NoahJenda needs to know…I’ve been looking for a good unscented body wash, and recently decided to try Dove Sensitive Skin Body Wash. The front of the bottle clearly labels it as “unscented” so I decided to buy some. I looked quickly at the ingredients, but didn’t read them closely enough in the store. When I showered with it that night, I noticed that it did not seem to be unscented but had a light, perfumed smell. Checking the ingredients carefully, I was discouraged to see “fragrance” listed. I wrote to Dove and asked them why something labeled as “unscented” had “fragrance” listed among the ingredients. This was their reply: ”In the personal care industry, an unscented product can contain a masking fragrance to mask the aroma of the ingredients.” How does a “masking fragrance” work? My nose tells me it covers up the aroma of the ingredients with its own fragrance. How that can be considered “unscented” seems like a specious argument to me.
The Beauty Brains respond:
What’s the difference between unscented and fragrance free? We were always that it taught like this:
- Unscented is designed to have a neutral scent but the product may contain fragrance.
- Fragrance free, on the other hand, can not contain any compounded fragrances. (In other words, fragrance can not appear on the ingredient list.)
However, it is our understanding that both unscented and fragrance free products can contain “masking agents” which can be a component of a fragrance (an example is ethylene brassylate) or essential oils (such as rose oil or lavender) as long as those additives have are not there for the sole purpose of making the product smell good.
To put it another way, you can have a fragrance free product that smells like roses because it contains rose oil because of its alleged antioxidant properties. But that’s not really a “fragrance.” Confusing? You betcha!
Dove Sensitive Skin Body Wash Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil or Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Sodium Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Lauric Acid, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Sodium Chloride, Stearic Acid, Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate, DMDM Hydantoin, Citric Acid, Fragrance, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Tallow Acid or Palmitic Acid, Sodium Isethionate, BHT, Tetrasodium EDTA, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Methylisothiazolinone, Etidronic Acid, Titanium Dioxide.
Image credit: http://farm3.staticflickr.com/
NoahJenda (that’s a clever screen name!) is looking for a truly fragrance free body wash. If you know of one, help him out by leaving a comment.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Actually, I’m a him – men love the Beauty Brains, too
This week, I’ve been trying Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash, which their web site says is soap-free, dye-free and fragrance-free.
Here’s the ingredients:
Water, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour, Coriandrum Sativum (Coriander) Extract (Fruit & Leaf), Elettaria Cardamomum (Cardamon) Seed Extract, Commiphora Myrrha (Myrrh) Leaf Cell Extract, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch, PEG 20 Glycerides (Almond), Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Tetrasodium EDTA, Glycol Distearate, Polyquaternium 10, Quaternium 15, Myristyl Alcohol, May Contain (+/-):, Citric Acid
It has a bunch of plant extracts that probably don’t really do much, but it doesn’t have any additional fragrances or anything that turns my skin red and blotchy.
So far, it’s working better than the Dove or the Nivea for Men Sensitive Hair & Body Wash, neither of which were fragrance-free or gentle enough.
Hey there!
The Body Shop does have one without any fragrance (so it does have a smell, but from the other ingredients), The Earth Lovers Unfragranced Shower Gel. You can check out the ingredients here: http://thebodyshop.com/bath-body/body-cleansers/earth-lovers-unfragranced-shower-gel.aspx
Paula whoever probably has some because anti fragrance is her religion.
@NJ: Oops, mea culpa. But I still think your screen name is clever!
@AnaA: Thanks for the tip! I’ll check out your suggestion from The Body Shop.
@Rozy: Sounds like you’re no fan of Paula, huh? She does offer an unscented body wash but I’m not sure it’s worth the price. I do like some of her products, though. I use her BHA liquid every day and it’s made a noticeable difference.
@thebeautybrains: No worries about the gender swap. It’s only my skin that’s extra sensitive. Glad you appreciate my screen name – not everyone catches on (it helps if you say it out loud.)
CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser is nice and really fragrance-free. It gets oil off and cleans well but doesn’t irritate my skin.
CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser Ingredients:
Purified Water, Cocamidopropyl Hydrosultaine, Glycerin, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, PEG 150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate (and), PEG 6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Niacinamide, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Ceramide 1, Hyaluronic Acid, Cholesterol, Sodium Chloride, Phytosphingosine, Citric Acid, Edetate Disodium, Dihydrate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum
{ 1 trackback }