So-called “natural” fragrances can be just as toxic as synthetic fragrances. Whether it's in a cleaning product, a deodorant, a shampoo, or a laundry detergent, chemical fragrances don't really make the product work better—they just give you that perception. Fragrances have played a role in human life for millennia. Between 7000 and 4000 BC, in Mesopotamia, people burned aromatic resins to bring royalty and priests closer to their gods.
In the 16th century, perfumes became extremely popular in France among the upper classes. Then, the industry continued to grow, especially thanks to the invention of cologne two centuries later. Today, 41% of Americans regularly use perfume, and the industry is worth billions of dollars. However, most of the perfumes sold today are full of harmful chemicals that we should not inhale or put on our skin. Henry Rose has a large collection of eaux de parfum, with enchanting fragrances ranging from earthy to spicy and floral scents, some of which won the Allure Best Of Beauty Awards.
Henry Rose always reveals all the ingredients contained in his products. Their perfumes are completely free of carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, parabens, phthalates and formaldehyde. The company uses an organic sugar cane alcohol base for its perfumes and lists all their ingredients on their website. All its fragrances are free of skin sensitizers, endangered plant species, phthalates, parabens and more than 1300 questionable toxic ingredients.
Safe for sensitive skin, Skylar's fragrances are also made almost entirely of non-toxic synthetic ingredients, as the brand strives to preserve Earth's natural resources. Perfume boxes are made with FSC certified paper, and both perfume bottles and lids are 100% recyclable. Skylar even donates a portion of her profits to a different charity each month and, until now, has supported social and environmental organizations such as Feeding America and the Surfrider Foundation. By Rosie Jane is an Australian clean beauty brand with a large selection of perfumes that are sustainably made.
From sweet scents to floral and fruity fragrances, all of the company's perfumes are formulated with 100% safe, non-toxic and responsibly sourced ingredients. By Rosie Jane is extremely transparent about all the ingredients she uses for each of her perfumes. The brand is also one of the only perfume brands that has climate neutrality certification, and all its products are 100% vegan and certified by Leaping Bunny. Everything sold by Rosie Jane is handmade in Los Angeles and is shipped in 100% recyclable packaging made with wind energy, FSC-certified paper and plant-based inks.
Dedcool is a vegan fragrance brand that creates 100% non-toxic and genderless scents for daily use and for the home. It manufactures all its perfumes with an innovative process that does not use water. To replace water, the company makes its formulas using an exclusive blend of 23 certified organic plant extracts and clean, biodegradable ingredients. Plant extracts are added to nourish, soothe and help with their beneficial and anti-inflammatory properties. Dedcool is also a member of 1% For The Planet, and its manufacturing facilities and warehouses are certified carbon neutral.
They are made with clean ingredients approved by Leaping Bunny and contain at least 15% essential oils. They are formulated with a blend of essential oils and some synthetic chemicals that are completely safe for humans. The base of the perfume is 100% organic sugar cane alcohol. Vyrao products also do not contain harmful chemicals, such as parabens and preservatives, and are 100% vegan and have not been tested on animals.
MOODEAUX is a black-owned fragrance brand that produces perfumed oils that combine clean, luxurious fragrances with skincare benefits. Its exclusive and sophisticated fragrance, the SuperCharged SkinScent, comes in a travel highlighter that you can take with you everywhere. This cruelty-free formula contains a concentration of more than 30% of aromatic oil. It leaves aside the alcohol, water and the typical dyes that we can find in most perfumes and, instead, uses botanical ingredients that help to retain moisture, such as grape seed oils, fractionated coconut, apricot and meadow foam seeds.
The brand created Black In Fragrance, a movement that seeks to create an ecosystem of support and help for black perfumers and black-owned fragrance brands. MOODEAUX also donates 50% of the proceeds from each sale of its limited-edition products directly to the creatives of Black. The brand strives to minimize its environmental footprint, so it has a strict low-waste policy on the boxes and packaging materials it receives, and reuses most of them to ship bulk orders. Leahlani also makes sure to ship its products in recyclable packaging, and its headquarters in Kaua'i is 100% solar-powered.
Sana Jardin is a socially conscious luxury fragrance house that produces sustainable candles and eaux de parfums, all with delicious scents. Natural aromatic oils are created in a laboratory, take all of nature's molecules and are created by isolating natural aromatic components of the essential oil. In short, my classification system reflects my attitude toward the overall safety of natural and synthetic fragrances. Perfume formulas are often exclusive information, so instead of listing all their ingredients, many brands hide some of them behind the word “fragrance”.
Although they may contain traces of essential oils, their purity can be highly questionable, but on the contrary, when properly designed they can be clean, safer and less toxic than essential oils that come from nature. Leahlani is an artisanal skincare brand based in Hawaii that sells several perfumes, all with tropical fragrances that evoke the lush nature of the islands. Keep in mind that even natural oils can cause irritation, photosensitivity or cause various reactions, and many times the synthetic version can offer a cleaner burn and be more sensitive to the skin than the natural versions. They are extracted through steam distillation or solvent extractions and have many natural medicinal and aromatherapeutic benefits.
At Light 4 Life, a private label manufacturing company, they strongly support and defend natural products, but it's time to go further and really focus on clean products that aren't made with any “dirty ingredients”. They need to use real ingredients, not the mystery ingredient in the fragrance, and they should also list each and every ingredient.
