Secret Chemicals Revealed in Celebrity Perfumes, Teen Body Sprays

SAN FRANCISCO, May 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new analysis reveals that top-selling fragrance products—from Britney Spears' Curious and Hannah Montana Secret Celebrity to Calvin Klein Eternity and Abercrombie & Fitch Fierce —contain a dozen or more secret chemicals not listed on labels, multiple chemicals that can trigger allergic reactions or disrupt hormones, and many substances that have not been assessed for safety by the beauty industry's self-policing review panels.  

"This monumental study reveals the hidden hazards of fragrances," said Anne C. Steinemann, Ph.D., Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Professor of Public Affairs, University of Washington. "Secondhand scents are also a big concern. One person using a fragranced product can cause health problems for many others."

For this study, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a national coalition of health and environmental groups, commissioned tests of 17 fragrances at an independent laboratory. Campaign partner Environmental Working Group assessed data from the tests and the product labels. Among the findings: the products contained, on average, 10 sensitizing chemicals that can trigger allergic reactions such as asthma, headaches and skin rashes. Many products also contained multiple hormone-disrupting chemicals that are linked to long-term health effects such as infertility, learning disabilities and increased risk of cancer. Halle by Halle Berry, Quicksilver (for men) and Glow by JLO each contained seven different chemicals with the potential to disrupt the hormone system.

Consumers are reacting by asking celebrities with fragrance collections to take a stand, and demanding that Congress make sure products are safe: www.safecosmetics.org/takeaction

"It's disturbing that people are being unknowingly exposed to so many hidden, unregulated and toxic fragrance chemicals," said Lisa Archer, national coordinator of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics at the Breast Cancer Fund. "We're asking Congress to ensure the safety of cosmetics and full disclosure of ingredients so consumers can make informed choices. And we're asking the celebrities whose fragrances we tested—Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Halle Berry and Miley Cyrus—to show true leadership by taking a stand against toxic chemicals in personal care products, beginning with their own fragrance lines."

Access the full report and press release at www.safecosmetics.org/notsosexy.

SOURCE Campaign for Safe Cosmetics