Fragrance Stinks

In February of 2011, we asked for artist submissions for our 'Fragrance Stinks' campaign. The hope being to educate people on the health risks associated with artificially scented products and the benefits of going scent free.

After an anonymous vote by the Green Calgary Staff, a fantastic winner was selected. We’d like to congratulate Heather Noakes for her great entry. Heather is a recent graduate of Emily Carr University and is the artist behind the extremely popular No Junk Mail sticker available through Green Calgary. Being that Heather is a good friend of Green Calgary's she anonymously submitted her entry to avoid detection and only when she was contacted for her details was it revealed that she was the person behind the entry. We thank her for her work in getting this design to us and we hope it will inspire many Calgarians to “go scent free!”

Stay tuned! Green Calgary is looking to produce stickers and 1 inch buttons that will be sold through our Green Products Team

Why This is Important

Artificially scented products such as perfume, air fresheners, deodorant, laundry products (especially dryer sheets), hand soaps and body lotion can trigger reactions including respiratory distress and headaches. In the http://www.greencalgary.org/ask-ashley/details/no-scents-makes-good-sense/ he writes: "The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reported that fragrances account for 30% of all allergic reactions, and 70% of asthmatics develop respiratory difficulties when exposed to perfumes. Other symptoms arising from exposure to fragrances include headaches, dizziness, rashes, skin irritation and discolouration, as well as coughing and vomiting. "

The wide-spread use of synthetic fragrances is troubling because studies show that 1 in 3 Canadians suffers from sensitivities to synthetic fragrances. They are in personal care and laundry products, perfumes, hand soaps, and air fresheners.

Scent-free products exist, as do naturally derived scents, which, evidently, come from plants; not from a laboratory. They are called pure essential oils and are 100% plant derived!

For more information to help you navigate the overly complicated world of personal care products check out the Skin Deep Cosmetic Database. The Good Guide is another invaluable resource that ranks tens of thousands of commonly used products, while The Guide to Less Toxic Products is an outstanding resource to help identify less toxic and scent-free personal care and cleaning products. And, last but not least, if you’d like to learn more about implementing a fragrance-free policy at your workplace, please visit the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety.

Additional Resources

Healthy Homes Calgary: Household Chemicals & Indoor Air Quality site

Green Calgarys Scent-Free Policy: Learn How to Implement One at Your Office