Ever spent time near the perfume section of a mall? At first, the almost overwhelming blend of fragrances smells incredible, but within a short amount of time you’re likely to leave the cosmetics counter with a pounding headache. The reason for this, (besides too many scents at once) is that the majority of perfumes on the market today are made from positively damaging ingredients. The synthetic chemicals found in fragrances might make you smell good in the short term, but the lingering effects of these pungent blends are often dangerous. For a different approach, invest in natural perfume instead. Not only will you enjoy the real world scents of essential oils, you’ll also free yourself from worry about what’s really in your perfumes.
Why The Ingredients In Your Perfume Might Be Scary
Do you believe your $10 perfume was made from real roses? Think again. In all likelihood, your fragrance was manufactured in a lab on the cheap. The rational behind this is clear; there’s no denying that the ingredients in natural perfume are expensive. For this reason, the majority of perfume companies have cut out natural ingredients in favor of synthetics. In fact, over 90% of the ingredients in most perfumes are synthetic. However, there’s no reliable way to know for sure what’s really in each bottle. Perfume companies are not required to list the ingredients in their bottle and can instead use generic terms like “fragrances” to describe them.
While not all synthetic chemicals used in perfumes are necessarily dangerous, many of them all. According to research, the average bottle of perfume contains over a dozen synthetic chemicals not listed in the ingredients, many of which are know to cause allergic reactions or hormone disruption in the wearer. Worst, many of these chemicals can slowly build up over time in your body (especially fat tissue and breast milk) and might potentially cause reproductive issues at a later time.
What is Natural Perfume?
If you want to have full confidence about what’s in your bottle of fragrance, it’s important to forgo conventional options and stick to natural perfume instead. Unlike cheap perfume scents created in labs, natural perfumes rely on scents found in nature, like essential oils and rare ingredients like ambergris (fossilized whale poop). When combined together, these scents create complex fragrances that tend to be less overwhelming than synthetic perfumes, and their scents linger in the air long after you spray them. Best of all, natural perfume makers aren’t shy about listing their ingredients on their products, meaning you can wear them with the full confidence of knowing exactly what you’re putting on your body.
10 Best Natural Perfumes To Try
Knowing what beauty products are worth investing in is always tricky, but the process is made easy for you here. Each company featured on this list prides themselves for sourcing natural ingredients and avoiding unhealthy synthetic chemicals in their blends. No matter what your scent preference is, you’re sure to find the perfect natural perfume for you.
1. Pacifica Natural Perfume
Dreaming of a destination vacation to the tropics? Even if your bank account isn’t ready to take you there, one whiff of Pacifica Natural Perfume will make you feel like you’re already at the beach. The company’s island vanilla collection will leave you filled with a heady, floral scent, and each blend is made without the use of parabens, sulfates, synthetic dyes and more. Pacifica offers plenty of natural perfume options, meaning no matter if you prefer to wear yours as a spray, roll-on or solid, there’s an option for you to use. Best of all, each perfume is vegan and cruelty-free, so you won’t have to worry about the way your perfume is impacting the environment.
2. LURK Perfume Oil
Created by hand in SoHo NYC, LRUK perfume oils are made with an organic jojoba base and innovative blends of pure essential oils. Water and alcohol are never used, and the blends are put together without preservatives, additives or stabilizers. The unique blends of each natural perfume are meant to be genderless and ageless, meaning they can be applied by anyone.
3. Kuumba Made Fragrance Oil
Why bother with a spray when you can use a roll on perfume instead? The wide variety of scents in the Kuumba Made fragrance line ensures you’ll never get bored with their selection, and the yummy names like ‘Creamy Coconut’ will make you want to taste them. Each fragrance is made completely with the oils and resins from flowers, trees, and roots, ensuring that nature and science are blended together to produce complex, unforgettable scents.
