Ingredients with a documented concern, from official datasets and our reviewed database.
Sensitive skin: Best avoidedPregnancy: Use with cautionBabies & kids: Best avoidedEczema-prone: Best avoided
- Allergy risk:Fragrance is the single most common cause of cosmetic contact allergy.
- Irritation:Frequent trigger of stinging and redness on reactive skin.
Caredermis curated dermatological review
An umbrella term that can hide dozens of undisclosed scent chemicals. Fragrance is the leading cause of allergic contact dermatitis from cosmetics, and dermatologists routinely advise fragrance-free products for eczema, babies and sensitive skin.
surfactant · foaming agent
Sensitive skin: Best avoidedDry skin: Best avoidedBabies & kids: Use with cautionEczema-prone: Best avoided
- Irritation:The reference irritant used in dermatology research; strips barrier lipids.
Caredermis curated dermatological review
A powerful foaming cleanser so reliably irritating that dermatology studies use it as the standard positive control for skin irritation. Fine for many in rinse-off use, but a poor match for dry, sensitive or eczema-prone skin.
Sensitive skin: Use with cautionEczema-prone: High caution
- Allergy risk:EU-declarable allergen; oxidation products are potent sensitizers.
The citrus-peel scent molecule. Like linalool, it becomes allergenic mainly after oxidizing in opened products.
Sensitive skin: Use with cautionEczema-prone: High caution
- Allergy risk:EU-declarable allergen; oxidized linalool is a common patch-test positive.
A floral scent molecule found in lavender and many essential oils. It oxidizes on air exposure into strongly sensitizing compounds, which is why it must be declared on EU labels.
Sensitive skin: Use with cautionEczema-prone: High caution
- Allergy risk:EU-declarable allergen; lemon-scented sensitizer.
The lemon-scent molecule in lemongrass and citrus oils, a recognized contact allergen requiring EU label declaration.
Sensitive skin: Use with cautionEczema-prone: High caution
- Allergy risk:EU-declarable allergen with well-documented sensitization.
A rose/geranium scent molecule and one of the more frequently positive fragrance allergens in patch testing.
Sensitive skin: Use with caution
- Allergy risk:EU-declarable fragrance allergen.
A common jasmine-scented ingredient in fine fragrance and skincare, declared as an allergen on EU labels.
Sensitive skin: Use with cautionEczema-prone: Use with caution
- Allergy risk:EU-declarable allergen found in tonka bean and many perfumes.
A sweet hay-scented molecule requiring EU allergen declaration; a regular positive in fragrance patch-test series.
Sensitive skin: Use with caution
- Allergy risk:EU-declarable fragrance allergen.
A fragrance solvent and fixative that must be declared on EU labels as a potential allergen.
Sensitive skin: Use with cautionEczema-prone: Use with caution
- Allergy risk:EU-declarable fragrance allergen.
A rose-type scent component on the EU's mandatory-declaration allergen list.
Sensitive skin: Use with cautionBabies & kids: Use with cautionEczema-prone: Use with caution
- Irritation:Milder than glycolic; still increases photosensitivity.
A gentler AHA that exfoliates and hydrates simultaneously; the usual pick for drier or more reactive skin starting acids.
- Irritation:Occasional transient stinging or redness on sensitive skin.
A mild food-grade preservative usually paired with sodium benzoate; well tolerated by most skin types.
preservative booster · skin conditioning
- Irritation:Documented occasional contact allergy and eye irritation.
A preservative booster often paired with phenoxyethanol; low-risk overall with rare reports of contact allergy.
- Irritation:Can cause transient, non-allergic flushing/stinging on reactive skin.
A food-grade preservative generally regarded as one of the gentler options; occasional non-immune stinging is its main drawback.
