THE EFFECT OF FRAGRANCES IN SKINCARE PRODUCTS

THE EFFECT OF FRAGRANCES IN SKINCARE PRODUCTS


WHAT'S WRONG WITH PERFUMES IN SKINCARE?

Many of us like when our skincare products smell good - it adds to the experience and can have certain psychological effects on us. However, it is important that you know exactly what you're putting on your skin. Some perfumes can be dangerous or cause allergies, acne or other external and internal issues.

WHAT ARE SKINCARE FRAGRANCES MADE OF?

 Perfume is made from natural land/or synthetic fragrances. Natural fragrances are obtained from plant sources and are much more expensive than synthetic ones. These are of petrochemical origin and are made in a factory. Synthetic fragrances can obtain very harmful substances such as nitrobenzene, benzaldehyde or phenol.

Both natura land synthetic fragrances can cause an allergic reaction Essential oils also contain allergens, but the chance of a reaction is much lower. Especially if the oils are of a pure (organic) quality. In some cases, they have such a strong therapeutic effect on the skin, that it outweighs the risk of an allergic reaction.

ALLERGIES AND FRAGRANCE

Among the substances in skincare that you should avoid, perfumes are not always mentioned immediately. While synthetic perfumes are the number 1 cause of allergic skin reactions, and more than one in four adults has a skin allergy.

A (contact) skin allergy is caused by exposing the skin to an allergenic substance. If you come into contact with a certain amount of this substance often enough, your skin can give an allergic reaction from one moment to the next. This allergy is chronic and the skin can no longer tolerate anything that contains this substance. Preventing a perfume allergy is therefore very important.

PERFUME IN YOUR SKIN

Perfume residues remain in the upper layers of the skin. If you put products on your skin that contain perfume every day, your skin is full of residues of these substances. The annoying thing about these substances is that, in addition to the risk of a contact allergy, they are often phototoxic.

This means that they react under the influence of (sun)light and will inflame the skin. You probably know the summer tip, not to sit in the sun with perfume on, because it gives dark spots. Perfumes can thus promote (hyper)pigmentation. But also bumps, itching, and burning can be a reaction of perfumes in the sun. A phototoxic reaction is not always so pronounced that it is clearly visible on the skin but always leads to skin damage and skin aging.

CAN FRAGRANCE IN SKINCARE CAUSE ACNE?

Of course! Too much synthetic perfumes can build up, clogging pores and increasing irritation to the skin and acne breakouts. This is especially prevalent if you have sensitive skin or know you are allergic to other synthetic ingredients used in skincare.

ARE SKIN PRODUCTS WITH PERFUMES SAFE FOR PREGNANCY?

This depends. In many cases, it is good to avoid synthetic perfumes during pregnancy. An article published by Harvard Medical School states that a synthetic chemical used in fragrances and plastic packaging named 'phthalates' should try to be avoided as much as possible - being too exposed to this chemical can cause developmental and learning difficulties for your child in the future.

It is much better to use products which use essential oils as perfume, in comparison to these harmful unnatural chemicals.

To find out more about how to take care of your skin when you're expecting, read our other blog on Pregnancy Skin.

HOW TO IDENTIFY FRAGRANCE IN SKINCARE

Unfortunately, perfume – also called ‘fragrance’ or ‘perfume’ – is not easily found on the ingredient list of a product. Only ‘perfume’ is sufficient to keep the secret of the scent, so you don’t know whether it is natural or synthetic. Are you in doubt? Ask the manufacturer of the product and he will always be able to answer you. However, if you stop using (synthetically) perfumed products for a while, you will soon be able to smell whether something is perfumed or not. You experience the smell so strongly that you usually find it too intense and not so nice.

WITLOF USES NATURAL ESSENTIAL OILS

...no, not in that way.

At Witlof Skincare, we believe in using science to make our products best for your skin. When it comes to making our products fragrant, using organic quality essential oils and natural floral waters is much, much better for you than if we used synthetic fragrances.

Our other products have no added fragrance and simply smell like the ingredients in them, such as rosehip seed or hazelnut oil.

Would you like to know more about perfumes in skincare, or receive an extensive list of inci–names of specific allergens? Email us at hello@witlofskincare.com and receive the information that is relevant for your skin, or schedule a free online skin consultation with Caroline.