Ten Things You Should Know About Fragrance
The latest post from our Good series is live and this one’s about fragrance. We felt it was time to set the story straight on this creepy ingredient, not least of all because it’s used in just about everything…
If you’re the sensitive type—the always sneezing, quick-to-get-a-rash-from-a-new-detergent guy or gal—someone has probably already told you to avoid fragrance. Ditto if you’ve ever been pregnant. In fact, it’s come up as a major no-no in every post we’ve done in this series. But how much do you really know about fragrance? Chances are, not a whole lot. Like most things in the self-regulated personal care business, it’s shrouded in mystery—but this is an especially thick and stinky smokescreen…
Illustration by Brianna Harden
As I’ve started to ween myself off commercial/chemical-laden beauty products, I notice that the scent of things like hand soap and lotion at family and friends’ homes really bother me. Even having a vague idea of what is producing those scents bothers me more…
Interesting that you say that—we’ve both had a similar experience. Smells jump out at me from everywhere now and not in a good way. I find the detergent aisle at the grocery store particularly unbearable. My impulse would be to compare it to something like alcohol, another poison of sorts. If you drink it moderately every day you build up a tolerance to it, but if you go just a few weeks without out it? A single drink can do you in (like that stinky hand soap you never used to notice). That’s my guess—I’m going to look further into this and post if I come across something worthwhile.