Here's Why I've Stopped Wearing Skincare Products With Fragrance
Using skincare products with fragrance is a common no-no.
As famed skincare guru Dr. Paul Nassif told us last year, "I'm seeing an overuse of fragrance and dyes used in skincare today. These products aren't necessarily good for the skin, but rather used as a marketing technique to attract consumers."
But when I imagine products with fragrance, I usually think along the lines of Bath & Body Works or the mass-produced items you find in supermarkets and drugstores. I didn't, however, consider anything wrong with products containing light, all-natural fragrance. In fact, I was initially drawn to them.
Unfortunately, especially as I've gotten older, I've become incredibly sensitive to scent. It's weird—there's literally only one perfume I can wear for hours on end without getting overwhelmed or sick of it. Shoutout to Issey Miyake for making female fragrances I've been wearing consistently since college. Anyway! I'm hugely into scents as a whole and have written about them extensively on this site. So, big or small, any and every fragrance piques my interest in some way.
(via Shutterstock)
To reiterate what I noted at the beginning, I know better than to apply products with synthetic fragrance to my face (and I usually avoid the body, too), but when there's a light, all-natural aroma infused in the moisturizer or face oil I'm using, I'm usually into it—that is, until recently.
I was never someone who insisted on fragrance-free products, but what I've noticed more and more (again, maybe it's an age thing—I don't know for sure) is that even the lightest of aromas stick with me throughout the whole day. So, while I have plenty of moisturizers that are some of the most delightfully-scented items in my skincare arsenal, getting an in-your-face whiff of them the entire day becomes overbearing.
It's different than with a perfume or body spray, which you can spritz on the back of your neck or your leg if you don't want to be overpowered. But when something is on your face, it really can't be avoided. I've had to unfortunately retire some of my best-smelling products because they got to be too much for my senses. Going off of that, I'd absolutely recommend using fragrance-free skincare, or at least getting a sample size of a scented item you're considering, to see if your olfactory nerves can tolerate the fragrance longterm.
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