June2011
FailingtheSniffTestChemicalsinfragrancedpersonalcareproductsremainamystery
SummaryAloopholeinCanada’singredient‐labellingrequirementsforcosmeticsallowsmanufacturerstolistfragranceingredientsgenericallyas“parfum”ratherthandisclosingthespecificchemicalsusedtoproduceormaskscents.Some3,000chemicalsareusedasfragranceingredientsincosmetics,includingsubstancesassociatedwithhealthandenvironmentalhazards.TheDavidSuzukiFoundationandsupporterscontacted42manufacturersoffragrancedcosmeticstorequestinformationaboutunlistedfragranceingredientsintheirproducts.Wewerenotabletoobtainacompletelistoffragranceingredientsfromanyofthecompanies.Onlysevenofthecompaniesprovidedinformationaboutcommoncontactsensitizers,iwhichmustbeidentifiedonthelabelofproductssoldinEurope.Only21companiesrespondedtoourquestionaboutphthalatesinfragrancemixtures(15statedthattheirproductswerephthalate‐free).ThesedisappointingresultsunderscoretheneedtostrengthenthelabellingprovisionsofCanada’sCosmeticsRegulationtorequiremanufacturerstodisclosecompletelistsoffragranceingredientsandidentifysensitizers.
BackgroundCanada’sCosmeticsRegulationrequiresthatingredientsinmostpersonalcareproductsbelistedontheretailpackageindescendingorderofconcentrationbyweight.Exceptforingredientsusedinfragrancemixtures.Aloopholeinthelabellingrequirementsallowsmanufacturerstolistanyingredientsadded“toproduceortomaskaparticularodour”tobelistedgenericallyas“parfum”. iAcontactsensitizerisasubstancethatcaninduceanallergicresponsefollowingcontactwiththeskin.Subsequentlowdoseexposuresaremorelikelytocauseareaction.Insomecases,exposuretoacontactsensitizercantriggersensitivitiestootherchemicals,aswell.
However,wedonotwanttogiveeverythingawayasourblendsaresospecialtous,sowhenyouread‘perfume’inouringredientslistthisdescribesthemixtureofseveraldifferent
fragranceswhichwillremainamystery. Lush“ ”
FailingtheSniffTest www.davidsuzuki.org/publications
2
Thetermparfummaybeinsertedeitherinorderofconcentrationorattheveryendoftheingredientlistregardlessoftheactualconcentrationoffragranceingredientsintheproduct.Parfumisaverycommon“ingredient”incosmetics–notonlyinperfumes,colognesanddeodorants,butinnearlyeverytypeofpersonalcareproduct.Evenproductsmarketedas“fragrance‐free”or“unscented”mayinfactcontainfragranceingredients,intheformofmaskingagentsthatblocktheodourofotheringredients.Somecompaniesuse“fragrance‐free”toindicatethatnofragrancechemicalshavebeenadded,butthisinformalindustrystandardisnotenforceable.HealthCanadaguidelinestreatthetwoterms(fragrancefreeandunscented)asequivalent.1
There'snowayforCanadianconsumerstoknowexactlywhichchemicalsarecontainedinaproductthatlistsparfum(orfragrance)asaningredient.Europeanregulationsarestronger.Theyrequire26contactsensitizersusedasfragranceingredientsincosmeticstobeidentifiedonthelabel.That'sastart.Asmanyas3,000chemicalsareusedinfragrancemixtures.2Asingleproductcanincludedozensorevenhundreds.Manyoftheseunlistedingredientsareirritantsandcantriggerallergies,3migraines4andasthmasymptoms.5Inlaboratoryexperiments,individualfragranceingredientshavebeenassociatedwithcancer6andneurotoxicity7amongotheradversehealtheffects.Syntheticmusksusedinfragrancesareofparticularconcernfromanecologicalperspective.EnvironmentCanadahascategorizedseveralsyntheticmusksaspersistent,bioaccumulativeand/ortoxic,andothersasprioritiesforassessmentbecauseofhumanhealthconcerns.MeasureablelevelsofsyntheticmusksarefoundinfishintheGreatLakesandthelevelsinsedimentareincreasing.8Laboratorytestsofhumanumbilical‐cordbloodcommissionedbytheU.S.EnvironmentalWorkingGroupdetectedcommonsyntheticmusks(Galaxolideand/orTonalide)insevenoutof10newbornssampled.9
Mostconsumerproductscontainfragrance,anditisanindustrystandardforany"Unscented"producttocontainsomefragrance.All"Unscented"productscontainsmall
amountsoffragrance(usuallylessthan.1%). AlbertoCulver“ ”
Fragranceorparfum?Parfum is the term stipulated in Canada’s Cosmetics Regulation to designate fragranceingredientsthatarenotidentifiedindividuallyiningredientlists.Fragranceisthestandardtermused in theU.S.Oftenboth termswill appearon ingredient lists–e.g., “fragrance/parfum”or“fragrance(parfum)”.
