Are Air Fresheners Bad for You?
Regulators count them as indoor pollution sources. The EPA says some sources, such as building materials, furnishings and household products like air fresheners, release pollutants more or less continuously, and that paradichlorobenzene is the key active ingredient in many air fresheners, noting that some moth repellent labels recommend the same products be used as air fresheners or deodorants.
The California Air Resources Board says the use of some cleaning products and air fresheners may actually increase indoor air pollution, and that for many products the highest percentage of VOCs is found in the fragrances added for scent.
Chemistry in the room matters too. CARB reports that in a study it funded, researchers from UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory measured pollutants during cleaning and during use of a plug-in air freshener and found the chemicals emitted were generally below levels of concern, but that chemical reactions produced other pollutants at levels of health concern, with terpene-containing products forming formaldehyde and ultrafine particles in rooms with elevated ozone. The underlying report says exposures under ordinary circumstances are not expected to reach guideline values solely from cleaning product or air freshener use, but that ordinary use could lead to exposures of similar magnitude.
Sources checked September 15, 2026. Every point below links the page it came from.
The sources behind this answer
- Government sourceThe EPA says some indoor pollution sources, such as building materials, furnishings and household products like air fresheners, release pollutants more or less continuously. US EPA ↗
- Government sourceThe EPA says paradichlorobenzene is the key active ingredient in many air fresheners, and that some moth repellent labels recommend the same products be used as air fresheners or deodorants. US EPA ↗
- Government sourceThe California Air Resources Board says the use of some cleaning products and air fresheners may actually increase indoor air pollution. California Air Resources Board ↗
- Government sourceCARB says that for many products, the highest percentage of VOCs is found in the fragrances added to impart a particular scent. California Air Resources Board ↗
- StudyCARB reports that in a study it funded, chemicals emitted during cleaning and plug-in air freshener use were generally below levels of concern, but reactions of terpene products with ozone formed formaldehyde and ultrafine particles. California Air Resources Board ↗
- StudyA report for CARB by UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers says ordinary cleaning product or air freshener use is not expected to reach guideline values alone, but could lead to exposures of similar magnitude. California Air Resources Board, contract report 01-336 ↗
Sources checked September 15, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.