More and more people are opting for natural-leaning perfumes, but what does this really mean? To be honest, the terms “clean” and “organic” and “natural” don’t have a strict definition, and whether or not you should prioritize these kinds of fragrances isn’t a black-and-white conversation.
Some synthetic ingredients are perfectly safe, while others may be endocrine-disrupting. Some natural ingredients are wonderful, but they can be less sustainable or even irritating to the skin (for example essential oils often contain common allergens as identified by the EU). At the end of the day, the world of fragrance is incredibly nuanced.
“This is why in modern perfumery, we do work with both natural and synthetics. I have fallen in love with working with both,” says Mindy Yang, fragrance expert, reiki healer, and founder of Perfumarie. “I love to start with naturals and then use safe, but interesting, synthetics to add the special effects to round out and enhance the formula.”
Like most things in the beauty space, this just means finding brands that are transparent about their sourcing, ingredients, and efforts. Luckily, those options are more prevalent now than any time before in beauty (check out our favorite clean fragrance brands here). So it’s entirely possible to find scents that are sourced ethically, are made safely, and—not so small bonus—smell wonderful.
You also shouldn’t write off fragrance as a whole, especially given that it’s something that has been used since, well, forever. Plus, many people and cultures put great emphasis on fragrance, which is a good enough reason to use it period.
Read more about mindbodygreen’s POV on natural versus synthetic fragrance here.
