Big-name perfume ingredient sensitization on the black list Long-term use of perfume will affect health?

The Consumer Council of Hong Kong recently tested 55 perfumes on the market and found that at least 4 fragrance sensitizing substances were detected in all samples, of which 23 were detected with as many as 10 or more fragrance sensitizing substances, 37 samples were detected with different types and concentrations of artificial musk substances, and 11 samples were detected with plasticizer dep.

There are many people who use perfume in their daily lives, but it is rare for perfume to cause allergies. What ingredients in perfumes can cause allergies? Which groups should try to avoid similar situations?

Neoswellral is banned due to high allergenicity

"Perfume is mainly composed of flavor, alcohol, water and a small amount of solubilizer, of which the aroma is produced from the fragrance." Fan Zheming, a perfumer of The leading cosmetics company Galan Group, said in an exclusive interview with a reporter from Science and Technology Daily that the perfume sensitization tested by the Hong Kong Council should have come from the fragrance.

Before 2018, EU regulations stipulated that there are 26 ingredients that cause allergies in flavors, including anisol alcohol, cinnamyl alcohol, cinnamaldehyde, geraniol, citronellol, linalool and so on.

In fact, perfumes containing allergens are not a new topic. As early as 2015, the European Union also officially implemented the list of prohibited and restricted substances in the revised cosmetics regulations, adding three banned chemical substances: neo-lizuranaldehyde (hicc), lichen melanol (atranol) or chloroatranol chloride.

Neosulpinaldehyde is an oxygenated terpene synthetic fragrance extracted from the bouquet orchid, which is a synthetic spice that is used to modulate the aroma of suzuran; lichen melanaldehyde and moss chlorinated moss are the two core components of the natural spice oak moss, which is a highly penetrating wood fragrance. Givenchy's Ador perfume, Dior's poison perfume, etc. have been added with neo-suzuranal, and the classic perfume products made of lichen melanaldehyde and lichen chlorinated balride include the famous "Chanel No. 5", Guerlain's Madame Butterfly, Dior's Miss Dior and so on.

Due to its mild and stable sweet aroma, in addition to perfumes, neo-suzuranaldehyde is also widely used in the formulation of various fragrances, such as soaps, detergents, cosmetics, etc. As early as 2012, the European Union's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) published an opinion on allergens, saying that 54 single chemical substances, 28 natural extracts, a total of 82 substances can be classified as established contact allergens for consumers. One of the most prominent ingredients is neo-suzuranaldehyde, which was detected in 17 samples in Hong Kong.

Since SCCS's opinion in 1999, there have been more than 1500 reported cases of allergenization of neosulpinealdehyde, resulting in the most axillary hypersensitivity and dermatitis, followed by dermatitis in other areas.

Compared with the youngest patients, the susceptibility of new suzural sensitization in the 52-67 age group increased by about 3 times and decreased significantly with further age.

SCCS believes that neosuzuranaldehyde is a highly allergenic allergen, and in 2003 it was recommended to reduce its concentration to 200 ppm, or 0.02%, in cosmetics, although 0.02% is also considered not to represent a safe concentration level.

The Eu further warns that 1%-3% of Europeans will develop allergy symptoms about the three ingredients of neosulinaldehyde, lichen melanaldehyde and licheninyl chloride, resulting in skin inflammation, rash or dry cracking.

Therefore, the European Union has officially banned perfume manufacturers from using these three ingredients since 2015, and Regulation 2017/1410 clearly stipulates: "From 23 August 2021, any cosmetics containing ingredients such as neosulfanal, lichen melanol or terresinium chloride are prohibited from being sold on the EU market." "China's "Cosmetic Safety Technical Specifications" also clearly state that the use of neosulpinaldehyde in cosmetics is prohibited.

Allergic reactions caused by perfumes vary from person to person

According to reports, the EU also plans to restrict the use of 12 similar ingredients, including citral in lemon and bergamot, coumarinone in lingling coumba, eugenol in rose essential oil, etc., so that its content accounts for less than 0.01% of the product.

According to a study by experts from the Federal University of Pernambuco in Brazil, 70% of migraine sufferers develop headache symptoms after 25 minutes of inhalation of volatile substances. Among them, the reaction caused by perfumes, air fresheners, and deodorants is particularly serious. In this regard, Australian female writer Kate Greenwell said in her book "Reasons against Perfume" that many ingredients in perfume are synthetic substances, and these synthetics are often not disclosed due to trade secrets. Therefore, neither experts, doctors, nor allergy sufferers themselves can figure out what kind of allergic reactions different perfumes can cause.

Special groups of people should be more cautious when using perfumes

The Consumer Council of Hong Kong reminds that the ingredient lists of many perfumes have labeled the fragrance-sensitizing substances contained, and the higher the list of fragrance-sensitizing substances, the higher the content. Therefore, consumers should read the product label carefully before use, which can help reduce the risk of skin allergies. In addition to fragrance-sensitizing substances, the Hong Kong Council also detected different types and concentrations of artificial musk substances from 37 samples. Fan Zheming said that in many literary works or TELEVISION programs, natural musk has been portrayed as an abortion contraceptive pill in the court, but in fact, this is just a folk saying.

Plasticizers are mainly used in perfumes to maintain fragrance odors, etc. Animal tests have found that long-term large intake of plasticizers will produce endocrine interference. This time Hong Kong from 11 samples detected the plasticizer dep, Fan Zheming said that plasticizers are widely present in people's lives, there are many types, some high toxicity, some low toxicity or even non-toxic, and dep as a low-toxic raw material, when the content is lower than a certain degree, the human body can be metabolized in a certain period of time even if it is ingested.

The Consumer Council of Hong Kong also stated that if perfumes are used for a long time or frequently, and are accustomed to using large areas of body care products with added fragrances, special attention should be paid to the content of plasticizers in perfumes.

"Long-term use of perfume will not be harmful to human health, flavor in the early stage of the formula through the strict control of laws and regulations, has reduced the safety hazards, as long as the correct use of no health risks." Fan Zheming reminded, "After all, perfume contains a lot of alcohol and allergen flavors, and it has a high concentration enrichment effect directly sprayed on the skin, causing irritation to the skin." ”

According to the properties of perfume, pregnant women, infants and young children, skin inflammation, ulceration or allergies should use perfume with caution. To this end, the European and American markets have also introduced children's or pregnant women's perfumes, perfumes that do not contain allergens, or even alcohol. "But these 26 allergens contain a lot of floral composition, which can be said to be the soul of the essence raw materials, and after removing them, the disadvantage is that the aroma is very incomplete, the sense of layering is not enough, and it is not attractive." Fan Zheming said.