BRAZILIAN BLOWOUT! IS HAVING STRAIGHT HAIR WORTH IT?

It’s funny how we always want what we don’t have.  Especially when it comes to our hair.  People with curly hair will do almost anything to have straight, smooth hair and people with bone straight hair will endure smelly perms so they can have curly locks (even if they end up looking like “Little Orphan Annie”).  At Renovar, our goal is not only to teach our clients to live with but more importantly “fall in love” with the hair they were born with.  We will not use toxic straighteners or perms due to the dangers caused by the chemicals used in these products. 

One straightening product that has become very popular in salons is Brazilian Blowout. 

Women who frequent Brazilian Blowout salons need to be aware of the dangers and warnings surrounding Brazilian Blowout hair treatments. They should be aware that exposure to this hair product can be quite dangerous.  It is even more dangerous to salon workers who are exposed to it everyday.

Both the Brazilian Blowout Acai Professional Smoothing Solution and the Brazilian Blowout Solution contain high percentages of formaldehyde, which is a known carcinogen. Carcinogen is a substance or agent that can cause or aggravate cancer.

Many people give up smoking cigarettes or avoid smoking cigarettes due to the carcinogens in cigarettes. Do these same people have Brazilian Blowout treatments at Brazilian Blowout salons? Would they have if they had been aware of the dangers? Are salon workers who know about the dangers and warnings and Brazilian Blowout ingredients not afraid of their frequent use and exposure to this hair product?

Formaldehyde is also a known allergen. Allergens can cause a terrible allergic reaction, respiratory problems, and eye, nose and throat irritations.  Formaldehyde can be used as a preservative in some cosmetics, but only in very small quantities, well under 1%.  Laboratory tests have been done that show that the product contains roughly 6% to 12% formaldehyde.

Frightening:

1)  The Brazilian Blowout manufacturers still leave labels on the products that claim that there is no formaldehyde in the Brazilian Blowout ingredients.
2)  Some countries no longer distribute the product, or have had it recalled.
3)  In November 2010 The California State Attorney General filed a lawsuit against Brazilian Blowout
4)  Brazilian Blowout has been banned in Canada
5)  A Brazilian Blowout facebook page has been “liked” by over 26 000 people
6)  UPDATE (9 Sept 2011):  The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has sent an official warning letter to the Brazilian Blowout manufacturers. The letter from the FDA warned that it is the responsibility of the Brazilian Blowout manufacturers to check that their product is safe for use and that the packaging is correctly labeled. The Brazilian Blowout label states that the product has no formaldehyde in it which is false, misleading or untrue, as Brazilian Blowout contains dangerously high levels of formaldehyde – a known carcinogen that may cause or worsen cancer.

After hairstylist becomes suspicious of Brazilian Blowout, tests find formaldehyde:

One Sunday late last year Molly Scrutton felt plain lousy. Her throat hurt and her chest ached as she and co-worker Pauline Steiner ran their usual four or five miles through Forest Park's fern- and fir-lined trails.

Steiner, who owns Platform Artistic Salon, felt crummy, too. As they pushed through their workout and talked, the women wondered aloud whether the new hair-smoothing product both used on clients -- with gorgeous results -- might be the problem. Brazilian Blowout's cocoa-colored plastic bottle doesn't list the ingredients, though the label declares it "formaldehyde-free."

Back at the salon, when they called Brazilian Blowout's manufacturer in Southern California, Scrutton says, the company declined to divulge what was in the solution.

The stuff was a huge hit with customers and lucrative for stylists, who charged $250 to $350 for the 90-minute treatment.

Not only did it turn frizzy or damaged hair silky and lustrous, but the procedure was a snap, as the training video illustrated. Stylists simply wash and towel dry clients' hair, apply the liquid Brazilian Blowout, blow-dry the hair, then pull a flat iron heated to 450 degrees from the roots to the ends. They rinse hair in warm water, apply a solution called a mask for 60 seconds, rinse again, comb in Brazilian Blowout leave-in conditioner and style hair as usual.

About a year ago, Platform Artistic Salon was among the first in Portland to offer the treatment that was becoming all the rage in cities nationwide. "It's the most popular new service to do right now," Scrutton says. "It's everywhere."

