What's Actually In Your Grooming Products (And Why You Should Care)
The fragrance industry has a loophole. Here's what it's hiding — and what it's doing to your body.
The Label You'll Never See
You pick up a soap, a pomade, or a body wash. You read the back. Fragrance. That's it. One word, buried in a list of unpronounceable ingredients.
That word is doing a lot of work. Under the US Uniform Trade Secrets Act (UTSA) and Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (DTSA), fragrance formulas are considered trade secrets — which means manufacturers aren't required to disclose what's actually inside them. What can hide inside that single word?
Benzenes. Bromides. Synthetic compounds whose molecular structure allows them to move straight through your skin and into your bloodstream. What are benzines and bromides?
Benzene is utilized as a starting material in the production of various chemicals, including plastics, resins,synthetic fibers, and dyes.
It is also found in products like gasoline and serves as a solvent in laboratories and industries.
Benzene is known to be carcinogenic, which means it can cause cancer from prolonged exposure. Due to potential toxicity and environmental concerns, the use of brominated compounds has come under increased scrutiny, leading to regulatory restrictions in certain regions.
Bromides are a group of chemical compounds that contain the bromine element, typically in the form of the bromide ion (Br⁻). They are used in skin and hair care products for preservation and emulsification. They also cause allergic reactions in certain individuals upon exposure leading to redness, itching, or rashes. There are also toxicity concerns. Certain brominated compounds can be cytotoxic, meaning they may harm or kill cells. This is particularly concerning with prolonged use. Some brominated additives can potentially disrupt hormone function, leading to various health issues.
Why do some soaps contain Phthalates and Parabens?
- The short answer is Parabens are preservatives and Phthalates are stabilizers for fragrance generally.
- methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, and ethylparaben are commonly used
- DEP (diethyl phthalate): Widely added to extend fragrance in soaps, shampoos, and cleansers.
- DBP (dibutyl phthalate): Used as a plasticizer and stabilizer, sometimes in scented soaps.
- DMP (dimethyl phthalate) Less common but found in some foaming or scented products.
Why we don’t want them on our bodies:
- They can irritate sensitive skin and cause redness, itching, or dryness in some people.
- They disrupt hormone signaling because parabens and some phthalates can act like endocrine disruptors.
Parabens are often used in leave-on products, so repeated daily exposure can be a concern over time.
- Phthalates are often tied to fragrance and other personal-care ingredients, so they can be easy to ingest through multiple products without realizing it.
- Some studies have linked long-term exposure to broader health concerns like reproductive effects and, in some reports, increased cancer risk, though the strength of evidence varies by chemical and exposure level.
What are sulfates used for in soaps and shampoos?
They are effective cleansers and foamers. They can be generally associated with a rich lather and that overall clean feeling(because it strips your body of all of its natural oils that you actually want on your skin).
The down side:
- They can strip away the skin’s natural oils, which may leave skin feeling dry or tight after washing.
- They can irritate sensitive skin, causing redness, itching, or stinging, especially with repeated use.
- They may weaken the skin barrier, making it harder for skin to hold moisture and easier for irritants to get in.
- They can disrupt the skin’s natural pH balance, which may make skin more vulnerable to inflammation and sensitivity.
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In people with conditions like eczema, rosacea, or very dry skin, sulfates can make symptoms flare more easily.
"They go, well, it's only a little bit," says Steven, the chemist/founder behind Resin Bear. "Yeah — but your skin absorbs everything. Especially these compounds. Because of the shape of these molecules, they go straight through. Many organic compounds have specific configurations that allow them to interact with biological membranes more readily. Your skin is non-selective to them."
Even small amounts of these compounds can be significant due to their ability to be absorbed significantly by the skin, which acts like a sponge for these chemicals. When absorbed, they may affect bodily functions or hormonal balance.
The Hormone Connection
Parabens and sulfates — common across mainstream grooming products — are endocrine disruptors. That's the clinical term for a substance that mimics or interferes with your hormones. This isn't fringe science. It's well-documented, and increasingly, it's the reason a growing number of people are rethinking what they put on their skin. The daily exposure is small — but it's daily. You shower every morning. You style your hair. You wash your hands a dozen times.
Small doses, repeated indefinitely, accumulate.
Why Scent Is the Highest-Risk Category
Of all personal care categories, fragrance is the least regulated and the least transparent. Skincare and haircare products have to meet certain disclosure thresholds. Fragrance doesn't. That's why the 'perfume loophole' matters — brands can qualify a complex cocktail of synthetic chemicals as a single ingredient.
Natural terpene-based aromas like the kind Resin Bear uses work differently. Terpenes are the aromatic compounds found in plants — the same class of molecules responsible for the scent of pine resin, citrus peels, and fresh herbs. They've been used in aromatherapy and traditional medicine for centuries. They don't need loopholes because they don't have anything to hide.
Resin Bear's aroma profiles are built entirely from real plant-derived terpenes — no synthetic fragrance, no mystery compounds. Every scent has a source you can name.
What to Actually Look For
Reading labels is a habit worth building. A few things that should give you pause on any grooming product:
- "Fragrance" or "Parfum" with no further detail
- Parabens (methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben)
- Sulfates (SLS, SLES) — particularly in soap and shampoo
- Phthalates — often used as fragrance carriers
What do these do in the body?
Parabens function as endocrine disruptors by mimicking estrogen—a vital regulator for your body’s internal systems. This interference can throw your natural hormonal equilibrium out of balance. Sulfates can strip skin and hair of natural moisture. Sulfates may lead to dryness and irritation, especially in sensitive skin. In shampoos, they can make scalp conditions worse for those with existing sensitivities. Phthalates are known to interfere with hormone function, affecting reproductive health and potentially leading to developmental issues, particularly in fetuses.
Cleaner formulas exist. They usually cost a little more, and they're usually smaller brands — because the economics of scale that make mass-market products cheap also make ingredient corners easy to cut.
Resin Bear products are built on one principle: if it goes on your skin, you should be able to name every ingredient.
