If spritzing fragrance on your neck is part of your morning routine, then recent headlines and TikToks suggesting it’s dangerous might give you a whiff of panic. Some say that spraying perfume on the neck can affect thyroid function. But does it really? We asked doctors to break down this claim and share their advice for the safest way to use perfume and maintain a healthy thyroid.
Why are people concerned about spraying perfume on the neck?
Often, when someone makes a stink about perfume’s potential health effects, the conversation centers on endocrine disruptors: substances that can throw our hormones off kilter. Certain fragrance ingredients are endocrine disruptors that could affect estrogen as well as thyroid hormones involved in metabolism.
This has led some people to believe that applying perfume to your neck, where your butterfly-shaped thyroid gland is located, could be risky. However, that idea isn’t supported by any research.
“Some fragrances may have thyroid-disrupting properties, but this would have nothing to do with direct absorption from spraying on the neck,” says Elizabeth Pearce, MD, an endocrinologist at Boston Medical Center.
Should you be concerned about neck spritzes?
No. To understand why, let’s follow a fragrance droplet from the bottle into your body.
When you spray perfume on your neck, most of its components will likely absorb through your skin into the tiny blood vessels underneath, explains Kathleen Wyne, MD, PhD, an endocrinologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “They're going to get absorbed into the blood before they get a chance to get to the thyroid,” she says. “Between skin, fat, fascia, and muscle, it'd be really hard for something to get topically into the thyroid gland.”
Any endocrine-disrupting substances that enter the bloodstream will be diluted before they circulate to organs such as the thyroid gland. In other words, spraying perfume on your neck doesn’t give the chemicals inside a fast track to your thyroid compared to spraying it on another patch of skin, such as your wrist.
And while we know that some fragrance ingredients are endocrine disruptors, we still don’t have enough research to estimate their impact. “Whether the amount of absorption you get from spraying on a perfume would be enough to alter thyroid status, even if you were doing it on a routine basis, we don't know,” says Dr. Pearce.
Should you still try to avoid certain chemicals?
Yes, experts do recommend limiting exposure to thyroid-disrupting chemicals when possible. “It’s never a bad idea to look at what we're exposing ourselves to, both in the environment, because of endocrine disruptors like phthalates that are used in perfumes to make the scent stick to your skin, and other types of endocrine disruptors,” says Florence Comite, MD, an endocrinologist based in New York City and the author of the forthcoming book Invincible. “Because people who have higher levels of phthalates in their blood will also have higher levels of one of the thyroid hormones, T3, which is actually the more active thyroid hormone.”
Dr. Comite suggests checking the labels of perfumes, soaps, and lotions and avoiding products containing phthalates or parabens, preservatives classified as endocrine disruptors. Fragrance ingredients are often trade secrets, so the product label might not reveal everything inside. However, she says synthetic musks and heavy, woody scents can have base notes with galaxolide and tonalide, substances that can interfere with thyroid function.
It’s also important to remember that endocrine disruptors aren’t just in personal care products—they’re everywhere. “Products are one way that people can be exposed to these chemicals, but they're in food packaging, foods, the water supply—these chemicals are in lots and lots of places,” says Dr. Pearce.
If there’s ever a time to be extra cautious, it’s during pregnancy and breastfeeding. “Thyroid hormone production ramps up by about 50% in pregnancy, and so a thyroid-disrupting chemical might have more of an impact in that timeframe when the thyroid is already a little bit stressed,” says Pearce.
What’s the safest way to spray perfume?
Even though spraying perfume on your neck isn’t any worse for your thyroid than applying it elsewhere, doctors don’t exactly recommend it. The reason: When you spray a fragrance that close to your face, you could accidentally inhale some through your mouth and nose and into your lungs, which can trigger respiratory symptoms for some people.
“Due to the risk of perfumes exacerbating asthma, we recommend that patients with asthma avoid perfumes,” says Daniel Croft, MD, MPH, a pulmonologist at the University of Rochester Medicine. “In fact, as a pulmonologist, my colleagues and I avoid wearing strong perfumes or colognes in our asthma clinic so that we don’t trigger an asthma attack in our patients.”
If you want to wear a signature scent, Dr. Comite suggests holding your breath and spraying it into the air. Step through the mist, then take a breath once you’re past the spray zone.
What else can you do to keep your thyroid healthy?
Endocrine disruptors are just one small part of thyroid health. To maintain healthy thyroid function, experts recommend:
- Eating a balanced diet. Vitamins and minerals in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can support thyroid function.
- Paying attention to iodine. This key mineral helps your thyroid make hormones. “Make sure that you're getting iodine, whether it's through water, salt, or iodine-rich foods,” says Dr. Wyne.
- Getting symptoms checked. Thyroid problems can cause a plethora of vague symptoms including fatigue, thinning hair, unusual periods, constipation, unexpected weight changes, anxiety, or rapid heartbeats. If you suspect a problem, ask your physician to check your levels with a blood test. Many doctors only check thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), but Dr. Comite recommends checking T3 and T4 as well for a more complete picture of your thyroid function.
