Fragrance-Free Moisturisers for Sensitive Skin: How to Choose
A buyer's guide to fragrance-free moisturisers for sensitive and eczema-prone skin: the criteria that matter, the ingredients to look for, and how to check any product.
How to choose, rather than just what to buy
Product ranges change constantly, so the most useful thing is a set of criteria you can apply to anything on the shelf. A fragrance-free moisturiser that genuinely suits sensitive skin usually ticks these boxes:
- Labelled “fragrance-free”, not “unscented”. Unscented products can still contain masking fragrance.
- Barrier ingredients near the top of the list: ceramides, glycerin, squalane, petrolatum or shea.
- No essential oils or botanical “fragrance” blends.
- A short list you can mostly read without a chemistry degree.
- Sensible packaging: a pump or tube keeps the product cleaner than an open tub.
Categories that tend to work
Rather than a single winner, think in categories and pick the format you will actually use:
- Daily face creams for sensitive skin: look for ceramide-led, fragrance-free formulas.
- Body and “ointment” type balms for very dry or eczema-prone areas: heavier, occlusive, minimal ingredients.
- Baby and child ranges, which are often fragrance-free by design and gentle enough for adults too.
Well-established fragrance-free lines worth comparing on the shelf include ceramide-based daily ranges and classic sensitive-skin lines from the major derm-friendly brands. Always confirm the specific product says “fragrance-free”, because brands sell both scented and fragrance-free versions under the same name.
The “unscented” trap
It is worth repeating, because it catches almost everyone: “unscented” means the product has no obvious smell, but masking agents (themselves fragrance ingredients) may have been added to achieve that. “Fragrance-free” is the more reliable wording for sensitive skin.
Check it against your own triggers
To check a product, a free browser extension like Clearya flags ingredients of concern automatically as you shop online, and SkinSAFE lets you filter a product catalogue to screen out the ingredients you are avoiding and other allergens. These rate a product on general criteria rather than against your own list.
Once you know what you are screening for, a personal-list app like ClearaScan lets you save the ingredients you react to once and scan any product to flag only your triggers. It also keeps a Reaction Journal for flare-ups, a shared Care Circle so family or carers can scan for you, and a Trusted Products list for items you have cleared, and it is currently in early access. (Disclosure: our editor co-founded ClearaScan, and we are not paid to mention the others.)