The Mystery Of Fragrance Formulas: What Are Companies Hiding?

Consumers have a right to know what's in the products they buy, but companies have long hidden behind laws that allow them to keep their products' ingredients a secret. In the cosmetics and personal care market, small companies were the first to take on the transparency challenge, but they have a small share of the market. In recent years, major personal care product companies have taken steps toward greater transparency. In 2017, Unilever became the first multinational to announce it would disclose fragrance ingredients in their entire US and EU portfolio of personal care and cleaning products. Shortly after, Procter & Gamble said it would disclose fragrance ingredients online across all its products. In 2020, the Fragrance and Flavors Right to Know Act was passed in California, requiring the disclosure of toxic fragrance and flavor ingredients used in cosmetics, personal care products, and professional salon products. Despite these steps toward transparency, the fragrance industry is entirely self-regulated, and companies are not required to disclose what's in their fragrances.

The US's FDA requires cosmetics to have an ingredient declaration

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires cosmetics marketed on a retail basis to consumers to have an "ingredient declaration". This is a list of all the ingredients in a given cosmetic product, listed in descending order of amount. This requirement falls under the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA), which aims to ensure that consumers have the information they need to compare products and make informed purchasing decisions.

However, it is important to note that under the FPLA, companies are not required to disclose "trade secrets". A trade secret may consist of commercially valuable plans, formulas, processes, or devices used in the production of a product, and there must be a direct relationship between the trade secret and the final product. Requests for trade secret status are granted on rare occasions based on strict criteria, and companies must submit detailed information to the FDA for evaluation.

Prior to recent legislation, companies were not required to disclose ingredients used in fragrances, often simply listing "fragrance" as an ingredient. Fragrances can be made up of dozens of chemicals, some of which have been linked to negative health effects such as allergies, endocrine disruption, and even cancer.

In 2020, the Fragrance and Flavors Right to Know Act (SB 312) was passed in California, requiring the disclosure of toxic fragrance and flavour ingredients in cosmetics, personal care products, and professional salon products. This legislation is helping to pave the way for greater transparency in the fragrance industry, and similar federal legislation is also being advocated for.

Some companies have also taken it upon themselves to increase transparency and disclose fragrance ingredients. For example, in 2017, Unilever pledged to disclose fragrance ingredients in its personal care products, and Procter & Gamble soon followed suit, committing to disclose fragrance ingredients across all its products. These moves towards greater transparency are in response to growing consumer demand for detailed information about the products they are using.

Companies can omit ingredients under the guise of trade secrets

The use of the term "fragrance" on a product's ingredient list can be misleading to consumers, as it may hide dozens or even hundreds of chemicals that companies are not required to disclose. This is concerning because many of these chemicals have been linked to negative health effects, such as allergies, endocrine disruption, asthma, and even more serious conditions like cancer and reproductive toxicity.

In the past, companies have been able to keep their products' ingredients secret due to archaic laws and a lack of federal guidelines. However, there have been recent efforts to increase transparency and protect consumers. For example, in 2020, several organizations in California worked together to pass the Fragrance and Flavors Right to Know Act, which requires the disclosure of toxic fragrance and flavor ingredients in cosmetics, personal care products, and professional salon products.

Additionally, some companies have voluntarily disclosed their ingredients, including fragrance components. For instance, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, and Johnson & Johnson have all made commitments to disclose fragrance ingredients in their products, although to varying degrees and with varying levels of specificity.

While progress is being made, there is still a long way to go in terms of fragrance ingredient disclosure. Many cleaning product labels still do not provide sufficient ingredient information, and large companies like L'Oréal have made vague announcements about future ingredient transparency without providing specific details. Consumers have a right to know what is in the products they buy, and companies should be held accountable for providing accurate and transparent information.

Toxic chemicals in fragrances can cause allergies, cancer and reproductive issues

Toxic chemicals in fragrances can cause a wide range of health issues, including allergies, cancer, and reproductive issues.

Fragrances are often made up of a combination of hundreds of different chemicals, many of which can be harmful. These chemicals are often not disclosed to consumers, as companies are not required to do so and can hide behind the term "fragrance" on their ingredient lists. However, recent legislation, such as the Fragrance and Flavors Right to Know Act in California, is working to change this. This law requires companies to disclose toxic fragrance ingredients to the state of California's Safe Cosmetics Program database, which is publicly available.

Some common toxic chemicals found in fragrances include:

• Lilial: A reproductive toxin that has been banned in the European Union.
• HICC: A potent allergen also banned in the EU.
• Diethyl Phthalate: Linked to cancer, infertility, reproductive harm, and more.
• Toluene: A reproductive toxin.
• Styrene: A carcinogen.

Exposure to these toxic chemicals can have serious health consequences. For example, fragrance chemicals have been linked to allergies, with fragrance allergies affecting 2-11% of the general population. They can also cause respiratory issues, such as triggering asthma attacks and irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat.

In addition, some fragrance chemicals have been linked to endocrine disruption, which can lead to a range of health issues, including cancer, birth defects, and hormone disruption. For example, synthetic musks, commonly found in fragrances, have been linked to gynecological abnormalities such as ovarian failure and infertility.

