Sniffing down the road less traveled
It ain't easy being a crunchy frag-head 💋
Ever since I watched the Apple TV+ show See, I’ve been thinking about how four-dimensional the sense of smell is. To see with our minds. To know things like, “the neighbor down the hall’s always baking cookies” or driving in the dark on a road trip, opening the windows and proclaiming, “smells like we’re finally near the ocean…”
To intuit past occurrences or close geographies without seeing, hearing, touching anything. It’s kinda magical!
When I hug a friend and they’re wearing an unexpected scent, it’s a deeply primal way to know them. But ever since my experience with this one perfume, I’ve been wondering how I can preserve that magic without potentially harming those in my olfactory orbit.
In 2019, Nour gifted me this gorgeous glass and wood bottle from a glamorous perfume store in Mexico City. There with some pals, we split up: I wandered off to a book store with my friend Eva, while Nour went to explore design-y things with design-y friends and fell in love with this jasmine scent.
After spritzing it once in a while for years, I stopped. Then, Nour started wearing it ‘cause he loved it, and I was annoyed… but couldn’t pinpoint why.
It was only when I began researching for this Breathe Better series in November that a horrific realization edged into my consciousness. The Xinú perfume made me feel unwell. I had never allowed myself to consider that as a possibility. Sounds ridiculous, I know.
I, who annoy my travel companions at the airport by traipsing around, slathering on lotions and sniffing all the potions before boarding. I’ve never had a negative reaction like this in decades of perfume-ing. So what in this perfume was giving me a headache?!
I don’t know that I’ll ever find out.
If you’ve been wondering about what’s in your perfume, I recommend reading this evaluation of pollutants in perfumes, which references hundreds of studies from all over the world.1
I felt very stressed, but I guess it’s better to know?
“Many studies show that most perfumes, even in small amounts, can cause neurological disorders in the fetus of pregnant mothers.”
Devastating, because perfumes can be such a powerful pleasure.
These pollutants have also been shown to have adverse effects on consumer health such as asthma and allergies, cardiovascular disease, central nervous system damage, breast cancer, endocrine cancer, respiratory disorders, reproduction, thyroid, adrenal gland function and immune system.
Factors affecting the occurrence of effects in people exposed to these products include age, sex, amount and place of use, physical differences and income levels.
It was also found that not all people exposed to these products reported identified side effects.
It’s sad that fragrances are so heavily marketed as ways to attract mates, when so many of the common ingredients are linked to decreased fertility: shorter menstrual cycles2 in Japanese women, DNA damage in sperm 3 hours after using cologne3 in American men, increased risks for breast cancer4 in Mexican women, to name just a few findings.
The whole point is reducing some of the risks so that you can feel better, right?
Like I don’t smoke cigarettes but will devour burnt toast, my carcinogen of choice. No need to throw your faves away, unless you’ve noticed getting headaches or feeling unwell. You could also consider switching to a synthetic-free perfume.
What you can do when spraying perfume/ hairspray:
Have a window open (or the air purifier on) when you’re spraying
Hold your breath when you walk through the mist
Dab on your wrists and don’t sniff until some of the synthetics have evaporated with the alcohol (normally I sniff right away hehehe)
In case you missed it, here are the letters on breathing cleaner 💨
Ideas for cleaner air at home (air purifiers, natural fiber bedding and mattresses, laundry detergents, etc.)
Home recipes for cleaning (and the best ones to buy if that’s not your vibe)
Natural fiber rugs and rug pads (cotton, wool, hemp, and more)
Synthetic-free perfumes:
I walked into Detox Market’s physical store in Manhattan and sniffed some of their synthetic-free perfumes like this palo santo oil ($32). They smelled wholesome.
This luxe sandalwood spray perfume ($250) sounds dreamy with bergamot and sandalwood, so I might order the $20 sample to try.
Living Libations’ Trees Please ($53) is said to smell like a “forest frolic,” but a reviewer says it smells like hippies with its notes of patchouli, lol.
In a similar vein, Bathing Culture’s Cathedral Grove perfume roller ($42) apparently smells like forest bathing. The brand’s Meadow Vision sounds sweet and warm for spring.
The company says, “While some synthetic fragrance molecules are totally safe, many are made from petroleum and have been shown to be carcinogenic and harmful to aquatic ecosystems.”
Heretic’s discovery set ($35) is synthetic-free and encourages you to embrace the “dirty” side of clean fragrance by mixing it up.
ESAS was founded by perfumiers and chemists up for the challenge of blending synthetic-free fragrances. This Men’s Scent Discovery Kit is $50! They have other fragrance discovery kits as well, but this one looked more interesting.
This Yucca Valley spray perfume ($84) utilizing corn alcohol and natural fragrance promises to smell like a biker-cowboy bar, which appeals to me! However, their branding does not.
On the day to day, I moisturize with this Lebanese multipurpose scented oil, feeding two birds with one bagel. The fats “carry” the scent so that no synthetics are needed… it’s how they made perfumes for millennia!
Ok, I tried to share fragrances above that smell more like perfume than a simple blend of essential oils, though I love a good essential blend, which you can find at hippie/Asian/African/Desi grocery stores.
Low-synthetic, “clean” perfumes:
At this point you might ask, aren’t there tons of “clean” perfumes out there? Note that perfumes marketed as “clean” may still use some synthetics, like Phlur or Belnu, or these others below.
Doesn’t mean you should dismiss them though. Especially if you prefer a more sophisticated scent, there are petroleum-based synthetics that are safe-ish for humans, if not so great for our water systems (like synthetic musk5).
If you’d like to dip a toe into more conventional low-synthetic scents, this $88 Clean Perfume Sampler at Sephora includes a voucher for a full-size bottle!
