For as long as I can remember, I've had a physical reaction to air fresheners inside homes. Not a subtle one. The worst is being in a small bathroom at someone's house where one of those aerosol sprays, plug-in diffusers, or scented candles has turned the air into something dense and concentrated and almost suffocating. My eyes water. My throat tightens. I have to get out.
I used to think it was just me. Turns out, it wasn't me at all.
There's another category worth knowing about: phthalates. These are hormone-disrupting chemicals used to carry and preserve fragrance in aerosol sprays, plug-ins, and scented solids. In a landmark study by the Natural Resources Defense Council, 12 out of 14 tested household air freshener products contained phthalates -- and not one of them disclosed it on the label. (7) The State of California has designated five types of phthalates as chemicals known to cause birth defects or reproductive harm. (8)
I used to think it was just me. Turns out, it wasn't me at all.
The Environmental Working Group's independent lab analysis of a leading household air freshener brand detected 89 airborne contaminants in a single product, including formaldehyde (1), benzene (2), acetaldehyde (a carcinogen listed on California's Prop 65) (3), BHT (a neurotoxin and endocrine disruptor), propylene glycol, and 1,4-dichlorobenzene -- a probable carcinogen (4) that has been detected in the blood of 96 percent of Americans. (5) Columbia University's Department of Medicine confirms these same VOCs are standard across most household air freshener brands. (6)
And remember: in a small bathroom, you aren't just lightly exposed to these chemicals. You're enclosed with them. The concentration is high. The ventilation is minimal. Your lungs are working.
And remember: in a small bathroom, you aren't just lightly exposed to these chemicals. You're enclosed with them. The concentration is high. The ventilation is minimal. Your lungs are working.
There's another category worth knowing about: phthalates. These are hormone-disrupting chemicals used to carry and preserve fragrance in aerosol sprays, plug-ins, and scented solids. In a landmark study by the Natural Resources Defense Council, 12 out of 14 tested household air freshener products contained phthalates -- and not one of them disclosed it on the label. (7) The State of California has designated five types of phthalates as chemicals known to cause birth defects or reproductive harm. (8)
Many families have turned to essential oil diffusers as the natural alternative. The intention is understandable. The chemistry, though, is worth understanding. Diffusers work by converting oils into fine airborne particles. Those particles are VOCs. Pulmonologists at the Cleveland Clinic have confirmed that diffused eucalyptus and lavender release terpene, toluene, and benzene, which can trigger airway inflammation. (9) Medical literature has also documented cases of exogenous lipoid pneumonia from chronically inhaled aerosolized oil particles, a condition in which oil deposited in the lung tissue is difficult for the body to clear. (10) (11)
None of these products are cleaning the air in your home. They're masking it. Or worse, contributing to it. That fresh smell isn't clean. It's chemistry.
WellisAir uses patented hydroxyl generator technology to neutralize VOCs, mold, mycotoxins, formaldehyde, benzene, and other harmful compounds at the molecular level -- the same way nature cleanses outdoor air through naturally occurring hydroxyls. (12) No masking. No fragrance chemicals. No chemical reactions you didn't ask for. Just clean.
I am humbled and honored by every customer who joins the WellisAir family. We are all cleaning the inside air, one house and one business at a time. And the fact that the forces of nature somehow brought WellisAir into my life -- and into yours -- is something I think about every single day.
Breathe safely,
Bruce Somers, Jr.CEO, WellisAir
* The personal health experiences referenced in this letter reflect individual accounts and are not intended as medical advice. WellisAir products are not designed to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or medical condition. If you have concerns about your health or indoor air quality, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Sources
1. Environmental Working Group (EWG). Your Best Air Freshener Is Not an Air Freshener. EWG testing of a leading household air freshener brand detected 89 airborne contaminants. Formaldehyde identified among detected compounds. https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/your-best-air-freshener-isnt-air-freshener
2. ColumbiaDoctors. Do Air Fresheners Impact Our Health? Columbia University Department of Medicine. Benzene, toluene, and xylene listed among standard VOCs found in household air fresheners. https://www.columbiadoctors.org/news/do-air-fresheners-impact-our-health
3. EWG (2009). Acetaldehyde listed on California Proposition 65 for cancer and reproductive toxicity. Identified in EWG testing of household air freshener products. https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/your-best-air-freshener-isnt-air-freshener
4. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 1,4-Dichlorobenzene classified as a Group C possible human carcinogen and an EPA-registered pesticide. See EPA Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS).
5. National Motorists Association. Hazards of Air Fresheners. Research confirms 1,4-dichlorobenzene has been detected in the blood of 96 percent of Americans tested. https://ww2.motorists.org/blog/hazards-of-car-air-fresheners-how-to-stay-safe
6. ColumbiaDoctors. Do Air Fresheners Impact Our Health? Columbia University Department of Medicine. Confirms formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, benzene, toluene, and 1,4-dichlorobenzene as VOCs commonly emitted by household air fresheners, including secondary compounds formed through indoor chemical reactions. https://www.columbiadoctors.org/news/do-air-fresheners-impact-our-health
7. Natural Resources Defense Council. Clearing the Air: Hidden Hazards of Air Fresheners (2007). 12 of 14 tested products contained phthalates; none disclosed them on the label. https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/airfresheners.pdf
8. California Environmental Protection Agency. Five phthalates designated under California Proposition 65 as chemicals known to cause birth defects or reproductive harm, including one phthalate confirmed in NRDC air freshener testing.
9. Dr. Neha Solanki, MD, Pulmonologist, Cleveland Clinic Asthma Center. Quoted in Parade Magazine (2025): Diffused eucalyptus and lavender release terpene, toluene and benzene. VOCs are chemical gases that worsen air quality and can irritate the lungs. https://parade.com/911248/jenniferlarson/are-essential-oils-bad-for-lungs/
10. Ropp AM et al. Exogenous Lipoid Pneumonia Due to Aerosolized Essential Oils: An Unusual Source of Chronic Pneumonia Mimicking Neoplasm. Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging, RSNA (April 2025). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40111134/
11. PMC / Springer Nature. Acute Eosinophilic Pneumonia Following Aromatherapy with Essential Oil (2022). A previously healthy 35-year-old non-smoking woman developed acute respiratory failure after two weeks of lavender oil diffuser use. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9092961/
12. WellisAir patented hydroxyl generator technology. Hydroxyls are naturally occurring oxidizing molecules produced outdoors via UV sunlight reacting with water vapor. WellisAir replicates this process indoors. Efficacy data and peer-reviewed supporting studies available in the WellisAir technical library.
