Q: I’ve switched all my beauty products over, but I still like wearing perfume. How toxic is it?

A: We tend to be drawn to scents like flies to... well, you know. But while a manly musk, tarty citrus or vanilla pudding scent may lure you into buying a particular brand of cologne/perfume/body spray, the chemically sensitive and asthma-prome have always known fragrances can be serious health hazards.

Others seem immune to the offence of misting half a bottle of cologne on themselves. All you people putting on more than one or two squirts need a reality check: take it down a notch! 

Beyond the way heavy fragrances impose on others in the vicinity, eaux de toilette are swimming in questionable chemicals. In fact, on average there are 800 ingredients in a bottle of perfume/cologne – including plenty of air-polluting volatile organic compounds (your asthma triggers) and synthetic musk (widespread environmental and food chain contaminants with worrisome endocrine-disrupting properties).

The biggest headline grabbers are hormone-disrupting phthalates. Six particular phthalates are of such great concern that they’re banned from children’s toys in the U.S. (and soon Canada) despite heavy lobbying by phthalate maker Exxon Mobile.

Yet no one’s stopping us from misting ourselves in the plasticizers (which help perfume last longer) every time we want to smell purdy.

The Fragrance Materials Association of the U.S. says some phthalates, like DEP, are safer than others. Nevertheless, more corporations are removing phthalates from products.

In 2002, 72 per cent of the deodorants, perfumes, hairsprays/mousses/gels and lotions tested in a report titled Not Too Pretty by Healthcare without Harm and Environmental Working Group contained at least one phthalate. In 2005, Greenpeace found phthalates in 35 of 36 perfume samples tested.

Then, just three years later, retesting for a report called A Little Prettier, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics discovered that companies seem be reducing the amount of phthalates in their goods. 

In fact, some had gotten rid of them altogether. Poison, by Christian Dior, had some of the highest levels of the dodgy chemicals back in 2002 but in 2008 had next to none. Ditto for a Pantene Pro-V hairspray and Arrid XX Dry deodorant spray.

But the news isn’t all good. Charlie Cologne Spray had more than twice the phthalates it did in 02. Others, like Red Door, Tresor, White Diamonds and Wind Song, still had high levels.

In light of this info, you have two options: 1) Play it safe and go fragrance-free; 2) Make sure you pick products that get their aroma from essential oils and other natural sources, like Pure and Simple’s (pureandsimple.com) entirely natural concoctions. Though Pacifica’s lovely range of solid and spray perfumes are partly synthetic, they are made without phthalates, petrochemicals, nitro musks or animal ingredients. The solid scents come in a base of organic coconut and soy (pacificaperfume.com). 

Edmonton-based Diva Girl Body’s fruity body sprays aren’t naturally sourced (Diva reps say it’s tough to get such a wide range of scents naturally) but are free of pththalates, VOCs and synthetic musks (divagirlbody.com). 

Other healthier scent purveyors include U.S.-based Ecco Bella and Aubrey Organics, whose products are 95 per cent certified organic.

But I have to be honest with you. Even a couple of phthalate-free companies have been caught with their pants down. In 2007, a Consumer Reports study on perfumes found products by Aubrey Organics and Aveda contained a few different phthalates at the time despite claims to the contrary. An Aubrey consumer rep says they’ve since dropped that particular product and test their perfumes to ensure they’re phthalate-free.

To avoid the whole stinky mess, make your own signature scent from scratch with a mix of organic essential oils from the health store. 

Start with a few ounces of organic vodka, then add the oils you enjoy. Let your experiment sit for a few days in a cool, dry area, then drizzle in a tablespoon or two of distilled water. 

Shake it up and again let it all sit for a few days – then dab and go. For ideas on oil combinations, check out pioneerthinking.com/perfumes.html.

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