There is a lot of excitement that comes with starting a new skincare routine, whether that involves new products, new steps or even a visit to a laser skin clinic, there’s a bubbly anticipation to trying a new treatment and seeing the bright new results.
However, with skincare products, there are a few ingredients that are added to many common cleansers, creams and lotions that can cause skin irritation and cause problems for your skin in the long term.
Whilst there are different products for different skin types, and most people react to some products better than others, there is one particular warning sign when trying a new product that can cause issues, especially if you have sensitive skin, that you can notice when you smell it.
The Problem With Parfum
Fragrances, also known as perfume or parfum on the list of ingredients, is a collection of different ingredients that are used to scent products. These ingredients can be synthetic or naturally derived and it can be unclear at times which actual products have been included.
What makes this more frustrating is that parfum itself does not legally need to be disclosed beyond that level, which can make it difficult to avoid certain triggers for skin sensitivity in products.
These triggers can manifest in two ways; one is damage to the skin barrier which causes dry, red, itchy skin or breakouts of spots, and the other is dermatitis or eczema.
Typically, the scent ingredients that can cause concern include isoeugenol, linalool, limonene and cinnamal, as well as essential oils that are also used to give skincare products a particular fragrance.
As a result of this opaqueness, many people choose instead to avoid fragrances entirely, which has led to a common rule of thumb for people with sensitive skin. Smell a product, and the nicer it smells, the worse it will be for your skin potentially.
A lot of the conversation surrounding skincare has revolved around the desire for fragrance-free products, to the point that when Rihanna’s Fenty Skin brand launched, whilst it was hailed for using hyaluronic acid, glycerin, niacinamide and other effective, cruelty-free ingredients, it also contained fragrance and that dominated discussions of it.
On the other hand, fragrances are commonly used to mask the more medicinal smells of certain ingredients that can themselves be fairly unpleasant or are used as part of the experience of the product, such as with masks or facial sprays.
As a result, not every product with a fragrance in it is bad, and most fragrances do not cause skin sensitivity.
However, if you are concerned or have experience sensitivity before, do a patch test where you try it behind your ear or the back of your neck for a few days and see if there is a reaction.
Part of the reason for fragrance sensitivity as well as the increased number of products in the average skincare routine, with some people using too many products in general and increasing sensitivity to even trace levels of parfum.
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