Could Your Car Freshener Hospitalize You?

Disclaimer: this is not meant to talk poorly about Bath and Body Works, and in no way states that this situation is there fault as a company. I do not support defamation in any capacity.

It's getting hotter outside, and you know what that means: more sitting beside the pool with friends, more frozen margaritas, and more liquid car fresheners exploding in our faces and giving us chemical burns!

We all most likely saw the video of @kyndal_bret, who had a Bath and Body Works car freshener explode in her face which caused her to be hospitalized for chemical burns and vision issues. With over 30 million views on TikTok, this video had people (rightfully) outraged at Bath and Body Works, with the majority of the comments telling the creator to do one thing: sue them.

Now, I made a video about this situation, in which I spoke about why the car freshener exploded, what chemical could have possibly caused the chemical burn on her face, and the sad reality that, despite how brutal the injuries caused by this situation are, she cannot sue Bath and Body Works. In this article, I will be restating why the explosion happened, and we will be going over some of the most common chemicals used in the Bath and Body Works car fresheners.

Important Note: I am only discussing the main ingredients in each Bath and Body Works car freshener. I am not discussing the more niche ingredients, as some of the scents (below) have an extensive list:

• Fresh Cut Lilacs

• White Tea & Sage

• Strawberry Pound Cake

• Tropidelic

• Flowerchild

• Pineapple Mango

Why the Explosion?

If you have ever taken a college general chemistry course, you've probably heard of the Ideal Gas Law. The Ideal Gas Law states that

PV=nRT

in which "P" is pressure, "V" is volume, "n" is the amount of gas (in moles), "R" is the universal gas constant (~0.082 L*atm/mol*K), and "T" is temperature. This law is the entire basis of chemistry and thermodynamics.

In the car freshener situation, the Ideal Gas Law perfectly explains why the explosion happened. Basically, the Ideal Gas Law states that if volume is constant (in this case, the liquid is in a closed container in which the volume of fluid is not changing) and the temperature increases, then the pressure must increase, as well. So, when the temperature in the car increased, the pressure in the small car freshener cartridge also increased. This increasing pressure causes the molecules within the cartridge to move really fast and collide with both each other and the container. This state of fast movement and constant collisions is very high energy (rule of thumb: molecules love to stay in a stable, low energy state). So, in order for these molecules to go back to their favorable, low energy state, they must break out of the container to force an increase in volume so the pressure can go back down.

If you want to learn more about the Ideal Gas Law, check out this CrashCourse Chemistry video!

Now that we know why the explosion happened, let's talk about the chemicals that make your car smell so good and your face burn so bad.

Hydroxycitronellal

Hydroxycitronellal is a synthetic fragrance that is very widely used in products like deodorants, soaps, and other household items. It is also one of the chemicals that is responsible for allergic reactions in deodorants (the other two are also in this list).

In the case of chemical burns and extreme eye irritation, hydroxycitronellal is a potential culprit, as it is a category 2 skin corrosive and a category 2A eye irritant. This basically means that this chemical can cause extreme pain and problematic vision, as well as chemical burns on the skin.

Citronellol

Citronellol is the second chemical on the list, and it is not much better than the last one. This chemical is used in a wide array of things, including shampoo, antifungal agents, insect repellant, and soap.

In that situation at hand, where we really care about exploding car fresheners, citronellal is also a potential culprit in the world of corrosives. This chemical, like the last one, is a category 2 skin corrosive and a category 2A eye irritant. So, if you weren't already hurting with chemical burns from the last ingredient, this one is definitely going to add to it.

Coumarin

Coumarin is a chemical that is typically seen in solid form, and it usually has a yellowish color to it. This ingredient is used in a wide variety of things like as a flavoring agent in soaps, as well as in perfumes and some detergents (at concentrations from 0.1%-2.4%).

In the area of corrosives, there is not much information about whether this chemical is actually considered a corrosive. Also, while the SDS (safety data sheet) states that this chemical is dangerous if it gets on your skin or in your eyes, the sheet is talking about 99% coumarin, which is going to be way more potent than the concentration that is used in these car fresheners, which can range from 0.1%-2.4% concentration. Therefore, I wouldn't say that this is a contender for causing chemical burns following a car freshener explosion.

Geraniol

We have found the second chemical that has been linked to allergic reactions with deodorants!

Geraniol is a chemical that is used in a large spectrum of industries. From food to fragrances to cosmetics, this chemical has metaphorically dipped its toe into many different fields.

Geraniol is a category 2 skin irritant, which is not shocking considering the linkage to allergic reactions. It is also only a category 1 eye irritant. Therefore, this chemical could be a potential suspect for the skin and eye irritation, but geraniol on its own most likely would not cause as much harm as some others on this list.

Benzyl Salicylate

Benzyl Salicylate is a chemical that is oftentimes used in the fragrance industry, and it is even sometimes used as a UV absorber! According to its SDS, this chemical is a category 2A eye irritant; however it is only a category 1 in its sin sensitivity rating. Therefore, it definitely would cause some major eye irritation, but it would most likely not be a culprit in the chemical burning of someone's face.

Limonene

Limonene is where we get to the dangerous side of things! This chemical is oftentimes used in cleaning products and very commonly used in the fragrance market. However, according to its SDS, limonene is a category 2 in both skin corrosion and eye damage/irritation. So, it definitely would cause some horrible pain if slashed in your face.

Hexyl Cinnamal

Hexyl Cinnamal is an extremely popular ingredient in the world of perfume and fragrances. With this, while this ingredient could potentially cause an allergic reaction at the worst, it is probably one of the safer things on this list.

Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone

Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone is very close with hexyl cinnamal, as both ingredients are very common in the fragrance world. However, this chemical is more popular in the cosmetics industry, specifically, as it is used in different hair care products, lotions, and even skin care products.

Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone is definitely not a culprit in the chemical burn everyone's talking about. This ingredient does not fall under any corrosive categories, and the most hazardous the ingredient could be is toward aquatic life. Therefore, it is safe to say that this chemical is one of the safest on this list.

Citral

If you like lemon-y scents, then you absolutely love citral!

Citral is a chemical that is oftentimes used in food (namely lemongrass oil) and cosmetics. This chemical is a category 2 skin corrosive and a category 1 in skin sensitization. With that, this chemical could have caused a chemical burn under the conditions at hand; however, it is more known for causing allergic reactions.

Benzyl Alcohol

Benzyl Alcohol is an ingredient that is usually used in cosmetics, hair care, and paint. This chemical is definitely something you would not want to come into contact with at high concentrations. As a category 2 skin corrosive, a category 2A eye irritant, and with a category 1 in skin sensitization, benzyl alcohol is 100% a culprit for what happened in the incident at hand.

Eugenol

Last but not least, we have eugenol, which is our third and final chemical that can cause allergic reactions in deodorants. Along with in deodorants, eugenol is used as an aromatic oil made from cloves. At high concentrations, this chemical has a category 2 skin irritation level, as well as a category 2 eye damage rating and a category 1 in skin sensitization. Therefore, this chemical could 100% be a culprit for the chemical burn.

After going through this list of ingredients, as well as why the original fragrance explosion happened, we can see why the woman in the video experienced what she did. If you would like to read the Bath and Body Works SDS, I will be linking it in this blog, as I feel like this is a situation that should never happen again.

I hope this blog post taught you something new, and I hope you have a great rest of your night!

Remember, don't keep your liquid car fresheners in a hot car.