More and more sensitive skins find that they can no longer use skin care products containing fragrances. For a long time, fragrances have always been criticized as bad ingredients. Then our problem is, fragrances are really harmful to the skin or body. Is there any harm? Should we steer clear of fragranced products?
Flavor can be divided into three categories according to use: daily flavor, edible flavor and flavor for other purposes.
Natural spice is a mixture of spice, which represents the aroma of this species of animals and plants, and can be directly used in flavored products. market demand. Natural animal and plant spices are generally more expensive. If they are directly used in flavored products, the cost is high and the market is unacceptable. In addition, some aromatic components of aromatic plants are destroyed or lost in the process of processing and market circulation. Compared with the original aromatic plants, there is some damage. So usually natural flavors are not used directly in flavored products.
Artificially synthesized synthetic fragrances have many varieties, large output and low cost, which make up for the deficiencies of natural fragrances and increase the source of aromatic substances. However, synthetic fragrances are monomeric fragrances with relatively single aroma and cannot be directly used in perfuming products. middle.
In order to have the aroma or aroma of a certain natural animal or plant, it must go through the aromatizing process to make it reach or close to the aroma or aroma of a natural animal and plant, and be used in the aromatized product. Fragrance is the process of blending several or even dozens of spices in a certain proportion into a blended spice with a certain aroma or flavor and a certain purpose. This blended spice is called an essence.
(Daily) Flavor is a general term for daily chemical flavors and fragrances. It is not a single ingredient, but is usually a combination of multiple undisclosed ingredients. The U.S. EWG agency considers it to be a high-risk ingredient, mainly because flavors and fragrances are one of the most important allergens in cosmetics, with thousands of varieties, and regulations allow their ingredients not to be disclosed. The accumulated use of inferior and cheap fragrances for a long time has potential risks to skin and human health, but the degree of harm depends on the grades of fragrances, the added content, and the individual differences of the human body.
Fragrances are themselves mixtures, made up of synthetic (mostly) or natural (minor or no) flavors. These spices themselves are all kinds of chemical components, some of which are the main allergens as spices, and even cause cancer. 1 in 50 people have a compromised immune system and then allergic to fragrances. This situation is more common in women's cosmetics and skin care products. Flavor is just a general term for a variety of chemical substances, and the specific classification is very complex.
A chemical substance in flavors: phthalates, which can affect reproduction and affect the development of young children when they are exploded. Synthetic Musk: It affects the secretion of male hormones and progesterone, thereby affecting hormones; it may also increase the reproduction of breast cancer cells. Harm of neurotoxins: damage to the central nervous system, causing birth defects, triggering Alzheimer's disease, inducing cancer, etc.
The International Fragrance Association (IFRA), established in 1973, stipulates which fragrance raw materials are safe in flavors, and has also formulated a series of standards, stipulating that some daily fragrances are prohibited and restricted. Therefore, the flavors that meet the IFRA standard can be considered to meet the high standards of safety requirements. But IFRA is not a mandatory standard, just a recommendation, so not every company in every country follows this rule. Because if you abide by this rule, the cost of fragrance will increase, but at the same time, various effects such as fragrance retention may not be so good. This is a thankless thing, so generally large companies take the initiative to comply, and EU regulations seem to be the same for cosmetics. have this requirement.
The European Union has announced 26 flavor allergens: amyl cinnamaldehyde, anise alcohol, benzyl alcohol, benzyl cinnamate, cinnamyl alcohol, farnesol, citral, lilac aldehyde, clove fragrance, linalool, hydroxy incense malaldehyde, benzyl benzoate, isobutyrin, citronellol, amyl cinnamaldehyde, benzyl cinnamaldehyde, benzyl salicylate, limonene, cinnamaldehyde, methyl caprylate, coumarin, isomethyl Generic rolandone, geraniol, quercus chinensis extract, cinnabar aldehyde, tree moss extract. That is to say, according to EU standards, if the content of the above spices in the product exceeds a certain concentration, these allergen spices need to be marked in the ingredient list, so that consumers can judge potential risks and avoid potential problems.
The meaning of "fragrance" in skin care products
The main function of essence in cosmetics is to cover the odor of raw materials and give the product a pleasant sensory experience. Since many cosmetic raw materials have some unique odors, it will be difficult for consumers to accept them if they are not covered by fragrances. In addition, good fragrances can also give people a more pleasant psychological enjoyment. Therefore, the fragrances of high-end brand products generally smell more comfortable, while some low-end products smell no matter what they smell at the beginning ( Top fragrance), and the last fragrance left on the skin, will be a little worse than high-end products. This is normal. High-end products are usually better and more expensive, and brands are willing to spend more money on flavors.
A good fragrance can not only give people a good sense of enjoyment, but also give people psychological hints, which can completely change their views on a product. Many years ago, the company I worked for developed a repairing moisturizing cream. In the test, 1 formula used 2 different fragrances to distribute to the subjects, (that is, 2 moisturizing creams, except for the different fragrances, the formula is Exactly the same), after 200+ consumers' BPT (blind test of the product, not telling the brand), it was found that the overall score of using one of the flavors is very high, that is, everyone thinks it is better. The scores for different fragrances using the same formula were very low. In fact, this result is not unexpected, but what is interesting is that people who choose to think that the fragrance is good also think that the moisturizing performance, soothing performance, smearability and other indicators of this product are much better than those of products using another fragrance. But they didn't know they were using the same formula, just the fragrance was different. Therefore, it is precisely because of this fragrance that consumers' evaluation of the entire product has changed, even in terms of smearing and efficacy that have nothing to do with fragrance. The reason why I tell this little story is to show that the choice of flavor in product development is very important. Also when you choose a product, from the moment you open the bottle cap, the fragrance has an impact on you, and this fragrance will affect your use of the entire product and even the efficacy you feel. But you may not know it.
How are essential oils in skin care products different?
Essential oil skin care originated in France and emerged in Europe, and has become more and more popular in recent years. In aromatherapy skin care products, there is no need to add daily fragrances, because essential oils themselves have a pleasant fragrance if they are properly configured. In addition to improving the smell of skin care products, essential oils are more important in aromatherapy. Exist, such as whitening, lightening, anti-allergic, repairing, anti-inflammatory, lightening scars, etc.
Going back to the beginning of the article, essential oil is a natural fragrance. Due to various constraints such as cost, stability and output, it will not be widely used to replace traditional daily chemical fragrances. Therefore, we will see French brands that focus on natural skin care. In addition to adding essential oils (which must be in trace amounts, due to IFRA regulations), fragrances must be added (even in large quantities for aroma dominance).
For aromatherapists, essential oils are functional ingredients, followed by "essences". Its concentration is far incomparable to traditional daily chemicals, so the cost will not be low, and it is undoubtedly a high-end skin care product. So pure essential oil skin care products, will it be a new choice for sensitive skin to achieve scented skin care products? The answer is yes. Professional and rigorous aromatherapy skin care brands, regardless of their popularity, will actively comply with EU regulations and use IFRA-compliant fragrance varieties. Not only do they need to formulate products with zero irritation for sensitive skin, but also the products will have the physiological effect of anti-allergy repair. As well as the calming and calming psychological effect (which is derived from the aroma).
Flavor is a widely used raw material for cosmetics, giving cosmetics a special smell, making the product smell pleasant and comfortable, and improving the experience of product use. But why are more and more cosmetics on the market advertised as "fragrance-free" and "fragrance-free"?
