The Truth About Fragrance + What We Use Instead

What Does “Fragrance” Mean on a Label?

We often talk about choosing products with ingredients you know, and fragrance is a very sneaky exception. 

At first glance, it looks like just another word on the list. It’s familiar, simple, and easy to breeze past. But “fragrance” and “parfum” are misleading – they’re not just one, single ingredient. They are actually a legal category that can represent thousands of individual chemical compounds bundled together and sold to brands as a single, proprietary blend.

Under U.S. law, none of those compounds have to be listed! They’re kept under wraps as “trade secrets,” the same kind of protection that keeps a company’s recipe from its competitors. 

So when you see “fragrance” on a label, you’re really seeing one word standing in for a formula the brand isn’t required to disclose. This applies to “clean” and “natural” brands too, since there’s no legal definition tying those claims to fragrance transparency.

Don’t skip the label-reading habit we walk through in our non-toxic swaps guide. 

What Does Research Say About Fragrance?

We’re not about fear-mongering — that’s never been our style. But we do strongly believe that you deserve the full picture so you can make an informed choice for yourself and for your family.

Pause for a quick little (important) etymology lesson: interestingly, the word “perfume” comes from the Latin word per, meaning “through,” and fumus, meaning “smoke.” This is actually really fitting, considering researchers and health advocates have started calling synthetic fragrance the new secondhand smoke.

In the same way that secondhand cigarette smoke affects everyone sharing the air, “secondhand fragrance,” (the chemicals released from air fresheners, candles, laundry products, and everything else people are wearing) means you can be exposed to fragrance chemicals even if you personally choose not to wear any!

The research makes things even more clear. Fragrance is one of the most common causes of allergic contact dermatitis in both Europe and North America. And some fragrance ingredients (like phthalates and synthetic musks) have been studied for their endocrine-disrupting effects. This means they can interfere with the body’s hormone signaling — definitely not something anyone wants!

An EWG analysis found that 72% of products listing “fragrance” as an ingredient also contained phthalates — chemicals linked to:

→ Hormone disruption

→ Fertility and developmental concerns

→ Certain cancers 

A National Academy of Sciences expert panel has also confirmed that at least one common fragrance ingredient, styrene, can cause cancer. This is the same chemical found in cigarette smoke!

What’s really important to note here is that this isn’t about one product. It’s cumulative. It builds up with each step of your day: skincare in the morning, deodorant, a candle burning, laundry detergent, the fragrance in your perfume, your car air freshener — the list goes on and on. And all of it adds up.

The International Fragrance Association keeps a list of over 3,000 materials reported as being used in fragrance compounds, and independent testing has found that individual “fragrance” listings can hide a ton of undisclosed chemicals in just one product.

What is The Difference Between Fragrance-Free and Unscented? And Why Does It Matter?

These two words sound like they’re interchangeable, but from a packaging + labeling perspective, they’re not. 

For the majority of conventional products on the market:

Unscented means an ingredient has been added to mask or neutralize a formula’s natural scent. This means it could still contain fragrance chemicals, which is a common problem (but not anything you ever have to worry about in any unscented Primally Pure products!). 

Many products labeled “unscented” simply have a synthetic masking fragrance added on top of the original fragrance. This disguises the smell without removing it.

Fragrance-free means there’s no fragrance ingredient at all, synthetic or natural.

We know this can feel a little confusing, given that we use “unscented” in the names of some of our own products, like our Unscented Deodorant and Unscented Sun Cream SPF 30. 

So we want to explain how we think about it.

When we use the word “unscented” in our own product names, we mean it in the truest sense — genuinely fragrance-free, with no essential oils and definitely no masking agents. 

Any and all of our unscented products fall into this category. 

There’s something else we want to be really clear about: this doesn’t mean the rest of our products are off limits! Every single product we make is completely free of synthetic fragrance. 

In anything that’s scented, we use only essential oils, never fragrance that’s blended alongside essential oils to fake complexity (this is a greenwashing trick to watch out for!).

Some brands will market a product as “made with essential oils” but still include synthetic fragrance in the same formula. Technically, what they’re saying is true, but it’s very misleading. 

We formulate our essential oils at safe levels and effective ratios where they’re always blended into cold-pressed carrier oils that are gentle and skin-supportive. 

For most people, that’s a lovely bonus. But for a smaller group of people with true fragrance sensitivity, our fragrance-free products are ideal, especially if you’re already navigating sensitive or reactive skin. 

SHOP THIS RITUAL: Unscented Deodorant | Unscented Sun Cream SPF 30

How Do I Know If I Have a Fragrance Sensitivity?

Not sure whether your skin’s redness or irritation is linked to fragrance? Common signs can look like:

→ Redness or flushing right after applying a scented product

→ Itching or stinging within minutes

→ A delayed rash 12-48 hours later

→ Chronic low-grade irritation that improves when you stop using the scented product

But irritation isn’t just about your skin. Fragrance sensitivity can show up around your eyes — think stinging, burning, or puffiness — especially from airborne exposure like a strong scented candle or body wash.

Some people might also notice sneezing or an itchy, irritated nose after being around strong fragrance, even if you don’t touch the product directly.

