Fragrance in skincare.

Fragrance is the most frequently listed cause of contact sensitisation from cosmetic products. It is also, by a wide margin, the ingredient most commonly omitted from products described as "clean" or "gentle" — and the most commonly obscured behind vague terms on ingredient labels.

Understanding why it appears so often, and what it actually means for your skin, is useful.

What fragrance is, legally

In most jurisdictions, "fragrance" or "parfum" on an ingredient label is a single entry that can legally represent dozens — sometimes over a hundred — individual chemical components. Manufacturers are not required to disclose the specific compounds that make up a fragrance blend, because those blends are protected as trade secrets.

This matters because several individual fragrance chemicals are well-established sensitisers: linalool, limonene, cinnamal, citral, eugenol, and others appear on the European Union's list of 26 fragrance allergens that must be individually disclosed when present above trace levels. They trigger immune responses in a meaningful proportion of users — some on first contact, others after accumulated exposure over time.

Contact sensitisation is cumulative and irreversible. Once sensitised to a compound, a person may react to it in any product that contains it, at any concentration, for the rest of their life. The skin does not un-sensitise.

Why it appears in so many products

Fragrance serves a commercial purpose that has nothing to do with skin function. A distinctive scent creates an olfactory association with a brand — one of the most reliable mechanisms for emotional attachment and repurchase. It masks the chemical smell of active ingredients. It creates the sensory experience of "freshness" or "luxury" that many consumers interpret as cleanliness or efficacy.

None of these are skin benefits.

Who is most affected

Sensitisation rates are highest among people who use multiple fragrance-containing products daily — which describes most skincare routines. The cumulative exposure from a cleanser, toner, serum, moisturiser, and body lotion — each individually within safety limits — can together exceed the threshold that triggers a sensitisation response.

People with compromised barriers (eczema, rosacea, post-treatment skin, or simply dry skin in cold climates) are at higher risk because the skin's defensive function is already reduced. Fragrance components that would not penetrate intact skin can reach immune cells through a disrupted barrier.

The Lux & Glo position

Every ingredient in the ritual must earn its place. It either strengthens the skin, repairs the barrier, or performs a specific function the formula requires. Fragrance does not do any of these things. It adds a risk — however small for most users — without adding any function.

This is not a marketing decision. It is a formulation principle: we do not include ingredients that have no functional role and carry a known risk, however infrequent that risk is.

The ritual is fragrance-free. That is not a compromise. It is the point.