A single fragrance may have more than 200 ingredients. One of the reasons the product labels do not have specific scent ingredients named on the label is because the expert perfumers called “noses” don’t want to give their secret formulas away. Even federal labeling regulations recognize the formulas as trade secrets thus require only the words perfume or fragrance be added to the label. .
Improving on Nature
Pleasant aromas are derived from a spectacular number of substances, including plant materials and synthetic chemicals. Perfumers can even improve on nature. Certain natural flower scents, for instance, cannot be extracted, yet the experts, using various chemicals, can reproduce the same aroma we smell in the actual blossom. Because of the complexity of perfume formulas, it is difficult but possible for competitors to break them down and reproduce them.
Since fragrances are intended to vaporize, and they do contain plant and floral derivatives as well as many other chemicals, they frequently cause allergic or sensitivity reactions. Advertisers who placed perfume samples in magazines had to enclose them or eliminate them because so many people were allergic to the scents.
Scent sensitivity is nothing to sneeze at. A woman in 2009, for example, won a suit against her employer because a co-worker would not stop wearing a perfume that caused the woman’s lung problem to worsen.
What’s That Smell?
Almost everything is scented, from laundry detergent to candles and coffee. According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), fragrances are considered the leading cause of cosmetic contact dermatitis. As a health problem, this sensitivity alone affects more than two million people, and studies suggest that sensitivity is on the rise.There are untold millions of others who may react adversely to certain fragrances with an asthma attack, a stuffed nose, hives, a rash or some other health problem.
The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) is aware of the problems that may arise from their products. The trade group conducts frequent workshops to foster self-regulation. The fragrance manufacturers, however, are often left without feedback on which ingredients are likely to have provoked a reaction to a scent.
The New List of Perfume Ingredients
International Fragrance Association (IFRA) announced recently the organization will publish a list of the fragrance ingredients used in consumer products late this year. The list will be posted on the association’s website although it is not necessarily aimed at the average consumer.
“The list is for anyone who is interested in what goes into a fragrance: these can be regulators, stakeholders, dermatologists and the interested consumer,” IFRA’s Stephen Weller told the trade publication CosmeticsDesign. He added that the alphabetical list of chemical names may be hard for the average consumer to understand. IFRA Director General Jean-Pierre Houri says the list fits with the industry’s efforts to be more transparent. However, the list does not give information about which products contain which ingredients.Therefore, for consumers who know or suspect they are suffering from adverse reactions to certain fragrance ingredients it is possible to find out what scent is in a product by contacting the perfume company who would then contact the fragrance supplier and eventually contact you or your health care provider.
Ruth Winter - Ruth Winter, MS, The author of 37 popular health books, was past president of The American Society of Journalists and Authors and winner ...
