I wouldn't be honest with you if I said that before becoming a beauty editor, I always checked perfume bottles and boxes for ingredients that could potentially be harmful. In fact, it wasn't until I spent countless hours studying my growing fragrance collection comparing and contrasting their formulas that a few red flags began to rise. Without even meaning to, I began automatically reaching for the perfumes with the simplest compositions, leaving those with more unrecognizable ingredients in the back of my beauty cabinet.
"Organic" and "natural" are terms that get thrown around a lot. They're mentioned in terms of food as well as skincare, makeup, and, yes, even fragrances. A 2010 report from the Environmental Working Group discovered that a number of popular perfume manufacturers have repeatedly failed to disclose that many scents are actually a complex of natural essences and synthetic chemicals (often referred to as petrochemicals) rather than the plain, natural ingredients our ancestors used on the regular.
The reason for the secrecy lies in the 1973 manufacturing act requiring cosmetic companies to list ingredients on products. However the act doest not apply to fragrances. So which ones can we trust? Well, the good news as that there are plenty of fragrance brands that pride themselves on their production of natural, ethically sourced perfumes. While it's unsettling to think that some of our favorite scents might contain not-so-great chemicals, rest assured that there are high-performing brands to choose from that are transparent about what's in their bottles, making it easier to select clean scents you can rely on.
Put simply, ethical sourcing is the process of ensuring that products are made with materials obtained through responsible and sustainable methods as a reflection of sustainable sourcing and supply management. A product is also considered ethical when all workers involved in the production of said product are treated fairly and operate in a safe environment. If you've found a product that's both all-natural and ethically sourced, you've hit the jackpot!
Below, I've compiled an edit of seven natural fragrance brands carrying unique fragrances that are as aesthetically chic as they are natural and ethically sourced.
Clean Reserve
Key Notes: mandarin, neroli, amber
I've always gravitated toward fragrances that have the unique power of transporting me to my dream locations. Acqua Neroli is on of those, using a fresh and bright blend of juicy mandarin, neroli, and amber to awaken the senses and bathe my skin in a watery musk that evokes the Mediterranean sun and sea.
Key Notes: ambrette seeds, pear nectar, liquid musk
If you've avoided fruity fragrances due to a distaste for sticky, sweet scents, you'll be surprised at what this mouthwatering Clean Reserve option brings to the table. It captures the essence of succulent pear layered over ambrette and musk for a scent that radiates warmth like a sun-drenched summer day.
Key Notes: fresh musk, copaiba oil, vanilla, salted praline
It doesn't get more natural than this. Soft, subtle, and cozy, Skin is one of those rare fragrances that reminds you of the best version of yourself. It's comforting and familiar thanks to a blend of creamy Madagascar vanilla, salted praline, and copaiba oil for a clean, skin-like musk.
Heretic Parfum
Key Notes: jasmine, bergamot, pink pepper, hibiscus seed
I wrote a lover letter to Heretic Parfum, specifically its Florgasm fragrance. The bright and seductive perfume combines the sweet and savory notes of jasmine, bergamot, and pink pepper with orange blossom.
Key Notes: cedar, coriander, vanilla, sandalwood
Here's a musky, warm fragrance that combines classic, smooth vanilla notes with a medley of spices, including coriander and patchouli to inspire sensuality and self-love in its wearer. I never knew sweet and innocent vanilla could get a little dirty until my introduction to this scent.
Key Notes: sandalwood, coriander, musk, Bulgarian rose
Heretic Parfum's Scandalwood is the result of an iconic collaboration with Dita Von Teese. It mixes sandalwood with coriander, musk, and sensual Bulgarian rose for the date-night fragrance to end all date-night fragrances. Inspiring love and healing, Scandalwood is one clean scent you won't want to miss.
Ellis Brooklyn
Key Notes: ambrette seeds, jasmine petals, tiger orchid, musk
Inspired by clean sheets and sun-bathed skin, this subtle and mysterious perfume contains gorgeous notes of jasmine petals and pink lotus intermingled with white musk and cedarwood. It's one of my top picks for coffee shop dates and moonlit walks with loved ones.
Key Notes: musk, Centifolia roses, patchouli, peony, rhubarb
Fact: You haven't met a rose fragrance like this one before. The sparkling floral scent blends Centifolia roses with bright Sicilian lemon before seductive spring musks and cashmere woods are introduced. This charming scent is an ode to author, artist, and provocateur Marcel Duchamp's feminine alter ego, Rrose Sélavy.
