As for preservatives, they are impossible to avoid in water-based cosmetics because without
them our skin-care products would become contaminated with mold, fungus, and bacteria
and pose a serious problem for our skin in just a short period of time. However, you can and
should stay away from cosmetics, particularly skin-care products, that contain fragrance.
It smells nice, but fragrance serves no purpose for skin. Even fragrant ingredients that may
also offer a positive benefit are easily replaced with ingredients that can perform the same
function without the irritation aspect of the fragrant component. It sounds simple enough
to avoid products with fragrance, perfume, or parfum by just reading the ingredient list and
then not buying those products. But ingredient lists aren’t always that easy to decipher.