Rhianna Benson
If you were lucky enough to be gifted a sweet scented candle from a loved one this Christmas, you may have to take note of a brand new health warning being alerted by medics.
American social media medic, Dr John Zade, took to TikTok prior to last year's festive season to alert his followers to a health scare in a clip that has remained viral ever since.
"Dr Zade here, and if you're using this one thing in your house," he told his viewers in October last year.
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"You need to stop right now.
"What's that one thing? Scented candles."
He went on to explain that, because a lot of these fragranced products are made from paraffin which when burnt, releases toxic chemicals.
He describes these harmful fumes as 'not good for us' before adding: "Along with that, the fragrances in the chemicals can be super irritating".
Dr Zade continued: "A lot of people can get eyelid rashes or other skin rashes because of these fragrances.
"So, we do not like scented candles so try to remove them from your house."
Many homeowners have since taken to the comments to hit out at the medics's remarks with some believing that social media health warnings may have gone a step too far.
"Not all candles are paraffin. We love scented candles," one user hit out.
Another slammed the TikTok doctor: "No candles now? This is the very last straw on the fun bus of life and I just can't."
"At this point I don’t even know if I’m s*****g correctly," a third jibed.
Others, however, thanked the online star for his health warning, with many sharing their own scented candle horror stories.
One penned: "Not me sitting here with an eyelid rash wondering how I got it."
"I can’t use any of the plug-in stuff either. All of that stuff makes me sick," another opened up.
Another commented: "Not to mention soot. It’s being breathed in and coating the lungs".
This controversial health advice comes just days after another medical expert issued a warning to parents over snus, as it becomes more popular than vaping this new year.
Snus, which originates from Sweden, is a little dry pouch of tobacco that is placed under a person’s lip for about thirty minutes - and is often compared to being a single-use teabag of cigarettes.
Libby Clarke, a Managing Consultant of Toxicology, told Cosmopolitan: "Nicotine from oral products is absorbed more slowly compared with inhaled products like cigarettes or vapes, therefore the addictive potential is thought to be lower."
We don't yet have a whole lot of information about how safe or not the pouches are but pharmacist Ian Budd also explained: "The information we do have does not paint it in an entirely positive light."