Fragrance - It's A Bad Word

Has it really been almost 5 months since my last post? I'm not entirely sure where the time goes but it is indeed October! I spent June on Smart's Mountain Farm taking care of the place for my parents. July found us road trippin' through Oregon. The 2nd week of August was spent at Emerald Earth Sanctuary learning about all things natural and building. I'll have to do some future posts about the benefits of building naturally! Then Eric was off to Wisconsin for 3 weeks to work on Rising Sun Farm. After that we met up in Seattle, Wa to resume our aborted Pacific Crest Trail hike from last year. Our quest for Canada was again cut short by weather so we headed to Central California Coast to soak us some much needed sun. You can view our still being updated 2010 PCT journal if you're interested.

Slip-straw and slip-and-chip walls being built at Emerald Earth. Cob wall started in foreground.

On our return from Washington on the Amtrak train, I had the most unfortunate experience of an Amtrak employee spraying my backpack with Febreze. I was outraged! How dare they spray toxic chemicals on my personal belongings? I feel as if I were profiled because I was traveling with a backpack. There were other bags there that absolutely reeked on cigarette smoke, but they were not sprayed. Ok, enough.....

This is a really big topic, and it got me thinking about the scents that we are subjected to that come from other people. Or maybe even scents that you put on yourself. What gives your scented products or perfume their fragrance? Unless your products are made from essential oils, it's likely that the manufacturing agency hasn't shared that little tid bit with you. I found a good article with general information called Breaking the Bottle: The Dangers of Perfume by Stef McDonald. She shared the following:

"One of the tougher lessons I've learned since becoming aware of the dangers of personal care products is that most perfumes contain chemical toxins I don't want on or anywhere near my body. Worst of all: you don't really know what those toxins are because of old laws protecting perfume makers from revealing their trade secrets. And this applies to all products, not only perfumes. When you see the word "fragrance" on a label, you're being hoodwinked. "Fragrance" can include numerous chemicals that are not good for you (or the environment)."

So check your products, do any of them have an ingredient called Fragrance? On the Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Database, Fragrance receives a score of 8 out of 10. Any product or ingredient in the 7-10 range receives the title high hazard. Also in the list of product ingredients, the word Parfum is sometimes used instead of Fragrance but they both mean the same thing! Fragrance receives such a high score because like the article states, it can contain any number of known toxins. And the companies making these products are not required to tell us consumers.

"How bad can a little perfume be, right? Wrong--unless you're okay with using chemicals classified as hormone disruptors that can increase your risk of cancer, or harm a developing fetus, or contribute to thyroid and other problems."

If you're about to shed a tear because you think you have to give up scented products completely do not fret. There is hope! There are safe alternatives for you and the environment that can give you your scent fix.

"There are pure and safe and stunningly beautiful perfumes being made that are far superior to the ones I had used. Now, I am a lover of perfumes made from pure essential oils--nothing artificial, nothing toxic. My dresser is now filled with small bottles of non-toxic oils and perfume blends I've found to satisfy my love of scent without sacrificing my well-being."

You can find a list of companies who are doing it right at Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the fore mentioned Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Database. Make a change for the positive!

So, my backpack still totally reeks of Febreze but I am grateful that I had everything inside it bagged in plastic garbage bags. Luckily my sleeping bag and all my hiking clothes don't also reek of Febreze. If they did, I would not be able to use them at all! I have filed a claim with Amtrak and will follow up with a letter. So beware if you are a future Amtrak traveler.......keep that backpack nearby or else!