Carina Organics Unscented Daily Moisturizing & Hydrating Skin Cream, 250ml

Background*: I am allergic to some fragrance ingredients, including geraniol and linolool. A lot of essential oils are, despite the name, actually composite ingredients that contain a variety of naturally occurring substances; for example, lemon and other citrus peel oils contain geraniol, and lavender oil contains linolool. Products that list geraniol and linolool on the label generally include the ingredient that has been synthesized in a laboratory, but the synthesized version is indistinguishable from that present naturally in various plants. Once you become allergic to geraniol, you can react to anything containing it, so you may get a rash on your hands from peeling citrus fruit, for example. Some people with contact allergies like these have been known to go on to develop food allergies to that same substance, so this isn't just a nuisance; it could eventually become a life-threatening problem in particularly sensitive people. We are still in the process of learning the adverse effects these ingredients can cause as their usage becomes more widespread. This issue doesn't just arise from the use of small amounts of these substances as added fragrance ingredients; some products use these ingredients as the actual active ingredient(s). For example, "natural" insect repellents contain very high percentages of ingredients like geraniol, linolool, eucalyptol, citronellol, etc. The people who sell these natural insect repellents generally don't list these ingredients on the label, claiming that they have a "proprietary" formulation. These products can be sold in the US, but would be illegal to sell in the EU, where there are much stricter standards about the percentage of established allergens that can be included in a leave-on product (I believe it's something like 0.5%, compared with the 10% or more found in these repellents). Parents who use these insect repellents on their children, thinking they're healthier alternatives to picaridin or DEET, could be setting themselves and their kids up for a lifetime of frustration trying to figure out and avoid the offending ingredients, which often go by a variety of names and can be found naturally in countless botanicals and foods. Then there is the issue of product preservation. With increasing awareness of the dangers of parabens and formaldehyde releasers, many companies are seeking to replace these preservatives with ones that don't have a lot of research detailing their harmful effects. Some essential oils have antimicrobial properties as well as pleasant aromas, so this is a secondary reason that we are seeing them show up more and more in various personal care items. Newer preservatives like phenoxyethanol and ethylhexylglycerin have grown exponentially in popularity recently, and we are seeing an increase in people who are becoming sensitized to these ingredients as a result. When the only alternative to harmful preservatives is one or two primary preservatives that now appear in almost all of the personal care products you are using, the sad reality is that your odds of becoming sensitized to those ingredients increases dramatically, because you are applying much more than the acceptable level of the substance to your skin every day. I was initially skeptical of the Carina Organics skin cream because of the inclusion of, for example, a pine-derived ingredient, as well as a couple other natural ingredients that sounded suspiciously like the essential oil ingredients I have been trying to avoid. However, I was willing to try almost anything by this point, and finally gave Carina a try. Honestly, I didn't see a direct connection between the ingredients they use and any of my known allergens, and there is no overlap that I can see between the core ingredients used by this brand and other products that have given me problems. Nevertheless, I have become very skeptical of my ability to tolerate almost anything that touts "natural" and "clean" ingredients (whatever that means). So far, though, I've had no reaction to ANY of the Carina Organics products, which seems almost miraculous to me. I can't speak to how well the preservatives work in the products, because I use the products so regularly that I need to replace them before they could go bad. I use this moisturizer all over my body a few times per week, and I am so so grateful to have something like this that doesn't make me itch, and that serves its purpose of protecting my skin and keeping it from drying out. In addition, I've been trying to find a hair product that I can use for styling my curls, and everything I've tried lately makes me itch. In between trying various other products out that I invariably react to, I take a break and use a little of this body lotion in my hair, and it's a lot better than using nothing. Of course, it's not as effective as an actual styling cream, but I'd rather have something that sort of works, and doesn't make my scalp itch, than something that works great but has me scratching constantly or forces me to take yet another Allegra. I am so grateful that this line exists; its use of nonstandard ingredients that are unlikely to have sensitized wide swathes of the population is such a breath of fresh air, compared to all the companies jumping on the essential oil and phenoxyethanol/ethylhexylglycin bandwagon. My fingers are crossed that they don't ever change their base formulation! *I am not a chemist, just someone who has struggled HARD to understand the chemistry and reasons behind why, in the last 5 to 10 years, almost every personal care product I've tried has left me scratching to the point that I feel practically unhinged.

My sister uses this, and while I'm leery of scented moisturizers, this one is happily scentless. It's a little runnier than most moisturizers, which sounds bad but actually it just goes on easier. I use it on my arms every morning and it keeps the "old man arm wrinkles" away :-)

No hot water when showering

Good stuff but when I ran out after a couple of weeks I thought the cost of buying 26 reorders during the next year was exorbitant. If they offered bigger containers at the same price I would reconsider.

This is the best moisturizer I’ve ever used. I also used the Yuka app to see the rating and all good quality ingredients. My face has never been softer. You only need a little bit so this bottle size will last forever. I will never use another moisturizer again. I’ve recommended to friends who say the same as well.

A light lotion with all the right ingredients for those of us with sensitive skin. Also, unscented and NOT sticky, so great especially in the summer months. Best I've tried.

This lotion completely dried my skin out the first use, never has this ever happened to me using any lotion before. Very disappointed.

For someone who has sensitive skin, I appreciate a product that doesn’t use fragrance. I use this daily on my face and love it!

Great for sensitive skin

I ve only used it a few time but seems to hydrate well and goes on easy and doesn’t require a lot to do the job. It’s suppose to be unscented but seems ro smell like food too me, maybe cause of all the natural ingredients, which is the main reason for my purchase. Goes on light and doesn’t feel greasy. I put a couple drops or spearmint in it to spice it up . I would definitely buy again ..

It is a lovely cream, but beware my own was shipped unsecured and the cream leaked quite a bit out of the loose cap and onto other items. Best to buy in person if a seller is going to be this careless.

At 57yrs old I’m very impressed with the body cream. It goes on wonderfully & I love that is unscented as I have COPD and perfume scented is not good for me. Made my skin feel young again very happy for that!!! Leaves no residue or oily mess on your skin or hands. TRY IT OUT LADIES YOU’LL LOVE IT❤️

Love this lotion. So gentle. I use it everywhere including my face. Not greasy at all. And eventhough it is unscented, it still has a slight delicate smell that I love! 100% recommend for sensitive skin.