All over our website and packaging, we rave about the 9-Free formula featured in all our Aroma Pack air fresheners. ”9-Free” means the formula is vegan and cruelty-free with NO benzene, NO BPA, NO DEA, NO formaldehyde, NO parabens, NO phthalates, and NO toluene. That parts obvious to anyone who can read, but what's not so obvious is why should you care whether or not these chemicals are present in the products you buy?
The simple answer is that all of these chemicals are toxic to varying degrees, and can cause all kinds of health problems. Short-term exposure to any of them can cause immediate symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea, and irritation to the eyes or respiratory system. Long-term exposure can cause more complex and serious health issues such as organ system toxicity, hormone disruption, reproductive harm, and even cancer. Everscents cares about your health, so we don’t use any of these chemicals in our products - but many brands do!
How can you tell which brand's products contain these chemicals and which don't?
Well, the scary truth is you can't always tell! When a scented personal care or air freshening product contains fragrance, the chemical makeup of that fragrance is considered proprietary information. What that means is the exact recipe of that fragrance is a trade secret and the company is not required to disclose each individual ingredient that goes into making that particular scent. While this does protect companies from having their recipes stolen, it also keeps you in the dark. A lot of scary chemicals can be hidden under the word "fragrance.” However, most brands that offer clean formulas free from these harmful chemicals will go out of their way to advertise that fact. So it's fair to assume that if a product doesn't advertise itself as clean, it probably isn't.
Why aren’t all scented products made with a clean formula?
Unfortunately, it's not always as effective or cost-efficient to make scented products clean. Fragrance ingredients don't all perform exactly the same way, so it can be a challenge to make clean products as strong and long-lasting as customers expect. Using better, safer ingredients can also make the formula more expensive to produce than its toxic counterparts.
So what even are these toxic chemicals? Why do brands use them and what harm can they do to the human body?
Benzene
Benzene is a highly-flammable, petroleum-derived chemical that is often used in fragrance and personal care products for its sweet smell and excellent blending qualities. It can also be found in other manmade products such as glue, paint, furniture wax, detergent, resin, and rubber, as well as natural sources like fire or cigarette smoke.
Benzene is a known human carcinogen, meaning it can cause cancer. One of the major adverse health effects of benzene is on the blood. Long-term exposure can cause bone marrow to stop producing enough red blood cells, leading to anemia, leukemia, excessive bleeding, and a weakened immune system. In women, it can disrupt female hormones and cause damage to the reproductive system.
BPA
BPA, or Bisphenol-A, is a chemical primarily used in the production of certain plastics and resins. These materials can often be found in the packaging for things like fragrances, personal care products, water bottles, and food containers. The BPA in these containers and packaging can then leech into the product and be absorbed by the body.
Exposure to BPA is linked to brain and behavior problems, cardiovascular complications, as well as disruption of the endocrine system. BPA is known to mimic human hormones and change the body’s natural hormone production. Disruption to hormone production can lead to problems with many areas including your mood, metabolism, blood pressure, blood sugar, growth & development, reproductive system, sexual function, and pregnancy.
DEA
DEA, also known as diethanolamine, as well as other ethanolamine ingredients, are used in various scented consumer products as fragrance enhancers, emulsifiers, foaming agents, and pH adjusters.
Ethanolamines can cause irritation and burning to the skin, eyes, nose, and throat. Some studies suggest they are also linked to organ system toxicity.
Formaldeyhyde
Formaldehyde is a chemical primarily used as a preservative ingredient across many different industrial, personal care, and fragrance products. It is also commonly used in the manufacturing process of a wide range of building materials and furniture.
Exposure to formaldehyde can occur through inhalation, ingestion, or absorption through the skin. In the short term, formaldehyde can cause dizziness and irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat, leading to coughing, sneezing, and bronchitis. There is also a risk of allergic and skin reactions. Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen, meaning long-term exposure can cause cancer.
Parabens
Parabens are a group of ingredients commonly used as preservatives in many types of cosmetics, foods, and personal care products. They are extremely effective at the prevention of microbial growth, but studies have shown that they can cause health problems in certain individuals.
In the short term, parabens can trigger inflammation and skin irritation, and long term studies have indicated the possibility of endocrine disruption and reproductive harm.
Phthalates
Phthalates are chemicals often used in the production of plastic and personal care products. In personal care products, they are used as solvents, stabilizers, and scent enhancers to increase the strength and longevity of fragrances in perfumes, colognes, candles, air fresheners, and other scented products. They are also commonly used to make plastic and plastic-based products more durable. This includes everyday items like product packaging, water bottles, food containers, nail polish, and hairspray.
Phthalates are known endocrine disruptors, meaning they can disrupt the body’s natural production of hormones. Since hormones affect many of the body's natural processes, this can cause all kinds of issues with areas such as your mood, metabolism, blood pressure, blood sugar, growth & development, reproductive system, sexual function, and pregnancy.
Toluene
Toluene is a colorless liquid with a sweet, pungent odor. It is used as a solvent in many different industrial products, including paint, dye, adhesive, and gasoline. In personal products, it is most commonly used in fragrance and nail polish, for its sweet scent and ability to dissolve other ingredients and improve texture.
Toluene is quite volatile and easily vaporizes when exposed to air. Toluene vapor can instantly affect the body upon inhalation. Short-term exposure to toluene can harm the central nervous system by causing dizziness, headache, confusion, nausea, anxiety, insomnia, nerve damage, loss of coordination, and dilated pupils. It can also irritate the eyes, nose, and throat. Long-term exposure can lead to more serious problems like brain damage, including loss of color vision and hearing, as well as damage to the female reproductive system and child development.
Hey! That's only 7 chemicals, so what's the other 2 in "9-Free" stand for?
The other 2 things our product are free from is animal ingredients and animal testing. This is also known as being vegan and cruelty-free.
What's the big deal about animal ingredients and animal testing?
Ultimately, it's a personal choice for the consumer whether or not to use products that contain animal ingredients or are tested on animals, but we don't like the idea of hurting our furry friends to obtain these ingredients or test out products!
How can you make sure you're only using safe air freshening products?
Obviously, use Everscents Aroma Packs! But aside from air fresheners, make sure you are checking product labels for all your scented products. If there is not a full ingredient list, which most of the time there's not, look for “free from” claims on the packaging and reference back to the list of chemicals you should avoid.