What Does It Mean When A Fragrance Is Phthalate Free?

Dive into the complex world of phthalates.  Explore   what they are, why they're concerning, the potential health risks they pose and our commitment to producing phthalate-free fragrance oils, ensuring your home is filled with safe, clean, and high-quality scents. Join us to understand the significance of this choice for both your wellbeing and the environment.

What Exactly Are Phthalates?

In addition to being almost impossible to properly pronounce the first time, phthalates are chemical substances that can cause great harm to both people and the environment.

They are a cluster of chemical compounds that soften plastics and make common fixatives in perfumes more flexible.

They are also used as solvents in household products and are found in many every day products including: wall coverings; flooring; shower curtains; tablecloths; cosmetics; nail polish; lotions; soaps and food containers.

Phthalates are colorless, odorless and oily, which makes them difficult to evaporate and part of a much bigger problem.

A Quick History Of Phthalates

Phthalates have been used since the 1920s where they first served as substitutes for camphor.

In the 1930s, they were found to increase the flexibility, durability, and transparency of plastics and they were also common ingredients in insecticides throughout the 1940s.

By the 1970s, their production reached over 1 billion pounds annually.

Scientists became concerned about their health effects in the 1990s when various studies began to reveal that phthalates have the capability to mimic our body's natural hormones.

They are believed to be endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which can be deleterious to human health and well-being.

Health and Environmental Concerns

Phthalates are everywhere and in many cases, they are not intended ingredients. In the food we eat they have been discovered in dairy products, fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood and fast foods.

Phthalates contaminate the supply chain as they can easily escape into food from processing equipment, preparation and packing materials.

They contaminate indoor dust and air because they are not chemically grounded in the plastic they come wrapped in. They are considered serious indoor air pollutants.

Vinyl flooring and toys release these pathogens over time and they accumulate and contaminate the dust.

With toys, there is even greater risk because children and pets are always putting them in their mouths and have more exposure and direct contact with the floor.

Due to the fact that the modern market place is flooded with so many products containing these dangerous elements, tests performed among US residents confirm that 99% of adults and children are exposed to them every single day.

Extensive laboratory testing has indicated that this reduces testosterone levels and can cause a series of issues with male reproductive development.

Phthalates in Cosmetics And Perfumery

Phthalates help dissolve and stabilize perfumes ingredients, extending scent longevity.

Diethyl phthalate aka DEP, is the most commonly used in perfumery where it serves as an excellent fixative that helps to retain the fragrance on the skin.

Direct exposure occurs when phthalates are used in cosmetic and personal care products.

Studies performed by the Center For Disease Control (CDC) have indicated that women have higher exposure rates because of their greater use of perfumes and cosmetics. 

Women of color are subjected to particularly higher levels of phthalates due to a number of factors including: the purchase and use of of more personal care products than other groups, serious disparities in proper marketing and targeted use for specific products such as hair relaxers, which are loaded with phthalates. 

Our fragrances are always free of phthalates as well as other toxins.

How To Check if A Fragrance Is Phthalate-Free?

While shopping is often a cure all for whatever ails you, danger lurks both online and at the perfume counter and there is no suit of armor to protect and serve unless you are an educated consumer who understands labels and knows what to look for.

Seek out “phthalate-free” or “0% phthalates” labels on the packaging as well as acronyms such as: DBP, which stands for dibutyl phthalate.

Stay away from ingredients labeled as parfum, unscented and fragrance” because they are unidentified, non-flying and potentially dangerous substances.

Sadly, doing your homework is not enough to prevent buying a perfume containing dangerous pathogens because the government is unfortunately not forced to do theirs. 

Activism and action are the only solutions to solve this problem which otherwise may never be addressed.

Phthalates can be replaced with safer alternatives. Write to your congress people; that’s what they are there for, and your favorite retailers. Open your mouth and your computer and demand safer products.

The only way to protect ourselves is via government policies that guarantee the safety of perfume ingredients by establishing rigorous testing standards.

Danger to health and the environment worsens every day as scientists learn more about the cumulative effect of all the toxins we are exposed to in our daily lives. 

The Importance of Labels And The Regulatory Landscape

Every country and region in the world has regulations regarding the use of phthalates in cosmetics and fragrances that differ from one another.

The purpose of labeling is to provide vital information concerning ingredients, date of manufacture, expiration date and usage instructions among others.

This helps consumers make informed decisions, especially if they have specific health concerns. 

The Federal Drug Administration demands that labels list ingredients both individually and in their order of importance. They cannot, however, force a company to reveal trade secrets by labeling.

Sometimes, perfumers get around and away with this by simply declaring the word, fragrance, which in truth is evasive and can indicate the presence of many diverse and harmful ingredients.

Marketing And Consumer Perception

The simple truth is that companies market their products as phthalate-free when they aren’t because they can.

More and more consumer trends are leaning towards natural and clean beauty and fragrances products that are labeled properly and guarantee that consumers are safe.

Classification, which concerns the intended use of the product, is mandatory in order to learn which particular regulations apply.

For example, perfumes, cologne and after shave are considered cosmetics because they serve to make people more attractive and/or to smell pleasantly. Others lubricate the skin and are also regarded as cosmetics.

There are other fragranced products that may be intended to soften the skin, which will also fall under that category. The terms, fragrance-free and unscented, have no legal definition and are not in any way regulated by the FDA.

In some cases, these designations are used on labels even if the product does contain a fragrance. Being purposely vague can seriously backfire and cost a company the loss of customers and a hard earned reputation.

The truth may not immediately set them free but it can reinforce a sense of reliability, honesty and safety among consumers about a brand.

Relevant Research And Studies About Phthalates

Research shows that 65% of shoppers spend less than one minute using their smartphones to research products prior to making a purchase and barely more reading the labels on cosmetic items.

Consumers are now willing to put the effort into discovering exactly which ingredients are contained in their personal products.

Consumers who have allergies or chemical sensitivities must be on particularly close alert to the custom labeling and packaging utilized by makers of fragrances, perfumes, and other similar items.

It's important to note that the FDA does not have the same requirements for allergen labeling on cosmetic items as it does for food items.

Although the FDA does ban a small number of chemicals from being used in cosmetics and fragrances, certain legal ingredients can produce strong allergic reactions in some individuals.

There are industry trade organizations that issue recommendations pertaining to safe ingredients used in fragrance products, but individual manufacturers are not required to adhere to them.

In Conclusion

The only way to rid the market landscape of these dangerous toxins and to protect the populace at large are government sanctions that will ensure safe solutions.

We are all responsible for the carbon footprint we leave on Mother Earth for future generations.

Knowledge is the key to change, and we all must all hang together to change this, or as Benjamin Franklin once said: “… assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”