Scrutton performed the treatment about 20 times before concluding six months ago that it made her ill. A big red flag: About a month after she started using Brazilian Blowout on clients, Scrutton had the first nosebleed of her life.

She called her customers, informing them she would no longer offer the treatment but could refer them to stylists who did.

Scrutton set to work researching Brazilian Blowout and similar treatments -- a move that doesn't surprise longtime client Iris Baldwin.

"She has the character, the integrity and the smarts to be able to scrutinize and analyze and put all these pieces together," says Baldwin, a midwife. "Who else in the hair world is doing that kind of thing?"

Scrutton found stories of others who suffered ill effects. One in particular caught her attention, a 2007 Allure magazine piece titled "Scared Straight." The magazine noted that no government agency is charged with approving beauty products before they go to market. Allure collected samples of the solution and sent them to an FDA-registered lab for testing. They contained "at least ten times more formaldehyde than the .2 percent that is determined to be safe by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel, a group of scientists and doctors who assess and set recommended safety standards for cosmetics ingredients," author Mary A. Fischer wrote.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, exposure to large amounts of the chemical can cause serious health problems, including cancer.

As others in her salon kept performing Brazilian Blowout treatments, Scrutton's worrisome symptoms continued. She didn't want to cut into co-workers' livelihoods, she says, but she knew she couldn't keep working near the stuff.

Scrutton, an independent contractor, as are others in her salon, wrote a memo advising co-workers she could no longer work where the treatments were being performed. Eventually they all quit using Brazilian Blowout.

Concerned for stylists elsewhere, who are exposed to the product far more often than customers, Scrutton didn't stop. She asked a client who researches formaldehyde at Oregon Health & Science University for advice. The client put her in touch with Dede Montgomery, an occupational safety and health specialist and certified industrial hygienist at OHSU's Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology.

Montgomery visited the salon where Scrutton works, collected a sample of Brazilian Blowout, and delivered it to OSHA's Portland lab. A couple weeks later, Montgomery collected a sample from a second salon; OSHA gathered a third sample in September.

OSHA, the agency responsible for workplace safety and health, issued an alert warning Sept. 30 that samples of Brazilian Blowout and Acai Professional Smoothing Solution, which is sold by the same company, contained high levels of formaldehyde. A variety of testing methods showed samples containing between 4.85 percent and 10.6 percent formaldehyde. When Canada's health agency tested Brazilian Blowout, it found 12 percent formaldehyde.

OSHA requires manufacturers whose products are used in workplaces and that contain more than 0.1 percent formaldehyde to list the chemical and to address safe work practices on the material safety data sheet with the product.

Scrutton was furious. Concerned, too. She wondered whether contact with the product might cause long-term health problems for her or for stylists in other salons that offered the treatments. Especially, she says, she worried about effects it might have on two co-workers in particular: One is pregnant and the other has cancer.

Meanwhile, Brazilian Blowout blasted OSHA's test results. The company, which failed to return calls from The Oregonian, first maintained on its website that its products were formaldehyde-free. Then it said its own testing found only trace amounts. Friday on its website, Brazilian announced that an independent company, Health Science Associates, monitored air in a salon over eight hours when the smoothing treatments were performed and found the formaldehyde gas in the air was within federal OSHA's permissible exposure limit.

Oregon OSHA also conducted air monitoring tests and initial results found levels higher than the exposure limits recommended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. OSHA expects to have analysis of additional sampling data available this week.

Scrutton dresses simply in skinny jeans and cotton shirts, and her willowy frame and enormous blue-green eyes give her fashion-model looks. She says she tries to live as many Northwesterners do, exercising, eating locally produced food and "doing things that are good for my body."

Never, she says, did she want any part of her industry cast in a bad light. She never expected so much fuss to result from voicing her concerns. Yet, she's glad that authorities are investigating a company she believes deceived her and others with its "formaldehyde-free" labeling. The whole affair, she says, has made her wiser and warier.

"These companies," she says, "need to be held accountable."

