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US groups report on "secret" substances in fragrance products

In the USA, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has published the results of a study it commissioned to test the ingredients of 17 perfumes and fragrance products. In collaboration with Environmental Working Group, which assessed data from the tests and the product labels, the analysis - Not So Sexy, the health risks of secret chemicals in fragrance - revealed that:

• Some 14 of the products tested contained chemicals not listed on their labels – the groups say a loophole in federal law allows companies to claim fragrances as trade secrets
• Ten sensitizing chemicals associated with allergic reactions such as asthma, wheezing, headaches and contact dermatitis
• Four hormone-disrupting chemicals linked to a range of health effects including sperm damage, thyroid disruption and cancer

The groups say the majority of chemicals found in the products have never been assessed for safety by any publicly accountable agency, or by the cosmetics industry’s self-policing review panels.

Responding to the report, the Personal Care Products Council said: "The validity of the report is seriously undermined by its failure to include quantitative measurements of the “secret” ingredients it purported to find." It added that the assertions in the report that some fragrance ingredients could be hormone disruptors "are based on incomplete assessments of available scientific data about potential hormone affects and do not take into account actual exposure in cosmetic products".

• Not so Sexy report
• Campaign for Safe Cosmetics statement
• Environmental Working Group statement
• PCPC press release