There’s something so soothing about browsing through the soap selection at Whole Foods. But even at a place like Whole Foods, you’ll find plenty of soaps that seem harmless (because they’re made with “natural extracts” rather than synthetic fragrances), but are not necessarily the best choice for those of us with sensitive skin. Nature, aka the inventor of poison ivy, can produce ingredients that are just as irritating as any manmade concoction. Essential oils are…

Hand soap is a highly competitive product category. Product labels have to be eye-catching and full of buzzwords like “soothing,” “advanced,” “foaming”, “natural,” you name it. But as consumers, we have the power to look past the marketing—simply by turning the package over and reading the ingredient list. If a product label says “soothing,” you might logically assume that it is designed for people who are concerned about skin…

Fragrance-free hand soaps are hard to spot. For some reason, companies don’t think people will accept hand soaps unless they smell nice. I wish we had more options. A while ago, I accidentally bought Target Up & Up Classic Clean Clear Hand Soap without realizing that it contained fragrance. When it arrived, I didn’t want to waste it so I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, it aggravated my eczema and reinforced the idea that I should look for better hand soap options,…