FDA gets involved:

The FDA issued a warning letter to the makers of Brazilian Blowout saying that the levels of formaldehyde in their product are extremely high. In the FDA’s tests, levels of formaldehyde in samples ranged from 8.7% to 10.4 %, more than 10 times higher than the 0.2% that is considered safe.

Brazilian Blowout’s chief executive Mike Brady says he will work with the FDA, but maintains that levels of formaldehyde in their product are safe. He says salons can “continue to confidently offer the Brazilian Blowout Treatment to your customers with the knowledge that Brazilian Blowout falls well below the stringent standards set forth by OSHA.” This however, would clearly not be the first time Brazilian Blowout has lied.

Brazilian Blowout also now offers a product called Zero which supposedly contains no harmful chemicals. However, let’s not forget that their Original formulation was supposed to be formaldehyde free, and isn’t.

Brazilian Blowout is the manufacturer’s trade name.  There are many copy cat products like it on the market under different names.  They are also called “Thermal Straighteners” and or “Keratin Straighteners”. 

ARE YOUR COSMETICS REALLY CRUELTY FREE?

What is Cruelty-Free?   

The term “cruelty-free product” is generally understood within the animal rights movement as a product that has not been tested on animals by the manufacturer. It’s important to buy cruelty-free products to support companies that are animal-friendly and to boycott companies that still test on animals. Several mainstream cosmetics companies, such as Revlon and Avon, have been cruelty-free for many years.  Federal law requires drugs to be tested on animals, but no law requires cosmetics or household products to be tested on animals unless they contain new chemicals. With so many substances that are already known to be safe, cruelty-free companies can continue to offer new, quality products year after year without testing on animals.

Gray Areas

One of the gray areas is when the individual ingredients might have been tested on animals by a supplier to the manufacturer. Some animal rights activists seek to support companies that do not purchase ingredients from suppliers who test on animals.

Another tricky issue is when a cruelty-free company is owned or acquired by a parent company that tests on animals. For example, The Body Shop is cruelty-free, but was acquired by L’Oreal in 2006. Although The Body Shop still does not test its products on animals, L’Oreal continues to conduct animal testing.

Cruelty-Free vs. Vegan

Just because a product is labeled “cruelty-free” does not necessarily mean that it is vegan. A product that has not been tested on animals may still contain animal ingredients

Companies like Origins and Urban Decay are cruelty-free, and carry both vegan and non-vegan products. The Urban Decay website has a page with vegan products, and if you visit an Origins store, their vegan products are labeled.

Vegan cosmetic manufacturers not only do not test their products on animals, they also do not use any products that come from animals such as milk, eggs, honey, and lanolin.

Companies v. Products

t is important to distinguish between whether a specific company tests on animals and whether a specific ingredient or product has ever been tested on animals. To expect that an ingredient has never been tested on animals is unrealistic, because centuries of animal experimentation mean that almost every substance, even those that are natural and generally considered safe, has been tested on animals at some point in history. Instead of focusing on whether an ingredient or product has ever been tested on animals, ask whether the company or the supplier conducts animal testing.

What Type Of Tests Are Performed

Tests performed on animals are undeniably cruel. In tests conducted to determine the safety of eye products, for example, rabbits are immobilized in shelf-like contraptions called stocks. Their eyelids are held open with clips while scientists drop various substances into their eyes. This type of test can last as many as 18 days.

Toxicity tests also are performed. The LD50 (lethal dose 50) test determines the amount of substance that will kill a certain percentage of animals. According to Mercy for Animals, a substance is forced via a tube into the animal's stomach, sometimes through holes cut in their throats. Experimenters then observe the animals' reaction, which includes convulsions, bleeding from eyes, nose or mouth, emaciation and skin eruptions, to name just a few. The tests continue until at least 50 percent of the animals are dead. While the LD test is not as widely performed as in years past, it still occurs.

Animal Testing in the EU

A cosmetic testing has been banned in the European Union. According to a press release by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, the ban took effect and it is now illegal to test cosmetic ingredients on animals anywhere in the EU, irrespective of whether there is a non-animal alternative method available (testing on the products themselves is already banned). It is also illegal to sell or import into the EU cosmetics ingredients or products where they have been animal-tested after 11 March 2009, with the exception of certain types of test which have an extended deadline until 11 March 2013.  While cosmetics testing on animals are now banned in the EU, other household products may be tested. Here in the US, we have no similar law, and any kind of cosmetic or household product may be tested on animals.

