Allergies in the news: "Fashion houses' defence of toxic perfume has whiff of inaccuracy, says top scientist"

"After nickel, fragrances are the most important cause of allergy. Most things applied to the skin contain fragrances of one sort or another: deodorants, hand creams, body sprays. We are not talking about particular products, such as fine fragrances. When people put these things on their skin they get eczema."

"This is not just to protect people with allergies but to prevent a whole new generation of people developing allergies. Around 1.5 per cent of the population have become allergic to a synthetic chemical, hydroxyisohexyl, which has been widely used in skincare products over the past decade. The only thing to do is to ban it," Dr White said.

Stephen Weller, of the International Fragrance Association in Belgium, said it was looking at the implications of the report. "We are hoping we can come up with something proportionate that protects the consumer and preserves the industry," he said.

Read the whole story in The Independent

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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art