"Fragrance-free" sounds straightforward. No fragrance, no problem. But the term isn't regulated by the FDA - which means brands can use it however they want - and it doesn't always mean what you'd expect. Neither does "unscented," which is a different claim entirely and arguably the more confusing one.
Here's what's actually going on.
"Fragrance-Free" and "Unscented" Are Not the Same Thing
Fragrance-free means no fragrance ingredients were intentionally added to the formula. The product might still have a smell - ingredients like fatty acids, plant oils, and certain actives have their own natural odors - but nothing was added to make it smell a particular way.
Unscented means the product has no detectable scent. Here's the catch: to achieve that, brands sometimes add masking fragrances - fragrance ingredients whose job is to neutralize the smell of other ingredients. So an "unscented" product can legally contain fragrance. It just smells like nothing.
If you're avoiding fragrance because of sensitivity or skin barrier concerns, fragrance-free is the claim you want. Unscented tells you about the sensory experience, not the formula.
The Fragrance Loophole on Ingredient Lists
Even when a product does contain fragrance, US labeling rules allow the entire fragrance formula to be listed as a single word: "fragrance" (or "parfum" on EU-compliant labels). That one word can represent dozens - sometimes hundreds - of individual ingredients, and brands aren't required to disclose what's in it. It's protected as a trade secret.
This is why fragrance is one of the leading causes of contact dermatitis and allergic reactions in skincare. You can't screen for it the way you can screen for other ingredients, because you can't see it. The EU requires individual disclosure of 26 known fragrance allergens above certain concentrations - things like limonene, linalool, and geraniol - but in the US, "fragrance" is still a black box.
One more thing worth knowing: "natural fragrance" is still fragrance. Essential oils are fragrant compounds, and many of them - lavender, citrus oils, rose - are well-documented sensitizers, especially on facial skin used over time. "Natural" doesn't mean non-reactive. It means the source is a plant instead of a lab.
Why GOOW Facial Products Are Fragrance-Free
Facial skin is thinner, more reactive, and more consistently exposed than the rest of your body. The skin barrier - the outermost layer that keeps moisture in and irritants out - is easier to disrupt on your face, and repeated exposure to fragrance ingredients is one of the more reliable ways to do it.
This is why most GOOW facial products are formulated without added fragrance of any kind - no synthetic fragrance, no "natural fragrance," no fragrant essential oils (and if a fragrance is included, such as in the Blue Tansy Primer, it’s right there in the name and not hiding at the end of the INCI list). The Bakuchiol Face Cream has a faint natural scent from its plant-based ingredients; that's the formula, not an addition. What it doesn't have is anything added to make it smell like something. It smells like the plant-based ingredients it's made of (both the original and rosehip oil versions).
The Bottom Line
Fragrance-free means no added fragrance. Unscented means no smell (but possibly masking fragrance). Neither term is legally regulated in the US, so the ingredient list is still your most reliable source. Look for "fragrance" or "parfum" - if it's there, you don't know what it contains. If it isn't, you do.