‘Scented candles, Febreeze, dryer sheets, all laced with chemicals’: Expert says plug-in air fresheners may be releasing ‘brain-altering chemicals’ into your home

An “energy practitioner” posted a viral TikTok warning viewers that plug-in air fresheners may be causing memory loss.

Lynn (@energypractionerlynn) has reached over 793,000 views on her video. She added a caption that claims, “PSA: Get brain altering chemicals out of your home. Memory loss may be an unwelcome effect from common items you use daily.”

According to Lynn’s TikTok bio, she is an energy practitioner who is “preventing dementia holistically,”

What is the holistic approach to dementia?

Comfort Care Homes states that using a holistic approach to treat dementia “focuses on the whole person, not the only internal workings of the disease itself.”

It mentions that this technique focuses on the senior’s “emotions, strengths, and remaining abilities to provide comprehensive care.”

Why does Lynn say plug-ins cause memory loss?

To start her video, Lynn explains that she and a few friends recently had a weekend getaway at a cottage when she noticed something strange with one of her friend’s behavior.

“I noticed that my friend was forgetting words,” she tells viewers. “Like, every tenth word, she had to stop and search for that word.” 

She says this was a new habit, and her friend had not shown any signs of memory loss before this moment. She adds that she then remembered her friend used plug-in air fresheners around her house. 

“The scent that would waft through the room … that was new as well,” she continues. 

Next, Lynn tells viewers that for her newest study as a practitioner, she has been researching the brain and which situations can affect memory and cognitive health.

“Chemicals in our world can cross the blood-brain barrier,” she says. She claims that the chemicals in plug-in air fresheners can seriously change the way your brain functions, and she believes this is why her friend is experiencing memory loss. 

Are plug-in air fresheners dangerous?

In recent Daily Dot headlines, another TikTok expert says that “plug-in air fresheners like Glade” often contain harmful toxins in the form of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). He says these VOCs include benzene, formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene.

UMass Amherst Environmental Health and Safety states that the majority of plug-in air fresheners are associated with elevated levels of VOCs, “such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylenes.”

It confirms that exposure to these chemicals, “even at relatively low levels, have been associated with a range of adverse health effects,” including “migraine headaches, asthma attacks, breathing and respiratory difficulties, dermatitis, and neurological problems particularly for sensitive individuals.”

Can exposure to VOCs cause memory loss?

Science Direct states that if an individual is exposed to high levels of VOCs, they are in danger of “several neuropsychiatric disorders including distractibility, hallucinations, loss of impulse control, dementia and respiratory effects.”

Before ending her video, Lynn says the first course of action is to clean out her friend’s house of all chemicals. “But this is a PSA,” she adds, “if you have those, get those out of your home. They could be altering your brain.” 

@energypractitioner PSA:Get brain altering chemicals out of your home. Memory loss may be an unwelcome effect from common items you use daily. #holistichealth #dementia #toxins #memoryloss ♬ original sound – energypractitionerlynn

Viewers react

“Plug-ins make my head hurt so bad,” a user agreed in the comments section of Lynn’s video. “I literally don’t understand how people can sit up under all those chemicals.” 

Another asked, “I have plug-ins in all our houses and my children’s rooms too. Are all those bad? What about candles?”

“Scented candles, Febreeze, dryer sheets, all laced with chemicals,” Lynn responded. 

AirScan confirms that though Febreze contains the lowest amounts of VOCs compared to other air fresheners, the “maximum concentration” caused by Febreze was 580 ppb, therefore still containing harmful chemicals. Additionally, the National Candle Association states that “nearly all fragrance ingredients in a candle are VOCs,” and it is almost impossible to find a scented candle that doesn’t contain toxic chemicals.

As for dryer sheets, Smart Sheep Dryer Balls states that the fragrances used to make dryer sheets “contain hundreds of chemical compounds, many of which are potentially hazardous.”

The Daily Dot reached out to Lynn via TikTok direct message and phone number. 

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