Why we don’t put fragrance in our skincare for the face
It baffles me to see how many skincare brands out there create products with perfume & fragrance designed for the face. I am referring to synthetic fragrance, not natural.
As consumers we have become quite accustomed to checking our skincare has no nasties in them before purchase, notably looking for harmful ingredients like parabens and silicones. But there is one ingredient that is seeming to slip under the radar for consumers, and that is perfume.
Typically, fragrance is seen as a delicacy among beauty products. Sprays, mists and perfumes are more on the luxurious side of beauty items. And yes, fragrance is a delicacy and is used in many body care products, which we do as well.
However, there is nothing luxurious about physically applying fragrance to the face. It can in fact be very dangerous and cause many issues. Facial skincare items like creams, exfoliators and serums should never include fragrance in their list of active ingredients. This is my personal opinion.
It should never be about how good your skincare smells, it is about the level of ethics and quality of the products.
The skin on our body is different to the skin on our face. The top layer of the facial skin is called the ‘stratum corneum’ and it is far more delicate than the rest of the skin on your body. As a result of this, our facial skin is damaged easily as it is more sensitive compared to other parts of the body. Our body can handle small amounts of fragrance, oils and moisturisers however your facial skin needs a more gentle approach. Size of skin cells, thickness of your skin, number of oil glans and number of hair follicles are all factors that also play a big part into why your face skin is different to your body skin.
Because your body skin is in fact thicker and dryer than your facial skin, the main purpose of a body cream & mosituriser is to hydrate, add a glow or boost complexion and tone with the added bonus of it smelling yummy. While your face also needs hydration, in addition, it needs very special care & TLC because of its delicate nature.
Of course it’s natural to wonder if fragrance in skincare is really that bad. The short answer is it can be. For some skin types you may not notice any issues caused by skincare with added fragrances, however in most cases fragrance has been known to play a big part in causing types of dermatitis, rashes and irritation. Fragrance is one of the leading causes of allergic reaction to skincare.
It is extremely important to always check your skincare ingredients first before purchase. While you may be one of the very few who can handle fragrance, take it from us. It is far better to stay away from fragrance infused skincare.
Again ‘It should never be about how good your skincare smells, it is about the level of ethics and quality of the products.
