Hypoallergenic or allergen-free?

Hypoallergenic or allergen-free? How to make the "right" choice for your cosmetic products?

Is it better to choose hypoallergenic or allergen-free products? We propose to clarify things by taking stock; you will (finally) truly understand the difference between these two terms.

To make an informed choice and decipher the composition of your cosmetics, it is essential to know how to read an INCI label.

Hypoallergenic Products

The word hypoallergenic was invented by marketing; it means that every effort has been made to "minimize" the risk of allergies. Specifically, this means that the product is free of the 26 fragrance molecules recognized as allergens by European regulations.

But this list is far from exhaustive; highly allergenic preservatives are not included, such as methylisothiazolinone or MIT, methylchloroisothiazolinone or MCIT, etc. And sometimes they are found in so-called "hypoallergenic" products.

If you wish to go further, feel free to consult the broader list of 82 allergenic substances established by the SCCS, the European Scientific Committee.

Allergen-Free Products

An "allergen-free" cosmetic therefore goes much further than its "hypoallergenic" counterpart; "allergen-free" truly means that you will not find any of the 82 allergenic substances on the SCCS list.

In all cases, and to best choose your daily products, allergists advise to:

Limit the number of products you use daily,
Carefully read labels for controversial ingredients,
Opt for products that contain as few ingredients as possible.

Senza's choice? To aim as much as possible for allergen-free!

Almost all of our products are allergen-free; and it's easy to check as they contain very few ingredients and our labels are therefore easy to read!

The only exception today is the use of small quantities of organic French essential oils in some products; we decided to do so following repeated requests from our customers; for example, we do it for our lavender laundry detergent, sold in some partner stores.

In conclusion,

At SENZA, we ensure and will continue to ensure that the vast majority of our range is perfectly suitable for the whole family, including pregnant women and babies