Why We Skip Fragrance
It's hard on any skin — harder on growing skin
If you've scrolled your tween or teen's phone lately, you've seen the skincare hauls — bright bottles, ten-step routines, half of it built around how a product smells. As someone who's already trusted Pour Tous, you likely sense why we stay out of that game. Here's the reasoning, in plain terms.
WHAT FRAGRANCE DOES TO SKIN
Fragrance is the second most common contact allergen in the world, right behind nickel. Cleveland Clinic dermatologists note that fragrance compounds act as irritants that pull moisture out of skin and weaken its natural barrier — the exact thing a good skincare routine is supposed to protect.
That risk runs higher for tweens and teens. Dr. Marisa Garshick, a board-certified dermatologist quoted by the American Academy of Dermatology, notes that "since children's skin is still developing, it's thinner, more sensitive, and more prone to irritation than adult skin" — and recommends fragrance-free products for exactly that reason. Add in puberty's oil and hormonal shifts, and a teen's skin barrier is already working overtime before a single fragranced product touches it.
It's also a labeling blind spot: brands aren't required to disclose what's inside the word "fragrance," so one line can hide hundreds of ingredients. A 2025 Northwestern University study of top-viewed teen skincare videos, published in Pediatrics, found the routines shown averaged 11 potentially irritating ingredients — and fragrance was the single most common one, in over half the products.
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