Fragrance-Free Makeup
Miche Klammer
6 minute read
Omiana's natural cosmetics are always fragrance-free: our customers have reactive, sensitive skin and/or are incredibly ingredient-smart and health-conscious; they do not want synthetic fragrances. Fragrance, also know as perfume, parfum, essential oil blends, and by other names, potentially, is known to contain noxious allergens and irritants and is especially concerning for those with skin conditions such as eczema, rosacea, during pregnancy - the list goes on!
Fragrance-free makeup & skincare brands
Here's the thing: formulations can be without fragrance but still be formulated with plenty of no-go, toxic ingredients. On the other hand, some super pure, clean formulas can still contain fragrance, whether they disclose it or not! Be sure you dissect every ingredient deck carefully and that you do your due diligence on the company (as fragrance is not always disclosed - we'll elaborate below). Beyond that, be sure you are shopping brands that fully disclose every last ingredient. Read this snippet, straight from the Federal Department of Agricultural's site:
Even some products labeled “unscented” may contain fragrance ingredients. This is because the manufacturer may add just enough fragrance to mask the unpleasant smell of other ingredients, without giving the product a noticeable scent. [source]
Did you register that? Even some products that don't put off a fragrant smell might have fragrance - just to mask the otherwise off-putting smell that would have arisen from the formula!
Why do so many products contain fragrance?
Other than masking a formula's original smell, people and companies know that scent has a strong tie-in to memory development and good smells make for good associations; for example, have you ever smelled something and it triggered a memory? Have you ever caught whiff of someone who smells amazing and - inadvertently, perhaps - awarded them some bonus points on the attraction front? There's a psychology underlying good smells.
While the individual constituents of a fragrance might not concern someone or bother them, safety hazards can exist, and that's typically enough in of itself to make our savvy customers say No. Thank. You. Phthalates, for example, can be within fragrance. Musks, in natural form, are secretions from animals; when synthetic, like many synthetic fragrance ingredients, they're likely endocrine disruptors. The list goes on yet again!
One other warning point: cosmetics companies can register sets of ingredients to get "trade secret" status. This is a way to offer umbrella protection coverage to a portion of a formula and not have to disclose it to the public. Fragrance can very well fall into a trade secret and not make its way to the ingredient label. Shopping cosmetics, in-store or online, is no small task. Ca′veat emp′tor!
Fragrance-free beauty products can still smell
You read that right, and, when you think about it, it's only common sense:
Your nose and sensory systems perceive an aroma from everything. Your skin, your hair, the fruit at the back of your fridge, the almond flour in the pantry . . . good skincare and makeup formulas are no exception. They can contain antioxidant-rich ingredients that may impart aroma; oils that certainly carry their unique aromas; and essential oils and extracts that provide natural preservation properties and impart aroma. Another caveat, though, is to understand that anyone can be sensitive to anything: even a straight-up non-toxic rated ingredient can make one person react but be pure perfection for another. Something you didn't react to last year might be a huge catalyst for you now; our bodies are dynamic, ever-changing, and sometimes we develop tolerance cut-offs in this toxic-laden world.
Main takeaways
- Fragrance can be in toxic formulas as well as those regarded as "clean";
- just because a formula does not have fragrance does not mean it's inherently "clean," either;
- products that don't put off a fragrance can still have fragrance: sometimes it's in a formula to counteract an off-putting formula smell;
- formulas can appear fragrance-free yet have trade secret status, wherein the fragrance didn't have to be disclosed since a part of the "trade secret";
- even without synthetic fragrance, formulas will have an aroma.
Omiana does not use synthetic fragrances. Naturally, ingredients mixed together will emit an aroma: click here to view the products that emit the least amount of aroma. Our customers who are most sensitive to any-and-every smell love Omiana's pure choices!
