Did you know that Beautycounter promises to not have mystery fragrance? Why is this a big deal?

fragrance-trade-secret

The other day I was purging old magazines and stumbled across the article The Problem with Perfume in the Jul/Aug 2016 issues of Experience Life. Not being a person who wears perfume it shouldn’t apply to me, right?

Well, no.

The term fragrance is used in personal care products also.

I decided to check the ingredient list on a common brand found in stores and sure enough, the term Fragrance was there.

fragrance-on-label

But really, what is fragrance?

According to the FDA, fragrance is considered a trade secret. Wait. WHAT?

You can check out the FDA information here on their site.

To quote the Environmental Working Group (ewg.org)

“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 3,100 ingredients in fragrance, even those that present potential health risks or build up in people’s bodies.”

So I’m safe by choosing the product that says unscented?

Not exactly.

To quote the article The Truth About “Fragrance-Free” Products on Prevention.com

“Some especially sneaky brands stretch the definition even further: “I’ve seen companies who said their products were fragrance-free, and then listed fragrance components like linalool, citronellol, and citral on the label separately,” says New Jersey-based cosmetic chemist Ni’Kita Wilson. Do yourself a favor and check the ingredients because the manufacturer may have added a mystery fragrance to neutralize or mask the smell of the other ingredients.”

So when you’re ready, go check the labels on the products you have at home and see how they stack up.  Contact me to find the perfect product to suit you and then why not lay back and give yourself a crystal facial and relax in the knowledge that you have done a great job at preventing unintentional exposure to potential harmful ingredients!

You should not have to compromise your health in the name of beauty.

never_sacrifice_health_for_beauty