You smell something you love and you buy it. That's the trap.
The word "fragrance" on an ingredient label is a legal black hole. Brands are allowed to keep their fragrance formulas proprietary — meaning a single word can hide anywhere from 50 to 100 different chemical compounds, esters, alcohols, and synthetic materials. You have no way of knowing what's in there, and if you're allergic to even one of those hidden ingredients, your body is going to let you know in the worst way.
8 to 15% of people with contact dermatitis have a fragrance allergy. And "unscented" does not mean fragrance free — a lot of brands use masking agents to cover up the chemical smell of a product, and those masking agents trigger the same reactions in sensitive people. If it says unscented but still has fragrance in the ingredient list, that's your signal to put it down.
The European Union has identified 26 fragrance ingredients that must be disclosed on labels when present above certain thresholds — because they are known allergens. The US has no such requirement.
We also got into preservatives this episode, because any product that contains water needs one. The problem isn't preservatives — the problem is which ones. The cheapest preservatives are formaldehyde-releasing preservatives. They slowly break down and release formaldehyde into your product over time. The industry's defense is that formaldehyde occurs naturally in the body. That's true. But your body producing something naturally is not the same as applying it externally to your skin every single day, head to toe, indefinitely.
Parabens are another class to know.
Natural preservatives exist. Selene uses them and has tested them. The trade-off is a shorter shelf life (6–12 months versus 24–36) and sometimes refrigeration. It's a real cost. But you deserve to know the cost of the alternative.
At shows, on this podcast, and in every product she sells — Selene's answer is the same: if you have any sensitivity to fragrance, go fragrance free. If you try it and react, she'll make it right. No questions.
You should be able to make an informed choice. That's all any of this is about.
INGREDIENTS & TERMS TO CHECK FOR ON YOUR LABELS
Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives — avoid:DMDM Hydantoin · Imidazolidinyl Urea · Diazolidinyl Urea · Quaternium-15 · Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate · 2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-Diol (Bronopol) · Methenamine
Parabens — know what you're working with:Methylparaben · Propylparaben · Butylparaben · Ethylparaben · Isobutylparaben
Common EU-listed fragrance allergens — hidden in "fragrance":Linalool · Limonene · Geraniol · Citronellol · Eugenol · Isoeugenol · Cinnamal · Amyl Cinnamal · Benzyl Alcohol · Benzyl Salicylate · Coumarin
SOURCES & FURTHER READING
FDA — Fragrances in Cosmeticshttps://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-ingredients/fragrances-cosmetics
FDA — Formaldehyde & Formaldehyde-Releasing Preservativeshttps://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/potential-contaminants-cosmetics/formaldehyde-and-formaldehyde-releasing-preservatives-cosmetics
FDA — Parabens in Cosmeticshttps://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-ingredients/parabens-cosmetics
Campaign for Safe Cosmetics — Fragrancehttps://www.safecosmetics.org/chemicals/fragrance/
EWG Skin Deep — Search Any Ingredienthttps://www.ewg.org/skindeep/
NRDC — Not So Sexy: Hidden Chemicals in Fragrancehttps://www.nrdc.org/resources/not-so-sexy-health-risks-secret-chemicals-fragrance
European Commission — Cosmetic Allergens Regulationhttps://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/cosmetics/legislation_en
Selene's Preservative Deep Dive (her site article)https://lunarluxecreations.com/preservatives-in-handmade-lotion
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