3 Reasons to Avoid Scented Products

How are menopause and scented products related? For one thing, they both affect your hormones, and it just might not be in the way that you think.

Scented products are very popular for women. While raspberry bath bombs, cucumber melon body spray and luxurious vanilla candles are typically intended as a self-care treat, they may actually be harmful – especially as menopausal women age.

Here’s what you need to know about scented products and three reasons why you should find alternatives.

What’s in Scented Products?

Fragrances are frequently added to personal care products, like shampoos, conditioners, cosmetics, body washes, hand soaps, deodorants, and lotions. They’re also found in many household items, like candles, cleaners, and detergents.

But what makes scented products smell? The average fragrance contains a whopping 100 to 350 chemical ingredients.

Are Scents Harmful?

Some types of industrial chemical exposure can negatively affect your health, so it’s important to know what’s behind a certain scent if it’s going to be hanging around your environment.

Scented items like body sprays and room deodorizers give off vapors that are easily ingested, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in vapors attach themselves to clothing, hair, carpets, drapes, and bedding.

But that’s not the only reason to avoid them, during menopause or at any time.

3 Reasons to Avoid Scented Products

1. The chemicals used in scented products go more than skin deep.

Scent chemicals can cause headaches, nausea, and loss of coordination. They can irritate your eyes, nose, and throat, triggering asthma attacks and aggravating sinuses. One chemical used to bind and make scents last longer is diethyl phthalate. It’s known to cause contact dermatitis, an allergic reaction making your skin red and itchy.

Diethyl phthalate and many other fragrance chemicals are also reproductive toxins. This means they can interrupt normal reproductive or sexual function.

Some are endocrine disruptors, which can trick your body into thinking they’re hormones and prevent actual hormones from doing their job. This isn’t a good side effect, especially during menopause.

Your body does what it can to rid itself of toxins, but some linger and even build up in tissues, creating problems later. Women with high levels of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in their blood are more likely to start menopause an average of two to four years earlier than those with low levels.

Many scent chemicals are also derived from petroleum, which is classified as a xenoestrogen (it can produce estrogenic effects). Some can block and suffocate pores, and may even be carcinogenic (cancer-causing).

2. You never truly know all of the chemicals hidden in a product.

The term “fragrance” is a bit like the label claim “all-natural.” It indicates proprietary ingredients, isn’t a regulated term, and doesn’t tell you anything about what it is. Companies can hide questionable ingredients behind this verbiage, preventing consumers from thinking twice about it.

3. Scented products unnecessarily add to an already large daily toxin exposure.

Women are voluntarily exposed to an estimated 168 chemicals on a daily basis. What’s more shocking is that this exposure comes through the use of an average of only 12 products. Choosing scented products unfortunately contributes to this problem.

What Are Some Alternative Safe Scents?

Although products labeled “fragrance-free” may use fewer ingredients than scented products, they can still contain fragrances used to mask other smells.

The best idea is to choose natural or homemade products. Scrubs, bath salts and other products made with essential oils are easier than you might think to whip up. Check out this guide for recipes.

While you’re at it, go scentless with other common products. Household cleaners and detergents can be made using inexpensive natural ingredients like baking soda, Castile soap, water, hydrogen peroxide, and vinegar. Natural air fresheners can be produced using essential oils.

Don’t want to make your own products? The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database is a great place to look for products, including cosmetics and lotions, with ingredients that have been evaluated by for safety by experts.