unscented vs fragrance-free

Today I learned that in product labeling, "unscented" and "fragrance-free" can mean different things.

EPA "SAFER CHOICE Fragrance-Free" fact-sheet

Fragrance-free means that fragrance materials or masking scents are not used in the product.
Unscented generally means that the product may contain chemicals that neutralize or mask the odors of other ingredients.

What is the difference between “Unscented” and “Fragrance-free” products?

Unscented products are formulated to have no smell but can contain ingredients that have a smell but the smell has been neutralized by other components. A fragrance-free product cannot contain any ingredients that have been added to impart a smell but may contain ingredients that have a scent but are not added because of their scent. For example if a cream is made with an oil that has a smell, it could still be labeled as fragrance-free because the purpose of the oil is to act as an emollient, not as a scent. But it could not be labeled unscented. However, if a product is formulated with lavender, for example, but some chemical is added to mask the smell, the product can be labeled as “unscented.”

The Difference Between Unscented and Fragrance Free

Some raw ingredients may have a scent, which may be pleasant, and some not be pleasant but have a chemical smell to it. The term unscented may be used to mean a fragrance may have been used to mask an odor that is a natural part of the raw ingredient.

Raw ingredients that may have a natural scent and do not include fragrance chemicals, may include shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil, most herbs, olive oil, almond oil, honey, beeswax, and others. These types of raw materials or ingredients may not bother most people, but may be very annoying to others.

The Important Difference Between Unscented and Fragrance Free

It sounds silly, but "unscented" products typically have added fragrance agents used to mask the other smells. ... Masking fragrances are usually composed of toxic phthalates.
...
Phthalates have been linked from everything to testicular cancer to liver cancer, but they are still in almost all synthetic fragrances, including masking agents which cause a product’s other natural scents to disappear.

Buyers Beware When Looking for Fragrance Free Products; Read the Labels!

Basically, a product marked “unscented” can either mean they did not add a “scent” to the product (but it may or may not still have a smell from the other ingredients and/or chemicals) or they tried to “de-scent” the product (often using masking chemicals and/or fragrance).

The above page shows examples of products that are labeled "unscented" but with fragrance or masking fragrance shown in the ingredient list.


Phthalates( THAL-ates) The Everywhere Chemical

Phthalates must be listed among the ingredients on product labels, unless they are added as a part of the “fragrance.” Under current law, they can then simply be labeled “fragrance,” even though they may make up 20% or more of the product.

The above page includes a list of "the 8 most widely used phthalate compounds and their metabolites", which you may find on ingredient labels (basically, they seem to be anything with "phthalate" in the name, but often they are listed in the ingredients as 3 or 4-letter acronyms ending with a 'P'.)


Phthalates (FDA page)

Consumers can tell whether some products contain phthalates by reading the ingredient declaration on the labels of such products.

However, the regulations do not require the listing of the individual fragrance ingredients; therefore, the consumer will not be able to determine from the ingredient declaration if phthalates are present in a fragrance.

Hypoallergenic, Fragrance Free, and Unscented: How to Tell If There's Truly No Fragrance in Your Skincare

It's not always easy to tell if a product does contain fragrance. A few keywords are used to depict whether a formula is potentially irritating (enter hypoallergenic, fragrance free, and unscented) but these terms can be misleading because they aren't regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. "The FDA does not have the legal authority to approve cosmetic products and ingredients, aside from color additives," Lortscher says. "There is no regulation specifically defining or governing the use of the term hypoallergenic, nor for the labels 'safe for sensitive skin' or 'allergy tested.' Manufacturers may make those claims even if they have no supporting evidence."
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Products labeled hypoallergenic can still have fragrance in them. If a product claims to be hypoallergenic, it means the product produces fewer allergic reactions than other conventional cosmetic products, Lortscher says. The keyword here is fewer—no product can be labeled as nonallergenic, because no product can be guaranteed not to cause an allergic reaction.

In summary, I've gathered (but could still be mistaken on some points) that:

Synthetic fragrances often contain phthalates, which are bad for one's health.

"Unscented" products MAY contain ingredients with a natural scent that some people find unpleasant, and MAY also include other ingredients (including fragrance!) to mask the unpleasant scents. Those masking ingredients also often contain phthalates, which are bad.

"Fragrance-free" products shouldn't include added fragrance, either natural or synthetic, nor should they contain scent-masking phthalates. But they may contain ingredients that have a natural scent, if the main purpose of the ingredient is not for its scent. So fragrance-free doesn't necessarily mean scent-free.


The reason I was curious about this topic to begin with was due to some lotion I have, one of which is labeled unscented and the other fragrance-free. In all other respects, they are the same. This lotion does have a slight scent (which reminds me of the smell of ink from ball-point pens!), which I believe to be natural. The ingredients do not mention any fragrance, perfume, nor phthalates. So a product being labeled "unscented" doesn't NECESSARILY mean that it has masking agents or phthalates. But it seems to be something to watch out for.

Neither term guarantees that the product will be scent-less. And neither seems to give a better indication than the other, of how much scent the product actually has.

weird speaker buzz

This wasn't only a fluke late last night; it still happened today after having restarted the computer.

Original post from last night, ie. early morning:
Tonight I'm hearing a low buzzy sound from my speakers when I scroll the wheel on my mouse. It only happens when something on the screen is scrolling, not when the mouse is over something that can't scroll. Weird! Only the computer knows the cursor's position, not the mouse or speakers. So the computer must be generating a signal that the speaker is picking up. The loudness of the buzz differs based on which application I scroll. Weird!

Further observations today:
The buzz happens even without the mouse, when I scroll a page with the keyboard arrows.
The buzz also happens if I play a video with the sound off, without scrolling anything.
It only happens when the external speakers are plugged into the laptop. I should have noted before that the sound is coming from the external speakers, not the built-in ones.
Unplugging the power cord from the laptop makes no difference.

Current theory: The display must be generating electrical noise when it updates large portions of the screen at once.

Further observation and solution:
The laptop's volume was set to very low, and the external speakers' volume was turned higher than usual.
I don't remember when or why I did that. After switching them back to normal with the laptop volume set mid-to-high and the speaker volume lower, the buzz isn't noticeable.
Thank goodness; it had gotten quite annoying!

mask envy

Mask Envy:
When you keep seeing photos and videos where other people's face masks look better fitting, more comfortable, more snug and protective, than your own. Even though you've got like, 5? different kinds, but none of which are without problems.

.

I wanted to wear something other than a turtleneck+sweatshirt this evening, but I've already tried on 5 combinations of things, and they've all been too uncomfortable. How did I ever find things to wear to work, every day?
Egadz, these cuffs on my wrists, this collar at the back of my neck, this metal zipper by my chin, this fabric in my elbow when I bend my arm...

Note to self: Don't buy waffle-pattern undershirts, even if they are 100% cotton. Uncomfortable against my skin.