Safe-Gifting | Top 3 Toxic Gifts, and What to Give Instead
As I told you in my Gift Gorgeously Holiday Gift Guide post––
Gifting is my thing.
But as I have turned towards a more intentional low-tox lifestyle, it breaks my heart to see how clever marketing will trick unsuspecting shoppers into gifting their loved ones toxin-filled, endocrine-disrupting products that, at the end of the day, are nearly guaranteed to contribute to a slew of health problems.
You know what I’m talking about––those bright, colorful, gorgeous sets, bundles, and kits displayed at the top of the website or the front of the store, that basically beg to be nuzzled into a gift bag or box this time of the year.
They’re absolute catnip 🐈.
And, as many of these companies are hip on the growing interest in clean beauty and safer products, they throw in a scoop of greenwashing to boot.
BTW… If you’ve never heard the term greenwashing, it’s a dirty marketing practice where the brand intentionally uses phrases and words in a way that misleads you into believing their item is cleaner or more eco-conscious than it actually is.
It’s filthy. And it’s everywhere.
It’s filthy. And it’s everywhere.
So, in today’s blog, I’m going to take what I’ve observed as the top 3 Toxic Gifts that you may be unintentionally purchasing for your family, and what to gift instead.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
• Conventional Candles
• Conventional Fragrance Sets
• Hot Coffee Gift Cards
Let’s take a look at three popular Christmas gifts that may be harmful to your health, and what to gift instead.
Top 3 Toxic Gifts and What to Gift Instead
Conventional Candles
Conventional candles are hugely popular Holiday gifts. They’re easy to grab, are included in brand baskets and sets, and are typically enjoyed by most. When putting together a gift basket for loved ones, I still feel like I can’t go wrong including a few yummy candles.
But, the truth is, many of the substances that make up conventional candles are not safe for human inhalation, especially when burned.
Like paraffin wax.
Paraffin wax is a derivative of petroleum, and, when burned, it releases volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air.
These include:
Benzene: known to be carcinogenic to humans and cause acute myeloid leukemia in adults
Toluene: a neurotoxicant that causes birth defects at high doses and repeated exposures to low doses are associated with reproductive effects including severe effects in pregnant women (like increased rates of spontaneous abortion).
Formaldehyde: carcinogenic to humans and a skin irritant and known to be associated with Leukemia and having detrimental effects on developing fetuses, potentially leading to fetal malformations and spontaneous abortion (miscarriage).
Burning paraffin also releases ultrafine particles:
Ultrafine particles (UFPs) are airborne particles that are less than 0.1 micrometers in diameter––that’s around 1/1000th the width of a human hair.
UFPs are small enough to pass through lung tissue and circulate in the bloodstream and can have several negative health effects, including:
Respiratory issues: UFPs can exacerbate asthma and other chronic airway diseases.
Cardiovascular issues
Immune system issues by altering the immune system's response to allergens
Brain issues: UFPs can travel to the brain through the olfactory nerves (the nerve responsible for your sense of smell) and cause cerebral and autonomic dysfunction. The autonomic nervous system (ANS) controls involuntary functions like heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and temperature.
These candles also contain undisclosed fragrances.
The whole reason why we may be gifting the candle––the delicious fragrance––may be another avenue of toxic exposure.
Unfortunately, anytime you see the label “fragrance” know that that behind that single label could include over 3000+ possible chemicals & additives that also include carcinogens, allergens, and endocrine disruptors like phthalates. Making sure your fragrances are low-tox and clean is a major way to reduce your personal toxin exposure and toxic load.
Bottom line––Burn conventional candles causes indoor air pollution and taints the air quality of your home.
SAFER OPTIONS:
When selecting a clean and low-tox candle, first, take a look at the wax.
SAFER WAX
Instead of paraffin, choose Beeswax, 100% Soy (GMO-free if possible), coconut oil, and vegetable oil candles.
But NO WAX BLENDS––as in “soy-blend”, “beeswax-blend”, or “coconut-blend.” Those “blends” could be blended with anything, including paraffin.
Next up, let’s look at those fragrances.
SAFER FRAGRANCE
Pure essential oils, 100% essential oil blends, fragrance oils derived from natural essential oils, or safe synthetic fragrances. You want a company that practices fragrance transparency, which means that they tell you on the label or website what makes up their fragrance.
Clean Candle Brands:
Fontana Candle Company
Flamingo Estate
Makana
Primally Pure
2. Fragrance Sets
Fragrances are highly sought-after Holiday Gifts, yet conventional fragrance sets are among the dirtiest items you could give a friend or loved one.
