Even Natural Fragrances Can Be Irritating

Mid Brain muses:

There’s a lot of propaganda associated with “natural” beauty care products. It’s a controversial topic for several reasons, not the least of which is that there are no clear scientific or legal definitions of what constitutes “natural.” So basically, any company can call almost any product “natural.” Here at the Beauty Brains we try to separate the science from the hype so you don’t end up paying more for products that don’t provide any extra benefit.

Natural can be good

As we’ve blogged before, we’re all in favor of natural ingredients that are good for the environment or that provide a specific benefit that synthetic ingredients lack. But we strongly disagree with the “synthetic = bad; natural=good” approach that many companies take. 

For example, look at fragrances. The chemical compounds in fragrances smell great but they are notorious for being potential irritants.  Some have proposed the theory that, unlike synthetics, natural fragrances contain antioxidants that prevent skin reactions. And brands like Wisteria, JoAnne Bassett, Blissoma, and Juliet’s Room, offer natural aromatic oils that are pure and solvent free.  So all you have to do is buy these natural fragrances and you’re safe, right? Wrong, at least  according to this study from the University of Gothenburg that shows even natural fragrance compounds can be irritating or sensitizing.  (And if you’re not sure of the difference between the two, read how to tell the difference between irritation and allergic reaction.)

Allergy allegory

Lina Hagvall, a researcher at the University of Gothenburg’s Department of Chemistry, evaluated natural lavender oil and geraniol for their ability to react with skin. Her thesis, with the catchy title of “Formation of Skin Sensitizers from Fragrance Terpenes via Oxidative Activation Routes,” reveals that not only do these natural oils NOT prevent the formation of allergenic substances but they can turn into allergens themselves through autoxidation and reaction with skin enzymes.

Hagvall’s research underscores the importance of understanding how chemicals change as they react on the skin. It also raises the concern that perfumes may be even more likely to be converted into allergens than previously thought. Obviously more studies are needed, but her work has important implications for natural and synthetic fragrances alike. The Beauty Brains salute you, Lina Hagvall of the Göteborg Science Centre for Molecular Skin Research at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden!

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Implying a product is automatically better for you just because it’s natural is irresponsible in our opinion.  Whether the ingredient is natural or synthetic,  its chemistry (not its origin) is what ultimately determines if it will react with your skin or not. We think that the better informed you are  about natural ingredients, the less likely you’ll be to get tricked into buying expensive products that you don’t need.