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When Unscented Doesn't Mean No Fragrance
  • NoahJenda
    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:

    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.

    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 "masking fragrance" seems no kinder to my skin than the heavy fragrance in cheap body washes like Suave. I still end up with little red blotches on my skin, which fade away in a couple of hours. I see no advantage to the Dove Sensitive Skin Body Wash. It appears to be just another marketing gimmick. 

    If anyone knows of a truly fragrance-free body wash, please pass along your suggestions. 
  • rozy
    Cetaphil the original white one and their restoraderm too and spectro gel i would recommend using the one for dry skin on body. Spectro gel has an odd chemical like smell because they dont use any fragrance at all. At least I'm pretty sure about this but you can check the ingredients to be sure. All of these cleansers can be used on face as well as body.
  • alchemist
    Hmm, I wouldn't have let that claim through.  I wouldn't have thought it was standard practice in industry (although a quick look and it seems P&G do the same.

    Somewhat over simplifying things, mixing fragrance compounds is a bit like mixing colours - you start off with a bunch of things, mix them together and it becomes something totally different.  So it doesn't actually cover up the smell, it changes the way the product smells.  (like adding blue to yellow paint, you get green not blue).

    Ingredients like Benzaldehyde (smells like almonds), p-anisic acid (smells putrid - and also has preservative properties) are often used.


  • Right BrainRight Brain
    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 my 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 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 for its alleged antioxidant properties. But that's not really a "fragrance." 

    Confusing? You betcha!
  • NoahJenda
    Yep, it's pretty confusing to we poor consumers. 

    I'm probably not allergic or highly sensitive to all fragrances in all products. However, it's always a gamble for me to use anything that lists the generic term "fragrance" as an ingredient, because I don't know what it is and if it's likely to cause a problem for me. 

    If a product has a scent because of something like rose or lavender oil, those ingredients are usually listed plainly and are more easily avoided. In my case, I know that lavender oil bothers my skin and I watch out for it. 

    So you've taught me a valuable lesson today: look for the words "fragrance free" on the packaging, and then check the ingredients carefully anyway. Apparently "unscented" doesn't mean what most consumers think it does. 
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