Why You Should Avoid Products That Have Fragrance on Their Ingredients List
I never purchase, use, or recommend a skincare item until I have read the ingredient label. There are a few items that I call “red flag” ingredients that signal to me that the skincare item won’t be beneficial for our skin. These red-flag ingredients could even be harmful to us. And what’s the number one ingredient that when I read it on the label I’m saying “nope!”? ❌Fragrance❌
What is fragrance?
According to the EWG "fragrance" or "parfum" on a product label represents an undisclosed mixture of various scent chemicals and ingredients. There is no way for us as product consumers to know exactly what chemicals make up fragrance or how many components “fragrance” or “parfume” is made of.
scrub me secret: even though the FDA requires companies to list their ingredients on the product label, they are not required to list the chemicals and other components that make a fragrance. so when you see “fragrance” or “parfume” on the label of your product remember that there are so many other hidden chemicals there.
How to figure out if your product contains fragrance:
The FDA requires all skincare products to have an ingredient label. This can be found on the packaging of your skincare or directly on the bottle. The ingredients on the label will be listed in order of what the product contains the most of to what the product contains the least of. Most of the time you will find fragrance or “perfume” toward the end of the ingredients list but that is not always the case. If your product contains fragrance or perfume it will be listed.
Are fragrance and essential oil the same?
While essential oils do provide scent to skincare/beauty items they are not the same as synthetic fragrance. Essential oils are concentrated oils extracted from plants and flowers using methods like steam distillation and cold pressing. Unlike fragrance and parfume essential oils are derived from natural sources that can provide benefits to your skin and body.
There are still possibilities that you can have an allergy or sensitivity to a specific essential oil but overall essential oils are much more beneficial to your skin than fragrance. I don’t disapprove of using skincare items that contain essential oils, I actually think they are really great. Since essential oils come from a wide range of plants, herbs, and flowers they also offer a wide range of benefits. Some essential oils have antioxidant/antiaging properties, some have brightening properties, and others have disinfecting properties.
scrub me: I have done a lot of research and worked with essential oils for a long time and I find that adding the right combinations of essential to my soaps and body care items gives the products dynamic benefits. Like soap that also evens out red marks and little breakouts or body oil that also strengthens skin. I also like to use facial products with different essential oil blends.
Possible skin issues caused by fragrance:
Redness or flushing
Itchiness
Uneven texture or small bumps
Irritated or overly sensitive skin
scrub me secret: my skin reacts really poorly to “fragrance” and “parfume. If I use a facial product that contains one of these ingredients my skin will start to break out with a few small pimples within a week of using the item. If I use body care that contains fragrance, my skin is itchy and overly dry feeling.
How fragrance affects our body:
Fragrance can disrupt and interfere with our hormone regulation
Migraines can be induced by synthetic fragrance
Some ingredients used to make synthetic fragrances are thought to be carcinogenic
My favorite skincare lines that do not use synthetic fragrances:
scrub me 😉🧡
These are some of the skincare lines I use the most and recommend to my clients the most. There are so many great lines out there that don’t use fragrance or perfume or any other ingredients that are known to be harmful to us. Do you have any other recommendations? Let us all know in the comments!