600 calls to Poison Centre about reed diffusers

Amongst the aisles of birthday cards, kitchen utensils and craft items at your local discount variety store, you may also come across reed diffusers.

Reed diffusers are used to fragrance rooms. Generally, they have a vase or glass vessel containing scented liquid that you place bamboo reeds in. The reeds soak up the liquid and the scent wafts through your home.

On a recent shop at a variety store we came across a reed diffuser called Fanny Aroma. One can only assume something was lost in translation when naming the diffuser, or the manufacturer took a cue from a Gwyneth Paltrow candle label.

The name wasn’t the only dodgy thing about the diffuser. Its packaging didn’t have any of the safety information or messages that a reed diffuser should; in fact, it encouraged its use around children.

We think there needs to be closer monitoring of reed diffusers, so consumers know to keep them out of harm’s way.

25 kids hospitalised

The NZ Poison Centre has received nearly 600 calls since 2019 about kids getting into reed diffusers. Most of those children were under the age of two.

In most cases, a child had taken a drink from the diffuser, or got the liquid on their skin or lips or in their eyes.

Twenty-five children, most under 4 years old, were hospitalised because of contact with a reed diffuser in the same period.

Yet, rather than warning people to keep the product away from children, the Fanny Aroma manufacturer suggests the diffuser is safer to use around kids than candles. Its packet states a: “Reed diffuser is great for those no candles zones such as offices, dorm rooms and homes with young children.”

Another three diffusers we found during our shop had no warnings at all, while one had a warning, but it was illegible because a barcode had been plastered over it.

The Max Care rose diffuser also suggested it was safer to use than candles, stating the diffuser is “an easy, effective and safe way to diffuse continuous fragrance throughout your home. No smoke, drippy wax or the anxiety of burning candles.”

Rather than being safe, the diffuser poses a different safety risk. The Max Care manufacturer recognised this, including the appropriate warnings to keep the diffuser away from children elsewhere on the packaging.

Half of the diffusers lacked safety information

We shopped at a range of budget variety stores around the Wellington region for reed diffusers to see whether they met the labelling rules for hazardous substances.

Of the 10 reed diffusers we bought, only half had a safety message or hazard symbols on the box, while only one had a message on the diffuser itself.

Two diffusers – Fanny Aroma and Kuxan Aroma – had no safety information or warnings at all. While TnS Home Collection did, it was all in Greek. By law, all information on packaging for goods sold in New Zealand must be in English.

We also found two diffusers – Ocean and The Perfumery Works – that had safety messages, but they were obscured by a barcode.

All hazardous materials should have manufacturer details on them, so doctors can get in touch to find out what is in the product if it is spilt or ingested. Yet only two of the 10 diffusers had clear supplier contact details.

Similarly, importers need to make sure the products they import meet labelling rules for hazardous substances.

One of those rules is to list the hazardous substance contained in the product. Yet only two of the diffusers we shopped for listed the ingredients. Both of these were from the same manufacturer – Daiso – with the products listed including water, surfactant, fragrance and ethanol.

All bottles should say how much liquid is in them, too, yet three of the diffusers we bought didn’t. Knowing the volume could be vital information if a child swallows some and you need to tell the doctor how much has been ingested.

In New Zealand, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is responsible for regulating hazardous substances, which includes the substances in reed diffusers, under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 (HSNO Act).

It’s the responsibility of all New Zealand manufacturers, importers and suppliers of hazardous substances to ensure that their products comply with the HSNO labelling rules.

Gayle Holmes is the General Manager Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement at the EPA. Holmes said the EPA had received six complaints about reed diffusers since 2019.

“In two of these cases, the product did not comply with hazardous substances labelling requirements. The labelling was then updated following our advice. The products in the other cases either complied with the labelling requirements or there was insufficient information to take further action. No reed diffusers have been withdrawn as a result of an EPA investigation.”

After seeing the results of Consumer’s investigation, Holmes added that, “the EPA is actively engaging with importers and manufacturers that supply discount stores with a range of hazardous substances to assist them to understand their obligations.”

We welcome this engagement and think a sweep of discount stores would flush out more products that are not complying with the rules.

When we carried out a similar shop for diffusers in 2023, we also found a lack of appropriate labelling for the hazardous substances they contain. Of the 31 diffusers we had bought on that shopping trip, 13 had no warnings on the diffuser itself, leaving the safety information on a box, which consumers are likely to throw out.

What’s in a reed diffuser

The liquid in a reed diffuser may look harmless but it’s likely to be a hazardous substance.

A 2020 assessment of the liquid in reed diffusers, carried out by the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR), found they were a mix of solvents, essential oils and small quantities of other fragrances.

The ESR study found that between 70% and 90% of the liquid in a diffuser was a solvent. Solvents are a common ingredient in household cleaning products, spray paints and cosmetics.

The most common type of solvent found in the diffusers was glycol ethers, which can affect the kidneys and liver, and depression of the central nervous system (slowing down of the body’s neurological functions).

While we know to keep household cleaners and sprays away from kids and pets, we may not know we have to keep diffusers way from them, too.

The rest of the ingredients in a diffuser’s liquid are a mix of essential oils (between 10% and 30%) and a small quantity of fragrances.

Essential oils may not be harmless, either. Yet due to the wide range of essential oils, and a lack of information regarding their effects on the body, the toxicity is hard to determine. However, ESR said there have been reports of seizures, central nervous system depression and people’s livers being affected, after essential oils have been ingested.

Some people may also have an allergic reaction to the fragrances used in some diffusers. A fragrance allergy can present as a dermatitis. Strong smells can even trigger asthma attacks.

What to check on the label before you buy a diffuser

The liquid in a reed diffuser can be classed as a hazardous substance, so the packaging should:

• state the name, address and phone number of the supplier
• list the chemicals contained in the product
• include a hazard symbol, such as an exclamation mark in a red triangle, and a hazard statement, such as “harmful if inhaled”
• use the word “warning” or “danger”
• include precautionary statements, such as “read label before use” and “keep out of reach of children”.

Our advice

• Check the diffuser for ingredients and safety information before you buy.
• Keep the reed diffuser out of reach of children and pets.
• If a child has accidently ingested some of the liquid, rinse as much as possible from the mouth with water.
• Do not induce vomiting.
• If the liquid comes into contact with the skin, rinse thoroughly.
• If the liquid gets into the eyes, rinse carefully with water for 10 to 15 minutes.
• You should phone the National Poisons Centre on 0800 764 766 or seek medical advice as soon as possible.
• If you see a diffuser on shop shelves that isn’t labelled correctly, take a pic and email it, as well as the name of the store, to the EPA’s team on [email protected].