Everyone Deserves to Breathe Safe Air
The number of people having detrimental health reactions to fragrance chemicals is increasing at alarming rates. The use of fragranced, scented and perfumed products in public spaces is creating access barriers in healthcare, schools and businesses.
In 2025, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a policy addressing this concern. Their policy encourages the use of fragrance-free cleaning products and the implementation of fragrance-free policies.
After reviewing extensive research on how fragrance chemicals are adversely affecting everyone, including children and pets, the Fragrance Free Coalition is leading the change.
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Why Go Fragrance-Free?
Indoor Air Pollution is Worse Than We Have Been Led to Believe
The need for fragrance-free healthcare, schools, and public spaces becomes clear when reviewing the studies about asthma, migraines, sinusitis, airborne contact dermatitis, eczema, autism and more.
The EPA estimates indoor air is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air, and sometimes up to one hundred times more polluted.
For decades fragranced products have been shown to:
1. Increase Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's).
2. Create secondary pollutants such as formaldehyde.
3. Increase indoor particulate matter.
4. Contain known skin sensitizers and known allergens
Fragrance qualifies as indoor air pollution and companies are creating products with stronger and stronger scents.
What We are Not Told About Product Safety
We all assume a certain level of safety when we purchase products that are allowed to be sold to us.
But the truth is, products enter the market without a safety review. The FDA leaves safety decisions to the manufacturer, even when the chemicals they use contribute to secondary air pollution or act as sensitizers or allergens (adding the bodies burden of handling other allergens).
The following is a quote from the FDA:
"The law does not require FDA approval before they go on the market... under U.S. regulations, fragrance and flavor ingredients can be listed simply as “Fragrance” or “Flavor.”
Fragrance is protected as a trade secret, which means most of its chemicals remain undisclosed. Companies often buy a fragrance blend without knowing which of the thousands of hidden chemicals it contains.
How Fragrance Chemicals Pollute the Air We Breathe
Synthetic fragrances come from petrochemical ingredients that release primary pollutants into the air. Once in the air, their volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can react with indoor and outdoor ozone to create secondary pollutants such as formaldehyde.
Fragrance chemicals reacting with ozone can also generate secondary organic aerosols (SOAs), which are ultrafine nanoparticles small enough to reach deep into the lungs, enter the bloodstream, and behave like the smallest airborne microplastics.
Because of these concerns, many people have turned to essential oils as a natural alternative. It is understandable why essential oils are seen as a safer option.
However, since essential oils contain many of the same chemical constituents found in synthetic fragrance blends, they can also contribute to primary and secondary air pollution.
Like common petrochemical ingredients used in synthetic fragrances, some essential oil constituents are also known skin sensitizers and allergenic compounds and biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), including those released from essential oils, are environmental stressors that can reduce respiratory health and contribute to seasonal asthma and allergic rhinitis. Emerging research even suggests potential cardiopulmonary effects from long‑term exposure to essential oils.
Choosing fragrance‑free cleaning and laundry products, fragrance‑free deodorants, soaps, hand sanitizers, and lotions, as well as eliminating air fresheners, are simple changes that have a major impact on indoor air quality and health.
Did You Know?
Air Fresheners Pollute Indoor Air
The EPA lists air fresheners as indoor air pollutants right alongside mothballs and fuel.
Air fresheners release VOCs, which are harmful chemicals that pollute indoor air and can trigger asthma, headaches, and other health issues in both people and pets.
What smells clean may actually be toxic.
Go Fragrance-Free
Healthier Air Has Never Been Easier
The Following Graphic is a Quote from PubMed
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