When you really learn how foul fragrances can be, whenever someone spritzes anything in your vicinity, you’ll run for cover.
When you really learn how foul fragrances can be, whenever someone spritzes anything in your vicinity, you’ll run for cover. And unfortunately, some of our favorite celebrities and influencers have the dirtiest scents (though I don’t believe it’s intentional at all on their part or their faults. They trust their manufacturer, and many manufacturers don’t care, or maybe even don’t know, about the long-term health effects of their blends).
So we have to be vigilant ourselves.
Unfortunately, today, the label “fragrance” has become a convenient chemical dumping ground that companies can legally use to hide toxins including phthalates, allergens, potential endocrine disruptors, neurotoxins, carcinogens, and more, creating a potential cocktail of hidden chemicals that are detrimental to your hormones and health.
How The Law Protects Toxic Scents
By law, cosmetics companies can label an ingredient “fragrance” and inside that label dump and hide any ingredients they want. Inside the label “fragrance” could include any of 3,000+ ingredients, some known or suspected to harm health, some not.
Here are some of the most common toxic ingredients you might find:
Phthalates: These are used to make the scent last longer. However, they are known to interfere with hormone production and can affect reproductive health. (endochrine disruptors)
Synthetic Musks: These are used to create that familiar musk scent. They can accumulate in the body over time and are linked to hormonal disruption and can have neurotoxic effects.
Parabens: Often used as preservatives, parabens can mimic estrogen and are linked to an increased risk of breast cancer.
Formaldehyde: We’ve already talked about formaldehyde with candles. Known carcinogen. Linked to Leukemia. Can cause skin irritation. Linked to detrimental effect upon the developing fetus, potentially leading to fetal malformations and spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) And formaldehyde is also found in many lash glues and gel nail polish.
Benzyl Benzoate: This ingredient can cause skin allergies and irritation, especially for sensitive skin.
Health Risks Associated with Toxic Fragrances
Allergies: Symptoms can include itching, skin rashes, and even breathing difficulties.
Hormone Disruption: Chemicals like phthalates and synthetic musks can interfere with the body’s endocrine system. This can affect reproductive health and may even lead to certain cancers.
Respiratory Issues: Inhaling these chemicals can cause problems for your lungs. Some people experience coughing, shortness of breath, or asthma attacks.
Neurological Issues: Exposure to neurotoxins in fragrances can cause harm as subtle as dizziness and poor concentration to damage as serious as cytotoxicity to human fetal brain development.
Especially Harmful to Developing Bodies: This includes pregnant women, infants and children.
This is why we definitely don’t want to be gifting these fragrance sets to pre-teen and teen girls.
Here are some clean fragrance brands that do not use toxic chemicals and practice ingredient transparency, which means that they let you know what’s in their fragrance blends:
Maison Louis Marie
(my favorite brand)
Phlur
Heretic
By Rosie Jane
3. Coffee Shop Gift Cards
It’s such a lovely feeling––winter hands warmed by a hot latte cup. And even more––that first sip of a frothy, spicy, Christmassy latte.
But one place you may unknowingly be overlooking your exposure to endocrine-disrupting microplastics is the To Go cups containing your oh-so-satisfying morning coffee.
More and more, those to-go cups are lined with plastic. Research found that 25,000 microplastic particles and heavy metals are leached into the hot water from the to-go cup lining within 15 minutes of that drink being made.
Let’s talk a bit about the toxic effects of microplastics on your body.
Microplastics cause endocrine disruption and are linked to cancer, but what’s even more concerning––there are studies showing microplastics can cause DNA damage and gene mutations.
So what can we do instead?
Instead of gifting a Starbucks gift card, consider gifting a stainless steel or glass reusable to-go cup instead of, or in addition to, the gift card.
And if you’re a to-go coffee drinker, seriously consider gifting yourself your own stainless steel or glass reusable to-go cup.
And this also cuts down on plastic waste and is better for our environment.
Now, some places won’t take your cup from you and make the drink. That’s okay. Just immediately pour your drink into your own beverage cup when you receive it. We’re not necessarily reducing waste that way, but you are reducing your own personal toxic load.
My favorite to-go cup is this stainless steel cup from YETI. Let me tell you, this keeps your drink hot for an amazingly long time. There are times I have even felt it stayed too hot for too long! Seriously, it will be just as hot as when they poured it in for like an hour.
YETI
Tis’ the season for giving, but you don’t want to accidentally gift a love one a stocking full of toxins.
By educating yourself on what to look out for, and choosing cleaner options, you can still gift your loved ones popular, crowd-pleasing gifts, without unintentionally putting their health at risk.