• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Beth Greer, The Super Natural Mom®

Bestselling author, "Super Natural Home," Top 50 Health & Environmental Journalists to Follow in 2016, Speaker

Award-winning journalist and bestselling author of Super Natural Home. Empowering you with expert information and leading-edge holistic approaches to improve your health, mood and well-being.

  • Home
  • About Beth
  • Book
  • Work with Beth
    • Detox Health Consulting
    • Detox Your Home
      Assessments
  • Courses
    • 5-Day Detox Courses with Beth Greer
    • Detox Your Home Course
    • Mold Course: How to Identify, Prevent and Get Rid of It
  • Podcasts
  • Stem Cells
  • Recommended
    Products
    • Home Products
    • Supplements/Food Products
    • EMF Protection
    • Personal Care Products
    • Body Detox/Healing Products
    • Non-Toxic Household Cleaning Products
  • Speaking
  • Contact

Fragrance Free: 10 Ways to Protect Yourself from Toxic Scents

February 25, 2011 By Beth Greer

Stinky, sweet smelling air fresheners, cologne, body sprays, and scented shampoo are made with synthetic fragrances, and they’re bad for your health…especially children and pregnant women. These factory-made fragrances contain phthalates, which are chemicals that can cause hormonal abnormalities, birth defects and reproductive problems.

I tell my clients not to buy artificially scented products for their home or office because they can also trigger migraine headaches, allergies and asthma attacks. A recent Institute of Medicine study sponsored by the EPA put fragrances in the same category as second hand smoke as a trigger for asthma in school-age children. Also, in homes where aerosol sprays and air fresheners were used frequently, studies found that mothers experienced 25% more headaches, and infants younger than 6 months old had 30% more ear infections.

Scented disinfectants and air fresheners are showing up everywhere! I now call ahead and request no air fresheners in rental cars and at hotels, just like asking for a non-smoking car or room. I ask my groomer not to use fragrance when she washes my dog. But it’s hard when you work at a school or non-service oriented business because most people think the person who is sensitive to fragrance is just plain weird. I know a chemically sensitive woman who was told to attend staff meetings by using Skype on her computer, so her co-workers wouldn’t have to give up using cologne or perfume. “They think it’s all in my head,” she said.

Even the mall isn’t a safe haven. The clothing store Abercrombie & Fitch sprays its signature fragrance Fierce inside as well as outside, so people are unknowingly being exposed to harmful chemicals by simply walking by the store. One environmental group,Teens Turning Green, held protests in San Francisco and New York demanding that the spraying stop. Their effort is supported by more than two dozen groups, including theCampaign for Safe Cosmetics, which revealed that A&F’s Fierce contains 11 secret chemicals that are not listed on the label.

When you see the word “fragrance” in an ingredient list, you can assume it’s all synthetic—and not a blend of natural flower extracts. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) reports that “95% of the ingredients used to create fragrances today are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum, including benzene derivatives, aldehydes, and many other known toxins and sensitizers.” According to the EWG, there are potentially hundreds of chemicals in a single product’s secret fragrance mixture.

Be forewarned: Fragrances can contain neurotoxins and are among the top 5 allergens in the world.

Ten powerful ways to protect yourself from toxic synthetic fragrances:

  1. Avoid air fresheners. They are made with synthetic fragrances, containing phthalates.
  2. Watch for any product that lists “fragrance” or “parfum” on the label — these are FDA-approved catch-all words synonymous with hidden phthalates.
  3. Products that claim to be “fragrance free” or “unscented” could contain masking agents that give off a neutral odor, so it is best if the word “fragrance” does not appear on the label at all.
  4. Look for scents that are naturally derived or are plant-based or labeled as 100% essential oils. These are not the same thing as fragrance oils which are artificially created and contain synthetic chemicals.
  5. If a product says “Made with…” it can mean as little as 1 percent of the ingredients in the bottle.
  6. For scented candles, try those made from soy or beeswax, and make sure their fragrance is made from 100% essential oils.
  7. To clear the air use a non-aerosol citrus spray containing only citrus peel extracts, which are effective at dissolving airborne odors, instead of scented aerosol sprays, liquids that emit a continuous scent, or solid air fresheners.
  8. Labels that claim a product is “natural” or “biodegradable” do not mean that it is necessarily free of synthetic fragrances or other chemicals
  9. Certified Organic products do not contain synthetic fragrances.
  10. Make requests at hotels, car rental companies, dog groomers, schools, and offices to not use scented cleaning products.