3
Consumersdeservetoknowaboutallingredientscontainedincosmetics–includingfragrancechemicals.SotheDavidSuzukiFoundation,withthehelpofconcernedCanadians,setouttogatherinformationfromcosmeticcompaniesabouttheirfragranceformulations.
TheDavidSuzukiFoundation’sFragranceChallengeInthespringof2010,theDavidSuzukiFoundationaskedCanadiansaboutingredientsintheirpersonalcareproductsinanonlinesurvey.“Parfum”wasbyfarthemostcommonlyreportedingredient,identifiedinmorethanhalftheproductswithingredientlistsenteredinthesurvey.Itwasalsothemostcommonlyreportedingredientineachindividualproductcategory,exceptformakeupandoralcareproducts.10WiththehelpofDavidSuzukiFoundationsupporters,wecontacted42manufacturersoffragrancedcosmeticsandaskedthemaboutthefragrancechemicalsinspecificproductsthatlistparfumorfragranceasaningredient.Weaskedeachcompany:
1. Foracompletelistoffragranceingredientsforeachproduct2. Whethertheirfragrancemixturescontainphthalates3. Whethertheirfragrancemixturescontainanyofthe26sensitizersthatmustbeindicatedin
thelistofingredientsundertheEUCosmeticsDirectiveDiethylphthalate(pronouncedtha‐late),orDEP,iswidelyusedincosmeticfragrancestomakethescentlinger.TheEuropeanCommissiononEndocrineDisruptionhaslistedDEPasaCategory1prioritysubstance,basedonevidencethatitmayinterferewithhormonefunction.11Phthalateshavebeenlinkedtoreducedspermcountinmenandreproductivedefectsinthedevelopingmalefetus(whenthemotherisexposedduringpregnancy),amongotherhealtheffects.12Phthalatemetabolitesarealsoassociatedwithobesityandinsulinresistanceinmen.13Aswell,HealthCanadanotesevidencesuggestingthatexposuretophthalatesmaycauseliverandkidneyfailureinyoungchildrenwhenproductscontainingphthalatesaresuckedorchewedforextendedperiods.14PhthalatesarelistedasaPriorityandToxicPollutantundertheU.S.CleanWaterAct,basedonevidencethattheycanbetoxictowildlifeandtheenvironment.15HealthCanadarecentlyannouncedregulationsbanningsixphthalatesinchildren’stoys,buttheuseofDEPincosmeticsisunrestricted.
BelievemewhenIsaythatIwouldlikenothingbetterthantoknowpreciselywhatingredientsareusedtomakeourfragrance,butthefragrancehouses’righttoearnaliving
hasbeenweighedagainstourrighttoknow…. CanusProducts“ ”
FailingtheSniffTest www.davidsuzuki.org/publications
4
Theresponse:FailingthesnifftestTable1presentsasummaryofresponsesfromsomeofCanada’smajorcosmeticcompanies.34outofthe42companieswecontactedrespondedtoourinquiry.Whileafewprovidedrelativelyinformativeresponses,manywereclearlyformlettersthatdidnotaddressourquestions.Averycommonresponsewastoreferustotheingredientlistonthepackagelabeland/orcompanywebsite.Unfortunately,thatdoesn’tanswerthequestionasonlythegenerictermparfumappearsontheingredientslist.Somecompaniesaskedustocallahotlinetodiscussthequestions,onlytothentellusbytelephonethattheywouldnotdiscloseinformationaboutfragranceingredients.Insomecases,severalconsumerscontactedthesamecompany(orsubsidiariesofthesameparentcompany)andreceiveddifferentresponses.Wewerenotabletoobtainacompletelistoffragranceingredientsfromanyofthecompanieswecontacted.Severalcompaniestoldustheirfragrancemixtureswereproprietary–thatis,tradesecrets.Somecompaniessuggestedtheydidn’tknowexactlywhichchemicalsareusedintheirfragrancemixtures,becausetheypurchasethemfromthird‐partysuppliers.
