PERFUME Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds, fixatives and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent." The odoriferous compounds that make up a perfume can be manufactured synthetically or extracted from plant or animal sources. Perfumes have been known to exist in some of the earliest human civilizations, either through ancient texts or from archaeological digs. Modern perfumery began in the late 19th century with the commercial synthesis of aroma compounds such as vanillin or coumarin, which allowed for the composition of perfumes with smells previously unattainable solely from natural aromatics alone.
The precise formulae of commercial perfumes are kept secret. Even if they were widely published, they would be dominated by such complex ingredients and odorants that they would be of little use in providing a guide to the general consumer in description of the experience of a scent. Nonetheless, connoisseurs of perfume can become extremely skillful at identifying components and origins of scents in the same manner as wine experts. The most practical way to start describing a perfume is according to the elements of the fragrance notes of the scent or the "family" it belongs to, all of which affect the overall impression of a perfume from first application to the last lingering hint of scent.
BENEFITS OF PERFUME What are the benefits of perfume? Beyond the lure of the chiselled perfume bottle, fragrances are closely aligned with the benefits of other products, and, in fact, have come to enhance their effectiveness in the perception of those who use them. Researchers say that fragrances contained in household and personal products, from shampoo and cosmetics to laundry detergents and household cleaners, are near to synonymous with their perceived quality. Fragrances make clothes smell "clean," cosmetics "pretty," and households "well kept." Fragrances are key to building consumer confidence in the cleansing abilities of soap or multi-purpose cleaners, or the perceived skin improvement brought about by the use of cosmetics. In summary, fragrances enhance our enjoyment of using products of personal hygiene (e.g. toilet soap) and hence
RISKS OF PERFUME DOES PERFUME HAVE HIDDEN HEALTH RISKS? Human Pheromones Perfumes is whereby you start to have breathing problems. volume of his perfume over and that really interferes with your breathing.
HEALTH RISKS FROM PERFUME: THE MOST COMMON CHEMICALS FOUND IN THIRTY-ONE FRAGRANCE PRODUCTS ETHANOL (in: perfume, hairspray, shampoo, fabric softener, dishwashing liquid and detergent, laundry detergent, shaving cream, soap, Vaseline lotion, air fresheners, nail color and remover, paint and varnish remover) - On EPA Hazardous Waste list; symptoms: "...fatigue; irritating to eyes and upper respiratory tract even in low concentrations..." "Inhalation of ethanol vapors can have effects similar to those characteristic of ingestion. These include an initial stimulatory effect followed by drowsiness, impaired vision, ataxia, stupor..." Causes CNS disorder. [Note: this refers to denatured ethanol, which is commonly used in the cosmetic industry, not to drinking alcohol.]
ACETONE (in: cologne, dishwashing liquid and detergent, nail enamel remover) - On EPA, RCRA, CERCLA Hazardous Waste lists. "Inhalation can cause dryness of the mouth and throat; dizziness, nausea, incoordination, slurred speech, drowsiness, and, in severe exposures, coma." "Acts primarily as a central nervous system (CNS) depressant."
BENZYL ACETATE (in: perfume, cologne, shampoo, fabric softener, stickup air freshener, dishwashing liquid and detergent, soap, hairspray, bleach, after shave, deodorants) - Carcinogenic (linked to pancreatic cancer); "From vapors: irritating to eyes and respiratory passages, exciting cough." "In mice: hyperaemia of the lungs." "Can be absorbed through the skin causing systemic effects." "Do not flush to sewer."
BENZYL ALCOHOL (in: perfume, cologne, soap, shampoo, nail enamel remover, air freshener, laundry bleach and detergent, Vaseline lotion, deodorants, fabric softener) - "irritating to the upper respiratory tract"... "headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drop in blood pressure, CNS depression, and death in severe cases due to respiratory failure."
REFERENCE "Iso E Super ". International Flavors & Fragrances. 2007 Camps, Arcadi Boix (2000). "Perfumery Techniques in Evolution". Allured Pub Corp.ISBN 0-931710-72-3 Burr, Chandler (2008). The Perfect Scent: A Year Inside the Perfume Industry in Paris & New York. Henry Holt and Co.. ISBN 978-0-8050-8037-7 Calkin, Robert R. & Jellinek, J. Stephen (1994). "Perfumery: practice and principles".john Wiley & Sons, Inc.. ISBN 0-471-58934-9 Kumar P, Caradonna-Graham VM, Gupta S, Cai X, Rao PN, Thompson J (November 1995). "Inhalation challenge effects of perfume scent strips in patients with asthma". Ann. Allergy Asthma Immunol. 75 (5): 429 33. PMID 7583865 Kendall, Julia. "Health Risks from Perfume: The Most Common Chemicals Found in Thirty-One Fragrance Products by a 1991 EPA Study." Immune Web -- Support and Information Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2012. <http://www.immuneweb.org/articles/perfume