 12 months. This represents about 6.8 million adults for a rate of 35 per 1,000 and 3.8 million children (53 per 1,000)

• Asthma attack rates were highest for non-Hispanic blacks. Among adults, rates were higher among women, but for children, boys were more likely than girls to have had an asthma attack or episode in the past year

• In 1998, there were about 14 million outpatient visits for asthma to private physician offices and outpatient departments, 2 million visits to the emergency department, and about one-half million hospitalizations. The visit rate varied significantly by race, with African Americans most likely to seek medical care for asthma in the emergency room

• Young children (ages 4 and under) had the highest rate of hospitalization for asthma

• In 1998, 5,438 people died from asthma, for a rate of 2.0 per 100,000 population
"New Asthma Estimates: Tracking Prevalence, Health Care, and Mortality" CDC Home Page.

An estimated 5.72 million in the US have skin allergy to fragrance. Fragrance is the number one cause of allergies to cosmetics and laundry products. Many other common health conditions such as allergies, sinus problems and migraine headaches may be negatively impacted by exposure to scented products as well. Fragrance is a common indoor air pollutant. A recent study found that 15% of the general population found fragrance to be a lower airway irritant.

Synthetic musk compounds accumulate in human tissue and are found in breast milk. In animal studies they cross the placental barrier. These materials also persist in the environment and contaminate waterways at levels as high or higher than pesticides. Some of these materials are suspected carcinogens or co-carcinogens. Common chemicals in fragrance are also suspected of being hormone disruptors.
For more indepth information on concerns read: Fragrance: Emerging Health and Environmental Concerns (Review article accepted for publication in Flavours and Fragrance Journal)

Though scented products directly impact the health of many, there is very little public awareness of this impact. This lack of awareness is due to many factors. The ingredients in the fragrance portion of products do not have to be revealed. Most of the materials have not been fully tested for safety and this makes it difficult to pinpoint and monitor problematic materials. There is no one agency responsible for the regulation of scented products and generally these products are a low priority among these agencies.

There is often conflict between those that use scented products and those that are adversely affected by them. Concerns related to fragrance are very complex and they are often very controversial. Frequently positions are based on lack of information or inaccurate information.

In order for effective solutions to be developed, there must be a cooperative effort. There must be courtesy and a willingness to accommodate others. Those asking for accommodation need to understand these are emerging concerns that do not always have a definitive answer. Regulatory agencies need to enforce existing laws and better monitor health and environmental concerns. Most importantly, the fragrance industry, as a primarily self-regulated industry, needs to take a critical look at itself and responsibly address concerns.