Are you the reason your skin does not heal? This is the question people do not want to ask. The question is a hard question. People buy a bottle of lotion. People buy the bottle because the bottle says the lotion is for sensitive skin.

The skin stays red. The skin stays dry. The skin continues to itch. The person thinks the skin is the problem. The person thinks the skin is broken. The person does not think the bottle is the problem. The person believes the catalogue.

The barbecue was hot. The sun was in the sky. My friend sat on a chair. My friend is a fragrance evaluator. My friend evaluates scents for a large company. I held a bottle of sunscreen. The bottle had a scent. My friend looked at the bottle. My friend leaned over. My friend told me to put the bottle away.

“The scent causes a reaction on skin like mine. I would not put this warning on the box. The box must stay clean. The catalogue must stay full.”

— Anonymous Fragrance Evaluator

My friend told me the scent in the bottle was bad. My friend told me the scent causes a reaction on skin like mine. My friend works for the company that makes the bottle. My friend helps sell the bottle. My friend would not say this in the office. My friend would not put this warning on the box. The box must stay clean. The catalogue must stay full.

Why the Range Matters More Than Your Skin

The company needs a large range of products. A large range makes the company look successful. A large range takes up more space on the shelf. If the range has forty products, the company is a big company. If the range has four products, the company is a small company. The company wants to be a big company.

Some scents in the range are not safe for sensitive skin. The company knows this fact. The company has the data. The data shows that 21% of people have a reaction to the citrus scent. The company keeps the citrus scent in the range. The company keeps the citrus scent because the citrus scent sells. The catalogue does not mention the 21%. The catalogue mentions the fresh smell of the citrus.

A Fragrance Evaluator’s Admission

I was wrong about the data once. I am Jamie S.K. and I evaluate fragrance. I used to look at the sales numbers. I used to look at the profit margins. I did not look at the safety data sheets. I thought the safety data sheets were for the lawyers. I thought the safety data sheets were for the factory workers. I was wrong.

I once approved a scent profile for a new cream. The scent profile was complex. The scent profile had twelve different oils. The cream sold very well. Then the letters started to arrive. People had rashes. People had burning skin. I read the safety data sheets then. I read all 42 pages of the safety data sheets. The safety data sheets warned about the oils. The safety data sheets said the oils were sensitizers. I had ignored the truth for the profit. I will not ignore the truth again.

Catalogues are built to show options. Options are the goal of the marketing team. If a customer wants lavender, the company provides lavender. If a customer wants coconut, the company provides coconut. The marketing team does not care if the lavender oil is distilled with chemicals. The marketing team does not care if the coconut scent is synthetic.

The marketing team cares about the choice. A candid catalogue would be a short catalogue. A candid catalogue would tell the customer that three of the ten scents are bad for eczema. The company would lose money. The company does not want to lose money. The company chooses the range over the customer.

The information stays in the industry. The information stays in the private conversations. The people who make the products know the truth. The people who sell the products know the truth. The truth does not move from the industry to the public. The truth stops at the marketing department.

The marketing department writes the copy. The copy is always positive. The copy uses words like natural. The copy uses words like soothing. The copy does not use words like irritant. The copy does not use words like contact dermatitis. The industry protects the range. The industry does not protect the skin.

The Reality in the Fine Print

I read the terms and conditions of a major skincare brand. I read every word. It took me four hours. The terms and conditions are where the truth lives.

“The terms and conditions say the company is not responsible for reactions. The terms and conditions say the product is for external use only. The terms and conditions say the results may vary.”

The company hides the warning in the small print. The company hides the warning because the company knows the product is not perfect. The catalogue is a dream. The terms and conditions are the reality.

The Profit Circle

Most lotions use water. Water is cheap. Water makes the bottle feel heavy. Water requires a preservative. The preservative keeps the water from growing mold. The preservative is often an irritant. The company adds a scent to hide the smell of the preservative. The scent is also an irritant.

The product becomes a circle of irritants. The customer applies the circle of irritants to the skin. The skin reacts to the circle. The customer buys more lotion to fix the reaction. The company makes more money. This is the business model of the trade.