4. Prabhuji’s Gifts Attar Oil
It’s easy to feel like a goddess when you use the perfume from Prabhuji’s Gifts. Each natural perfume comes in a beautiful bottle and has a pleasing blend of top, middle and base notes to give it a well rounded aroma that’s sure to leave you smelling divine. Blends of essential oils including mint, lemongrass, and frankincense ensure that the sensual smells come without infusions of unwelcome synthetic chemicals. No parabens, phthalates, dyes or ethyl alcohol were used to make these blends, ensuring they are as natural as they smell.
5. Providence Perfume Company
Located in Providence, Rhode Island, the Providence Perfume Company is a line of small batch perfumes that embrace the natural scents of New England. Created by Charna Ethier after she got sick of working for larger beauty companies, each Providence beauty scent are made by hand with real plants, flowers, woods, fruits and more blended together in a pure alcohol spirit base. The scents are not overpowering like what so often happens with synthetic perfumes, and no parabens, phthalates or unnatural fragrances are used.
6. Pour le Monde Perfume
With a name that translates to “For the World”, Pour le Monde truly takes their mission statement to heart. The company donates 10 percent of its net profits to charities around the world, and each fragrance is non-toxic and made from all natural essential oils that are infused in grain alcohol. This ensures that each scent works more subtly than synthetic perfumes and instead responds to your personal body chemistry for a less potent scent experience. Every perfume is fully vegan and free from petrochemicals and artificial dyes, meaning you will know exactly what you’re putting on your body with every spray.
7. Tsi-La Perfume
Founded by Annie Morton and Natalie Szapowalo, Tsi-La perfumes pride themselves on being pure, natural and conscientiously designed. Each perfume is made from organic ingredients that are vegan and cruelty free, and no synthetic chemicals, fragrances or even alchol are used to make them. Each collection is created in an artisan-sized batch that takes advantage of the wide variety of scents in essential oils, exotic butters and active plant botanicals. If you’re looking to be a little creative, Tsi-La scents are designed to be layered, meaning you can create your own innovative creation that smells actually the way you want.
8. Red Flower Guaiac Perfume
Though they are more known for their natural candles, Red Flower also makes some truly memorable perfumes. Their most popular offering is the Guaiac perfume, which is made from the resin of the guaiacum tree, a species known as the ‘tree of life’ in South America. Frankincense, rose, and USDA certified organic grapefruit are used as ingredients to freshen you up while relieving stress and tension. This exotic smelling, yet deceptively complex perfume is just as useful for wearing on the way to yoga class as it is for a night out.
9. Liz Earle Botanical Essence
Designed and formulated in France, Botanical Essence is a perfume made from 98 percent natural ingredients that give it a distinctive, exotic scent. The list of ingredients include Italian bergamot, lavender grown from the high altitudes of France, and patchouli from Indonesia. Only the highest quality essential oils are used in each bottle, meaning that the scent of this perfume is longer lasting than similar fragrances and will keep you smelling fresh and beautiful all day long.
10. Forager Botanical Flower Water Spray
Inspired by a childhood of making homemade perfumes out of water and flower petals, Casey Coyle started Forager Botanical because she wanted an alternative to synthetic scents that wouldn’t leave her feeling sick. Each perfume in her line is handcrafted in Brooklyn, and you can get a discount on your perfume if you choose to reuse the bottle. Each variety of floral water contains a hydrating mist of floral essential oils that will leave you feeling fresh without an overpowering lingering scent. Because the spray is all natural, it can be used on any part of your body, including face and hair. For those that want to smell like a walk through a flower garden, a Forager Botanical Spray is the best way to do so.
Conclusion
In a world flooded with untested synthetic chemicals used as staple ingredients for every beauty product, it can be tough knowing where to turn for natural alternatives. Thankfully, there are plenty of gorgeous smelling natural perfumes on the market today that are made from ingredients that are as wonderful as they smell. Try out one of these natural perfume companies today and you’ll be sure to notice the difference.
Looking for other ways to add natural beauty into your life? Check out this article for top tips to avoid toxic ingredients in your beauty products.