If you’ve ever walked into a candle store and left with a headache and a scratchy throat, you’re probably sensitive to fragrance.

It’s a good idea to watch out for common triggers like:

→ Synthetic fragrance and parfum

→ Certain essential oils on already-reactive skin (especially citrus and cinnamon)

→ Airborne fragrance from candles or plug-ins

So what’s the most reliable way to find out if your reaction is a fragrance sensitivity? Opt for an elimination approach. Switch to fragrance-free formulas throughout your entire routine for 2-4 weeks (that includes everything you put on or near your body), then reintroduce products one at a time. Watch closely for any reaction.

If you’re navigating sensitive or reactive skin on a more broad scale (that may not specifically be limited to fragrance), our sensitive skin guide offers solutions.  

What Ingredients Should I Avoid If I Have a Fragrance Sensitivity?

Fragrance sensitivity is about so much more than just the word “fragrance.” A handful of other common ingredients (even ones you find in gentle-sounding products!) can also trigger a reaction.

One quick note before we share our list: we use many of these essential oils in our lines, and they are always formulated with the right base of cold-pressed carrier oils to buffer and support the skin, so most skin states do well with them.

The table below is specifically meant for people who are fragrance-sensitive.

SHOP THIS RITUAL: Blue Tansy Collection | Baby Balm | Jelly-to-Milk Cleanser | Soothing Mist | Everything Spray

A Fragrance-Free Ritual for Sensitive Skin

If you think you’re sensitive to fragrance, here’s a gentle place to start:

Step 1

Cleanse with our Jelly-to-Milk Cleanser or Baby Bar. Both are surfactant-free and formulated without any essential oils.

Step 2

Moisturize with Baby Balm. The gentle marshmallow root and calendula-infused base soothes and hydrates without a single fragrance ingredient.

For extra hydration on the lips, reach for Cocoa Lip Balm or Sun Lip Balm SPF 15.

Step 3

Reach for our Unscented Deodorant + Unscented Sun Cream SPF 30 or Unscented Sun Stick SPF 25 to finish up your routine.

If you’re in the mood for a little pop of color and some sensitive-skin friendly makeup, we’ve got you covered with our Sun Serum Tinted SPF 30 and Lip + Cheek Tint SPF 15.

Want to know what makes a sunscreen clean? We break it down here. 

This is such a simple ritual, but it is immensely powerful in how it gives reactive skin everything it needs and nothing that it doesn’t.

Plus, it’s proof that fragrance-free never has to mean compromise.

SHOP THIS RITUAL: Jelly-to-Milk Cleanser | Baby Bar | Baby Balm | Natural Lip Balm| Sun Lip Balm SPF 15 | Unscented Deodorant | Unscented Sun Cream SPF 30 | Unscented Sun Stick SPF 25 | Sun Serum Tinted SPF 30 | Lip + Cheek Tint SPF 15

Why Have We Never Used Fragrance, Even the “Natural” Kind?

“Natural fragrance” sounds reassuring, but unfortunately the term has no regulation behind it. 

A product can be labeled with natural fragrance, when in reality less than 5% of the blend is truly natural and the remaining 95% is made up of synthetic solvents, fixatives, and additives! 

Research shows that some fragrance blends created primarily from essential oils can still be up to 90% solvent and additive — even when the label says otherwise!

Friendly reminder: This is not the case with any Primally Pure products featuring essential oils!

“Fragrance oils” is another term to look out for, too. These are actually created in labs to mimic a natural scent and they usually contain none of the actual plant material at all. 

This will probably surprise you (because it certainly surprised us!): most essential-oil based products aren’t automatically safe. 

Studies that analyze top-selling “green,” natural, and organic fragranced products found they emitted just as many hazardous chemicals as the conventional ones! That’s largely because most essential oils used in mass-market products are extracted or processed using toxic solvents.

This is why sourcing matters so much — as much as ingredient names. Essential oils that are verified organic or wildcrafted and extracted without solvents react completely differently in the body than mass-produced versions of the same oil.

Our rule at Primally Pure has always been to use essential oils only, always named individually, never bundled in one undisclosed word. 

This is our truth across everything we make, and we always source our essential oils with the same care and integrity we bring to every other ingredient we use, including our animal-based, biocompatible ingredients like tallow (and here’s why we love them).

Fragrance chemicals, whether labeled “synthetic” or “natural,” are still one of the most common irritants for compromised or reactive skin, which is why we avoid the entire category and use only named, traceable, and thoughtfully-sourced essential oils instead. 

What About Aromatherapy?

There’s a reason essential oils have been used for thousands of years that goes beyond just that they smell good.

Botanical scent has a proven relationship with the nervous system, both via topical use and inhalation. Research on bergamot essential oil inhalation found it lowered blood pressure and heart rate. This research also showed an increase in markers of parasympathetic (rest-and-repair) nervous system activity, which is the body’s calming counterpart to fight-or-flight.

You can enjoy bergamot throughout our Bergamot + Eucalyptus Collection, formulated with this exact kind of nervous-system-supporting botanical in mind!

