Is Fragrance In Skincare REALLY that BAD?

Facts about fragrance... and some opinions, too.

Fragrance in skincare is one of the top argued about topic. Some have called fragrance "the worst ingredient in skincare". Well, considering some (now banned) skincare ingredients had been known to cause cancer... I'm going to flat out say, no, fragrances are not the worst ingredients in skincare.

The bottom line is, those with inflammatory conditions should stay away from fragrance. Those without inflammatory conditions like eczema, rosacea, psoriasis, grade 2+ acne, or allergies have no reason to worry against fragrances.

I also want to note, that many people will believe they have a fragrance sensitivity when in actuality, they are sensitizing their own skin by using the wrong products, or the right products in the wrong way.

KNOWN ALLERGENS LIST:

I've included some thoughts from two cosmetic chemists for a deeper perspective on the topic.

Thoughts from cosmetic chemist Michelle Wong of @LabMuffinBeautyScience
"The prevalence of fragrance allergy is estimated to be 1-5% (general sensitivity is higher)" -M.Wong PhD

[aniyat]

Soooo when are you putting out your hair care routine? Your hair is so beautiful!

[mirsch]

I didn't know that products too close to your period can affect your skin! Would you consider doing a video more about this?

[Ladymystique]

People with sensory overload or sensory processing disorder also avoid fragrances. One of my chronic illnesses causes a really bad sensory overload whenever I'm in a flare-up, so out of general practice I try to avoid strong fragrance products in my home. At most, maybe an essential oil here and there, but otherwise I try to avoid strong smelling products altogether - skincare, consumer or otherwise.

[berlineczka]

I think there are two more things to consider:
1. the manufacturers rarely list specific fragrances on the INCI list. It just says 'fragrance' or 'parfum'. So if you have a reaction you have no way to know if there is anything in the fragrance composition that might have caused it.
2. Not all essential oils are created equal. Citrus essential oils (e.g. orange, lemon, bergamot) are much more irritating than e.g. rose essential oil. But they are all irritating, some less, some more. The only essential oil that is worth the risk due to its other properties, is tea tree oil (in tiny amount) for its antibacterial and antifungal properties, which may be good if you struggle e.g. with acne.

[mignonalverson]

More and more people are having dye and fragrance reactions in products. I agree with NO fragrance for eczema and rosacea. I don't like or want fragrance in my skincare.

[frugalskin]

The international fragrance association cited up to 3, 059 chemicals that can be in a fragrance. I just don't think it's worth it personally since fragrance is cosensitizing and not particularly beneficial to the skin. Once you develop the allergy it's game over. The worst part is you may never find out which chemical it was that triggered the allergy. If people stop demanding fragrance, companies will stop producing it. Here's to hoping 🤞🏽

[magemeat]

anybody else use fragrance free skincare just as a preference? fragrance doesn't really cause me problems but i kinda prefer my vitamin C smelling like hotdog water over citrus ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[DarrionaW]

I don't mind fragrance. Sometimes it just adds to the experience. I'm not turned off if there's fragrance in a product, but I will say sometimes the fragrance can be too much smell wise. Luckily I never have a reaction.

[slamminsamxoxo]

You are not taking into account that fragrance is cosensitizing meaning if fragrance is mixed with retinol your could become allergic to the retinol bc of the fragrance mixed in with it. Also if you have eczema you should avoid fragrance everywhere bc this means ur skin barrier is compromised everywhere. Since eczema is an auto immune defect it affects the entire skin organ.

[Didilion]

I’ve literally only had 2 pimples since I cut fragrance out of my routine in February and I used to get a huge break out at least once a month so I’m completely anti fragrance for myself. I just have super sensitive skin and I’m sensitive to scents in general too. Even before I cut out fragrance if something smells really strong or floral it gives me a migraine but I wish this wasn’t the case though because some fragrances really enhance the experience. P. S. I’ve also had an allergy test done years ago and I have a bunch of stupid allergies so I’m not sure why it took me so long to figure out that fragrance was negatively affecting me 🙄

[MelindaMassie]

Personally, I like the experience of a little light fragrance. Nice scent adds a little more luxury to the routine. HOWEVER, I have rosacea so I can't and don't use anything with fragrance. I would LOVE if companies made fragrance and fragrance-free versions of their products so that we had the option and could choose which works best for us.

[raviramkissoon]

theres no reason fragrance should be in skincare... it has the potentially to do so much damage with absolutely NO benefit

[itsessieeff]

Thanks for this! In general there is a lot of fear-mongering in skincare. I think terms like "green" and "clean" have taken off over the past few years. I don't think fragrance is "necessary" but my skin isn't so sensitive that I will decide against a product because of it.

[SamMKKK]

The way people are using this as an opportunity to tell how they reeeally feel about Hyram is kind of surprising...
In all the videos of his I’ve watched, he’s always disclaimed that esthetician advice should supersede his. His anti-fragrance stance also seems to apply to leave-on products with strong actives — which to me, makes sense.

[SuhannaDeSilva]

Honestly I don’t like strong fragrances in general (even when purchasing perfumes, body sprays, etc) but slight fragrances in rinse off products I can deal with. I obviously wouldn’t want a facial moisturizer with a long lasting scent but a little floral here or a little citrus there in a cleanser never killed anyone.

[AliceintheRabbitHole]

WELL SAID!! I'd also add something I found very interesting in exploring fragrance: it can be used to "identify" authenticity. Because fragrance ingredients are hidden within that word, counterfeits are unable to perfectly match scents.

For example, we all know the characteristic scent of Lancome products - if a friend buys you "Lancome" products, but they smell off, it might be counterfeit (ahh thanks for existing, eBay - so many well-intentioned gifts gone wrong 😒).

Thankfully, those of us who enjoy The Ordinary/CeraVe have less to worry about as there is less profit for counterfeiters. But worth mentioning for luxury skincare fans!

[mjsalve]

For me, all sort kinds of fragrance has no place for skin care. Thats why it is called SKIN CARE, because you have to be kind to your kind by introducing benign products. And if some essential oils and plant derived fragrance claims to have benefits-- for sure that is a small data and anecdotal and also it is not the best route for you to address your problems and conditions. There are more far way better alternatives for addressing of any concern and i think those studied essential oils and plant derived aren't the best. And also cumulative exposure to them can potentially harm your skin in the long run and interfere with other ingredients. BIG YES for going to the doctor to undergo patch test for allergens, because some people mislead that only fragrance is causing problem to their skin but there are a lot of other ingredients as well that aren't labeled as fragrance but do cause allergy and problem to the skin.

[_____byeliza]

I'm sensitive to fragrance. ALL fragrances. I cannot be in the store Lush for too long because there's just too many fragrances and I get a headache. I don't like the smell of fresh cut grass (*gasp*) because it just doesn't smell that good to me. That said, I don't really mind when there is fragrance in my skincare products, as long as it doesn't stink. If it is subtle and pleasant I don't have a problem with it.

[sergioperezalvarez]

i have a big big allergy to fragrance sadly :/ and allergic to everything with fragrance laundry detergent soaps facial cleansers lotions creams etc so everything i use is 100% fragrance free

[quitaphillips]

Can you go into more detail about using products "too close to your menstrual cycle"? This is the first I'm hearing of this and would love to learn more.