Easy Tot Tox Swap #5
Table Of Contents
Easy Tot Tox Swap #5
Going ‘Fragrance-Free’ for Baby
I’m sure you have walked into a Bath & Body Works at some point in your life and felt like you walked into a Hallmark holiday movie. Sure ‘Fragrances’ smell great, but did you know a single fragrance in a product can contain a mixture of hundreds of chemicals? A company can legally use over 400 ingredients under the single term ‘ fragrance’.
This area was probably the hardest place for our family to make swaps BUT we eventually found brands that didn’t have artificial fragrance listed as an ingredient in their products.
TLDR: always read the ingredients list and avoid products with ‘fragrance’ listed as an ingredient.
The ‘What’:
What toxins can be found in baby products/household cleaners with artificial fragrances?
- Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOCs)
The ‘Why’:
- VOCs are everywhere in both indoor and outdoor environments because they have become essential ingredients in many products and materials and are considered both indoor and outdoor air pollutants.
- Examples of VOCs include Formaldehyde which we know is a carcinogen (a substance capable of causing cancer in living tissue).
- Examples of Semi-VOCs include Flame Retardants, Phthalates, and Pesticides. I’ve mentioned research showing the harmful effects on the human body from these toxins in earlier blog posts.
The ‘How’:
Laundry Detergent, Lotion, Diaper Cream, Bath Soaps, Sunscreen, Bug Spray - OH MY!
Check for ‘fragrance’ in the ingredients list of anything that your family may use that will eventually touch your baby’s skin or be in the air.
It is shocking how many products put ‘fragrance’ in their ingredients list which can mean you’re using products with hormone-disrupting or carcinogenic chemicals on your little one (and yourself). Don’t let this huge LAUNDRY LIST of things overwhelm you (get it?)…we have been reading ingredient lists for a while now and have got you covered on what products to try next!
Brands know and love:
Baby Lotion:
Baby Bath Soap:
Diaper Cream:>
Sunscreen:
Cleaning Products:
- Branch Basics (All-purpose household cleaners/laundry detergent)
- Biokleen (Laundry detergent)
- Attitude (Dish Soap/Dishwashing Pods)
Bug Spray:
More of my product recommendations can be found in my e-book!
BONUS TIP:
- If the air inside our homes is loaded with artificial fragrances and other toxins, it’s important to ventilate and circulate air in your rooms by opening doors and windows and running fans. Try and open your windows/doors for a few minutes every day if possible!
Sources:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11869-019-00754-0
https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2023/09/what-are-vocs
https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2023/07/what-fragrance
https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/technical-overview-volatile-organic-compounds