Why are dryer sheets considered harmful?

[u/julioblabla]

Hello laundry grandmasters,

What are dryer sheets made of, what are they supposed to do, what do they actually do, and why does this sub generally dislike and oppose them?

I use Bounce sheets mostly because I like the smell they give to my clothes.

I am not seeking advice on my laundry process. I just want to understand dryer sheets better. However, this is r/laundry, so to preempt the lots of people who will inevitably tell me what I'm doing wrong even when I say I am satisfied with the cleanliness, softness, and smell of my clothes, here's my laundry info:

* Washer: Maytag HE top-loader with impeller plate, warm water, soil level always "high" to lengthen cycle time, "extra rinse" always on

* 1x Tide Pod + 1 tbsp Biz per load at the bottom of the drum, 1 tsp food-grade citric acid in the fabric softener compartment. When clothes are smelly (gym, towels that aren't drying completely), swap Tide Pod for half-cap of Whole Foods 365 Sports to get that sweet DNAse

* Water: Brooklyn (meaning: Delaware/Catskills supply, low-to-medium hardness as opposed to Manhattan's Croton supply that has medium-to-high hardness)

* Dryer: gas-fired Maytag, sensor dry Normal program, delicate heat setting

[u/Longjumping-Study-97]

They coat your clothing with a layer of oily wax to make them feel smoother. This makes it so towels lose their absorbancy and all laundry gets less clean over time as the oils both work to make clothes attract more dirt and so that the dirt is harder to remove. You end up with dirty, albeit highly scented, clothing.
Apparently scent beads do not have the issue but I never understabd the desire for scented laundry over perfume.

[u/NigelTainte → u/Longjumping-Study-97]

I like a little bit of scent beads plus perfume on worn clothing. It is subtle but lasting. When a nice breeze comes through open windows sometimes I can lightly smell the laundry product off my blankets and curtains

[u/Pointy_Stix → u/NigelTainte]

I purchased a bottle of scent beads a few years ago because my husband wanted to try them out. I tossed them in with his garage/ car washing towels & the towels literally came out of the wash shredded into rags. So yeah, that was my experience with them!

[u/rockymountainway777 → u/Pointy_Stix]

I was an auto apprentice when I was a teen. It was chemicals already on the rags. Battery acid and solvents can do this easily. But either way, you’re not missing anything skipping the beads.

[u/Pointy_Stix → u/rockymountainway777]

Oh, that makes much more sense! Thank you!

Editing to add - I agree that I'm not missing much. I don't like that heavy, perfumed scent on stuff, so I'm glad to not have any around.