The viral favorite Commodity Milk (spicy vanilla) is $150, so this $88 sampler and voucher for the full-size bottle is an internet hack that frag-heads have been writing about.
Some of these brands are really putting in the effort— Maison Louis Marie (included in the sampler) says:
“We always strike a careful balance between utilizing synthetic and natural ingredients. We only use synthetic ingredients in order to protect the planet from the over-harvesting of endangered plants, to avoid animal products, and to protect against known natural allergens.”
Looking at the long list of everything they omit from their fragrances, I’m impressed. I’d love to get a sniff! Unfortunately brands like Maison Louis Marie are never at the airport.
We can proudly say that our products are free of all the following ingredients:
Parabens, Phthalates, Sulfates, Formaldehyde, Butylated compounds, Aluminum, Triclosans, Hydroquinone, Talc, Coal Tar, Mineral Oil, Retinyl Palmitate, Oxybenzone, Coal Tar, Hydroquinone, Acetone, Benzaldehyde, Benzyl Acetate, Triclosan, Triclocarban, Ethyl Acrylate, Ethyl/Methyl/Butyl Methacrylates, Ethyl Acetate, Methylene Chloride, Animal Oils/Musks/Fats, Trimethylolpropane Trimethacrylate, Aluminum Salts, Benzalkonium Chloride, Benzophenone, Carbon Black, Lead, Lead Acetate, Methyl Cellosolve, Methoxyethanol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Plastic Microbeads, Bisphenol A, Butoxyethanol, Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid, Ethanolamines, Methyl Cellosolce, Methylisothiazolinone, Mercury, Thimerosal, Resorcinol, Toluene and Polyethylene Glycol, DEA, TEA, MEA, ETA, Nanoparticles, Phenoxyethanol, Polyacrylamide, Acrylamide, Bromostyrene, Styrene Oxide, Sodium Styrene, PEGS, Silcones, EDTA & Octinoxate
The Korean-American brand Elorea says “no harmful synthetic materials,” so I’m guessing it’s low-synthetic. The Discovery Set ($40) includes a $40 voucher if you decide to purchase a full-size bottle.
I’m most intrigued by Jang, which is supposed to have warm notes of fermented soybean and ylang ylang.
Silky Crunch may earn some cents if you make a purchase through one of the links above.
The truth is, even organic, non-synthetic perfumes could give you a headache, so the “cleanest” thing is to wear less fragrance in general.
My current favorite (highly synthetic) perfume is Tobacciana by Mondo Mondo, described by the brand as “red mandarin, leather, latex, PVC, tobacco leaves.” Basically the smell of leather, tobacco, and plastic?!
Akin to the “new car” smell which is actually formaldehyde and hazardous, according to multiple studies. Unfortunately, I LOVE IT 😭
Even though I’ve been learning about the negative health effects of volatile organic compounds, the American in me is conditioned to love the smell of new cars and capitalism. There’s a lot to un-learn!
Would you be interested in reading a more detailed perfume letter? I’m game to write but scents are so personal and pricey. I’d only do it if you really want it. Maybe if this letter gets like, 200 hearts.
What’s your favorite perfume right now? Hope you’ll share ❣️
Breathing cleaner outside the home 😤
Wear a mask at the salon if there are aerosol sprays and hair dyeing going on. I feel kinda awkward when I do this but ultimately if I get lung cancer or whatever (which runs in my family) I’ll be the one paying for it, literally and physically.
Wear a mask at your mani appointment to reduce inhalation of nail dust, acrylic dust, glues and sealant fumes, etc.
Ask to open up a window, even if it’s just a crack! Usually folks are grateful for some fresh air.
Kazemi Z, Aboutaleb E, Shahsavani A, Kermani M, Kazemi Z. Evaluation of pollutants in perfumes, colognes and health effects on the consumer: a systematic review. J Environ Health Sci Eng. 2022 Feb 3;20(1):589-598. doi: 10.1007/s40201-021-00783-x. PMID: 35669814; PMCID: PMC9163252.
Nishihama Y, Yoshinaga J, Iida A, Konishi S, Imai H, Yoneyama M, Nakajima D, Shiraishi H. Association between paraben exposure and menstrual cycle in female university students in Japan. Reprod Toxicol. 2016 Aug;63:107-13. doi: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2016.05.010. Epub 2016 May 14. PMID: 27189314.
Duty SM, Ackerman RM, Calafat AM, Hauser R. Personal care product use predicts urinary concentrations of some phthalate monoesters. Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Nov;113(11):1530-5. doi: 10.1289/ehp.8083. PMID: 16263507; PMCID: PMC1310914.
Romero-Franco M, Hernández-Ramírez RU, Calafat AM, Cebrián ME, Needham LL, Teitelbaum S, Wolff MS, López-Carrillo L. Personal care product use and urinary levels of phthalate metabolites in Mexican women. Environ Int. 2011 Jul;37(5):867-71. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2011.02.014. Epub 2011 Mar 22. PMID: 21429583.
Washam C. A Whiff of Danger: Synthetic Musks May Encourage Toxic Bioaccumulation. Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Jan;113(1):A50. PMCID: PMC1253742.
I gifted the rest of the Xinú bottle to a friend who loved the scent. Since then I haven’t had any fragrances to wear… should I try the discovery set?
Thank you for sharing this important information. The poll didn’t include a “no perfume” option. That’s me, alas. People who wear perfume need to understand that, even if they are not themselves reacting to what they are wearing, the people around them may be. I have had to leave concerts, leave plays, and ask friends to wash their perfume off because I was having a severe neurological reaction to their scent. Petroleum-based perfumes seem to be the worst, but even natural scents can sometimes cause a reaction. And men’s colognes can be as bad, or worse, than perfumes marketed for women. I appreciate it so much that people are wearing less perfume these days than in the past!