In recent times, the parabens have been in the crosshairs of beauty and cosmetic productsbut the truth is that there are other components —not so well known— that can cause dermatological and skin problems. allergy. In fact, the OCU itself reports on which ingredients are prohibited in perfumes, so if you see any of them on the prospectus… Run away!
The perfume, in addition to its main ingredients that make up its characteristic smell, it also contains components that affect the color, and, of course, that serve to make the product last longer on the skin and —also— inside the bottle. However, these ingredients can cause side effects on our skin and it is important that you know what it is about.
Perfume Allergy Symptoms
skin irritation, redness, itching, and/or swelling in the area where the perfume was applied, sneezing, nasal congestion and/or runny nose and difficulty breathing, are some of the symptoms that you may notice if you have an allergic reaction to your perfume.
The OCU insists on extreme care in cases of sick people, children, pregnant women and people with a tendency to have allergies: “Not all cosmetics combine effectiveness and a good smell. Ideally, they should smell good, although we must be careful because some ingredients in perfumes can cause allergies,” he says.
Perfume ingredients that can cause allergies
The list of possible allergizing ingredients in perfumes is published on the OCU website: 26 perfume ingredients that cause allergies. Two of them have already been banned: the Hydroxycitronellal hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde (banned from August 2021) and the lilial (banned from March 2022).
Put perfume in your hair, yes or no?
Keep in mind that hair is more porous than skin and therefore absorbs the product more quickly. In addition, some perfumes contain ingredients that can be harmful to hair, such as alcohol, which can dry out and damage it, as well as the lack of preparation of this product against hair exposure to the sun.
In short, if you want your hair to smell good, use specific hair products created for this purpose.
How to know if a perfume is in poor condition?
Fundamentally, for the color and smell. Oxidation occurs from the contact of the fragrance with oxygen during manufacturing, from the air that remains in the bottle while we use it, and from the interaction of molecules. If so, the aroma will change little by little, as well as the color that will turn to a yellowish tone.
What if the perfume is not authentic?
If he perfume is not originalthe components of the product will not be either, so it will be more difficult to establish if said perfume contains the aforementioned ingredients.
The Organization of Consumers and Users warns: “All the information on a legal perfume is held by the Poison Centers, but no one knows exactly what a fake perfume can contain. buy a fakethe consumer exposes himself to too many risks (and is left without any guarantee)”.
Likewise, the OCU has established a series of points, by way of advice, to help us identify if a product is not authentic:
- In an original perfume the cellophane packaging is glued like a second skin. In a fake one, there is air in between. If we rub the packaging with our hand, the cellophane of a fake perfume makes noise.
- The cardboard from an original box is of good quality and consistent. Inside it also has other cardboard fasteners. A fake perfume has flimsy cardboard and on many occasions what goes inside the box is clearly different from the original (once the buyer has been deceived by the box…).
- An original bottle is made of smooth glass and homogeneous to the touch, with a slight curvature at the bottom. Fake perfume bottles are porous and have easily noticeable irregularities. Also, the bottom curvature is exaggerated.
- The big perfume brands they do not allow their products to reach the markets. In these environments it is common for what they show you to be an original perfume bottle, but what they later put in your bag is a fake.
- behind the fake perfume there is no Robin Hood in search of social justice. There are networks of labor exploitation that can resort to child labor and that in no case pass controls of any kind.
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