OnlysevencompaniesconsistentlyprovidedinformationaboutcommonsensitizersnamedintheEuropeanUnion’sCosmeticsDirective(threemorecompaniesprovidedinformationaboutsensitizerstooneinquiringconsumer,butnottoothers).These26fragranceingredients,whichcancauseanallergicreactioninsomeindividuals,mustbeidentifiedonthelabelofproductssoldinEurope.Yet,Canadianconsumersrarelyhaveaccesstothissameinformation–evenforproductssoldbothhereandinEurope.SomecompaniesunhelpfullyassuredusthattheproductstheysellinEuropecomplywithE.U.regulations,yetdeclinedtoprovidethesameinformationtoCanadianconsumers.Onlyahandfulofcompaniestoldustheyidentifythese26sensitizersintheingredientlistsoftheirCanadianproductlines–includingTheBodyShop,CanusProductsandGilchrist&Soames.TheBodyShopstandsoutforitstransparencyinthisregard:theylisteachsensitizerindividuallyandalsoidentifyitasafragranceingredient.Twenty‐oneofthecompaniescontactedrespondedtoourquestionaboutphthalatesinfragrancemixtures(includingsevencompaniesthatprovidedthisinformationaboutsome,butnotall,oftheproductsinquestion).Manyothersprovidedstockstatementsurgingcustomersnottobeconcernedaboutphthalatesincosmetics,butdidnottelluswhethertheproduct(s)inquestioncontainedphthalates.Fifteencompaniesstatedthatatleastsomeoftheirproductswerephthalate‐free.
Thefragrancesweuseare,ingeneral,obtainedfromsourcesoutsidethecompany.Theirpreciseformulations,whichareoftencomplexandmayincludeseveraldifferentingredients,areconsideredconfidentialinformation,forcompetitive
reasonswithintheconsumerproductindustry. Colgate‐Palmolive
“ ”
5
Table1–SummaryofResponses
Doesfragrancemixturecontainphthalates?
(Responsemaybeproductspecific)
Responsereceived
Providedcompletelistoffragranceingredients
Providedinformation
aboutsensitizers No Yes/Maybe Noanswer
AlbertoCulver *
Aveda
Avon
Bath&BodyWorks
BeautiControl
BioOil(AdvancedInnovations)
TheBodyShop(L’Oréal)
Burt'sBees
CanusProducts
ColgatePalmolive *
CotyInternational
LaCoupe(CenturaBrands)
Fruits&Passion
Gilchrist&Soames
GuelphSoapCompany
TheHainCelestialGroup † † † † †
Henkel ‡
Jamieson § § §
Johnson&Johnson * *
Joico
KaoBrandsCanada ‡ **
KevinMurphy ††
LiseWatier
LiveClean(BelvedereInt.)
Lornamead
Lush
Nature’sGate
Néolia(Novartis)
FailingtheSniffTest www.davidsuzuki.org/publications
6
Table1(cont.)
Dofragrancemixturescontainphthalates?(Responsemaybespecifictoacertainproduct)
Responsereceived
Providedcompletelistoffragranceingredients
Providedinformation
aboutsensitizers No Yes/Maybe Noanswer
Nivea(Beiersdorf)
L'Oreal
Pears
PierreFabre
Proctor&Gamble *
Purell(GOJO)
Pureology ††
Radox
REHAEnterprises
Revlon
SallyHershberger
Unilever *
WoofCosmetics
YvesRocher ‡ *
TALLY 34/42 0 7 15 6 21* Mostresponsesfromthesecompaniesdidnotspecifywhethertheirfragrancemixturescontainphthalates;however,someconsumersreceivedaresponseindicatingthattheproductinquestiondid(ordidnot)containphthalates.InthecaseofJohnson&Johnson,oneconsumerreceivedaresponseindicatingthatbabyproductsdonotcontainDEPandotherproductsmaycontainDEP.
