When you see “parfum” or “fragrance” on an ingredient list, have you been trained to run in the other direction? Please stop running; you’ve probably been misinformed. Organizations like EWG have spent decades fear-mongering about synthetic fragrance while promoting “natural” alternatives.

But here’s what they’re intentionally not telling you: for many, that lavender essential oil in your moisturizer is more likely to trigger a dermal reaction like contact dermatitis (redness, burning, stinging) or allergic contact dermatitis (itching, rash, blisters) than a synthetic fragrance.

There’s a reason for that silence. EWG isn’t an unbiased consumer advocacy group; it’s a lobbying organization whose donor base includes suppliers of organic and natural products that profit when you’re afraid of synthetic anything and reach for “natural” instead.

Let me walk you through what the clinical data actually shows.