Two Scents Worth

This year, the Environmental Working Group released their report entitled Not So Sexy: Hidden Chemicals in Perfume and Cologne focusing on the discrepancy between the actual chemicals found in 17 popular fragrances and those listed on their labels. Every product tested by an independent laboratory found an average of 14 secret ingredients some of which are known hormone disruptors and those that have not been assessed for safety in personal care products.

So How did Smelling Good Go Bad? First, a little clarification on what ‘fragrance’ means. According to Webster’s Dictionary, fragrance is “the quality of being fragrant; a sweet or pleasing scent or perfume, cologne, toilet water, or the like. Under U.S. law, the term fragrance is defined as a combination of chemicals that gives each perfume or cologne its distinct scent.

Fragrance ingredients may be produced by chemical synthesis or derived from petroleum or natural raw materials. Fragrance houses (companies that specialize in developing fragrances) use any number of the 3,100 stock scent chemicals  to develop proprietary blends that are considered trade secrets.

Fragrance secrecy is legal due to a giant loophole in the Federal Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1973, which requires companies to list cosmetics ingredients on the product labels but explicitly exempts fragrance. By taking advantage of this loophole, the cosmetics industry has kept the public in the dark about the ingredients in fragrance, even those that present potential health risks and what’s termed a body burden.

Is “Fragrance Free” a Fragrance? Did you know that just because a product is labeled fragrance free, this doesn’t mean it is without added fragrance.  Instead, a fragrance may be masking a chemical scent to create an impression of being fragrance free. The French word ‘parfume’ can also be used on labeling indicating that a fragrance has been added. Different language, same issues.

Scent-sational Products Aren’t Many producers of candles, including the wickless ones, air freshners and other home related products contain the same fragrance chemicals as body products. What may be labeled “intoxicating” or “relaxing” is just plain toxic. Both body care and home cleaning companies are also using more medicinal or apothecary looking packaging to create the illusion that their products have old timey, “good for what ails you” properties.

Airing Dirty Laundry Despite the known effects of fragrance, the manufacturers of laundry products are pushing their scented products like never before and are exposing consumers to their fragrances all day long. Some lingerie companies are also offering delicate wash products infused with their most popular scents. These chemicals are inhaled while we prep our clothes and linens for the washing, coat our washers and dryers as well as our bodies as we sleep, work and play. This pollution does not skip any generation, it effects unborn children, the elderly and everyone in between.

To be a more savvy shopper, here’s the top three things you need to be aware of when purchasing all products:

1) Phthalates: Common plasticizing ingredients linked endocrine disruption and birth defects in the reproductive system of boys.

2) Musks: Have been shown to accumulate in breast milk and human fat tissue causing allergies, sensitivity, hormone disruption and even cancer.

3) Dermatologist Tested, Organic and Natural: Have no real meaning when it comes to labeling products. Making sure the word ‘fragrance’ is not listed on labels is good practice, especially if you are scent sensitive or have asthma.

You can also visit the Environmental Working Group at www.ewg.org for lists of products that are truly without added fragrance.

“You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby”

Pretty Ugly; the Cover-up Behind the Beauty Business summarized the dangerous practices of the cosmetics industry. Since the article’s first addition, there have been major developments that may put pressure on once trusted personal care product producers to change their wicked ways. Hopefully, the following findings will help bring about reluctant changes to many companies that continue to use of known toxins to produce their lotions and potions.

Stronger Measures Are Needed to Protect Pregnant Women In June of last year, scientists and health experts pressed for stronger measures to protect pregnant women and infants from pollutants and chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system. This call to action from The Endocrine Society, composed of 14,000 hormone researchers and medical specialists in more than 100 countries, warned that “even infinitesimally low levels of exposure (to endocrine-disrupting chemical) may cause endocrine or reproductive abnormalities, particularly if exposure occurs during the critical developmental window. One of their constituents, Columbia University, tested the air collected in backpacks worn by pregnant women and found that even “low doses (of toxic chemical exposure) may even exert more potent effects than higher doses”.

In November of last year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) published the results of of its’ now  famous “Ten American Study” which found as many as 232 chemicals in the blood of 10 Americans. Surprisingly, these Americans were not refinery workers or field hands; they were 10 newborns, all of minority descent. While the sample is too small to project national trends, the Minority Cord Blood Study, commissioned by he EWG in conjunction with Rachel’s Network, has produced hard new evidence that, beginning in the womb, American children are being exposed to complex mixtures of dangerous substances. This is of particular concern especially to the delicate fetus who lacks the protective blood brain barrier. In recent years, we have seen a dramatic increase in the amount of cancers, developmental disabilities, and physiological abnormalities in children. Although the chemical companies argue that the exposure is less than significant, the Cord Blood Study hastens further investigation into the potential lifelong consequences of exposure to toxic chemicals in the womb.

What’s a Mother to Do? Molly Jones Gray, ND, LM, suggests, “Don’t put anything on a babies’ skin that you wouldn’t eat.” Good advice from a licensed midwife who suffered a miscarriage and was left wondering why.  She is featured in Dr. Sanje Gupte’s CNN series entitled Toxic America. While we may not be able to control everything our children are exposed to in and out of the womb, her advice on skincare is well taken for babies, children and grown-ups alike.

Creating Zen; The Balancing Act

October is all about balance. This couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time for me. “A series of unfortunate events” had me feeling like the world was tilting off its’ axis. After a few mini meltdowns, I was tired of feeling tied and in this moment, began visualizing the scales of life balancing themselves out.  I literally said to myself, “If things can get this “bad”, then surely, they can also get that “good”. I kept this thought and vision in my head and keep repeating  it every time the feeling of uneasiness crept back in. I imagined myself pushing the scales back into place and then moved as though I was actually pushing them. I had owned this feeling and thought before and remembered how calming it was. When I decided to really live in it again, I was able to relax.

When I am working with a client who is extremely anxious or finds it hard to let go, I go to a place that lets me become objective and neutral in my way of being so that I can be most helpful to them. In this case, I was my own client. When I stopped fighting with myself, I was the one who found benefit. I became more clear, I could sleep and move forward.

Here are some tips for the Balancing Act in your life:

1) Visualization is Key. Creating calm while in a storm can be achieved by visualizing your way to back into balance. Having a mental picture that reminds you of what you want to achieve in your life engages your right brain which is all about creating the path for change. If you’re having trouble finding your vision, creating a vision board of what you want in your life is a kind reminder of what is possible.

2) Breathe don’t pant. Not all breathing is created equal. Learning to breathe again takes practice but is essential for creating more balance as it allows perspective and calms your cluttered mind.

3) Ready, Fire, Aim. A friend shared with me the concept of letting go of perfection and opting for action. Whatever it is we are trying to accomplish can easily be derailed if we think that we have to be dead on accurate all the time. Practice, patience and persistence will bring about change in unexpected ways which may far outweigh what you had in mind.