†AconfidentialitynoticeonresponsesreceivedfromtheHainCelestialGrouppreventsusfromdisclosingthisinformation.
‡Mostresponsesfromthesecompaniesdidnotprovideinformationaboutcontactsensitizers;however,oneconsumerreceivedaresponsethatcontainedthisinformation.
§Jamisonindicatedthatmoreinformationwouldbeforthcoming.**Formostoftheproductsweaskedabout,KaoBrandsdidnotspecifywhetheritsfragrancemixturescontainphthalates;however,thecompanydidindicatethatRoot,SB,Biore,RR,FEBrilliantBrunetteandnewerNGfragrances,aswellasJohnFreidaFrizz‐Ease100%ShineandSecretWeaponarephthalatefree.
††Acknowledgementonly;noresponseprovidedtoourquestions.
Phthalatesarealargeclassofingredientswe’reoftenaskedabout,butnotallphthalatesarethesame.Thephthalatefamilyissimilartomushrooms;justlikemushrooms,some
phthalatesaresafeandsometypesareunsafe. Proctor&Gamble“ ”
7
Severaloftheresponseswereceivedarguethatphthalatesandotherfragrancechemicalsareperfectlysafe.Wemayagreetodisagreeonthisissue,butconsumersshouldatleasthaveaccesstotheinformationtheyneedtomakeachoiceaboutwhetherornottouseshampoos,creamsandotherbodyproductsthatcontainsuchingredients.OneofthemostsurprisingresponseswasrepeatedbyHenkel,ProctorandGambleandUnilever.Thesecompaniesinformedusthattheywouldonlydiscussspecificfragranceingredientsifcontactedbyacustomer’sfamilydoctor.Itisimportantthatphysicianshaveaccesstothisinformationtohelppatientswithfragranceallergysymptoms,butCanadiansshouldn’tneedadoctor’snotetofindoutwhatchemicalsareinsidetheirpersonalcareproducts!
ConclusionAtpresent,itisdifficultifnotimpossibleforCanadianconsumerstoaccessinformationaboutthechemicalsusedasfragranceintheircosmetics,someofwhichareassociatedwithserioushealthandenvironmentalproblems.Wereceivedonlyonecompletelistoffragranceingredientsfromthecompaniescontacted.TheseresultsunderscoretheneedtostrengthenCanada’sCosmeticsRegulation.Specifically,theDavidSuzukiFoundationoffersthefollowingrecommendations:
1. Thatmanufacturersberequiredtodisclosecompletelistsoffragranceingredients.Ideally,specificfragrancechemicalsshouldbeincludedonproductingredientlists.Ataminimum,completefragranceingredientlistsshouldbemadeavailableonlineanduponrequest.
2. Thatmanufacturersberequiredtoidentifycontactsensitizersontheretailproductlabel,startingwithbutnotlimitedtothe26ingredientsalreadyregulatedbytheEuropeanUnion.
3. Thatproductsmarketedas“unscented”or“fragrance‐free”betrulyfreeoffragrancechemicals.
Wenormallydonotdisclosethisinformation,asitisproprietary.However,ifthisisamedicalnecessitywewouldbemorethanhappytospeakwithyourPhysicianshould
theywishtocontactus. Unilever“ ”
FailingtheSniffTest www.davidsuzuki.org/publications
8
Gofragrancefree!
1. Whenitcomestopersonalcareproductsandcosmetics,optforthosethatdonotlist"parfum"or"fragrance"asaningredient.Nowthatyou'rescrutinizingtheingredientlist,checkoutourShopper'sGuidetoaDirtyDozenIngredientstoAvoidinCosmetics.TheEnvironmentalWorkingGroup'sSkinDeepDatabaseisanotherusefulresource.
2. Signourpetitioncallingoncosmeticmanufacturerstodisclosefragranceingredientsat:http://action.davidsuzuki.org/fragrance‐petition.
3. Beawareofthewiderangeoffragrancedhouseholdproducts,beyondcosmetics.Lookforunfragrancedalternatives–ormakeyourown.DavidSuzuki'sQueenofGreenhassimplerecipesfordo‐it‐yourselfgreencleaning.Forgoairfresheners—theyonlymaskodourproblemsandworsenairquality.Instead,openawindoworturnonafan.
