Are Fragrances in Lotion Bad
Lately I’ve been noticing lotions being marketed as without fragrance. Is there something harmful in fragrances that can damage skin? Is it something that affects only some people with allergies or sensitive skin? Or do some people just don’t like the smell and I’m overthinking this?
Answers ( 1 )
It's not so much that fragrances are bad, it's that they've been carried way too far. Many people are allergic to fragrance, and with so many products containing fragrances, boosting fragrances, and filling so many products with fragrances that it's created a situation of people not being able to use products because of sensitivities.
Now, I've been sensitive to fragrances since the late 1980s, and over time have had to stop using a number of products because of "new" added fragrances, all products that I'd used before, but then they added more and more fragrance - hand lotions, shampoos, dish detergents, cleaners, fragrance diffusers, and particularly laundry detergent -- one of the bigger problems for people since the fragrance saturates clothing, undergarments, sheets, towels, and anything that touches your body. What came to be in our society is everything started carrying fragrance and we became inundated with scents.
I've been using fragrance-free detergents and all products for two decades now, and I'm grateful to have the fragrance-free. I've had to leave hotels because of scented sheets, I've had to leave stores because of bold fragrances, I can't buy magazines because of ads for fragrances, I can't visit friends or socialize with people who wear fragrances, and especially dealing with co-workers who wear colognes and after-shave. It's a horrendous situation when you are sensitive because the fragrances are all around.
So, while the fragrances are nice, they are always present in the air and they affect people in different ways. For me, it burns my eyes and skin, and with extended exposure gives a horrific skin rash. So, yes, that's a problem, and I am not alone by any means. Back about a decade ago the city of San Francisco initiated a ban on fragrances in workplaces, so did the city of Detroit, and other cities.
To note also, this also includes the issues of VOCs, Volatile Organic Compounds, the strong chemical odors found in new carpeting, new furnishings, and in house paints. We now have house paints with low- or no-VOCs. Those chemicals, among them formaldehyde, make people sick, make them very sick, including neurological disorders, skin rashes, eye and nose inflammation and even hair loss. I had friends who kept exotic birds, and they were warned not to get carpeting that had any kind of odor, it would kill the birds. And I had to leave a job at a major software company because they were replacing carpet and painting all the buildings. It's no joke, fragrances included, the VOCs affect our skin, eyes, hair and respiratory system. Fragrances can be considered chemicals, so they can be a problem. They may not be "bad," but they can definitely cause issues for many people.
https://helloallergies.com/blogs/news/did-you-know-there-s-a-fragrance-free-movement