Other studies have found that just inhaling essential oils lowers cortisol after just a few minutes of exposure! This ties directly into how stress shows up on your skin in the first place. 

Some aromatic compounds have the ability to:

→ Support a sense of calm

→ Ease tension

→ Gently shift mood

This is the mind-body connection that synthetic fragrance could never replicate! That’s because synthetic fragrance chemicals usually trigger the exact opposite reaction in the body: irritation, inflammation, and (for a lot of people) a stress response.

Fragrance is so much more than purely cosmetic. When it’s done right, sourced properly, and used at the right ratios, scent becomes integral to the ritual of life. 

We have an ancestral relationship with scent and ritual that is worth taking the time to honor. 

SHOP THIS RITUAL: Bergamot + Eucalyptus Collection

Introducing Forest: Our First Layered Deodorant, Made From Essential Oils

We are so excited to introduce Forest, our first complex-scent deodorant, a layered botanical composition rather than a single essential oil. 

It’s something new for us. It’s our first true complex-scent deodorant, crafted the same way a luxury fragrance house might build a signature scent. But the difference with ours is that it’s made entirely from essential oils, with nothing synthetic filling in the gaps.

Curious what’s already in our other deodorant formulas? Here’s what makes them different from any other deodorant you’ll find. 

Forest is inspired by forest bathing, the restorative and deep-breath feeling of standing beneath a canopy of trees after rainfall. It’s expansive and grounding. It’s elevated and luxurious. And it’s not pine-forward, smoky, rugged, or wintery. Think more along the lines of diffused daylight through trees, fresh air, moss and stone.

Trees and plants release aromatic compounds called phytoncides, which are a big part of the natural chemistry that makes a forest feel so alive and calming! Our Forest deodorant recreates that feeling through a layered blend of tree-derived and wildcrafted essential oils: hinoki, cedarwood, kunzea, gurjun balsam, vetiver, and amyris, with a touch of pink peppercorn.

Many “clean” deodorant brands go for synthetic fragrance or “natural fragrance” blends to create this kind of layered, sophisticated scent experience. That’s because building real complexity with essential oils is not easy! 

But Forest is proof that it’s possible. 

SHOP THIS RITUAL: Forest Deodorant

How To Have a Cozy Home Without the Chemicals?

This same essential-oil-only standard extends beyond the body and into your home.

Warm Citrus Spice brings the cozy, cinnamon, and clove warmth of the fall season, without a single drop of synthetic fragrance. Crisp Smoky Woods offers the same familiar and evergreen coziness that we crave in the winter.

Both scent families are built exclusively from essential oils, and you can find these formulas in our candles, hand soaps, and room sprays. Your whole home can smell just as intentional as everything you put on your skin. 

These products are our way of showing you that festive does not have to equal synthetic! Your home deserves to be a place of joy, comfort, and safety from potentially damaging chemicals. 

SHOP THIS RITUAL: Warm Citrus Spice Home Collection | Crisp Smoky Woods Home Collection

From Us, With Full Transparency

We strongly believe that fragrance shouldn’t be a mystery ingredient hiding behind one word on a label. Especially when it’s in many of the products that you’re putting on your body and in your home!

Whether you need something entirely fragrance-free or you’re drawn to the layered scent of Forest, you can trust that every single product we make at Primally Pure is formulated with only real ingredients that are honestly labeled. 

We promise you’ll never find us hiding anything behind the word “fragrance.”

XO

Shop This Article

Jelly-to-Milk Cleanser | Baby Bar | Baby Balm | Unscented Deodorant | Unscented Sun Cream SPF 30 | Unscented Sun Stick SPF 25 | Blue Tansy Collection | Soothing Mist | Everything Spray | Natural Lip Balm | Sun Lip Balm SPF 15 | Sun Serum Tinted SPF 30 | Lip + Cheek Tint SPF 15 | Bergamot + Eucalyptus Collection | Forest Deodorant | Warm Citrus Spice Home Collection | Crisp Smoky Woods Home Collection

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Sources

1. Origin and history of perfume | Etymonline
2. Fragrance in the workplace is the new second-hand smoke | National Toxic Encephalopathy Foundation 
3. Fragrance Allergic Contact Dermatitis | Sage Journals
4. Synthetic Endocrine Disruptors in Fragranced Products | MDPI
5. Teen Girls' Body Burden of Hormone-Altering Cosmetics Chemicals | EWG
6. Phthalate Exposure and Long-Term Epigenomic Consequences: A Review | PubMed Central
7. Expert Panel Confirms that Fragrance Ingredient Can Cause Cancer | EWG
8. Review of the Styrene Assessment in the National Toxicology Program 12th Report on Carcinogens | National Academics
9. 3,163 ingredients hide behind the word "fragrance" | EWG
10. Exposure of eyes to perfume: a double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment | Wiley Online Library
11. Toxicological evaluation of volatile organic compounds emitted from scented candles: in silico ADMET profiling, oxidative stress, inflammation, and lung injury in rats | PubMed Central
12. Aromatherapy Benefits Autonomic Nervous System Regulation for Elementary School Faculty in Taiwan | PubMed Central

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