Anyone ever worry about possible adverse effects from fragrance on your skin over many years?

[bigbz]

I had a weird thought the other day….I used to work a production job when I was younger and I had my hands in a couple different cleaning agents for the better part of the day over the course of a couple years. I used a damp towel to apply said cleaning/polishing agents and was not offered any kind of glove or hand protection until much later on when it was found out that one of these liquids which was initially deemed safe, did in fact have some potentially hazardous effects!

I’m a young looking guy for my age,(38)but I look down at my hands and can’t believe how old and damaged they look…even my 24yr old GF constantly makes fun of my “old man” hands. Granted part of it is working with my hands a good part of my life, but all the strange little bumps never appeared until I had my hands exposed to these chemicals and subsequently went away after I moved up to a different part of the company.

So I ask you, fellow Basenoters….with all these new man made/synthetic chemicals and compounds that are used in modern day perfumery, do you ever worry about what could possibly be some of the potentially harmful side effects these could cause you in the long term?(mild skin issues, all the way up to cancer?) Because who knows just how safe some of these are, or the effects on/absorbing into the human skin?

Think about 5, 10, 20 yrs on down the road where a fragrance with synthetic molecules has been sitting on your skin(being absorbed?)2 to 12 hrs, 5-7 days a week. Am I just a paranoid weirdo, or has this though ever crossed anyone else’s mind?!lol

At any rate, I’m never gonna stop smelling good…just food for thought!

[JimmyP]

I do think of these things sometimes. And who knows? Anything is possible i guess...

[hednic]

The thought never enters my mind personally.

[Kagey]

It's not a worry for me - never seen evidence of skin deterioration due to perfume (except in one or two people I know who are allergic), and I think that any possible health ill-effects are negligible compared to the other stuff we're exposed to all the time - bad air quality, food that's full of preservatives, etc.

The internet will provide you with plenty to scare the pants off you about the harmful effects of perfume and pretty much every other product you could buy or use, so unless you're prepared to live in a bubble, take it all with a grain of salt and think rationally for yourself.

[RedRaider430]

There was a thread about this on the Huddler site before we switched over. So it will reappear at some point.

There are those who are concerned about these things, so you're not the only one. But I don't think there's ever going to be a definite answer on it because there are simply too many variables that would go into the equation. Like smoking affects people differently, something like fragrance on skin is going to affect us all differently and individually as well. Thus, we all have to make our own personal decision about "risks," no matter how minimal.

I look at the whole issue rather simply.......there are a LOT of VERY old people walking around that have been wearing fragrances for decades, aren't there? So what does that tell you? And when I think that mankind has sprayed fragrances on the body for literally thousands of years, I'm not too concerned.

If it were truly THAT dangerous, I think we would have definitive PROOF by now, wouldn't we? And if it were significantly harmful, we should all personally know someone that was suffering deleterious effects from fragrances, shouldn't we? But I don't know anyone like that, nor have I ever heard of such a thing. So those are pretty good odds.

[Melvournis]

It has crossed my mind and I'm glad it did. I gave up smoking, this habit is not going anywhere.

[JiveHippo]

We all have our vices, I would think a fragrance hobby would be one of the least harmful.

[chili_willi]

The thought never enters my mind personally.

Agree with hednic. Not a concern to me in the slightest.

[Akahina]

In a word, no.

[Vinrambo09]

My grandma is in her early 90s, she has been wearing fragrances, when they even had nitro musks, she is fine. I find that IFRA's war on natural raw materials is ridiculous, and replacing them with synthetic crap which they do deem safe but thats the way it is . Also comparing aromachemicals with house hold cleaners are very different things.

[perfaddict]

Not really. i have been wearing frags amost daily for about 37 years now. Skin still looks okay.

[bigbz]

There was a thread about this on the Huddler site before we switched over. So it will reappear at some point.

There are those who are concerned about these things, so you're not the only one. But I don't think there's ever going to be a definite answer on it because there are simply too many variables that would go into the equation. Like smoking affects people differently, something like fragrance on skin is going to affect us all differently and individually as well. Thus, we all have to make our own personal decision about "risks," no matter how minimal.

I look at the whole issue rather simply.......there are a LOT of VERY old people walking around that have been wearing fragrances for decades, aren't there? So what does that tell you? And when I think that mankind has sprayed fragrances on the body for literally thousands of years, I'm not too concerned.

If it were truly THAT dangerous, I think we would have definitive PROOF by now, wouldn't we? And if it were significantly harmful, we should all personally know someone that was suffering deleterious effects from fragrances, shouldn't we? But I don't know anyone like that, nor have I ever heard of such a thing. So those are pretty good odds.

True and some very good points! But for fun, let me play devils advocet for a moment! And say perhaps we haven't seen anyone have any issues yet, possibly because all the older folks who used frags in the past had mostly(if not all)natural ingredients instead of these modern chemical compounds??? I doubt any old hippies would have had issues using patchouli or sandalwood oils....but what about isomethylclorhydronatine or whatever other stupid synthetic name I could make up?!lol

[Wheatstraw2]

I thought that hippies were all about b.o.

