Should you be avoiding perfumes and fragrances?

2025-10-21

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Once you go looking, you realise there are scents in everything – from skincare to cleaning supplies to candles. And of course, perfume.Are there any implications to our health from taking in natural and synthetic fragrances from all these products?Norman and Tegan sniff out the evidence when it comes to scent, and whether we should be worried.References: The first chemist in history may have been a female perfumer – here’s how the science of scents has changed since - the Conversation A Smelling Trip into t...

Once you go looking, you realise there are scents in everything – from skincare to cleaning supplies to candles. And of course, perfume.

Are there any implications to our health from taking in natural and synthetic fragrances from all these products?

Norman and Tegan sniff out the evidence when it comes to scent, and whether we should be worried.

References:

The first chemist in history may have been a female perfumer – here’s how the science of scents has changed since - the Conversation
A Smelling Trip into the Past: The Influence of Synthetic Materials on the History of Perfumery
Health and societal effects from exposure to fragranced consumer products – University of Melbourne
Effects by inhalation of abundant fragrances in indoor air – An overview
Cleaning at Home and at Work in Relation to Lung Function Decline and Airway Obstruction
Cleaning at Home and at Work in Relation to Lung Function Decline and Airway Obstruction
Synthetic Endocrine Disruptors in Fragranced Products
Do fragrant products like perfume, toilet paper and baby wipes cause cancer? - Cancer Council
Characterization of phthalates exposure and risk for cosmetics and perfume sales clerks
Chemical exposure and lung function in fragrance industry employees
Butter and Plant-Based Oils Intake and Mortality - JAMA

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