Your Perfume Might Be Destroying Your Skin’s Anti-Pollution Shield

For as much as science fiction writers have dreamed about force fields, there really isn’t anything close to it in real life. Or so we thought. We just never imagined it would have more to do with scent than with a bulletproof energy shield.

The human oxidation field is a recently discovered zone of reactive molecules that’s as close to a force field as most of us will ever get. This invisible layer, discovered in 2022 by scientists at the Max Planck Institute, researchers who recently informed us about how male fruit flies get drunk to attract females, forms when oils on your skin react with indoor ozone, generating hydroxyl (OH) radicals, which can help filter pollutants from the air.

The researchers found that any perfumed products you apply to your skin, from moisturizer to cologne, might be hijacking your personal atmosphere. A new study published in Science Advances shows that common personal care products like perfumes and moisturizers are messing with this oxidation field in unpredictable ways, potentially creating toxic chemical byproducts that hover around in the breathable zone of air that we suck into our lungs every time we take a breath.

Researchers stuck four young adults in a tightly controlled room and tracked the air around their bodies before and after they applied personal care products. They found that ingredients like phenoxyethanol, ethanol, and monoterpenes were found floating in “thermal plumes,” which are the invisible jets of air carried by body heat. They found monoterpenes at levels 2.8 to 10 times higher than the surrounding air. These chemicals then began reacting with the body’s oxidation field, disrupting its ability to neutralize airborne pollutants.

When ozone was added to the room, it was discovered that the oxidation field’s OH production dropped by up to 34 percent. In short, and in layman’s terms, the researchers found that the very products meant to make you smell clean were interfering with the process that helps keep your personal airspace actually clean.

As for the health effects of wearing all of these perfumed products, scientists have no idea yet. They don’t know to what degree this interference plays in, say, contracting a cold from an airborne virus. They just know that the spells can neutralize your ability to filter out stuff, and that’s it. “We need to rethink indoor chemistry,” said study lead Jonathan Williams. Until then, maybe go easy on perfumes and colognes. You might be knocking out your personal force field with every spritz. But at least you’ll smell great.