Beth Greer, Super Natural Mom™, bestselling author of Super Natural Home, radio talk show host, former President of The Learning Annex, Certified Build It Green healthy home makeover specialist, eliminated a sizable tumor in her chest without drugs or surgery. She’s leading a movement of awareness and responsibility about healthy home environments and informs and inspires people to transform their homes into safe havens. Beth consults for residential and commercial clients nationwide. Follow Beth on Twitter. Become a fan on Facebook.

If you liked this, please Share It!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Get Beth's Latest Updates

Get Your Copy Now

We'll also occasionally send out free content we think you might find valuable.


Don't like it? No problem. You can unsubscribe in a click.

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We won't send you spam. Protection of the information you share with us is extremely important and is secured according to our Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit

Primary Sidebar

GET BETH’S FREE GUIDE

How to Activate the Self-Healing Power of Your Own Stem Cells

using
•non-invasive  •cost-effective 
•breakthrough technology
Download Your Free Guide: How to Activate Your Stem Cells for Healing and Vitality by Beth Greer

Get the Guide

Want to Hire Beth?

  • About Beth Greer
  • Speaking Presentations
  • Beth Greer Interviews
  • Testimonials and Clients
  • Beth's Healthy Home Assessments
  • Contact Beth

Beth’s Bestselling Book

Book Cover for Super Natural Home by Beth Greer

Endorsed by Deepak Chopra, Ralph Nader,
Dr. Mercola and others

LEARN MORE

Beth’s Interviews

Beth Greer Interview | How Toxins in the Home can Impact Your Child's Mood and Behavior | The Better Behavior Show with Host, Dr. Nicole Buerkens

Interview: How Toxins in the Home can Impact Your Child’s Mood and Behavior

Beth Greer Interview: Hidden in Plain Sight...How Everyday Toxins in Your Home Impact Your Health on the "Essentials of Healthy Living" Radio Show with host, Dana Laake

Interview: Hidden in Plain Sight…How Everyday Toxins in Your Home Impact Your Health

How You Can Heal Yourself by Reducing Exposure to Toxins

MORE BETH GREER INTERVIEWS

Kids In Crisis Shows

KIC 28: Treating Addictions Using Integrative Medicine with Dr. Carolyn Coker Ross, MD, MPH

KIC 27: “ADHD Explained: What Every Parent Needs to Know” with Dr. Nekeshia Hammond

KIC 26: Pediatric Nutrition Expert Judy Converse on Healing Kids from the Inside Out with Nutrition

KiC 25: Effects of EMFs on Children’s Brains with Jason Bawden-Smith, Author of “In the Dark”

KiC 24: Dangers of GMOs on Children’s Health with Jeffrey Smith

KiC 23: Symptoms of ADHD and Behavior Problems in Children and Lyme Disease with Psychotherapist Lori Dennis, Author of “Lyme Madness”

See More Shows

Beth’s Kids In Crisis Radio Show

Image: Kids in Crisis Podcast with host, Beth Greer interviewing Alex Zaphiris, MD on holistic approaches to helping people with addiction by healing their brain.

Want to learn about effective, non-drug approaches that can help our Kids in Crisis—those with ADD, ADHD, addiction and other mood and behavioral issues? 

Beth Greer interviews leading Integrative and Functional Medicine physicians, holistic health practitioners, researchers, and addiction specialists who share their expertise and innovative, non-drug approaches to successfully treating kids and adults who experience these troubling issues.  Now on iTunes! 

Are You Looking to Create a Healthier Home?

I wrote Super Natural Home because it's the book I wish had been available to me.

I had been living what I considered a healthy lifestyle when a painful chest tumor requiring a potential debilitating surgery made me reevaluate everything—from the food I ate to the personal-care products I used and the environment I lived in.

Now, in Super Natural Home, I identify the dangerous chemicals we unwittingly expose ourselves to every day and provide straight-forward solutions you can do right away that will enable you to “live clean” in a toxic world. I also include quizzes to help identify and correct potential toxic hot zones in your home.

Super Natural Home: Improve Your Health, Home and Planet—One Room at a Time book by Beth Greer, the Super Natural Mom®
Learn More
  • Home
  • About Beth Greer
  • Super Natural Home Book
  • DETOX YOUR HOME
    COURSE
  • Healthy Home
    Assessments
  • Speaking
  • Stem Cells
  • Recommended Non-Toxic Household Products
  • CONTACT

Let’s Connect!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

GET BETH’S UPDATES

Get Started Now creating your Super Natural Home! Download Beth's Get Your
10 Easy Ways
to Have a
Super Natural Home


Yes, Get Access Now!

Copyright © 2023 · Beth Greer, the Super Natural Mom® All rights reserved. Privacy Policy ~ Terms of Use ~ Affiliate Disclaimer ~ Cookie Policy