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- What Happened When a Self-Proclaimed Scent Lover Tried a Fragrance-Free Skin-Care Routine
True life: I’m a fragrance fiend and always have been one. I’m not sure if it’s a middle-school pastime to blame (looking at you, Warm Vanilla Sugar by The Body Shop), or the ASMR-like satisfaction of applying a delicious-smelling lip-balm, I’ve just always been a fan of things that make me smell good — I mean, who isn’t?
But I’ve also always had a part of me that’s not been so into my fragrance-obsession, read: my sensitive skin. That’s right, my eczema-prone combination skin has suffered throughout the years because I’ve always put it through the ringer by testing fragranced products — and that was well before I gained my beauty editor title. After years of experimenting and reaping the not-so-awesome irritated skin rewards, I decided to finally give my sensitive skin a much-needed break by trying a full-on fragrance-free skin-care routine. For one week, I used only a non-scented cleanser, moisturizer, serum and exfoliator. Here’s how it went down.
To Cleanse…
CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser for Normal to Oily Skin
To begin my fragrance-free journey, I started by swapping out my usual scented cleanser (the yummy-smelling Kiehl’s Calendula Foaming Facial Cleanser) for a much milder, scent-free one: the Foaming Facial Cleanser by CeraVe. This clear, gel like cleanser is built to mattify oily skin without stripping it, and it lathers up into a nice foam when you apply it. I’ll admit, it was a bit of a jarring experience at first to watch the consistency of this cleanser bubble up before my eyes without the faintest scent hitting my nose, but once I got used to it after a few washes, I barely even noticed it.
To Moisturize…
Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream
For my fragrance-free moisturizer, I traded in my Coconut Water Cream by First-Aid Beauty for the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream. Once I used this for the first time, I was actually pretty hooked, thanks to its gel-like consistency that’s similar to my usual go-to (minus the coconut scent). Plus, it felt extremely lightweight and seemed to absorb quickly. This Gel Cream easily became one of my favorite products in this fragrance-free experiment because it gave me the moisturizer texture I craved, plus a totally replenishing feeling post-application.
To Plump with Hydration..
L’Oréal Paris Derm Intensives 1.5% Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Incorporating a fragrance-free serum into my new routine was probably the easiest switch because I tend to gravitate towards non-scented serums anyway. For this part, I chose the L’Oréal Paris Derm Intensives 1.5% Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum, which works to hydrate, plump and reduce the appearance of wrinkles — sans fragrance, of course. After consistent use of the formula, I noticed that my skin felt softer, appeared smoother and more hydrated.
To Exfoliate…
Necessaire The Body Exfoliator
The hardest swap to make in my new skin-care regimen was finding a non-scented exfoliator to use in the shower (’cause believe me, girl loves a potent-smelling shower product). I went with The Necessaire Body Exfoliator in Fragrance-Free and was pleased to find out that it still had the same scrub-like finish as its sister scented exfoliators. I went in and used it everywhere like I normally would. At first, it felt really jarring to use, but once I got used to it, I realized that my skin felt just as clean, soft and exfoliated as it always does.
Final Thoughts
After using all fragrance-free products for an entire week, I realized a few things: For one, I didn’t really miss smelling like a particular thing at all. Secondly, my sensitive skin was as happy as a clam and not irritated, and third, and most importantly, I think what I was mistaking as attraction to scent was actually attraction to texture. I didn’t feel like my routine changed that much because I discovered fragrance-free options that felt very similar to the scented ones I was already using. Between the foaming cleanser, gel moisturizer, same lightweight serum and body scrub — my skin was still benefiting from everything that these consistencies offer. The only thing that was missing was, well, the extra scent. I also realized that “feeling clean” doesn’t necessarily relate to smelling a particular way when using all types of products like these. I felt just as clean using the fragrance-free products as I ever had using the fragranced options… and for me, someone who has obsessed over scent my whole life — that’s a pretty big revelation.
Read More:
A Simple Skin-Care Routine for Oily Skin
Do Face Mists Really Make a Difference?
Why Niacinamide Is Key for Your Skin-Care Routine
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About the Skincare.com by L'Oréal Author
Alanna Martine Kilkeary is a native New Yorker and an associate beauty editor at Skincare.com by L'Oréal. She has had the opportunity to grace the digital pages of Harper's Bazaar, Rolling Stone and Teen Vogue with her words and skills. She runs a literary-infused fashion blog in her free time, her heart belongs to William Shakespeare, and most importantly, she believes that Wes Anderson should serve as art director for the entire universe.



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