News Details
Problematic chemical substances found in popular perfumes placed in the EU market
A study and ingredients’ comparison done for 20 perfumes in Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands revealed that these perfumes contain substances of concern that have been listed by authoritative bodies. The study shows the presence of 26 problematic substances in 20 perfumes, and they can be categorised into the following groups:
- Suspected Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs)
- Reprotoxic Substances
- Allergens
- Substances that are harmful to the environment
The dangerous substances and their functions include:
| Substances | Functions |
|---|---|
| Alpha-isomethyl ionone | Fragrance |
| Amyl Cinnamal | Fragrance |
| Benzyl alcohol | fragrance, solvent |
| Benzyl benzoate | fragrance, solvent |
| Benzyl cinnamate | fragrance |
| Benzyl salicylate | fragrance |
| BHT | antioxidant |
| Butylphenyl methylpropional | fragrance |
| Cinnamyl alcohol | fragrance |
| Citral | fragrance |
| Citronellol | fragrance |
| Citrus aurantium amara flower water | fragrance, skin conditioning |
| Coumarin | fragrance |
| Disodium EDTA | stabilising |
| Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate | UV absorber, stabiliser |
| Eugenol | UV absorber, stabiliser |
| Farnesol | fragrance |
| Geraniol | fragrance |
| Hexyl cinnamal | fragrance |
| Hydroxycitronellal | fragrance |
| Isoeugenol | fragrance |
| Limonene | fragrance |
| Linalool | fragrance |
| Parfum | fragrance |
| Octocrylene | UV absorber, stabiliser |
This study was conducted by the Danish Consumer Council, Dutch NGO Erase All Toxins and Flemish NGO Stand up to Cancer. They suggest that an alternative is to use perfumes that have been awarded the EU or Nordic Swan Ecolabels. A full document on the study can be accessed here.
Last Update: 2022-01-04
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