Today, Procter and Gamble, one of the worlds largest and most popular producers of personal care and home care products made public a list of 140 chemicals it does not use in any fragrances in its brands.

This is great news because, among the chemicals listed that they do not use, are many chemicals that have been linked to endocrine disruption, reproductive toxicity and cancer.

Fragrance is used in just about all personal care and household products.   Shampoos, soaps, moisturizers, makeup, cleaning supplies, detergents etc all contain fragrance.

Traditionally the chemicals used in any given fragrance have been considered a trade secret and thus companies do not legally have to disclose what chemicals are used in any given fragrance. Dozens and even hundreds of different chemicals,  can be used in one fragrance, including known endocrine disruptors or carcinogens and yet the public has no way of knowing.

When a multinational like Procter & Gamble publishes a list of chemicals it does not use it is a great step towards transparency and gives more power to the consumer to decide what chemicals they want to or do not want to expose their family too.   Knowledge is power.