What Are Halle, J. Lo, and Britney Hiding?

Glossy magazine ads and sexy television spots for perfumes may promise a glamorous life. But it turns out smelling good isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. According to a new report out today, the glamor, beauty, money and sex promised by these ads could just as easily be turned into promises of allergic reactions, sperm damage, asthma, and early puberty.

Not So Sexy, a report released today by The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, analyzed 17 of the most popular perfumes, colognes, and body sprays and found that these products contain “secret” hazardous chemicals that don’t have to be listed on the product’s label. The chemicals detected are linked to a variety of health problems, including cancer, reproductive problems like lower sperm counts, and allergic reactions like headaches and rashes, and dermatitis.

American Eagle Seventy Seven—a “Sweet. Sexy. Feminine” perfume for women—came out on top with no less than 24 secret chemicals, followed by Coco Mademoiselle Chanel with 18, and Britney Spears Curious and Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio with 17.  The report also calls out Jennifer Lopez J. Lo Glow, Halle by Halle Berry, and Quicksilver (for men) for each containing 7 hormone disrupting chemicals linked to early puberty and thyroid disruption.

The findings come on the heels of the President’s Cancer Report that was released last week and links cancer in part to exposure to hazardous chemicals. The report recommends that pregnant women and children avoid hormone-disrupting chemicals like those found in fragrances.

Want to wear perfumes and colognes without hazardous chemicals? It’s going to be tough. That’s because a major loophole in federal law allows companies to claim fragrance chemicals as trade secrets. This means they don’t have to tell you what’s in their product.  Of course you can avoid products with added fragrances – the Skin Deep Database is a great source—but shopping your way out of the problem isn’t the solution. Even products listed as fragrance-free can still contain harmful chemicals.

The Campaign For Safe Cosmetics is trying to change this and is calling on Congress to give the Federal Food and Drug Administration the power to ensure perfumes, colognes, and all cosmetics are free of hazardous chemicals.  You can help by signing a petition to Congress asking for stronger laws regulating cosmetics and signing a letter to celebrities urging them to ask their manufacturers to remove harmful chemicals from their products.

In the meantime, remember that smelling a little less pretty today might help you avoid some pretty serious health effects later.