Skincare is essential, but not everyone wants something heavily scented. In fact, some people find that scented products trigger issues like migraines and asthma. That said, it’s important to understand the difference between unscented and fragrance-free products, so you know exactly what you’re putting on your skin. Let’s break it down.

Contrary to popular belief, unscented does not necessarily mean that there are no “fragrance” altering chemicals within the product. Unscented denotes no scent associated with the product, which sometimes involves specific chemicals to remove any unpleasant odors due to other ingredients. This is an important distinction for people who are sensitive to fragrance chemicals. The truth is that every component of bath and body products, whether natural or synthetic, has a scent, and those need to be neutralized with odor-eliminating additives for the product to be considered “unscented.” One such additive is called phthalate. This chemical is used in plastic to make it more pliable, but it is also often used within skincare products to mask strong odors. Phthalates have been proven to disrupt the natural production of hormones, which can wreak havoc on people of all ages and skin types.

Fragrance-free, however, denotes that no fragrance chemicals have been added to alter the scent of the product. There are many “fragrance-free” products that have been found to contain fragrance-altering compounds. Even if it doesn’t contain a chemical to alter the scent, these products will still have a scent due to the ingredients used. For instance, shea butter products are often labeled fragrance free even though they smell distinctly of shea butter. Thankfully, shea butter is a naturally pleasant smell, but that doesn’t change the fact that a strong odor exists.

Still, just putting this on a label doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true in essence. It’s important to note at this point that neither “fragrance-free” nor “unscented” are legally defined terms, which means that companies are not bound by legal definitions when labeling their products. Due to this, it’s imperative to pinpoint which chemicals and compounds trigger any health issues in the user and carefully check every label. While some heavily scented items are easy to discern, when using products in the realms of unscented and fragrance-free, diligent research will pay off.

Now that you know the difference, why not consider looking into all-natural products instead? While these will often be scented, so long as the specific ingredients don’t trigger a sensitivity, they are your best bet for bath and body products that don’t cause secondary issues. While “all-natural” is a loose legal definition, it does have some classifications. These include items that do not have any artificial ingredients or only undergo a minimal process before being added to a product.