Why Animal Testing Is Unnecessary

Almost as outrageous as the cruelty of these tests is the fact that they are outdated and not always as reliable as tests generated with modern biology and biotechnology. It doesn't take much research to see that animal testing has inherent flaws. For one, each species reacts differently to substances, so proving that a particular substance irritates a rabbit's eye does not necessarily mean it will irritate a human eye. Even if a product has blinded an animal, it could still be marketed to you (according to PETA).

11 Myths About Animal Testing

You may be thinking that the globs of gel you put in your hair doesn't come at a cost, but products that test on animals might be crueler than you realize. 

1.     Animal testing exclusively involves mice and rats.  Companies that conduct animal testing use many different species. After mice and rats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and dogs are the most commonly used animals.

2.   When you test shampoo on animals, you simply rub it on their fur.

   Animal testing usually involves applying chemicals or products to animals’ shaved skin or eyes. In one of the most commonly used tests, researchers put chemicals into their eyes and record the state of the injured eye for 21 days.

3.   Animals can't feel pain.

   A recent experiment found that when mice are exposed to painful stimuli, they display facial expressions very similar to those humans show when in pain. Research has also found that many animals even suffer from depression, anxiety, and other psychological disorders in laboratories.

4.    All animals in laboratories have some legal protection. 

   The only federal law that applies to animals used for testing is the Animal Welfare Act, which only regulates cage size, cleanliness, and food and water, but does not limit the procedures that can be done. This law excludes rats, mice, birds, cold-blooded animals, and animals commonly killed for food—so rats and mice, the animals most commonly used in toxicity tests, are not even given minimal protections.

5.   Animals are well cared for and are given anesthesia or painkillers during tests.  Generally, animals are not given anesthesia even during extremely painful tests.

6.    Some animals get to live happy lives once they are not needed for any more testing.  Every year, millions of animals used for testing are killed during the experiment or soon after.

7.   Cosmetic testing on animals is required by law. 

   The United States does not require tests on cosmetics. In fact, hundreds of companies do not test their products on animals, just look for the rabbit logo on the label that tells you that your beauty product is animal-friendly.

8.  Testing cosmetics on animals tells us whether the products are safe. 

   It’s difficult to interpret what animal test results mean for humans, because each species reacts differently to various substances.

9.  There aren't any alternatives to animal tests. 

   There are many cheaper and faster alternative methods that produce more accurate information. Examples include artificial human skin and robotic technology that can screen thousands of chemicals at once using cells grown in the lab.

10.    Companies always use the most current testing methods. 

    Many companies continue to test chemicals and products using animal-based tests developed in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.

11.    There is nothing I can do to stop animal suffering in laboratories.

    There are many things you can do to help animals in laboratories.

1. Look for an animal-testing free logo on products you buy.
2. Use an alternative to dissection in science class.
3. Start a campaign making people aware about these animal testing myths.

 

Companies That DO Test on Animals (reported by PETA)

This section includes a short list of both companies that manufacture animal-tested products and brands that are owned by companies that have not yet adopted a permanent "no animal testing" policy. Please encourage them to announce a permanent ban. Listed in parentheses are examples of products manufactured by either the company listed or, if applicable, its parent company. For a complete listing of products manufactured by a company on this list, please visit the company's website or contact the company directly for more information. Companies on this list may manufacture individual lines of products without animal testing. They have not, however, eliminated animal testing from their entire line of cosmetics and household products.

