The hidden air pollution in our homes — and a more mindful way to enjoy fragrance

Air pollution is one of the most overlooked risk factors for human health. And for many of us, a significant part of our exposure isn’t coming from busy roads or wildfires — it’s coming from inside our own homes.

This was one of the most striking takeaways from my recent conversation with internal medicine physician and co-author of Brain Wash, Dr Austin Perlmutter on The Honest Channel.

Sadly, for home fragrance fans like me, air pollutants include scented candles, diffusers and, most especially, incense sticks.

So, for those of us who enjoy using these products, here’s an evidence-based exploration of risk factors from Dr Austin Perlmutter, as he shares the hidden air pollutants in our home, and a more mindful way to enjoy fragrance.

We obsess over food — but we breathe 20,000 times a day

“We eat maybe three times a day,” Dr Perlmutter told me. “But we breathe around 20,000 times a day. There’s no fasting equivalent for breathing — you’re obligated to keep doing it, and you’re breathing in whatever is local.”

While nutrition dominates health conversations, air quality rarely does — despite mounting evidence that air pollution shortens lives and contributes to disease across almost every body system.

“There is no healthy level of air pollution,” he said. “International data clearly shows it contributes to cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease and brain disease — including higher risks of depression and dementia.”

And this isn’t a marginal issue. Air pollution is now recognised as the single biggest environmental risk factor for death worldwide.

The uncomfortable truth: most exposure happens indoors

Many of us assume air pollution is something that happens elsewhere — near factories, traffic or wildfires. But the science tells a different story.

“The majority of your exposure to air pollution is happening inside your home,” Dr Perlmutter explained. “And only about half of that comes from outside air.”

The other half? It’s generated by everyday activities — many of them associated with comfort, cleanliness or even wellness.

“What’s most concerning,” he said, “is that many of the top polluting sources in our homes are things we think are not only fine, but actually good for us.”

Candles, diffusers and the illusion of ‘clean’ air

Few things feel as harmless — or as cosy — as lighting a scented candle. But the chemistry of fragrance tells a more complex story.

“Scented candles are releasing toxins into your air even when you haven’t lit them,” Dr Perlmutter said. Once burned, they emit particulate matter and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) — airborne chemicals linked to inflammation, oxidative stress and cognitive decline.

Essential oil diffusers aren’t automatically benign either.

“The oil itself may be fine,” he explained, “but when you diffuse it, it reacts with molecules already in your indoor air and can form compounds like formaldehyde, which is a known carcinogen.”

This isn’t about demonising fragrance — it’s about understanding what’s actually happening in the air we breathe.

Incense: a wellness contradiction

If candles are uncomfortable news, incense is worse.

“Incense is one of the most concentrated sources of air pollution that exists,” Dr Perlmutter said plainly. “By gram, it can produce several times more air pollution than a cigarette.”

What makes this particularly troubling is incense’s place within wellness culture.

“People see incense as calming or spiritual,” he said. “But if it’s producing smoke in your home, you are inhaling particulate matter that’s linked to almost every adverse health outcome we study.”

This doesn’t mean no one is ever allowed to burn incense again — but it does mean we should stop treating it as harmless background ambience.

Air fresheners and VOCs

One of the most striking examples Dr Perlmutter raised was air fresheners — sprays, plug‑ins, car scents and diffusers.

“There’s this idea that air should smell like apple cider or a day on the coast,” he said, “and that we should be perpetually inhaling these molecules without asking what they are.”

Many air fresheners are poorly regulated and packed with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) — chemicals associated with worse cognitive performance and systemic health effects.

In one office‑based study he referenced, researchers found that when VOC levels rose due to poor ventilation, cognitive function dropped significantly.

“And yet,” he added, “we’re putting these products into children’s bedrooms, schools, cars and offices.”

High-temperature cooking: the biggest indoor polluter of all

Perhaps surprisingly, the single largest source of indoor air pollution isn’t fragrance at all — it’s cooking.

“Cooking is the number one source of air pollution in the home,” Dr Perlmutter said, particularly when it involves high heat, frying or gas stoves.

Cooking releases fine particulate matter that easily penetrates deep into the lungs — and beyond so it’s a good idea to have an extractor fan on and keep your kitchen well ventilated when you’re preparing food at high temperatures.

So what is a sensible approach to reducing home air pollution?

It’s not possible to eliminate all air pollutants so the goal should be awareness and reduction of risk.

Here are Dr Perlmutter’s key evidence‑based recommendations:

• Prioritise ventilation. Open windows whenever possible. Fresh airflow matters more than most of us realise.
• Ventilate when cooking. Use extractor hoods, open windows, and avoid smoky cooking where you can.
• Rethink candles. If you use them, ideally avoid paraffin-based wax and opt for more natural options like beeswax. Trim wicks to reduce smoke and use candles in more open, well ventilated spaces.
• Limit incense. If you choose to use it, do so sparingly, again in a well‑ventilated space.
• Be fragrance‑aware. Treat scented products like junk food: an occasional indulgence, not a constant exposure.

“This isn’t about never doing these things,” Dr Perlmutter emphasised. “It’s about being conscious of cumulative exposure.”

The invisible risk we can no longer ignore

Indoor air pollution is uniquely dangerous because it’s invisible.

“It’s not in a fast‑food container in your fridge,” Dr Perlmutter said. “It’s in the air you consume every day.”

As research continues to mount, it’s becoming clear that ventilation and air quality deserve a place alongside nutrition, exercise and sleep in any serious conversation about health.

How I Use Home Fragrance Now

I’m still a fragrance fan. But I’m now a far more mindful one. I don’t use perfume every day as I once did, I open windows more, ventilate the kitchen while cooking or burning a candle, and I’ve reduced the amount of time and frequency I burn candles for. I also only burn them in larger open-plan areas.

On the upside, using scented candles less means I can choose higher-quality products made with natural wax.

I tend to use NEOM products these days. Their candles avoid petrochemical paraffin and synthetic perfume by using vegetable and beeswax with pure essential oils. This may reduce some artificial chemicals in your indoor air, though it does not eliminate combustion products or particulate emissions entirely.

I’ve just recently bought their Wellbeing Pod+ because they use cold air to diffuse and are water-based with natural fragrances. The essential oils can still release VOCs into the air so again, this is a a more mindful approach but best used more sparingly so you’re not just running them all day.