# Ingredient List on Febreeze

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingredient-list-on-febreeze/592222>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 10, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingredient-list-on-febreeze/592222 "2011-08-10T17:44:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingredient-list-on-febreeze/592222/1 "2011-08-10T17:44:59Z")

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So packaged food obviously has ingredients listed. It’s not always obvious what everything is but you have a pretty good grasp on what it’s made out of. They even break down sub-ingredients like when it says “Vanilla coating (vanilla beans, milk…)”. Hygiene products like soap and shampoo have more confusing lists of alchemical goodness unless you’re a chemist but at least it says it contains bi-hydro-whatever.

Looking at this can of Febreeze, it says it contains “_Odor eliminator, Water, Fragrance, Non-flammable natural pressurizer & quality control ingredients_”. This is only barely more useful than had it said “Contains: Stuff”. It’s be like a birthday cake that says “Contains: Cake, Fruit stuff, Frosting, Candles”.

I’m assuming the government has them listing this stuff so what’s the point? Do the rules for protecting intellectual property shield them to the point of making lists this vague? And, if so, why require them at all?

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**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingredient-list-on-febreeze/592222/2 "2011-08-10T18:02:54Z")

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A materials safety data sheet (MSDS) should contain more information for what is in a product, the toxicity and handling procedures. For Febreze it just lists water, alcohol, odor eliminator derived from corn, and fragrance, with only the ethyl alcohol listed as a hazardous ingredient as defined by OSHA.

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**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingredient-list-on-febreeze/592222/3 "2011-08-11T01:49:41Z")

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Is there _anything_ that doesn’t have corn in it these days?

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**Author:** ![Khristy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/57b2e6/32.png) [@Khristy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khristy)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingredient-list-on-febreeze/592222/4 "2011-08-11T04:18:07Z")

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My poop? Oh wait…yea, it does too 🙂

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**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingredient-list-on-febreeze/592222/5 "2011-08-11T11:49:04Z")

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> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#):
>
> Is there _anything_ that doesn’t have corn in it these days?

For a price, you can buy grain free dog food. I wouldn’t.