The effects of fragrance chemicals on reproductive health are particularly concerning. Fragrance chemicals have been linked to reproductive issues in both men and women, including abnormal reproductive development in baby boys and sperm damage in adult men.

To avoid the potential health risks associated with toxic chemicals in fragrances, consumers can opt for fragrance-free products, buy products that fully disclose fragrance ingredients, or use databases like the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Database to search for safer products.

Consumers are demanding more transparency from companies

In the cosmetics and personal care market, small companies were the first to take on the transparency challenge. In the last decade, boutique specialty companies have tapped into Americans' desire for safer, greener, and more transparent products. However, these companies have a small share of the market. Recently, major personal care product companies have taken steps toward greater transparency. For example, in February, Unilever pledged to disclose fragrance ingredients down to a very small, or de minimus, concentration in its personal care products using SmartLabel by the end of 2018. Shortly after, Procter & Gamble, which makes both personal care and cleaning products, said it would disclose fragrance ingredients online across all its products by 2019.

In the cleaning product sector, federal law does not require manufacturers to list most ingredients used in products. However, smaller companies like Seventh Generation and the Honest Company have bucked this trend. Those same companies advocated for the California Cleaning Product Right to Know Act, which recently passed the state legislature. If signed into law, this landmark bill would require ingredient disclosures on all labels and online for both home and commercial cleaning products sold in California, the nation's largest market.

Procter & Gamble's pledge to disclose cleaning product ingredients is the biggest voluntary step toward transparency in this sector. But other big companies have also made or pledged similar actions. SC Johnson, which owns brands like Windex and Shout, launched three Glade PlugIns Citrus Blossom products in 2016 with full disclosure of fragrance ingredients.

Over the last decade, major fast-food restaurants – including McDonald's, Starbucks, Subway, and Chipotle – began listing calorie counts and other nutrition information on their menus and websites. In January, Target announced that all its store-brand beauty, baby care, personal care, and household cleaning products would disclose all ingredients, including fragrances, by 2020.

In 2013, Walmart announced its Sustainable Chemistry Initiative, with a goal to require all manufacturers that sell at Walmart and Sam's Club to disclose product ingredients on Walmart's website. Manufacturers must also provide Walmart with full disclosure of ingredients, including fragrance, starting in 2015. According to the initiative's most recent report in 2016, over 96% of product formulations are fully disclosed to the retailer, while 60% of personal care and 58% of household cleaning products have listed ingredients on Walmart's website.

While some companies are taking steps toward greater transparency, it's important to note that there are still many products that don't disclose their ingredients. In the fragrance industry, for example, companies are not required to disclose the ingredients in their fragrances, and often just label their products with the word "fragrance" as an ingredient. However, recent legislation, such as the Fragrance and Flavors Right to Know Act in California, is helping to reveal some of these secrets. This law requires the disclosure of toxic fragrance and flavor ingredients used in cosmetics, personal care products, and professional salon products to the state of California's Safe Cosmetics Program database.

Some companies are voluntarily disclosing fragrance ingredients

In the past, companies have been able to hide behind laws that allow them to keep their products' ingredients a secret. In the cosmetics and personal care market, smaller companies were the first to take on the transparency challenge. In the last decade, boutique specialty companies have tapped into Americans' desires for safer, greener, and more transparent products. However, these companies have a small share of the market.

Recently, major personal care product companies have taken steps toward greater transparency. In February 2017, Unilever became the first multinational company to announce that it would voluntarily disclose fragrance ingredients in its entire US and EU portfolio of personal care and cleaning products down to 100 parts per million (0.01%). This was a monumental step in a sector of the market that still clung to the excuse that fragrance disclosure was impossible. Shortly after, Procter & Gamble, which makes both personal care and cleaning products, said it would disclose fragrance ingredients online across all its products.

In 2014, Revlon began to voluntarily disclose the allergens in their products to comply with European Union labeling laws. These allergens are not the fragrances themselves but either separate ingredients of a product's fragrance palette or components of other ingredients like essential oils and botanical extracts.

In the cleaning product sector, federal law does not require manufacturers to list most ingredients used in products. Smaller companies like Seventh Generation and the Honest Company have bucked this trend. Procter & Gamble's pledge to disclose cleaning product ingredients is the biggest voluntary step toward transparency. Other big companies have also made or pledged similar actions. SC Johnson, which owns brands like Windex and Shout, launched three Glade PlugIns Citrus Blossom products in 2016 with full disclosure of fragrance ingredients.

In January 2020, Target announced that all its store-brand beauty, baby care, personal care, and household cleaning products would disclose all ingredients, including fragrances. In 2013, Walmart announced its Sustainable Chemistry Initiative, with a goal to require all manufacturers that sell at Walmart and Sam's Club to disclose product ingredients on Walmart's website.

As consumers, we can make a change in the fragrance industry by reading labels and avoiding products with vague labels that only list "fragrance" as an ingredient.

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