Key Notes: bergamot, green tea, citrus, florals, vanilla beans
I'm a sucker for rom-coms, but every now and then, I'm in the mood for a sci-fi flick (or, at least, a fragrance that makes me feel like exploring the galaxy). Ellis Brookyln's Sci Fi marries cozy Madagascar vanilla beans with cool green tea, florals, and citrus for a fragrance that's out of this world.
Maison Louis Marie
Key Notes: sandalwood, vetiver, amber wood, spices
Finding a warm, spicy fragrance that doesn't scream autumn can be a bigger challenge than I'd like to admit, but Maison Louis Marie's No.4 Bois de Balincourt happens to be the perfect solution. It's an enchanting sandalwood fragrance balanced by heady cedarwood and a spicy cinnamon nutmeg complex that's delightfully earthy.
Key Notes: bergamot, white ginger, eucalyptus, cedar noir
I don't have many scents in my perfume collection that do a great job of combining citrus and woody notes without leaning too far one way or the other. However, No.12 Bousval is a definite outlier. Named after Maison Louis Marie's mother's hometown, this perfume combines notes of orange, Italian bergamot, and ginger flower with comforting eucalyptus and oakmoss.
Key Notes: coconut, Tuscan fig, tonka, amber, golden woods
Take a trip to the Italian coast with No.13 Nouvelle Vague. It offers uplifting notes of citrus accord, a sheer floral bouquet, and coconut with juicy Tuscan fig, sweet agave, and just a hint of woods. You'll surely catch me wearing this one all spring and summer with pride.
Snif
Key Notes: juniper, fur balsam, tonka, vanilla, white moss
Not all clean, ethically sourced perfumes come with a heavy price tag. Snif's line of fragrances are all offered for under $70, making it budget-friendly and worth stocking up on. Out of all the scents offered, Sweet Ash is my favorite. It's a sweet and earthy perfume composed of juniper, vanilla, and more.
Key Notes: gold maté, black tea, bergamot, amber, incense
There's a good chance you've seen this one floating around on social media. (I've spotted it multiple times on TikTok perfume reviews.) If you're a tea lover like I am, you'll be obsessed with this one! It blends black tea and green tea with bergamot, amber, and incense for a fresh fragrance that's energizing and cozy.
Key Notes: peach, timur pepper, jasmine tea, vetiver, cypress
Snif's Honorable Mention is a fresh take on your everyday floral fragrance, making it an instant classic. It features a burst of refreshing peach with spiced black walnut, florals, and spices laced throughout. Like all Snif fragrances, it's formulated with optimal performance and long-lasting wear in mind.
Liis Fragrances
Key Notes: pomelo, lemon zest, magnolia, waterlily, amber
Water lily is one of my favorite fragrance notes and happens to be at the heart of Liis Fragrance's Lucienne. Inspired by new ways of seeing, Lucienne features illuminating pomelo paired with enchanting dragonfruit, amber, and marine accord. Clean fragrance lovers should be adding this to their basket ASAP.
Key Notes: elemi, tobacco leaves, incense, cedar, vanilla beans
Have you ever wanted to bottle the coziness of your favorite cashmere throw? Liis has a perfume for that: Bo. Inspired by a hidden artist community on the Northern California coast, the fragrance combines notes of tobacco and vanilla with soft and hazy white cedarwood, pine needles, and incense.
Key Notes: cassis, tangerine, matcha tea, damask rose
I'll never get tired of rose fragrances (especially when they're unique like Liis Fragrances's Rose Struck). It has juicy, tangy notes of tangerine and cassis paired with energizing matcha tea and blooming Centifolia and Damask roses. It's definitely a fragrance that's perfect for springtime.
Nette
Key Notes: bergamot, moss, cashmere, moss sandalwood
La Fôret is a fresh and modern wood fragrance filled with sandalwood, cedarwood, and healingwood mixed with a medley of smooth cashmeran and moss for a simple and seductive fragrance that perfectly complements the skin. Its sculptural, rectangular glass flacon and glossy black cap will add an elegant touch to any surface.
Key Notes: bergamot, orange flower, ylang-ylang, coconut milk
Historically, I haven't been the biggest fan of coconut scents, but Nette's Coco Fleur surpassed all my expectations. Creamy coconut milk is paired with bright orange flower, ylang-ylang, pink pepper and grounded by sandalwood. If you can't book a tropical vacation at a moment's notice, here's your opportunity to smell like you just returned from one.
Key Notes: bergamot, grapefruit, amber, neroli, vetiver
A star is born. Nette's Opening Night brings on the glitz and the glamor with bergamot, grapefruit, amber, and a hint of upcycled vetiver, creating a long-lasting scent that's a warm, white, and floral. I'm pretty sure Hollywood's Golden Era stars would be wearing this one nonstop on red carpets if it had existed back then.
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