Something about the massive fragrance brand Glade stinks. Although Glade’s sprays, candles, and air fresheners are marketed as clean and refreshing, independent investigations have showed that Glade's products are loaded with secret, potentially toxic chemicals.

When health advocates Women’s Voices for the Earth commissioned an independent lab to test Glade for toxins, they found chemicals that have been linked to increased risk of breast cancer, birth defects, and severe allergic reactions. Worse yet, some of the harmful chemicals hidden in fragrances can build up in the body over time, and ultimately show up in blood and breast milk.

In the United States, manufacturers aren’t required to label the ingredients of fragrances, so most don’t. That means consumers can’t avoid fragrances that contain unhealthy chemicals and allergens like those found in many Glade products.

Tell the makers of Glade to stop keeping secrets and let consumers know what chemicals are in its fragrances.

S.C. Johnson, the massive chemical conglomerate that owns Glade, likes to brag that it’s committed to honesty and transparency. But it only discloses the contents of its fragrances in a single online master list with over 1,500 ingredients. It doesn’t say which chemicals appear in which products, so consumers have no way of knowing which products to avoid if they have allergies or small children.

In the European Union, where disclosure rules are stricter, Glade products already have labels about their ingredients, so we know that the makers of Glade could easily be more transparent. But it’s chosen to keep customers in the U.S. in the dark.

S.C. Johnson wants to be seen as a leader on transparency, and this is its chance to live up to that billing. By labeling potentially harmful ingredients in Glade products, it can help set a new standard in the fragrance industry 

 

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More Information:

Women's Voices for the Earth, Dirty Secrets test results