Fragrance is such a personal thing. It’s something that can make a huge impact. I’m sure you can remember specific smells from specific places, moods or times in your life. It invokes memories that can transport you into the past. It brings in memories of spring, of old notebooks, of grandma’s warm, eau de Parfum-laced enveloping hug. Is it any wonder that perfume is such a big deal?
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Note: This post has been edited from its original version to clarify the difference between ‘natural’ and ‘non-toxic.’
Perfumes and Toxins
When switching to natural, non toxic personal care products, perfume usually gets forgotten. We pay loads of attention to our shampoos, shower gels, toothpaste, deodorant, and beauty products. But we forgot about perfumes. Are perfumes toxic?
Very much so. Perfumes can contain harmful toxins, including phthalates (a known endocrine disruptor), numerous allergy triggers, and more. According to the Environmental Working Group, the fragrance industry has about 3,100 stock chemical ingredients that most conventional perfume scents are derived from. The clever thing that perfume companies have done all along, is to keep their ingredients a secret. So you shouldn’t expect the ingredient list to contain ‘phthalates’ or ‘petroleum’ in it.
Our skin absorbs nearly 60% of what we put onto it. So the very presence of these toxins in conventional perfumes have caused headaches, skin allergy, and asthma, to name some of the ‘milder’ symptoms. These toxins enter our body not just through through the skin, but also through inhalation and oral consumption.
Because of all this, it’s a good idea to switch to natural, non-toxic fragrances and perfumes.
What are Natural Fragrances?
First, let’s see what the difference is between perfume and fragrance; I don’t want to use them interchangeably here anymore. ‘Fragrance’ is an overarching term to describe a scent or aroma. It refers to perfumes, eau de toilette, or even the scent of a flower, and other naturally occurring scents. So perfume is a subset of fragrance.
Natural fragrances are compositions of natural aromatic raw materials such as essential oils, isolates, distillates, extracts and volatile concentrates. This is different from synthetic fragrances, which contain materials derived from petroleum and toxic chemicals such as toluene, aldehydes and benzene derivatives. Most conventional perfumes are synthetic, which is why we ought to look into natural, non toxic perfumes, and shop in that part of the perfume aisle.
With the options available today, it’s not hard to find natural, non toxic perfumes that smell just as good as (if not better than!) conventional perfumes.
But, first, let’s clear up some details:
Natural versus non-toxic:
‘Natural’ obviously refers to ‘from nature’, or naturally occurring. ‘Non-toxic’ means the item in question is not toxic, or does not contain ingredients that could be toxic to humans.
These two terms are not mutually exclusive.
Countless naturally occurring ingredients are extremely toxic, and are therefore not used in perfumes and fragrances. The IFRA is supposed to make sure of that.
Wait, what is the IFRA? The IFRA – the International Fragrance Association – exists to represent the fragrance industry, and to promote the safe use of fragrances. They have standards that all complying perfumers should follow while making their perfumes.
What are IFRA standards?
The IFRA Standards ban, limit or set criteria for the use of certain ingredients, based on scientific evidence and consumer insights.
Are the IFRA standards sufficient?
Here’s an extract from the EWG’s report (PDF) on popular perfumes:
Makers of popular perfumes, colognes and body sprays market their scents with terms like “floral,” “exotic,” or “musky,” but they don’t disclose that many scents are actually a complex cocktail of natural essences and synthetic chemicals – often petrochemicals. Laboratory tests commissioned by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and analyzed by Environmental Working Group revealed 38 secret chemicals in 17 name brand fragrance products, topped by American Eagle Seventy Seven with 24, Chanel Coco with 18, and Britney Spears Curious and Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio with 17.
The average fragrance product tested contained 14 secret chemicals not listed on the label. Among them are chemicals associated with hormone disruption and allergic reactions, and many substances that have not been assessed for safety in personal care products.
Coming back to the natural versus non-toxic ingredients issue, this post specifically refers to perfumes made from non-toxic, naturally occurring ingredients. There are many ingredients in mainstream perfumes that are considered “safe,” but are actually toxic (from a human health perspective as well as environmental perspective). Examples include parabens, phthalates, musk ketone, etc.
The popular perfume brands listed in the blue text above adhere to the IFRA standards. And yet they also contain ingredients that are listed as toxic by the EWG. So, what you follow is up to you, of course, but if you are interested in perfumes with naturally occurring, non-toxic ingredients, then this post is for you!
