Should You Avoid Fragrance in Your Skin Products?
Sere says…Hi Brains! I’m an Italian girl who’s trying to do her best to understand something in the complicated world of skin care. I read Paula Begoun’s opinion about fragrance, and from what I could understand, she’s quite severe. I mean she says we should definitely go for truly fragrance-free cosmetics, since fragrance, both synthetic and organic, cause irritation. Even when we cannot actually see skin reactions (like redness etc..), still it’s taking place underneath the skin’s surface, leading to long-term skin damage. So..that is what i wanted to know from you..is it true we should avoid fragrance in cosmetics such as face creams etc, even if we’re not allergic to any of the components of fragrance?
Left Brain smells something fishy
While we love the Cosmetic Cop, I think in this case Paula is overstating the fragrance problem here. You can safely use products with fragrance as long as you are not allergic / sensitive to the components.
What’s wrong with fragrance?
The truth is many people are sensitive to different ingredients found in fragrances. Fragrances can be made up of from 75 to over 100 ingredients so manufacturers aren’t required to list all the component materials. However, they are supposed to list the ingredients that most commonly cause allergic reaction. Here is that list.
Most common fragrance allergens
1. Amyl cinnamal
2. Amylcinnamyl alcohol
3. Benzyl alcohol
4. Benzyl salicylate
5. Cinnamyl alcohol
6. Cinnamal
7. Citral
8. Coumarin
9. Eugenol
10. Geraniol
11. Hydroxycitronellal
12. Hydroxymethylpentylcyclohexenecarboxaldehyde
13. Isoeugenol
14. Anisyl alcohol
15. Benzyl benzoate
16. Benzyl cinnamate
17. Citronellol
18. Farnesol
19. Hexylcinnamaldehyde
20. Lilial
21. d-Limonene
22. Linalool
23. Methyl heptine carbonate
24. g-Methylionone
If you happen to be allergic to one of these ingredients and it is in your product, then you may experience inflammation at the skin surface and below. This isn’t because the ingredient is penetrating the surface, rather it is triggering a chemical response at the surface of your skin.
However, most people are not allergic to the ingredients in fragrances at the levels they are used. So, if the fragrance doesn’t contain an ingredient to which you are sensitive, then there is no proof that it will cause you problems.
Marketing Strategy
It certainly isn’t wrong to tell people that they should buy products that are fragrance free because even if you are not allergic to a particular compound, less exposure to chemicals is better. Sometimes repeated exposure to a compound can cause you to become allergic.
However, the advice for everyone to avoid all fragrances is not based on science. It’s being overly cautious. It’s a bit like when doctors tell pregnant women they shouldn’t drink any alcohol even though there is no proof that drinking a small amount is in any way harmful.
It also seems strangely coincidental that one of the marketing claims for Paula’s Choice products is that they are “100% fragrance free”.
Beauty Brains bottom line
While many people are allergic to fragrance ingredients and would do well to avoid products with fragrances in them, there is no reason that everyone should avoid fragranced products. Fragrances make the product experience more enjoyable and if they don’t bother your skin, feel free to keep using them.
Are you allergic or sensitive to fragrances? How do you feel about them in your beauty products? Leave a message and tell us what you think.
What Drugstore Brand is Comparable to Arbonne?
ibteachnu asks…I can no longer afford Arbonne. What drugstore brands are comparable to their hydrating wash, balancing toner, facial serum, and day creme? I’ve already replaced their RE-9 foaming body wash with Olay’s age defying body wash. What are your thoughts on that product?
Right Brain responds
After that big battle about Arbonne, we no longer let Left Brain answer questions about Arbonne, so this one is mine.
Arbonne Hydrating Wash
At almost $40 for a 3 ounce bottle of the Arbonne Hydrating Wash, it’s no wonder you can’t afford Arbonne anymore. No cleanser is worth that expense. Cleansers are put on and then rinsed away. Unless the skin is specially prepared before-hand, cleansers have limited ability to deliver anything to the skin. They simply remove things.
Arbonne does make it challenging to find ingredient lists, but with enough Google searching you can usually find them. The basic ingredient list for the Hydrating wash is as follows.
Sodium Cocoyl Sulfate, PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate, Stearic Acid, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Disodium Lauroamphoacetate
This isn’t a complete list but it’s enough to get the general gist of the product. Basically, they are using standard but more gentle surfactants.
Olay alternative?
Oil of Olay is always a good choice. It is made by P&G and is one of the most thoroughly tested skin care lines available. It also has the most cosmetic chemists and scientists behind its development.
The ingredients in this particular product are different than the ones found in Arbonne. Here’s the ingredient list.
Water, Petrolatum, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Lauric Acid, Fragrance, Trihydroxystearin, Sodium Chloride, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Butyrospermum (Shea Butter) Extract (Shea Butter), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A), DMDM Hydantoin, Sodium Benzoate, Disodium EDTA, PEG 14M
ALES & ALS are typically harsh detergents but the harshness is more than off-set by the fact that a moisturizing ingredient (Petrolatum) is the second ingredient. The Petrolatum will protect skin from the harshness of the detergents so overall, the Olay product should be more gentle than the Arbonne product.
Closer Drugstore Alternative
The Olay product and Arbonne products should behave similarly but if you are looking for something even closer, consider trying some of the following.
Johnsons Soothing Naturals Hair and Body Wash – hair and body wash. Contains PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate as the primary surfactant.
Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash – Contains three of the primary surfactants found in Arbonne
Beauty Brains bottom line
Everyone has different skin and you need to experiment to figure out which type of cleansing product works best for you. However, there is no need to spend a lot on a cleansing wash. Go to your local drugstore and find a product that will work for you. It will be good for your skin and wallet too.
