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A good hair conditioner is essential for making your hair stronger, healthier, and easier to detangle. Unfortunately, hair conditioners, like most other hair care products, are often packed with fragrances, scents, and extracts that can irritate sensitive skin and scalps.
The good news is that we’ve carried out the laborious steps of testing fragrance-free conditioners and eliminating the ones that falsely claim they’re fragrance-free. Confused?
The explanation is that many products claim to be “fragrance-free” and “hypoallergenic” even if they’re actually not. That’s because the FDA doesn’t regulate the terms. For that reason, fragrance-free or unscented products may actually contain perfume or other scents!
Want to know more? Read our quick guide to a completely fragrance-free life.
Often unscented products contain all kinds of scented ingredients like leaf extract, green tea extract, oat milk, flower extract, and rosemary leaf extract—the list goes on and on. However, just because something is a natural ingredient doesn’t mean it cannot be an irritant. While some people may tolerate botanical ingredients, they can be just as irritating as fragrances for those who are highly sensitive to scents.
So, with that in mind, scroll down to see the best conditioners without any perfume or botanical extracts and say goodbye to headaches and runny noses from unnecessary scents in your hair care.
Looking for a great fragrance-free shampoo too? Read our guide to the 5 best perfume-free shampoos for all hair types.
Our Pick:
Pantene Pure & Clarify Conditioner
First on our list of the best fragrance-free conditioners in 2023 is this hair conditioner from Pantene which is formulated without perfume, dyes, silicones, parabens, and mineral oil. It (of course) doesn’t have a scent and leaves hair feeling soft and silky-smooth.
The Pantene Pure & Clarify Conditioner is one of the best fragrance-free conditioners we’ve tested in 2023. On top of that, you can’t beat the very reasonable price point. That’s why it is our pick of the best fragrance-free conditioners that we at withoutfragrance.com recommend.
Runner-up:
Kristin Ess Fragrance-Free Conditioner
This shine-enhancing conditioner from Kristin Ess is next on our list of the best fragrance-free conditioners. The conditioner doesn’t have a scent and is free of synthetic and natural fragrances. The conditioner contains Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (sweet almond) oil and Persea Gratissima (avocado) oil to hydrate hair and keep your locks shiny and healthy.
The conditioner goes well with the Kristen Ess daily cleansing fragrance-free shampoo, which is our top fragrance-free shampoo pick for 2023.
Best For Highly Sensitive Scalps And Skin:
Vanicream Free & Clear Hair Conditioner
If you’re looking for a lightweight fragrance-free conditioner, then Vanicream’s Free & Clear hair conditioner is an excellent choice. The conditioner contains no fragrances, masking fragrances, dyes, lanolin, parabens, or formaldehyde.
The conditioner is also free of oil, sulfate, and phosphate. Essentially the perfect conditioner for those with very sensitive scalps and skin. Vanicream’s Free & Clear hair conditioner is very reasonably priced, and it’s perfect as a primary conditioner for everyday use. That’s why we think it’s one of the best fragrance-free conditioners on the market right now.
Best For All Hair Types:
FragFre Conditioner
Next on our list of the best fragrance-free conditioners is FragFre’s nourishing conditioner. It’s made without fragrances, sulfates, parabens, colors, formaldehyde, phthalates, or irritating alcohols and is mild enough to use daily.
The conditioner is excellent for dry hair types and leaves the hair hydrated and much easier to comb through. FraFre’s conditioner pairs well with FragFre’s excellent shampoo, which made it on our list of the best fragrance-free shampoos in 2023. (the conditioner doesn’t have the same slight cucumber scent as the shampoo does).
Best For Fine and Dry Hair:
No Nothing Fragrance-Free Moisture Conditioner
The No Nothing’s fragrance-free sensitive moisture conditioner is moisturizing, lightweight, and fantastic for dry and fine hair. It doesn’t contain any irritating ingredients, scents, or essential oils. And like all of No Nothing’s other products, the conditioner is approved by the Finnish Asthma and Allergy Association.
The fragrance-free formula contains avocado oil that nourishes hair and leaves it soft and easy to comb through. The only downside is that it’s pricier than the other conditioners on the list, so it may not become your everyday conditioner. But use it when your hair needs something extra.
See also the No Nothing Very Sensitive Shampoo, one of the best shampoos without fragrance.
Best For Colored Hair:
No Nothing Very Sensitive Color Conditioner
Last but certainly not least on our list of the best fragrance-free conditioners is the Very Sensitive Conditioner from No Nothing that’s designed to protect and preserve colored hair. The conditioner is made with cottonseed oil to hydrate color-treated hair, and just like the Very Sensitive Moisture Conditioner, this one also doesn’t contain fragrance, scents, colorants, or parabens.
And, of course, the conditioner also has the official emblem of the Finnish Asthma and Allergy Association. What more could you want? We don’t know, but we do know that the No Nothing Very Sensitive Color Conditioner is one of the very best conditioners without fragrances.
The best fragrance-free shampoos in 2023
Are you looking for a fragrance-free shampoo too? Then, read our guide to the best fragrance-free shampoos that won’t dry out your hair.
Pantene has discontinued there fragrance free shampoo and conditioner.
We have been alerted of the discontinuation before but have not been able to confirm it, and it is still available for sale at some outlets. We’re investigating and will reach out to Pantene (Procter & Gamble).
I have fine, wavy, curly hair, that is low porosity. I am looking for a deep conditioner that I can use to keep my hair hydrated as well as moisturized that won’t weigh my hair down. Do you make a deep conditioner that is suited for my needs? I don’t dye my hair anymore, my hair is all natural. I do have skin and scalp sensitivities, and I’m so glad that you offer hair products that are fragrance free, without botanical extracts, and essential oils in them. I hope that you can help me!
Hi Allie,
Thanks for your question. We do not sell or manufacture any products, but we review fragrance-free products, including fragrance-free hair conditioners. We recommend Pantene Pure & Clarify Conditioner (https://amzn.to/3mbeOQv) as the best daily and budget-friendly conditioner. We also really like the Kristin Ess Fragrance-Free Conditioner (https://amzn.to/3uScEXt), which costs about the same and, for some, maybe even better than the Pantene, but check if you can tolerate avocado and almond oils, which it contains.