I recently read a study that found that that emissions from hair and skin products in two cities were almost equivalent to vehicle exhaust during the morning rush hour. Apparently, because morning is the time people groom and apply products before work, that’s when toxic fumes are the most prevalent in the air. Think about it. When you apply scented lotions, perfumes, hair products, the scent lingers in the air, but at some point, it dissipates. So, where does it go? Ever heard of air pollution? Yup. It’s long been believed that cars and power plants are the main sources of the reduction in our air quality, but this study showed evidence that other non-combustion sources, especially the ones found in personal care products are polluting our atmosphere.

Let’s get a little technical for a sec. In the study I’m referring to, the scientists identified a compound, they called decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (or D5 siloxane), and tested for it in Boulder, Colorodo and Toronto, Canada. According to Matthew Coggon, one of the research scientists, “D5 was present in urban air at mass concentrations comparable to those of benzene, a chemical that is a marker for vehicle exhaust. (Benzene is a known carcinogen and is also found in industrial emissions and cigarette smoke.)”

He also goes on to say that “personal care product VOC emissions in Los Angeles now rival VOC emissions from gasoline and diesel exhaust.”

Let’s think about this. If emissions from our personal care products are harming the air, what is it doing to our bodies? This is why I encourage everyone to swap out many of their beauty products for natural alternatives. If you need help and guide you can search the blog or join my community on Instagram.