Anyway, the question is worth thinking about. I do wonder if the government authorities are on to something when they cast a skeptical eye on some ingredients. So, you know, that's great. I'll delegate the worry to them and if they come up with anything deemed unsafe, they can take it off the market.

[Akahina]

Natural ingredients are just a mix of chemicals made by a plant or extracted from some animal oriface. There are dozens or more chemicals in a single natural ingredient. The job of the perfumer is to take those chemicals that are available after IFRA restrictions and make something that appeals to our senses. Don't let those unpronounceble names throw you into a tizzy.

[The_Scentinel]

No.

[lpp]

Not at all - and I've been wearing scent pretty much daily since the 1970's!!!

Bio laundry detergents are something that we avoid, 'though as we've had slight problems with those.

[Rüssel]

Yes. It can't be good to spray all that stuff on one's skin and breath it in. The thought may raise the bar for perfume purchases one day. Is this smell worth spraying it on one's precious skin? Let's hope it's not too bad though.

[VintagePoison]

I'd worry about sun exposure 100x before I start to worry about wearing fragrances.

[Tristram]

I quitted smoking (and drinking) some time ago, so I would be glad if, at the end, I only had to face risks of perfumes.
I do believe, though, that wearing scents on sun-exposed skin (and I mean: really intense sun, hot weather etc.) lets it age quicklier (without having any proof for this, which I don't care for anyway - that's why I 'believe' it).

[David Ruskin]

In the 30 years I worked as a Perfumer I never met anyone who had any negative reaction to the Perfumery materials were were using; and for most of the time we were handling Fragrances at 100.0% concentration (not diluted in Alcohol). Another Perfumer I know said that once he spilled neat Citral on his hands, and where it had touched his skin, it went a bit red. That's all. On the other hand, I have known several people develop a very nasty reaction to various detergent and cleaning agents, as they are so good at removing the oils that naturally moisturise skin.

Tristram you are entitled to your "beliefs", but unless they can be backed up with scientific evidence, I for one discard them.

[Tristram]

...

[David Ruskin]

Let's make it fair; two subjects one with the fragrance, the other without, both exposed to the "boiling hot sun". I'm guessing that the "boiling hot sun" will cause the most damage. This based on the evidence of numbers of cases of skin cancer in those parts of the world that have more "boiling hot sun", compared with those parts of the world that don't. I suspect that the addition of a small amount of fragrance (say a 10.0% solution of fragrance in alcohol, two sprays; let's say 0.2ml of fragrance) will have damn all difference. Mind you, to be super fair we need a third subject; sprayed with alcohol alone and exposed to the sun. Oh dear, actually we need two more; one sprayed with Fragrance for 30 years and kept in the dark, and one sprayed only with alcohol and kept in the dark; for 30 years. My Lord, how complicated this science is! Let's just pretend it doesn't exist, and keep to our "beliefs", and our "common sense".

[Tristram]

...

[Jack Hunter]

I have noticed with all the years of fragrance use that when I get angry my skin starts to turn green, I just have to keep my emotional state in check to be ok.

[Kagey]

I have noticed with all the years of fragrance use that when I get angry my skin starts to turn green, I just have to keep my emotional state in check to be ok.

We wouldn't like you when you're angry

On the "boiling hot sun" issue, I agree with David. One thing, though - perfume can make skin more photosensitive. A lot of people (includng me) have had minor rashes due to the combination of perfume and direct sun exposure.

But that's not the same thing as skin aging. The sun alone can do that, so I wouldn't worry about the effect of perfume, to be honest.

[David Ruskin]

There are a few chemicals which can cause photosensitivity . Many are found in Citrus Oils (the oil is extracted from the skin of the fruit); the most common are called Bergaptenes. Steps have been taken to reduce these to an acceptable level (IFRA wants to reduce them even more, but cannot make up its mind as to what level). Mind you Citrus Oils also contain masses of Limonene which is classed as a skin sensitiser, and is one of the 28 allergens; and it is regarded as an environmental pollutant. My God! The more I think about it, the more I am convinced; we should ban all Citrus Fruits!!

[DuNezDeBuzier]

My understanding is that our skin is a pretty powerful defense mechanism against pathogens. In healthy individuals, it creates an effective barrier to what may otherwise infect. That, coupled with the fact that groups such as IFRA & RIFM* have been working on the OP's concern for over 40 years gives me a warm fuzzy feeling w/r/t cologne use. No worries!

* seriously, visit the websites to learn what they do, how they test, what they've restricted or prohibited and their reason(s) why. my guess is that'll ease your mind.

[timmy-j]

Yes, there are probably some negative effects of long term exposure to almost any chemicals we apply or inhale/ingest. Do i think about it? No. Ignorance is bliss for me these days.

[sjg3839]

If the fragrances won't kill ya, the foods will.

[TNBLUEMIKE]

I feel they are so watered down now that it's not a cause for concern at all to me. I still have some powerhouses from the 70's and 80's that feel a bit toxic when comparing to newer offereings but I just don't wear those as much any more.