• Bristol-Myers Squibb (Alberto VO5, Ban, Clairol, Keri, Final Net)
• Chesebrough Ponds (Faberge, Cutex, Vaseline)
• Carter-Wallace (Aim, Arm & Hammer, Arrid, Close-up, Mentadent, Nair, Pearl Drops)
• Clorox (Green Works)
• Colgate-Palmolive Co.
• Dell Labs (Flame Glow, Sally Hanson)
• Dial (Dial Soap, Dry Idea, Right Guard, Soft & Dri)
• Estée Lauder (American Beauty, Aramis, Aveda, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Coach, Darphin, Ermenegildo Zegna, Flirt, Goodskin Labs, Grassroots Labs, Jo Malone, Kiton, Lab series for Men, La Mer, MAC, Michael Kors, Missoni, Ojon, Origins, Prescriptives, Sean John, Smashbox, Tom Ford, Tommy Hilfiger)  
• GlaxoSmithKline (Aquafresh, Sensodyne)
• Johnson & Johnson (Acuvue, Aveeno, Carefree, Clean & Clear, Johnson's, K.Y., Listerine, Lubriderm, Neutrogena, Purell, Reach, Rembrandt, ROC Skin Care, Rogaine Hair Care, Shower to Shower, Skin ID)
• L'Oreal USA (Biotherm, Cacharel, Garnier, Giorgio Armani, Helena Rubinstein, Kerastase, Kiehl's, Lancôme, LaRoche Posay, Matrix Essentials, Maybelline, Mizani, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Redken, Shu Uemura, SoftSheen, Vichy, Viktor & Rolf)
• Mary Kay Cosmetics
• Melaleuca
• New Dana Perfumes
• Pfizer (Bain de Soleil, Chapstick)
• Pierre Fabre (Physicians Formula Cosmetics)
• Playtex (Banana Boat, Jhirmack Hair Care)
• Procter & Gamble (Always, Aussie Hair Care, Braun, Christina Aguilera Perfumes, Cover Girl Cosmetics, Crest, DOLCE & GABBANA, Dunhill Fragrances, Escada Fragrances, Fekkai Hair Care, Gillette Co., Gucci Fragrances, Halo, Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Hugo Boss, Ivory, Joy Perfumes, Lacoste Fragrances, Max Factor, Natural Instincts, Nice ‘n Easy, Olay, Old Spice, Pantene, Physique, Scope, Sebastian Professional Hair Care, Secret, SK-II Skin Care, Vicks, Vidal Sasson Hair Care, Zest)
• Reckitt Benckiser (Calgon, Clearasil, Old English)
• SC Johnson (Glade, Nature's Source)
• Shering-Plough (Coppertone)
• Shiseido Cosmetics
• Unilever (Calvin Klein, Elizabeth Arden, Helene Curtis, Axe, Dove, Ponds, Suave, Sunsilk, Tresemme Hair Care, Vaseline)

It’s Not Just Your Makeup That Needs To Be Cruelty-Free

The makeup manufacturer states that they are cruelty-free, yet they sell makeup brushes that are made from squirrel, goat, pony, badger, rabbit and sable.  Animal hair brushes are a by-product of the food and fur industry.  Therefore, the animal is killed to make those makeup brushes.  Cosmetic manufacturers go to great lengths to create humane stories of how the animals are pampered while they wait for their monthly haircut.  In reality, they are either tortured in traps or made to live in cramp gages until such time they are slaughtered. The only way a makeup brush can be cruelty-free is if they are made of synthetic fibers. If the sales person tells you that their squirrel makeup brush is cruelty-free, they are either lying or most likely misinformed.

Same goes for your Boar Bristle hair brush. The reason these brushes are so expensive is, they come from wild Boars that are trapped with bone crushing jaw clamps.  In many cases, the animal is left in the trap for days before being retrieved.  Helpless and unable to free themselves from the trap, the animal will bleed or starve to death. 

Alternatives

In almost every case, there is an adequate if not superior alternative ingredient that that of animal based ingredients.  The only problem with these alternatives is, they cost a few pennies more than the animal ingredient.  Although there is no such thing as true plant lanolin, there are companies that are marketing plant based alternatives to lanolin.  In fact, they are calling it Vegetable Lanolin.  Same goes for Squalene.  Originally only derived from Whale blubber, now there is Squalene made from Olives.  When it comes to animal hair brushes, Taklon Nylon fiber is a superior alternative for makeup brushes.  Taklon is softer, more durable and there is less chance to harbor bacteria. Using Mineral Makeup is one way to avoid animal ingredients and animal testing altogether. Mineral Makeup is inert; therefore there is no need to test on animals.  You may not get the vibrant colors that you’ll find in conventional makeup lines, but you’ll be surprised at what’s available.        

