Fragrance Free Body Products?

Peri

I've had updated patch testing for ACD. My first testing was 8 years ago and I suspected new allergies, as was confirmed. Yuck! I now have to avoid all fragrance and that is not easy in body products.

It's a long shot to ask, because if you don't deal with this there is no reason you'd have to know about it. But, if you have any recommendations for hand soap, body powder, antiperspirant or hair styling mousse that are labeled "Fragrance Free", please let me know. I'll take it from there to fine tune for other allergies.

Note: Unscented isn't good enough. Very many "unscented" products contain masking fragrances to neutralize the scent of other ingredients, but it's still fragrance.

3 weeks ago

Off Topic

15 replies

Latest reply was from DonnaF

avicennia

Veteran

I have a problem with chemical fragrances and was recently given a disability at work. My problem may not be as severe as yours, as essential oils don’t usually bother me, but chemical fragrances certainly do. So I can use Weleda and Dr Haushka body wash, creams and cleansers which have essential oils. I use salt deodorant, which I realize is not an antiperspirant. I don’t need hairsprays or gels. I have found a variety of shampoos with essential oils but no chemical fragrance in Whole Foods or similar stores. If you can’t do even essential oils, try Desert Essence fragrance-free hair products.

3 weeks ago

Kate

Veteran

Ivory soap, if you can find the original formula. Dove is fragrance free. In both cases, I'm speaking only of the bar soap, which is what I use. I don't know whether their liquid soaps are fragrance free.

I use Dry Idea antiperspirant unscented, but I don't know of one that is actually fragrance free.

Good luck with finding any kind of hair product without fragrance. That one's tough to find. My go-to fragrance free hairspray has recently decided to add 'natural fragrance.' Ugh. Back to the drawing board.

As someone whose chronic migraines are often triggered by scents, I'd love it if all household and especially beauty products were fragrance free. For the chemically sensitive, it can be a hard world to navigate.

3 weeks ago

cat2

Veteran

Have you looked at the Philosophy Purity Made Simple products? I am
not sure whether they meet your requirements. They are the products I switched to when work wanted us to stop wearing fragrances to accommodate allergies.

2 weeks ago

Runcarla

Veteran

I sneeze when exposed to perfumes or other heavily scented environments, but don’t believe I have any true allergies. I did grow up with two family members who had severe allergies and would become genuinely sick if exposed to scent.

I’m always on the lookout for fragrance free products. Currently using Dove, Cetaphil and Cereve that are all fragrance free. Recently it’s been harder to find fragrance free Epsom salts in regular retail - so I buy it in big bulk bags at a whole foods store. It seems scented items are being sneaked into everything. Collaborations between some of my favourite, previously unscented products and Febreeze is driving me crazy! I have to be extra vigilant to make sure I select the unscented versions when shopping.

Good luck!

2 weeks ago

Peri

Veteran

avicenna, thanks for the suggestions, but essential oils are most definitely out. Besides just "fragrance" I tested positive to the group called Balsam of Peru, which is a mega-confusing umbrella group that contains many botanicals as well as weird things I've never heard of like Cinnamyl cinnamate and Benzyl benzoate among many others. Best to avoid anything botanical for now.

Kate, yep, your unscented Dry Idea contains fragrance, one of those masking uses. I do use the Dove bar soap and I have hair and skin care covered with the brands Cleure and Vanicream except for mousse and hairspray. For now, Tresemme fragrance free hairspray is on my "safe list" and I'll be trying it and hoping it is good. If your problem with fragrance is the actual smell, not allergic dermatitis from it touching your skin, try this:
https://www.ulta.com/p/max-hol.....ku=2601129 . It is one of those products with masking fragrance but I really don't smell anything. They call it neutral and for once I agree. I am really disappointed to have to quit it.

cat2, I looked at the Philosophy products you mentioned but they are full of botanical scent ingredients so they are out for me under the Balsam of Peru group that I referred to replying to avicenna.

