How to choose Dove fragrance free soap

How do you choose the right Dove bar?

Use the wording and ingredient panel on the exact pack you are buying, rather than assuming a Dove product name tells you whether it contains fragrance. Choosing a cleanser means reading both the front and the ingredient panel, because the front of the box is not the whole conversation. If you have a known ingredient allergy, check for that ingredient too. Ask Dove about any ingredient wording you cannot resolve before using the product.2

What do the labels actually mean?

Is fragrance free better for sensitive skin?

Fragrance free products are a sensible choice if fragrance triggers your eczema or you have fragrance sensitivity. Fragrance can cause atopic dermatitis, a form of eczema, to flare. Other ingredients can also cause reactions, so fragrance free does not mean you can skip checking known allergens or testing a new cleanser.3

Does being a bar make it ordinary soap?

Cleansers come as bars, liquids, gels and creams, so the shape of the product is not its chemistry qualification. Traditional soap is alkaline and can irritate sensitive skin. Synthetic detergent cleansers, also called syndets, can be formulated closer to skin's natural acidity and generally cause less dryness than soap. Use the exact Dove product's description and ingredients to identify its formula rather than assigning every bar the same properties.4

How should you wash with it?

These are general cleansing steps, not directions for a particular Dove formula. Follow any additional instructions on your pack. For skin with eczema, use lukewarm water and keep baths or showers to 5 to 10 minutes.235

1. 1Wet your skin. If washing hands affected by eczema, remove rings first so water does not stay trapped underneath.
2. 2Work the cleanser into a lather in your hands with water.
3. 3Massage the lather gently onto your skin rather than scrubbing.
4. 4Rinse thoroughly and gently pat dry.
5. 5For dry or eczema prone skin, apply a fragrance free cream or ointment while the skin is still damp.

How often should you use it?

General cleansing guidance includes washing on waking, after exercise and at bedtime, but dry or eczema prone skin needs particular care with repeated washing. Overwashing, detergents and hot baths or showers can worsen dryness and eczema. Do not add extra washes in an attempt to make a cleanser work better. For eczema, moisturize after washing and whenever the skin feels dry; a cleansing bar does not replace that step.456

What should you expect?

A cleanser removes surface oil, dirt, makeup and sunscreen during washing. If you are avoiding fragrance because it triggers eczema, removing that trigger belongs alongside moisturizing and your prescribed treatment plan, not instead of them. Allergic contact dermatitis, a skin reaction to something touching it, often appears 24 to 48 hours after exposure. A reaction can also develop after years of previously tolerating a product.347

When should you stop using it?

Stop using the cleanser if it causes burning, itching, redness or a rash, and rinse away any remaining product. Irritation is not always an allergy: soaps and detergents can irritate skin directly. Contact a healthcare professional for a severe reaction, a recurring rash, or symptoms that are not improving. Redness with warmth, tenderness or fever needs medical assessment because these can be signs of infection.7

Seek immediate medical attention for trouble breathing, trouble swallowing or lightheadedness after a suspected allergic reaction. If reactions keep returning, a dermatologist can arrange patch testing to help identify the ingredient you need to avoid.26