Here is how you can stop this senseless practice. 

              ●Vow never to purchase another item from those manufacturers that continue
      to test on animals. 

●Look at the ingredient list and familiarize yourself with ingredients derived from dead animals (list is available at www.peta.org). Look for the cruelty-free logo.

●Tell those companies you refuse to buy another lipstick from them until they change their policies and ingredients.  

THE DANGERS THAT LURK IN YOUR DESIGNER COLOGNE AND PERFUME

“Most of the chemicals used in fragrances are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum. They include benzene derivatives, aldehydes and many other known toxics and sensitizers - capable of causing cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders and allergic reactions.”

Few people realize that there are at least 5,000 different chemicals used by the fragrance industry in the manufacture of fragrance products. Nor do they realize that a fragrance product such as perfume may contain as many as 600 individual chemical ingredients.  Of the 5,000 different chemicals used in fragrance products, less than 20% have been tested and reported as toxic. Many of those chemicals that have been tested are regulated by the federal government as hazardous materials. The remaining chemicals have not been toxicity tested, so the health effects and regulatory potential are unknown. Of the 150 highest volume chemicals used in fragrance products, more than 100 can be identified in the air of a room using sophisticated testing techniques. Most of these 100 chemicals are known to be toxic.

Studies show that fragrance chemicals can cause health effects, primarily at the skin, lungs and brain. Many studies have been conducted to show that fragrance products can cause skin sensitivity, rashes, and dermatitis. In fact, skin sensitivity is one of the best known side effects of fragrances. Fragrances have also been studied for their effect on people with chronic lung disease, particularly asthma. Study results differ, but some data suggests that as many as 75% of known asthmatics (i.e. approximately 9 million people in the U.S. alone) have asthma attacks that are triggered by perfumes. 

Finally, a number of studies have been conducted to show how fragrance affects the brain. Because of the strong connection between scent and memory, we know that fragrance products can cross the blood brain barrier. This is important because it means that fragrance chemicals have the potential to affect, and possibly damage, brain tissue. This kind of effect is called 'neurotoxicity.' For example, Linalool, the most abundant chemical in perfume and fragrance products, is known to cause lethargy, depression, and life threatening respiratory effects.  As an example of how potent fragrance can be in the brain, one study conducted in Japan showed that the fragrance of citrus was more effective in alleviating depression than were prescription anti-depressants. This means that the fragrance has psychoactive properties, which places it in the category of psychoactive drugs (i.e. Prozac, Valium, Elavil, etc.).  Other studies have shown that fragrances can alter mood and alleviate anxiety and stress. Mood, anxiety and stress are properties that are modulated by natural chemicals in the brain. That means that in order for those properties to change, a chemical change has to take place. The studies indicate that the fragrance chemicals cause that chemical change to occur in the brain.

Fragrance chemicals can enter the body through inhalation and ingestion through the nose and mouth, and absorption through the skin. Once in the body they are absorbed into the bloodstream and transported throughout the body. Individual sensitivity to the effects of fragrance chemicals vary widely from no effect at all to severe symptoms.  Symptoms experienced by some people include: headache (migraine especially), sneezing, watery eyes, sinus problems, anxiety, nausea, wheezing (especially in asthmatics), shortness of breath, inability to concentrate, brain-fog, dizziness, convulsions, sore throat, cough, chest tightness, hyperactivity (especially in children), tremor, fatigue, lethargy, and drowsiness.

A few chemicals found in fragrances known to cause cancer and birth defects: methylene chloride; toluene; methyl ethyl ketone; methyl isobutyl ketone; tert Butyl; sec Butyl; benzyl chloride. (Compiled by comparing a list of 120 fragrance chemicals from the EPA obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and California's Prop 65 List of Chemicals).

