Do you smell that? It’s not the crisp autumn air, a low-burning cinnamon candle, or even a waft of the season’s baked goods. No, it’s the overpowering scent of laundry soaked in layers of scented detergent, fabric softener, and dryer sheets. And it’s consuming clothing everywhere.
In fact, 68% of Americans who do laundry at home are spending their hard-earned money on fabric softener or dryer sheets, and 36% are throwing in scent beads or boosters. If the smells drifting off of Americans and their clothing in my neck of the woods are any indication, the affinity for these products is only growing stronger. But the secret behind these scents is a wash of endocrine-disrupting chemicals that actually don’t make your clothes any cleaner.
The “fragrance” or “parfum” that scents these products is a mystery cocktail that can include phthalates, petrochemical derivatives that interfere with hormone production and receptors in our bodies, dysregulating our endocrine system. When hormone levels control everything from reproductive functions to mood, anything that upsets the system can have widespread health effects. That fragrance doesn’t add to the dirt-removing power of the product, howeve...