34 Migraine-Inducing, Stomach-Turning Toxic Chemicals in Perfume

Try as you might to prevent migraines from ruining your day, some migraine triggers such as perfumes are unavoidable. Fragrances found in synthetic perfumes, scented shampoos, lotions, and detergents permeate your atmosphere, triggering migraine headaches, nausea, dizziness, and even slurred speech. That’s because many leading perfumes contain actual poisons that endanger your health, chemicals proven to cause central nervous system disorders, and damage to reproductive organs.

Do perfume labels include a list of all ingredients?

No. Current federal law allows perfume companies like Calvin Klein and Christian Dior a special loophole for trade secrets- the right to list harmful headache-inducing chemicals as “fragrances”- an undisclosed cocktail of ingredients, thus protecting their top-secret formula. Most popular perfumes contain chemicals that the EPA recognizes as carcinogens, allergens, and narcotics– some of which the FDA banned years ago, and many of which are identical to the toxins cigarette manufacturers put in their tobacco to hook consumers.

What are the side effects of perfume exposure?

Toxins from perfumes seep into your skin, permeate your lungs, cause damage to your nervous system and ailments like severe headaches, skin rashes, and respiratory illnesses. Here are some of the most common reactions:

Headaches- Strong scents are a common migraine trigger for many patients of chronic headaches. Some other migraine triggers are bright lights, loud noises, food ingredients, sleep irregularities, hormones, and weather changes. Read Avoiding Migraine Triggers- Here, There and Everywhere

Dizziness
Disorientation
Confusing speech, talking “gibberish”
Chest tightness and wheezing
Diarrhea and vomiting, particularly in babies
Sinus inflammation
Reduced pulmonary function
Worsening of asthma symptoms
Rhinitis and airway irritation
Sense organ irritation
Contact dermatitis

Perfumes and Migraines: The Good, the Bad, and the Downright Stinky

Study clears the air about secret toxins in perfumes

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the Environmental Working Group recently conducted a study that focused on 17 leading perfume labels. Lab testing revealed 38 undisclosed ingredients, which they published in their article Not So Sexy: The Health Risk of Secret Chemicals in Fragrances. Some of the biggest offenders included American Eagle Seventy Seven, Chanel Coco, Britney Spears Curious, and Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio.

Chemicals found in perfume

Over 1500 chemicals are used in most perfumes and fragrances.

Here are some of the most common ingredients:

Acetone- EPA hazardous waste list, and central nervous system depressant
Amylcinnamaldehyde- Irritating to eyes, respiratory system, and skin
a-Pinene- Sensitizer, inhalation exposure to high concentrations associated with irritation of the respiratory airways.
a-Terpineol- May cause ataxia, headaches, depressed central nervous system
Benzaldehyde- Harmful if swallowed, exposure causes sore throat, rash, and eye pain
Benzophenone- Disruptive to hormones and thyroid
Benzyl Acetate- Carcinogen, possibly a cause of pancreatic cancer
Benzyl Alcohol- Causes headache, nausea, and dizziness
Benzyl benzoate- Disruptive to hormones
Benzyl cinnamate- Irritant, dangerous for the environment
Benzyl salicylate- Disruptive to hormones
Beta ionone- Possible carcinogen
Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)- Disruptive to hormones and thyroid, possible carcinogen
Cinnamyl alcohol- Irritating to skin and eyes,
Coumarin- Carcinogen, toxic to liver and kidneys, used to kill rodents, common ingredient in cigarette tobacco products
Diethyl phthalate (DEP)- causes abnormal development of reproductive organs in male babies and sperm damage in adult men
Ethanol- EPA hazardous waste list, causes central nervous system disorder
Ethyl Acetate- Narcotic, on EPA hazardous waste list
Eugenol- Sensitizer, allergen
Farnesol- Skin irritant, allergen
Formaldehyde- Air pollutant, carcinogen, exposure causes wheezing, allergic reactions, skin rash
Galaxoide- toxic to the endocrine system
g-Terpinene- Causes central nervous system disorder
Lilial (Butylphenyl methylpropional)- Disruptive to hormones, allergen
Limonene- Carcinogen, causes central nervous system disorder
Linalool- Narcotic, causes central nervous system disorder
Lyral- Allergen, causes eczema
Methylene chloride- Banned by the FDA, carcinogen, EPA hazardous waste list, causes central nervous system disorder
Musk ketone- Disruptive to hormones
Myrcene- possible carcinogen
Octinoxate (Octyl methoxycinnamate) – Disruptive to hormones and thyroid
Oxybenzone- Disruptive to hormones
Toluene- Carcinogen
Tonalide- toxic to the endocrine system

Which perfumes should I avoid?

Here is a list of perfumes that contain dangerously high levels of toxins that may cause migraine headaches, dermatitis, respiratory illness, hormonal disorders, and organ failure: