Coco Chanel opted for synthetic ingredients not for the lack of money: she believed that artificial
scents would emphasize the natural beauty of its wearer. However, the phenomenal success of Chanel
No. 5 prompted most fragrance labels to swap expensive natural fragrance ingredients for synthetic
equivalents.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the government agency responsible for overseeing product
safety, does not systematically review the safety of fragrances and cannot require that fragrances be
tested for safety before they are sold. Instead, the fragrance industry regulates itself, through its trade
association, the International Fragrance Association, which funds and conducts safety assessments for
fragrance ingredients. This self-regulating scheme has led to the widespread use of chemicals in
fragrances that raise concerns when it comes to our health.
What we apply to our skins is our personal choice. What we spray in the air for our kids to breathe
is a completely different matter. Pregnant and breast-feeding women who indulge in mainstream
fragrances expose their offspring to high levels of toxic chemicals when their endocrine systems
aren’t mature enough to withstand the damage. As a result, the toxic load accumulates from birth,
leading to unknown health consequences that may surface ten or twenty years later.
The wider environmental issue comes into play when you consider what happens to synthetic
fragrances when you wash them off your body or launder fragrance-soaked clothes. Most of the
synthetic aromatic compounds are discharged into streams, rivers, and other waterways.
Every year the cosmetic industry churns out dozens of designer and celebrity fragrances, not to
mention thousands of cosmetic products heavily scented with synthetic chemicals. It’s impossible and
unreasonable to expect all manufacturers to switch to natural ingredients that are expensive to
produce. Natural perfumes are made of rare, precious essences that are considered too costly by the
mainstream industry.
Of course, apart from the higher price, natural perfumes are not without limitations. Because there
are no chemical fixatives in a natural fragrance formulation, their composition may be unstable or
short lasting. And while synthetic perfume makers adhere to strict concentrations of perfume per
alcohol and water base, the formulations for natural fragrances can vary from season to season, and
ingredients can smell slightly different, depending on the season of harvesting and the weather
condition in the particular area. This means that it’s close to impossible to create a stable
composition that will remain unchanged for years to come. Additionally, the use of some natural
materials, like sandalwood and musk, can lead to species endangerment and illegal trafficking.
The Musky Controversy
Musk, a popular perfume fixative since ancient times, was traditionally obtained from the gland of
the male musk deer, Moschus moschiferus. The animal was usually killed in the process. Between
thirty and fifty deer would die to provide two pounds of musk grains. Due to the high demand of musk,
populations of musk deer were severely depleted. Musk deer is now protected by law in China,
Mongolia, Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, and international trade of musk from
Moschus moschiferus is prohibited.
For legal and ethical reasons, many perfume companies use synthetic musk: aromatic nitromusks,
polycyclic musk compounds, and macro-cyclic musk compounds. Synthetic musk compounds have
been found in human fat, breast milk, and in lakes and rivers. Scientists from State University of