Essential oils are only essential for your nose, not your skin. They are one of the two groups of ingredients almost universally added to cosmetics (the other being preservatives) that are often the culprits when our skin becomes irritated or sensitized by a cosmetic product. An article in the January 24, 2000, issue of The Rose Sheet discussed an advisory report issued by the Scientific Committee on Cosmetic Products and Non-Food Products, a European Commission agency. The report stated that “Information regarding fragrance chemicals used in cosmetic products that have the potential to cause allergic reactions should be provided to consumers.” According to the article, “It is seen that a significant increase in fragrance allergy has occurred and that fragrance allergy is the most common cause of contact allergy….”
Concurring with this conclusion is an editorial by Pamela Scheinmann, MD, entitled “The Foul Side of Fragrance-Free Products” (Source: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, December 1999, page 1020). She states that “Products designated as fragrance – free should contain no fragrance chemicals, not even those that have dual functions.” She continues by saying that “hypoallergenic, dermatologist tested, sensitive skin, or dermatologist recommended are no more than meaningless marketing slogans.” A large body of evidence comes to the same conclusion and expresses this same concern.
Lots of women assume that the risk to skin from fragrance in skin-care products applies only to synthetic fragrance “chemicals” and not to fragrant plant extracts and oils. When it comes to the health of your skin this would not be a wise assumption. Regardless of the source, most fragrances, natural or synthetic, can cause problems for skin one way or the other. For example, lavender smells wonderful and it may have some anti-microbial properties, but other than that there is no research showing it has any benefit for skin (Sources: Phytotherapy Research, June 2002, pages 301-308; and Healthnotes Review of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, www. healthwell. com/healthnotes/Herb/). But more importantly, it can be a skin irritant (Source: Contact Dermatitis, August 1999, page 111) and a photosensitizer (Source: Family Practice Notebook, www. fpnotebook. com/DER188.htm). Research also indicates that components of lavender, specifically linalool, can be cytotoxic, meaning that topical application causes skin-cell death (Source: Cell Proliferation, June 2004, pages 221-229).
Essential oils are a group of volatile fluids derived primarily from plants and used in cosmetics primarily as fragrant additives. These components most often include a mix of alcohols, ketones, phenols, linalool, borneol, terpenes, camphor, pinene, acids, ethers, aldehydes, and sulfur, all of which have extremely irritating and sensitizing effects on skin. Even a seemingly benign ingredient like lavender can cause cell death. It’s not that some of these ingredients can’t have benefit. But why choose them when there are so many other plant extracts that don’t have the capacity to irritate skin and provide superior results without any downside?
Why does the cosmetics industry at large continue to add fragrance (synthetic and natural) to products even when there is a lot of information showing it to be a problem for skin? The cosmetics industry knows that, emotionally and psychologically, most women prefer cosmetics that smell nice, even if the consumer says they want to avoid fragrance. When a cosmetics company produces products without fragrance, you will instead get the scent of the ingredients, which are not in the least as appealing as an added sweet, floral, or citrusy fragrance. This is why, in order to kill two marketing birds with one cosmetic stone, companies often list the fragrance components as essential oils or plant extracts rather than listing fragrance or perfume on the label. As lovely as essential oils sound, they are still nothing more than fragrance. So while you don’t see the word “fragrance” on the list, and you may approvingly think wintergreen, lemon, cardamom, ylang-ylang, bergamot, rose, geranium, and many, many other fragrant plant oils sound pleasant and healthy, your skin won’t be happy about it.
(Sources: Chemical Research in Toxicology, January 2008, pages 53-69; British Journal of Dermatology, August 2007, pages 295-300; Contact Dermatitis, July 2007, pages 1-10; Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy, December 2006, pages 349-354; American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, April 2003, pages 789-798; Contact Dermatitis, October 2001, pages 221-225; American Journal of Contact Dermatitis, June 1999, pages 310-315; and September 1998, pages 170-175.)
As for preservatives, they are impossible to avoid in water-based cosmetics because without them our skin-care products would become contaminated with mold, fungus, and bacteria and pose a serious problem for our skin in just a short period of time. However, you can and should stay away from cosmetics, particularly skin-care products, that contain fragrance. It smells nice, but fragrance serves no purpose for skin. Even fragrant ingredients that may also offer a positive benefit are easily replaced with ingredients that can perform the same function without the irritation aspect of the fragrant component. It sounds simple enough to avoid products with fragrance, perfume, or parfum by just reading the ingredient list and then not buying those products. But ingredient lists aren’t always that easy to decipher.
The next time you admire the fragrant quality of a skin-care product you’re about to apply to any part of your body or face, think twice. Similarly, aromatherapy shouldn’t be a skin-care treatment, however therapeutic it is for the sense of smell and emotions. Fragrance might be nice for your spirits, but it is a health risk for skin. And it doesn’t matter if the source of the fragrance is essential oils or plant extracts; as far as the health of your skin is concerned, they are all the same.