4. Findoutifyour(oryourchild's)school,workplace,placeofworship,gym,localtheatreandotherpublicplacesyoufrequenthaveadoptedfragrance‐freepolicies.Ifso,what'sbeingdonetopromoteawareness?Ifnot,resourcesonhowtocreateandimplementscent‐freepoliciesareavailablefromtheCanadianLungAssociationatDevelopingaScent‐FreePolicyfortheWorkplace.
5. CallonCanada’shealthministertostrengthentheCosmeticsRegulationtorequirecompaniestodisclosefragrancechemicals.Takeactionat:http://action.davidsuzuki.org/parfum.
9
Notes 1HealthCanada,CosmeticAdvertising,LabellingandIngredients,http://www.hc‐sc.gc.ca/cps‐spc/cosmet‐person/cons/advertising‐publicite‐eng.php(accessedJune1,2011).
2FragrancedProductsInformationNetwork,“Self‐Regulation,”FragranceMaterialsandComposition,http://www.fpinva.org/text/1a5d908‐96.html.
3Thyssen,JPetal.,“Contactsensitizationtofragrancesinthegeneralpopulation:aKoch'sapproachmayrevealtheburdenofdisease,”BritishJournalofDermatology460,no.4(April2009):729‐35.
4Kelman,L.,“Thetriggersorprecipitantsoftheacutemigraineattack,”Cephalalgia27,no.5(May2007):394‐402.
5MillqvistE.andO.Löwhagen,“Placebo‐controlledchallengeswithperfumeinpatientswithasthma‐likesymptoms,”Allergy51,no.6(June1996):434‐9.
6NTPtoxicologyandcarcinogensisstudiesof2,4hexadienal(89%trans,transisomer,CASNo.142836;11%cis,transisomer)(GavageStudies);NTPtoxicologyandcarcinogenesisstudiesofmethyleugenol(CASNO.93152)inF344/NratsandB6C3F1mice(GavageStudies),NationalToxicologyProgramTechnicalReportSeries(U.S.NationalToxicologyProgram,July2000).
7AndersonRCandAndersonJH,“Acutetoxiceffectsoffragranceproducts,”ArchivesofEnvironmentalHealth53,no.2(April1998):138‐46.
8TheChallengeofSubstancesofEmergingConcernintheGreatLakesBasin:AReviewofChemicalsPoliciesandProgramsinCanadaandtheUnitedStates(TorontoandLowell,MA:CanadianEnvironmentalLawAssociationandLowellCenterforSustainableProduction,2009),http://www.cela.ca/sites/cela.ca/files/667IJC.pdf.
9PollutioninPeople:CordBloodContaminantsinMinorityNewborns(Washingtron,DC:EnvironmentalWorkingGroup,2009),http://www.ewg.org/files/2009‐Minority‐Cord‐Blood‐Report.pdf.
10What’sInside?Asurveyoftoxicingredientsinourcosmetics,DavidSuzukiFoundation,October2010.www.davidsuzuki.org/publications
11StudyonGatheringInformationon435SubstanceswithInsufficientData,FinalReporttoEuropeanCommission,DGEnvironment(Delft,Netherlands:RPSBKHConsultingEngineers,2002),http://ec.europa.eu/environment/endocrine/documents/bkh_report.pdf
12Griffin,S,CancerSmart3.0:TheConsumerGuide(Vancouver:LabourEnvironmentalAllianceSociety,2007).
13Stahlhut,RWetal.,“ConcentrationsofurinaryphthalatemetabolitesareassociatedwithincreasedwastecircumferenceandinsulinresistanceinadultU.S.males,”EnvironmentalHealthPerspectives115,no.6(June2007).
14HealthCanada,“GovernmentofCanadaActstoHelpEnsureSoftVinylToys,Child‐CareArticlesandOtherConsumerProductsAreSafer(NewsRelease),”June2009,http://www.hc‐sc.gc.ca/ahc‐asc/media/nr‐cp/_2009/2009_96bk1‐eng.php
15U.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency,“ToxicandPriorityPollutants,”http://water.epa.gov/scitech/methods/cwa/pollutants‐background.cfm
