In the age of COVID-19, where most wash their hands much more frequently than they used to, it’s even more important to avoid hand soaps with perfume to avoid irritating skin or upsetting sensitive snouts. Avoiding fragrance is not only important for those suffering from acute allergic skin reactions set off by scented products. Continuous exposure itself can lead to perfume allergy. And being allergic not only affects your skin but can induce headaches and a range of other symptoms.
That’s why you should always use fragrance-free hand soaps. And don’t worry, your hands will still smell fine. In fact, you don’t need all that perfume in your life at all. The fragrance just dupes your brain to perceive that something is clean (even when it’s not).
Unfortunately, it’s surprisingly difficult to find fragrance-free hand soap. And it’s even more challenging if you are not willing to shell out 30 dollars for a tiny bottle of artisanal fragrance-free soap.
A further challenge is that many hand soaps on the market are labeled without added fragrance but instead include natural scents and oils that can also irritate the skin and have allergenic properties.
That’s why we have decided to review the best completely fragrance-free and budget-friendly hand soaps on the market in 2022 and recommend what to buy.
But before we get to that, we’ll give you a quick introduction to the world of meaningless and confusing fragrance-free terms.
Hypoallergenic Hand Soap?
Many brands pride themselves on manufacturing hypoallergenic products that supposedly produce fewer allergic reactions than supposedly hypoallergenic products (no one labels their product that, though, it would be a hard, albeit honest, sell).
But what does that even mean? The prefix “hypo” generally means “less than normal” in medical lingo, so the assumption is that the product is “less allergenic.” But, as it turns out, the term hypoallergenic holds very little actual meaning. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a company or brand can use the term without supporting evidence. As a result, the term hypoallergenic means whatever a company wants it to mean.
Fragrance-Free Or Unscented?
Being allergic to perfume and scents has led me through endless hand soap-testing throughout the years. From the expensive high-end brands to drugstore brands and small specialty brands. Along the way, I have learned that it’s important to be able to distinguish between “fragrance-free” and “unscented” products (apart from the hypoallergenic charade). Below is a quick cheat sheet:
- Unscented products typically have other fragrance chemicals that eliminate or mask odors.
- Natural fragrances, for instance rose and lavender oils, may also irritate the skin because they’re known allergens.
- And as we just learned, hypoallergenic is mostly a marketing gimmick.
- Fragrance- free or perfume-free are what you should look for. And always double-check the content on the label.
What Is The Best Fragrance-Free Hand Soap?
With that in mind, back to our search for the best cheap fragrance-free hand soap. In the following, we present the three best perfume-free liquid hand soaps that:
- Cleanse without irritating the skin or upsetting sensitive noses
- Don’t leave the skin dry
- Are priced at a reasonable price point with no or only a small premium compared to fragrance-full hand soap
So if you are sensitive to ‘traditional’ hand soaps and struggle to find quality perfume-free hand soap, then go ahead and try our favorite best fragrance-free budget-friendly liquid hand soaps on the market in 2022.
If you want to learn more about fragrance-free products and how to live perfume-free, continue reading at withoutfragrance.com.
Please note that you should always read the full list of ingredients before purchasing and using them if you have a particular allergy.
Seventh Generation Hand Wash, Free & Clean Unscented Hand Soap
Editor’s Pick:
- No fragrances, dyes, triclosan, chlorine or phthalates
- USDA certified biobased 97%
- Cruelty free
- Bottles are made with 100% post-consumer recycled plastic
This Seventh Generation hand soap lathers well and does an excellent job at cleaning your hands. This is our favorite in the household, and we love that the hand soap is made using plant-based ingredients without fragrances, dyes, or triclosan. On top of that, bottles are made with 100% post-consumer recycled plastic (without phthalates). The fragrance-free hand soap from Seventh Generation also comes in a convenient 24 fl oz refill bottle.
The Seventh Generation Hand Wash, Free & Clean Unscented Hand Soap is our editor’s pick, and we award it 5 out of 5 stars.
Amazon Brand – Presto Biobased Hand Soap, Fragrance-Free
- Free of fragrances, dyes, triclosan, and phthalates
- 97% USDA certified biobased
- 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles
- Not tested on animals
This liquid hand soap from Amazon’s own brand, ‘Presto,’ gets your hands squeaky clean without irritating your sensitive skin. The hand soap is free of fragrances, dyes, triclosan, and phthalates. We find the dispenser a bit lower grade than the ones from Everclear and Seventh Generation but otherwise a great and highly recommendable product.
Everspring Free & Clear Liquid Hand Soap
- Fragrance-free
- Not tested on animals
- Non-toxic
- USDA certified 97% biobased product
- Bottles are made with 100% post-consumer recycled plastic
At just $2.79 per bottle, this fragrance-free hand soap from Everspring (Target’s own brand) comes at an excellent price point. We love the consistency of the biodegradable formula (neither too liquidy nor too thick) and that the hand soap contains plant-derived ingredients and gently cleanses without drying the skin or leaving a residue on your hands. We also love the simple and stylish design of the dispenser bottle.
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