How to Select a Natural, Non Toxic Perfume
We can’t easily know the exact ingredients in perfume formulations. There doesn’t seem to be any authority in charge of certifying perfumes as toxic or not, which means you have to do the job yourself. So, exercise sufficient caution while choosing a perfume for yourself.
- Don’t buy any product that does not fully disclose all its ingredients.
- When ingredients are listed, and you’re not sure what they mean, look them up on EWG’s Skin Deep database.
- Look for products that only use natural, organic ingredients. They will probably state it on the packaging.
- Go by trustworthy reviews online regarding the product ingredients and the company’s values regarding the use of toxins, concern for the environment, and position on animal abuse in laboratories.
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Where Can You Buy Non Toxic Perfume?
Here’s a list of non toxic perfume brands.
1 // By Rosie Jane
Packaging is recycled and recyclable
2 // Carta
Ensures fair wages are paid to employees
3 // Ellis Brooklyn
Made in small batches
4 // GIVESCENT
100% natural, eco-friendly, cruelty-free, paraben-free
5 // IME Natural Perfumes
Toxin-free certified with Safe Cosmetics Australia
6 // Lake & Skye
Inspired by Kundalini yoga
7 // Los Feliz Botanicals
Handmade in small batches | Check out Los Feliz Eau De Parfum | For every bottle sold, LFB donates $1 to Charity: Water.
8 // Love, Sylvie
Made in USA
9 // Lurk
NPA-certified, USDA-organic
10 // MCMC Fragrances x Mociun
Handmade | Buy on Amazon
11 // One Seed
Recyclable packaging
12 // PHLUR
Cruelty-free, natural + essential oils, recyclable packaging
13 // Pour le Monde
NPA-certified, FSC-certified packaging
14 // Providence Perfume
100% natural, 96% certified organic, paraben-free, no added dyes
15 // Skylar
Hypoallergenic | Check out their sample palette
16 // Smoke Perfumes
Beautiful wooden packaging | Check out Ritual Perfume
17 // Vapour Organic Beauty
Solid perfume
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Choosing a perfume is as personal as choosing what you wear. The scent of a particular perfume is also influenced by your natural body chemistry. Which is why the same perfume smells different on different people.
Perfume preferences also change with the season, with lighter, floral scents preferred during springtime and summer, and darker, muskier scents during the winter months.
As spring takes over, remember you don’t have to opt for conventional perfumes to get your favorite scent. Take a look at these natural, non toxic perfume brands, and make a choice that’s better for your health and that of the planet!
Read More About Clean Beauty
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Non Toxic Personal Care Products
Vegan, Cruelty-Free Skincare Routine
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THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE DETAILS.
The Trend is going to shift towards Non-toxic perfumes in this decade. People are moving towards natural products. Btw, Great Article. In India, there is also progress going on to brand Ayurveda Body perfumes made from essential oils. Non-toxic is the new trend,
This article is very misinformed and misleading. Non-toxic and natural are absolutely not the same thing. IFRA exists to protect us from harmful molecules in perfume, most harmful molecules are in fact natural. Many natural ingredients are simply illegal due to their reaction with our skin. Being toxic is built into the nature of plants etc. so they can repel predators, insects etc. So please speak to an actual perfumer before you write articles that spread incorrect information about the chemistry of it. The reason synthetic ingredients we’re created from the start almost 100(!) years ago was actually because natural molecules were causing allergic reactions and rashes. Which is the exact opposite of what this article is implying.
Hi Ari,
My reply is quite late, but your comment needed to be addressed. Thank you for your comment. It has made me very aware of how careful I need to be while using various terms. Thanks to the thoughts prompted by your comment, I have edited and updated the post to make it clearer what exactly we’re talking about here.
Having said that, this post was not intended to be misinformed or misleading. Also, most people use perfumes, and have every right to know what is contained in them. But most people do not personally know any “actual perfumers.” I certainly don’t, and I don’t think that affects my interest in safe ingredients in any way. I may make mistakes, but my goal is to uncover what exactly is going into my body. I hope the edits to this post clarify any confusion.
Additionally, we know that there are toxic substances in nature, but I suggest you look into synthetic materials in perfumes that are IFRA-approved, but which are absolutely not safe for sustained use by us.
Thank you for adding to the conversation in a very useful way. We all learn more with such interactions. I appreciate you having stopped by:)