The Lipid Structure Truth

There is a different way to look at skin. The skin has a lipid structure. The lipid structure needs fats. The lipid structure needs fats that the skin recognizes. Grass-fed tallow has a lipid structure. The tallow lipid structure is similar to the skin lipid structure.

The tallow does not need a preservative because the tallow has no water. The tallow does not need a scent because the tallow is pure. A company like Taluna does not have a range of forty products. Taluna has a small range. Taluna has a range that makes sense. A small range is an honest range.

When a person has eczema, the skin is open. The skin is vulnerable. The skin cannot defend itself against synthetic scents. The skin cannot defend itself against chemicals. The person needs a

tallow balm for eczema

because the balm respects the skin. The balm does not try to be a perfume. The balm does not try to fill a catalogue. The balm tries to help the skin.

The industry does not like this approach. The industry likes the scents. The industry likes the chemicals. The industry likes the range. I spent 11 years in the trade. I saw the meetings.

In the meetings, we talked about the “scent experience.” We did not talk about the “skin experience.” We talked about how the product smelled when the customer opened the jar. We talked about how the scent lingered in the bathroom. We did not talk about the redness that appeared two hours later. We did not talk about the way the scent destroyed the skin barrier.

If a scientist raised a hand, the marketing director lowered the hand. The marketing director had a range to launch. The marketing director had a catalogue to print. The catalogue is a wall. The wall stands between the company and the truth. The company stays behind the wall. The customer stays in front of the wall.

The friend at the barbecue reached over the wall. The friend told the truth. The friend said the scent was an irritant. The friend said the company knew the scent was an irritant. This was a private moment. Private moments are the only places where the trade is honest. If you want the truth, you must find a friend. You must not find a catalogue.

The “Natural” Tool

Natural ingredients can also be irritants. This is a truth the clean beauty industry hides. A leaf is natural. Poison ivy is natural. A natural oil can still burn the skin. The trade uses the word natural to make the customer feel safe. The customer feels safe because the word natural is a good word.

The trade knows the word is a tool. The trade uses the tool to sell the range. An honest company tells you that even natural oils can be too much. An honest company tells you to test the product. An honest company keeps the ingredients simple. Simple ingredients mean a smaller range. A smaller range means less profit for a big company.

I once saw a report on a new floral scent. The report was 14 pages long. The report said the scent was “highly likely” to cause a reaction in children. The company launched the scent in a baby lotion. The company said the scent was “calming.” The company said the scent was “mother-approved.”

I asked the manager about the report. The manager said the report was a “conservative estimate.” The manager said the scent was necessary for the range. The range needed a floral option for mothers. The range was more important than the baby. I left the room. I felt sick.

The skin does not need a range. The skin needs a solution. A solution is often one thing. A solution is often a simple thing. The trade makes things complicated so the trade can sell more bottles. The trade adds scents to make the bottles different. The trade adds colors to make the bottles pretty.

The skin does not see the colors. The skin does not want the scents. The skin wants the lipids. The skin wants the moisture. The skin wants to be left alone by the marketing department. Next time you look at a catalogue, look at the size of the range. Count the products.

If there are thirty products, ask yourself why. Ask yourself if the skin needs thirty different scents. Ask yourself if the company is being candid. The company is likely staying silent about the irritants. The company is likely protecting the business. The trade knows which scent irritates. The trade knows which oil burns.

The catalogue will not tell you. The catalogue will stay silent. You must listen to the skin. The skin does not lie. The skin feels the burn. The skin feels the itch. The skin is the only honest record you have.

The friend at the barbecue was right. I threw the bottle in the trash. The bottle was blue and expensive. The bottle was full of a scent that my friend would not use. My friend knows the trade. My friend knows the range. I choose the skin over the catalogue now. I choose the simple balm. I choose the truth that the industry refuses to print.

The range is the business, but the skin is my life. I will not trade my skin for their range. I will not buy the silence anymore. I will read the data. I will read the truth. I will look for the candid voice in a world of silent catalogues.