[ The Science ]

Why we went
unscented.

When we studied what's actually in laundry products, one thing stood out: the scent carried most of the chemistry. So we left it out of the wash — and gave you a cleaner way to add it back in the dryer, on your terms.

1 word“Fragrance” can legally stand in for dozens of undisclosed ingredients on a U.S. label.U.S. FDA · 21 CFR 701.3
25+ VOCsVolatile organic compounds measured from dryer vents using fragranced laundry products — seven are EPA hazardous air pollutants.Steinemann et al., 2013
202–275%More chemical absorbed through skin at 39°C vs 25°C over three hours, in human-skin tests.Kilo et al., Tox. in Vitro, 2020

It started with the label.

We set out to build the best detergent for people who sweat. The deeper we read into conventional formulas, the more one pattern repeated: a large share of the questionable ingredients weren't there to clean anything. They were there to make clothes smell a certain way — and to make that smell cling to fabric long after the wash.

That's backwards. Scent isn't clean. So we split the two jobs apart.

One word can hide a lot.

On most labels, the entire scent system collapses into a single word: “fragrance.” In the U.S., that one word is treated as a trade secret, so the individual ingredients behind it don't have to be listed. The EU takes the opposite approach and requires dozens of known fragrance allergens to be named outright.

We'd rather just not hide anything. Our detergent is unscented, and every ingredient in it has a name.

  • Synthetic “fragrance” can represent dozens of undisclosed ingredients
  • Some phthalates used as fragrance carriers are classified as endocrine disruptors in the EU
  • Fragrance is among the most common triggers of allergic contact dermatitis
  • Scented laundry products can release volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Clean in the wash. Scent in the dryer.

The detergent's job is to get your gear completely clean and leave nothing behind. The scent's job belongs in the dryer — a few drops of essential oil on a wool ball, where you decide how much, or none at all. One product cleans. The other scents. Neither pretends to be the other.

The receipts

We don't ask you to take our word for it. Here's the published research behind what we just said — grouped by the claim it supports. Read it yourself.

  1. The fragrance loophole
    FDA: “Trade Secret” Ingredients in Cosmetic Labeling (21 CFR 701.3)

    In the U.S., fragrance and flavor can be listed as a single word because the individual ingredients are treated as trade secrets — they don't have to be named.

    U.S. Food & Drug Administration · 21 CFR 701.3
  2. The fragrance loophole
    EU Cosmetics Regulation — fragrance allergen labelling (Reg. (EU) 2023/1545)

    The EU takes the opposite approach: it requires named disclosure of specific fragrance allergens — 26 originally, expanding to roughly 82 by 2026.

    European Commission · Regulation (EU) 2023/1545
  3. What “fragrance” can carry
    Urinary metabolites of phthalates after dermal exposure

    In a controlled human study, diethyl phthalate (DEP) — a common fragrance carrier — was measurably absorbed through the skin.

    Krais et al., Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 2018
  4. What “fragrance” can carry
    Diethyl phthalate and estrogen-receptor signaling (in-vitro)

    In cell studies, DEP interacted with estrogen-receptor signaling — part of why phthalates are flagged as endocrine disruptors. (Mechanistic / in-vitro.)

    Fiocchetti et al., Toxics, 2021
  5. Skin absorbs more when warm
    Skin temperature and the rate of dermal absorption

    Raising human skin from 25°C to 39°C increased through-skin absorption by 202–275% over three hours — heat is the condition of gear against sweating skin.

    Kilo et al., Toxicology in Vitro, 2020
  6. Skin absorbs more when warm
    Percutaneous Absorption — National Research Council review

    Trapping a substance against skin (occlusion) raises hydration and temperature and can increase how much is absorbed.

    National Research Council (U.S.), 1999
  7. Scented laundry & indoor air
    Chemical emissions from residential dryer vents using fragranced laundry products

    Dryer vents using fragranced laundry products emitted more than 25 VOCs; seven are EPA hazardous air pollutants and two are classified carcinogenic.

    Steinemann et al., Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, 2013
  8. Scented laundry & indoor air
    Fragrance-free vs fragranced laundry emissions

    Switching to fragrance-free products cut dryer-vent limonene emissions by up to 99.7% within two weeks.

    Steinemann, Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, 2020
  9. Fragrance & skin reactions
    North American Contact Dermatitis Group Patch Test Results, 2019–2020

    Fragrance Mix I was the third most common contact allergen, positive in 12.8% of patients tested; a fragrance breakdown product ranked fourth.

    DeKoven et al., Dermatitis, 2023

Athlete Fresh shares this research for general education about the laundry-care category. These studies describe ingredients and exposure pathways in the category broadly; they are not claims that any specific competitor product, or Athlete Fresh, prevents, treats, or affects any health condition.

Shop the unscented system