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: High cautionDry skin: Use with cautionBabies & kids: Use with cautionEczema-prone: High caution
- Irritation:Milder than SLS but still drying for compromised skin.
The gentler cousin of SLS used in most mainstream shampoos and washes. Its manufacturing can leave trace 1,4-dioxane, which reputable makers strip out — an issue of quality control rather than the ingredient itself.
cooling agent · fragrance
Sensitive skin: High cautionBabies & kids: Use with cautionEczema-prone: High caution
- Irritation:Sensory irritant; the cooling feeling signals nerve stimulation, not soothing.
The cooling molecule from mint. Refreshing on healthy skin but a genuine irritant for reactive, broken or infant 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: Use with caution
- Allergy risk:Named Allergen of the Year 2004; impurities (amidoamine) drive most reactions.
A mild coconut-derived surfactant in countless 'gentle' cleansers. Most allergy is caused by manufacturing impurities, so quality varies by brand.
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 fragrance allergen.
A floral scent molecule with deodorizing properties, on the EU's mandatory allergen declaration list.
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 cautionEczema-prone: Use with caution
- Allergy risk:EU-declarable fragrance allergen.
A rose-type scent component on the EU's mandatory-declaration allergen list.
- 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.
CI 74160Regulatory dataAllergy riskEU CosIng Annex III (declarable / restricted)