The following is a list of common chemicals found in colognes and perfumes with a segment from the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), a form with data regarding the properties of a particular substance. Unlike cosmetics, fragrances are not governed by the FDA therefore anything can be added to your fragrance, regardless of its safety.  These ingredients are commonly found in most Cologne’s, Eau de Toilette’s, Eau de Parfum’s, Nail color removers, Fabric softeners, Air fresheners, Paint removers and Varnish removers.  Due to Trade Secret Laws protecting chemical fragrances, most manufacturers do not list all of the ingredients in their perfumes. 

Keep in mind that these are primarily the common fragrances you purchase at a department store (drug store, discount store, clothing store etc.).  These are not that same as natural fragrant oils such as Aromatherapy Oils, Natural Perfume Oils or fragrances that are in natural oil carriers.  These are Eau de Parfum’s, Eau de Toilette’s and Colognes that are dispensed through the air (spraying).  The carriers themselves are the culprits.   

You Should Know What You’re Breathing!

ACETONE; on EPA, RCRA, and CERCLA Hazardous Waste lists. "Inhalation can cause dryness of the mouth and throat; dizziness, nausea, incoordination, slurred speech, drowsiness, and, in severe exposures, coma." "Acts primarily as a central nervous system depressant."

BENZALDEHYDE;  Narcotic. Sensitizer. "Local anesthetic, central nervous system depressant"... "Irritation to the mouth, throat, eyes, skin, lungs, and GI tract, causing nausea and abdominal pain." "May cause kidney damage." "Do not use with contact lenses."

BENZYL ACETATE; Carcinogenic (linked to pancreatic cancer); "From vapors: irritating to eyes and respiratory passages, exciting cough." "Hyperanemia (increased blood) of the lungs." "Can be absorbed through the skin causing systemic effects." "Do not flush to sewer."

BENZYL ALCOHOL;

CAMPHOR; "local irritant and central nervous system stimulant" ..."readily absorbed through body tissues" ..."irritation of eyes, nose and throat" ..."dizziness, confusion, nausea, twitching muscles and convulsions" "Avoid inhalation of vapors."

ETHANOL; On EPA Hazardous Waste list; symptoms: "...fatigue; irritating to eyes and upper respiratory tract even in low concentrations..." "Inhalation of ethanol vapors can have effects similar to those characteristic of ingestion. These include an initial stimulatory effect followed by drowsiness, impaired vision, ataxia, stupor..." Causes central nervous system disorder.

ETHYL ACETATE; Narcotic. On EPA Hazardous Waste list; "...irritating to the eyes and respiratory tract" ..."may cause headache and narcosis (stupor)" ..."defatting effect on skin and may cause drying and cracking" ..."may cause anemia with leukocytosis and damage to liver and kidneys" "Wash thoroughly after handling."

LIMONENE; Carcinogenic. "Prevent its contact with skin or eyes because it is an irritant and sensitizer." "Always wash thoroughly after using this material and before eating, drinking, applying cosmetics. Do not inhale limonene vapor."

LINALOOL; Narcotic. ..."respiratory disturbances" ... "Attracts bees." "In animal tests: ataxic gait, reduced spontaneous motor activity and depression ... development of respiratory disturbances leading to death." ..."depressed frog-heart activity." Causes CNS disorder.

METHYLENE CHLORIDE; Banned by the FDA in 1988! No enforcement possible due to trade secret laws protecting chemical fragrance industry. On EPA, RCRA, CERCLA Hazardous Waste lists. "Carcinogenic" ..."Absorbed, stored in body fat, it metabolizes to carbon monoxide, reducing oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood." "Headache, giddiness, stupor, irritability, fatigue, tingling in the limbs." Causes central nervous system disorder.

a-PINENE; Sensitizer (damaging to the immune system).

g-TERPINENE; “Causes asthma and central nervous system disorders."

a-TERPINEOL; “Highly irritating to mucous membranes"... "Aspiration into the lungs can produce pneumonitis or even fatal edema." Can also cause "excitement, ataxia (loss of muscular coordination), hypothermia, central nervous system and respiratory depression, and headache." "Prevent repeated or prolonged skin contact."

*Neurotoxins: At Home and the Workplace, Report by the Committee on Science & Technology, U.S. House of Representatives, Sept. 16, 1986. (Report 99-827)