What You Need To Know  

 Putting on a little perfume can help boost your spirits when you’re busy and tired, but perfumes often contain toxic ingredients. Exposure to some of chemicals may be particularly harmful to your baby. Here are some things to consider: 

  AVOID  

• Synthetic fragrances contain phthalates to boost the scent’s staying power. The phthalate commonly used in fragrance products is  diethyl phthalate, or  DEP. Sometimes this won’t be listed, so be cautious if you simply see ‘fragrance’ as an ingredient. Some phthalates are known to be carcinogenic and others may contribute to reproductive and neurodevelopmental problems. 

• Certain preservatives, like parabens, and other antibacterial and antimicrobial agents, work to prevent bacterial and microbial growth by releasing formaldehyde, a known human carcinogen (capable of causing cancer).

• Another preservative, phenoxyethanol, has been linked to eczema and allergic reactions. It may be particularly harmful to infants who ingest it by acutely impacting their nervous system. 

BETTER CHOICES 

• Pure essential oils without added preservatives or any synthetic fragrances are considered better choices. However, some studies suggest lavender and tea tree essential oils may have estrogenic properties that could impact the reproductive system. Regardless of what essential oil you may use, it is still important not to let your baby ingest any essential oils on your skin or elsewhere. We just don’t know enough about the potential health consequences of infant exposure.  

DIY 

There are plenty of make-your-own perfume recipes and perfume making kits for sale on line. We recommend only choosing ingredients without synthetic fragrances or preservatives.