Did it happen to you to try a certain skin care product, maybe a product everyone is raving about, only to find out that you simply cannot use it. Why? Because of the smell. And I'm not talking about some overpowering fragrance that is added in order to make the product smell better. No, the product itself smells unpleasant, but only to you (and some other individuals with a "similar" nose)...

This happened to me with the Nature Republic Color Change CC Cream. I used it a couple of times, but the scent lingered and I could smell it the whole time I had the product on my face. Eventually, I gave it to a friend who was actually quite happy with the product and had no problem with its scent...

I would have definitely forgotten about this CC cream, if it hadn't been for a sample of Klairs Mid Day Blue Sun Lotion that I got with my recent purchase. I first decided to spot test it, as I often do with new skin care. And then I smelled a familiar scent... the same, obnoxious smell. As I'm writing this, I'm trying to find a word that would describe the scent in question. Musty comes to mind, but I'm sure that this has nothing to do with mold. And then I found this question and an answer that actually described it rather well: "sort of sweet, with an undertone of smoke and maybe a hint of that burning dust smell when you run the heater for the first time in the winter." 

This is why it's always a good idea to have samples of products you're interested in buying. I actually wanted to try Klairs Midday Blue Sun Lotion, as I've read and heard excellent reviews about it. I also  regularly use (and love) a couple of products from the Klairs brand, such as the Rich Moist Soothing Serum and the Supple Preparation Facial Toner...

Which ingredient is to blame, I wondered. After comparing the lists of ingredients on CosDNA (Nature Republic's Color Change CC Cream vs Klairs' Midday Blue Sun Lotion), I noticed that there is only 3 ingredients which are present in both products: cyclopentasiloxane, titanium dioxide and ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate. A quick internet search showed that titanium dioxide is odorless, while the other two chemicals have a "characteristic" odor. Nonetheless, I'm fairly sure that I've seen cyclopentasiloxane before on packagings of some other products I used. That is why I suspect that ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate is the culprit here. And since this compound (also called octinoxate) is an ester formed from methoxycinnamic acid (from cinnamon!?) and (RS)-2-ethylhexanol, I am now pretty sure that this is the chemical behind that characteristic sweet (but also burnt) smell.

As I researched this topic a bit more, I understood that its role is to absorb UV rays (without leaving white traces, I presume). However, octinoxate is not as harmless as it seems. According to EWG, there is evidence that this compound acts as an endocrine disruptor, while it also shows developmental and reproductive toxicity. This came as a surprise to me, since I know that Klairs products are suitable for people with sensitive skin and that they don't contain any colorants, alcohol, parabens nor artificial fragrances. Too bad, really. I sincerely hope that they will change the formulation in the future.

In conclusion, even if I'm wrong about this ingredient being the culprit for the obnoxious smell of aforementioned products (which I doubt), I will definitely try to avoid products with octinoxate for health reasons. 

I know that some people (I'm one of them!) tend to love the scent of sunscreen because it reminds them of summertime. However, while browsing through different websites that write about sunscreens and potentially harmful ingredients in them, I understood from the comments that for many people, the smell of sunscreen is rather unpleasant. It seems that I'm not the only one with a sensitive nose!

How about you? Do you avoid some skin care products only because of their smell? What about sunscreen? Do you tend to love or hate its scent?