Thanks for trying to help, folks, I knew it was a super long shot. I was just hoping maybe someone here had already been through it. I was used to navigating my first set of allergies, but this new stuff is a real tangle.

2 weeks ago

Peri

Veteran

Runcarla, thanks. Ugh, Febreeze is the worst. It contains a preservative that is in my first set of allergens that can even cause skin problems airborne.

I don't like smelling fragrances, but I don't get sick in the way you are referring to with your family. I get skin rashes when I touch or put something on my skin that contain an ever growing (it appears) list of contact allergens. Two groups of preservatives, gold, and now fragrance in general and the multitude of weirdness that is "Balsam of Peru."

2 weeks ago

avicennia

Veteran

Have you looked into Desert Essence? Their fragrance free shampoo uses neither fragrance nor essential oils.

2 weeks ago

Peri

Veteran

Thanks avicenna. I have shampoo and conditioner covered for now with the Cleure brand but I'll keep that brand in mind. It's a good source for things like jojoba and I've seen them in whole foods.

2 weeks ago

Laurie

Veteran

Hi - the Trader Joe's Hand & Body Cream that I use is labeled Fragrance Free. They likely have other similar products.

2 weeks ago

Peri

Veteran

Laurie, do you mean the Hyaluronic Body Gel Cream? That's the only moisturizer on their website that I can find. And so close....but beeswax, another BOP cross-reacting product.

So, folks, I don't mean to be difficult, but I am totally difficult! This is just a difficult thing. Could be very much worse for sure as far as health issues go...a PITA but the operative word is, I can live with it.

2 weeks ago

Runcarla

Veteran

Hey, Peri - this is a good thread. I’ve been doing okay with fragrance free body products, but was flummoxed by hair care. Now I’ve got a couple of brands to suss out thanks to you, and avicennia.

2 weeks ago

Laurie

Veteran

This one- Trader Joes Hand and Body Cream

WATER (AQUA), CARTHAMUS TINCTORIUS (SAFFLOWER) SEED OIL, GLYCERYL STEARATE SE, STEARIC ACID, ISOHEXADECANE, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, GLYCERIN, CETYL ALCOHOL, PHENOXYETHANOL, PROPANEDIOL, ARGANIA SPINOSA KERNEL OIL, SODIUM BENZOATE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, XANTHAN GUM, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA) BUTTER, DISODIUM EDTA, CITRUS LIMON (LEMON) PEEL OIL, SALVIA SCLAREA (CLARY) OIL, AVENA SATIVA (OAT) KERNEL OIL, BISABOLOL, DAUCUS CAROTA SATIVA (CARROT) SEED OIL, PERSEA GRATISSIMA (AVOCADO) OIL, SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL, SQUALANE, THEOBROMA CACAO (COCOA) EXTRACT, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, CITRIC ACID.

2 weeks ago

April

Veteran

Peri, what kind of hair products do you use? CurlMix has fragrance-free products.

Also, if you're willing to move from anti-perspirant to deodorant, check out No Pong, an Australian brand who carries fragrance-free formulas. Their fragrances look like they're all essential oils, if that helps.

No Pong also has a couple formulas that are baking soda-free, in case you get ph burns from baking soda.

2 weeks ago

Peri

Veteran

Hi April, I haven't heard of CurlMix but I will check it out. Maybe I can give up on mousse and see if my wilted curls of past years will revive.

Big no to essential oils, they count as fragrances and are all the way off the table under BOP allergy. BOP is so weird I can't even begin to explain it! I did find an Almay fragrance free anti-perspirant on my safe list I'm going to try.

Thanks!

2 weeks ago

DonnaF

Veteran

I use Cetaphil and Cerave facial cleansers for both face and body; I think they're the gentle skin versions. Also use Crystal deodorant and Pantene combo shampoo and conditioner. I finally figured out that the body wash from a motel was giving me a bad armpit rash. In addition to stopping use, I had to rub on cortisone cream for a few days.

Thank you for pointing out the difference between "unscented" and "fragrance free". I think so far unscented works for me, but of course that could change in the future,

1 week ago

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