Fragrances are among the top five allergens in the world, and can cause allergic reactions, resulting in headaches, respiratory problems, sinus irritation or dermatitis. The number of allergies has increased dramatically in recent years and many experts believe there's a link between the rise in allergies and the increased use of products made with synthetic fragrances. Unfortunately, those aren't the only health risks linked to artificial scents. Join ViTA to discover why you need to avoid synthetic fragrances as part of your daily routine...

 

WHAT ARE SYNTHETIC FRAGRANCES?

Synthetic fragrances can be defined as an unidentified mixture of ingredients, often including, but not limited to, known carcinogens, allergens, endocrine disruptors, neurotoxic chemicals, environmental toxicants and respiratory irritants. These artificial scents are prevalent across all kinds of beauty and personal care products, but also in various other products you are exposed to on a daily basis, including cleaning materials, air fresheners, and laundry detergents….the list is seemingly endless.

Whenever you read the word "fragrance" or "perfume" on the label of your products, be aware - this umbrella term can stand for over 4,000 different ingredients, concerningly, the majority of which are toxic chemicals that are directly absorbed into your bloodstream. 95 percent of chemicals used in synthetic fragrances today are derived from petroleum, also known as crude oil. Such chemicals include benzene derivatives, aldehydes, toluene and various other toxins that have proven links to central nervous system disorders, allergic reactions, birth defects and even cancer.

The word "fragrance" is actually used as a mask by beauty companies, and allows companies to include legally hidden phthalates in your products without needing to specify them. It is somewhat disturbing that companies are not legally required to reveal the chemical cocktail making up their fragrance mixtures, as they are considered 'proprietary formulas'.

  

HOW DO SYNTHETIC FRAGRANCES AFFECT YOUR HEALTH?

Since synthetic fragrances can be made up of up to thousands of ingredients of concern, their health impacts are wide-ranging, severe and multifaceted. These are just some examples of how these chemicals may impact your health:

 

• PHTHALATES. These commonly used solvents help lotions penetrate the skin and make fragrances last longer. While their benefits seem nice, phthalates are also known endocrine disruptors. Since your endocrine system basically affects just about everything that happens in your body, disrupting it, disrupts everything. That's why phthalates have been linked to cancer, diabetes, obesity, autoimmune disorders, autism, birth defects and ADHD - diseases which can affect you years after phthalate exposure.

• ALDEHYDES. Used to produce a floral, citric or fruity smell, aldehydes have been linked to severe respiratory problems such as airway constriction.

• TOLUENE. A neurotoxin, largely sourced from petroleum crude oil. It can cause damage to the liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, and central nervous system, as well as headaches, brain damage, memory loss, problems with speech, hearing and vision. In the worst cases, toluene has been attributed as a cause of death… 

• ACETALDEHYDE. Used to produce a fruity odor, it is considered potentially carcinogenic to humans and has been proven to adversely impact the kidneys, nervous and respiratory systems.

 

According to the Campaign for Safer Cosmetics, over 95 percent of shampoos, conditioners and other hair products contain fragrance as an ingredient, which is why these products are considered particularly problematic. While you probably want your hair to smell amazing, do you really want to take the risk of exposing yourself to possibly toxic ingredients?

 

HOW TO AVOID SYNTHETIC FRAGRANCES 

• CHECK THE LABEL. Make sure that your products are free of phthalates, aldehydes and other ingredients mentioned above by buying products that are specifically labeled as "no synthetic fragrance" or "phthalate-free".

 

• FIND COMPANIES YOU CAN TRUST. If you've been choosing companies claiming to be "organic" or "natural", you'll be shocked to find out that many of these companies' products might have synthetic fragrances in them. Find companies you can trust by thoroughly checking their ingredients and looking for a certification like EWG. This is why ViTA is unusually transparent about its ingredients and fragrances within ViTA products.

 

Unfortunately most companies will continue to use synthetic scents, despite their known health risks, as they give a cheaper way of giving beauty products a desirable scent. The beauty world still needs to develop to ensure full transparency of ingredients and fragrances so that consumers are aware of the health risks associated with certain ingredients, and not misled by the marketing of major brands in the industry.

ViTA is proud to be certified by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), proving that ViTA products are free of EWG ingredients of concern, and are made with good manufacturing practices, among other criteria. To provide consumers with complete information on personal care product ingredients, the EWG launched Skin Deep, an online database with profiles for cosmetics and personal care products, including ratings of their potential hazards and health risks.

 

By creating products free of synthetic fragrances and other ingredients of concern, ViTA is allowing consumers to make healthy purchasing choices, while proving that your beauty products can smell even more amazing when they are made up of nature's best naturally sourced ingredients.

 

Everything that ViTA does is truly aimed at transparency and genuine benefits to consumers. ViTA does not produce natural products for the sake of it, rather, ViTA is concentrated on producing the safest, most highly advanced, plant science products that surpass all others.

A less toxic future must start today…Future Better, Better Future!