Scented skincare – Is it OK to use scented products on dry, sensitive skin?

Many people with dry skin choose fragrance-free formulations thinking they have to compromise on scent in favor of effectively treating dryness. Fragrance-free products are great if they’re your preference, but now there’s an alternative.

Two new products in the Eucerin UreaRepair PLUS range - a cleanser and a moisturizer - offer the best of both worlds: effective care for dry skin and a light, soothing, unisex scent that makes them a pleasure to use.

Who doesn’t like a product that smells nice? 

Skincare is vital to keeping our skin looking and feeling its best, but it’s about more than that. Caring for our skin is a ritual, it’s about taking a few minutes out of our busy days to look after ourselves.

For many of us, scent plays an important role in the skincare ritual: it can be relaxing and therapeutic or refreshing and invigorating. 

Scent can make a product more enjoyable to use, and it’s important we like using skincare products. When our products are a pleasure to use, we are more likely to apply them regularly and our skin gets more benefit from their active ingredients.

Some perfumes can irritate sensitive skin, and fragrances are known to be a common cause of allergic contact dermatitis,¹ which occurs most frequently in skin with a disturbed skin barrier caused by conditions such as Atopic Dermatitis (also known as Atopic Eczema). 

Certain fragrance ingredients - such as benzoyl alcohol, limonene, and linalool - are known to be more likely to trigger reactions and EU Cosmetic Legislation requires that they are detailed on the ingredients list when they’re used.² If you have dry, sensitive skin we recommend you look out for these ingredients and do your best to avoid them. If you are in any doubt about the suitability of a product, try doing a patch test on a small area of skin to see if there’s any reaction before applying it all over your body.

Our skin is as individual as we are, and some people may be sensitive to fragrances that are fine for most others.

People with dry, sensitive skin often choose fragrance-free formulations, thinking they have to compromise on scent in favor of a product that effectively treats dryness. But it is fine to use fragranced products so long as you are confident that they are free from any potentially irritating ingredients, have been thoroughly tested and are clinically and dermatologically proven to be suitable for dry and sensitive skin.

We’re proud to be one of the world’s leading and most trusted dermo-cosmetic brands. Eucerin only uses the highest quality ingredients and we never use any of the perfumes that are known to cause reactions. Our expertise in research and development ensures that all Eucerin formulas – including their fragrances - are extensively and rigorously tested in-vitro (in the lab) and in-vivo (on volunteers) before the products are launched. All our products are clinically and dermatologically proven to be well tolerated by skin, even sensitive skin.

The active ingredient Urea is considered the ‘gold standard’ when it comes to treating dry skin symptoms. Other actives that complement Urea and support its efficacy include Natural Moisturizing Factors (NMF), Ceramides and Gluco-Glycerol. 

These are all key ingredients in the Eucerin UreaRepair PLUS range which is trusted and recommended by consumers and dermatologists across the globe as an effective treatment for dry skin.³ 

The comprehensive range of Eucerin UreaRepair products includes cleansers, body lotions, creams (including face, hand and foot care products) and an intensive treatment cream for problem areas of extremely dry skin.  These products are all fragrance-free, but the range now also includes two lightly scented products: Eucerin UreaRepair PLUS Urea Shower Foam and Eucerin UreaRepair PLUS 5% Urea Lotion (soothing scent).

Eucerin UreaRepair PLUS Urea Shower Foam is a gentle daily-use body and face cleanser.  With a unique combination of moisturizing ingredients – Urea and other Natural Moisturizing Factors (NMF) – it feels light and soft on skin and cleans gently without rubbing, preventing skin from drying out further and leaving it feeling smooth and supple. 

It is also lightly scented with skin-friendly fragrance ingredients proven to have anti-inflammatory properties and to be kind on dry skin.⁴ The shower foam is free from any perfumes known to cause allergies. It delivers all the benefits of gentle cleansing with a soothing, delicate scent. 

Eucerin UreaRepair PLUS 5% Urea Lotion (soothing scent) gives dry, rough skin the daily care it needs. With a unique combination of ingredients – Urea, other Natural Moisturizing Factors (NMF) and Ceramides – it delivers immediate relief and intense, long-lasting moisturization, delaying dryness and roughness for up to 48 hours leaving skin looking and feeling smooth and soft.

It’s also lightly scented with skin-friendly fragrance ingredients proven to be kind on dry and sensitive skin, and free-from any perfumes known to cause allergies. It delivers all the benefits of dry skin relief with a soothing, delicate scent.

Like all products in the range, the two new scented products are clinically and dermatologically proven to deliver effective cleansing and care while being well tolerated by dry, sensitive skin.

They’re suitable for adults, including those with mature skin and/or Diabetes, and for children age three and older. If you or your child suffer from Atopic Dermatitis (also known as Atopic Eczema) then we recommend the Eucerin AtopiControl range.

^{1 J. Cheng, Fragrance Allergic Contact Dermatitis, Dermatitis, 2014
2 European Commission, Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS), Opinion on fragrance allergens in cosmetic products, 26-27 June 2012.
3 In a study involving 1,343 patients in six countries, 92% of volunteers gave positive feedback on the products and 95% of dermatologists said they would recommend Eucerin UreaRepair PLUS for the treatment of dry skin. Eucerin Real-World-Evidence survey, 2016-2018 (Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Serbia, Slovenia).
4 Shifting the perfume paradigm, A.Kuhn et al, Beiersdorf AG, publication submitted May 2020}