A word so innocent and used regularly is not known for being a protected trade name that allows manufacturers to conceal toxic chemicals.
According to the International Fragrance Association, there are more than 3,500 fragrance chemicals in use today, giving personal care, cleaning and other products their unique smell. Exposure to many of these substances can lead to a wide range of health problems. With that, just seeing the word “fragrance” on the ingredients labels of cleaning products or personal care items should set off alarm bells in your mind.
So many of us love fragrance, parfum, perfumes and overall how things smell. We relish in smelling good. Scent can be an attractant, can signal that something is clean, can trigger sweet memories… but the problem is that they can impose harm to us. Pthalates are the little known group of carcinogens found behind the common term of “fragrance” and it is known to negatively impact our hormones and reproductive health. Another fragrance chemical named styrene is linked to cancer.
Fragrance chemicals can cause allergic reactions. Fragrance chemicals are also bad for the environment: Chemical vapors in fragrance can cause ozone pollution and form fine particulates, according to one study.
Fragrance is not regulated and are not required to undergo FDA review before being sold. Some fragrance allergens will have to be disclosed under a new federal law that passed in December 2022 but as of 2026, I have not seen this list.
For this and many other reasons, we opt to not use fragrance in any of our products.