How much do you spend on skin cleansing products? Do you think it is worth it? Leave a comment below.
Does Neutrogena Cleanser/Mask Work Better If I Leave It On?
Kalisa’s Question…What can you tell me about Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Cleanser/Mask? Specifically, is there any additional benefit to my skin of using it as mask (leaving it on for three minutes) as opposed to merely washing my face with it?
The Right Brain’s Answer:
To our surprise, Neutrogena does indeed recommend that this cleanser can be left on and used as a mask. We quote:
This revolutionary formula works as a daily cleanser or 3-minute mask. It foams instantly to dissolve dirt, oil and makeup. Skin tingles as the cooling lather deep cleans to leave skin feeling energized and shine-free for hours. For more intensive cleansing, use it as a mask. As it dries, you’ll feel it working deep within the skin’s surface to absorb shine-causing oil and pore-clogging impurities.
Why do we find this surprising? Let’s look at the ingredients, ignoring preservatives, fragrance, etc., and just focusing on the functional ingredients:
Ingredients that clean your skin:
Methyl Gluceth 20, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Glucoside, Disodium Lauroamphodiacetate, PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate, Dimethicone PEG-8 Meadowfoamate, Polyquaternium-7
Ingredients that form a film on your skin and feel like a mask:
Polyethylene, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Synthetic Wax
Based on the presence of the mask type ingredients, this does look different than a typical cleanser – it appears to be designed to have a mask like feel to it. But how good of a mask is this? Typical masks contain clay or some kind of film forming polymer that really tighten the skin as it dries. Becaus this formula is different and because it contains so many cleansing ingredientes that will tend to soften the film so we doubt formula one would give you that strong tightening effect. Based on looking at the formula, our guess is this product would be a really good cleanser but it wouldn’t be a great mask.
But our real concern is about leaving this much surfactant on your face for so long. Surfactants, even relatively mild ones like this formula uses, can irritate skin. This product also contains menthol which is a known irritant.
The Beauty Brain’s bottom line:
Based on looking at the ingredients, we think that the risk of drying out your skin would outweigh any potential benefits. That’s our opinion without doing any testing so take it with the proverbial grain of salt. If anyone has tried this, let us know.
Sarah Bellum’s Sponsor Shout Out
Lefty and Righty will say we’ve got to be skeptical about beauty products and do research before spending a lot of money blah blah blah. I don’t disagree, but whether you research or not, at some point you’re going to buy new stuff. So, when you do make a decision to buy, there are two ways you can help support the Beauty Brains.
Super sponsors
One, is to buy from our sponsors. Those are the featured ads in our header and on the sidebar to the right of this post.
But you can also support our site by making your next purchase through an amazon link on our site. The best part is, it doesn’t matter WHAT you buy after clicking on our Amazon ads. We still get a portion of the sale and that helps us cover our expenses. That’s right, you can buy ANYTHING on Amazon. To make my point, I found another ridiculous item from Amazon to use as an ad in today’s post. I present to you: the Face-Butt Soap Bar!
Face or Butt?
Yes, that’s right. It’s a dual sided bar of face labeled to help you tell which part of your body to wash. I’m guessing this product will appeal more to guys. But go ahead and click on it anyway. And after you’ve enjoyed a good laugh, and you’re ready to do some serious shopping, go ahead and buy something else. ANYTHING else. If you’re shopping online anyway you can help us out at the same time with no extra cost to you. (If it helps, you can think of it as doing your little part to support the Sarah Bellum Sephora Fund.)
Don’t Be Fooled By Fake Sunscreens
Ally asks…I have got a face cream as a gift and it’s day defence cream for normal/combination skin with UV filter. What strength that UV filter is or whether it’s UVA+UVB protection is not mentioned. I was reading through ingredients list and couldn’t find any evidence of UV protection, but maybe my knowledge is just not deep enough. It goes like this: ionized water, glyceryl stearate, cetearyl alcohol, vegetable oil, ceteareth-20, capric and capronic acid triglycerides, decapric ether, perfume oil, dimethicone, plantain extract, primrose extract, blueberry extract, perfume composition, methylparaben, propylparaben, silver ions. This list was translated by myself with help of Google. What do you think? It it any good for combination skin? The vegetable oil especially worries me as this is a product designed to deal with oily t-zone.
The Left Brain responds:
There is nothing on the list that is obviously a UV filter. Some blends of dimethicone may be sold as UV filters but this list doesn’t seem to have one. Maybe they are counting the blueberry extract or primrose extract as UV filters. The product doesn’t seem like a great face cream especially with all the different oils it contains. But it all depends on how the product is formulated. You could make a nice product with those ingredients but it would be difficult. Based on the ingredient list, my guess is that it probably isn’t the best thing to use for combination skin.
Is Baby Shampoo Bad For Your Hair?
Kitten Devine’s question…Yesterday at a hair shop they asked me what shampoo I used. So I told them I use Zwitsal baby shampoo, because I like how it makes my hair feel and because sodium laureth sulphate is only the 5th ingredient on the list, so I figured it’s more gentle and doesn’t strip the color out of my hair. Now they told me that baby shampoo was bad for your hair because the pH of it is different then regular shampoos. Because of the different pH it would open your cuticles whereas ‘good’ (more acidic) shampoos would close them. Is this true or myth?
The Left Brain’s reply:
As Purple Rules pointed out in our Forum, the pH of baby shampoos has nothing to do with it’s performance. Shampoos are formulated over a pH range from about 5.0 to 7.0. Most people’s water has a pH around 6.5 to 7.0. No matter what shampoo you use, once it’s on your head mixed with water, the pH will be about the same as the water. The people at your hair shop are mistaken.
What do YOU think? Has your stylist ever told you to change shampoos because of the pH? Leave a comment and share your thoughts about this myth with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.