The 1 Thing Dermatologists Want You To Avoid In Skin Care — And 11 Creams That Work

It’s possible that lurking inside some of your favorite moisturizer is a potential allergen in the form of fragrance — a potential issue for those with sensitive complexions or those who are prone to skin conditions like eczema , acne or psoriasis.

According to New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Dr. Michelle Henry , fragrance in skin care products may not only be a common allergen, it is also not essential to the formula in any way, meaning it doesn’t necessarily make the product better.

“[Fragrance] is more about the sensorial experience,” Henry said, adding that just because a fragrance isn’t causing irritation right now, you can still get sensitized to it if you’re using it all the time.

Henry reminded us that there’s also a distinction between labels that read fragrance-free and unscented.

“Fragrance-free means that there has been zero additional fragrance added to the product.  What you are smelling is just the smell of the natural ingredients in the product,” she said. Whereas, according to her, unscented products may not have a noticeable scent, but they may have some masking agents that reduce the scent, or some other elements that make the scent neutral.

“Basically, unscented really means ‘neutralized scent’ but it can still have ingredients that could sensitize the skin,” Henry said.

Fragrance-free products, on the other hand, are less likely to contain ingredients that have the potential to cause sensitivities, and, according to Henry, this is a better option. But, if you are someone who must have fragrance (or just loves fragrance), she suggests having your doctor or allergist patch test you to see if there are specific ingredients that you are sensitive to so you know to avoid products that have them.

If you don’t want to take the time to dissect the ingredient list of your go-to facial moisturizer or are just curious to know what Henry and other dermatologists recommend, stick around for the list of lotions and creams below. The top four were chosen by Henry who likes them because they are all noncomedogenic, suitable for all skin types of all ages, and play well with other topicals like retinoids.

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Shopping deputy managing editor Marquaysa Battle has super sensitive skin and has tried nearly everything. After years of trial and error, see which products really work for her :