| 38 Secret Chemicals, Harmful Substances in Brand-Name Fragrances |
| Monday, 24 May 2010 21:04 |
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| Read more about: chemicals fragrances hidden 
 38 secret chemicals - that's how many unlabelled ingredients we found in 17 brand-name fragrances. The fragrances with the highest number of discovered hidden chemicals were American Eagle Seventy Seven (a Canadian-purchased product) with 24, Coco Mademoiselle Chanel with 18, and Britney Spears Curious with 17. The average number of secret chemicals per product was 14.Environmental Defence Canada (EDC) has released a new report, "Not So Sexy: The Health Risks of Secret Chemicals in Fragrance" that shows the fragrances had an average of 10 sensitizing chemicals, which can trigger allergic reactions, such as asthma, wheezing, headaches and contact dermatitis (all of these chemicals were listed on product labels). They also found a total of 12 different hormone-disrupting chemicals, six of which mimic estrogen and one that is linked to thyroid effects (some of these chemicals were listed on product labels, some were not). With this report, EDC is launching their "Just Beautiful" campaign to make cosmetics and personal care products safer. They believe that the fix to our weak cosmetics laws is simple. Our federal government needs to ban all hazardous substances from use in perfumes and cosmetics. Canadians also need assurance that products are safety-tested, and that everything that goes into cosmetics is made public. There are two simple things you can do right now to make perfumes and cosmetics safer: Sign EDC's "Just Beautiful" petition: Ask that Health Canada be given the authority and resources it needs to ensure the safety of cosmetics and personal care products. Tell your friends and family: Share this message, and the petition, with friends and family. Just send them this link. You can also get tips on how to avoid toxic chemicals in perfumes and fragrances on their Toxic Nation Guide to Fragrance, a two-page overview with key information and tips.
| Read more about: chemicals fragrances hidden |
