But so many popular perfumes and colognes these days rely on artificial fragrances and chemicals, so while they smell good, they can really be bad for us.
However, you can still find your signature scent while spritzing yourself every morning with a fragrance free of parabens, phthalates and other synthetic materials (and I may or may not have typed psynthetic at first...)
By doing a little online research, and utilizing the Environmental Working Group Skin Deep Database, you can find out whether your favorite scent, or the one you're eyeing at the store, makes the health grade.
About seven years ago, while shopping at Sephora, I tested the Vanilla Grapefruit perfume by Lavanila, and instantly fell in love. It was clean, not too strong but not too faint, not overly girly, and very unique. And all the products Lavanila makes use natural ingredients and are free of parabens and phthalates. (And by the way, their Vanilla Blackberry scent is even better, yet seemingly hard to find these days. I'll be holding on to my rollerball as long as possible!)
I'd been alternating my daily perfume between Lavanila and my go-to Burberry Brit, until I wrote a blog post on the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Database, and learned just how harmful its ingredients can be. Since then, I've stuck to using my more natural perfume each day (and a few days I'll change it up, since I don't want to waste the Burberry I do still have.)
And yes, I know I'm running out. My bottle of Vanilla Blackberry is on its way!
And of course, for our wedding, I had to use my signature eco perfume. It was the perfect complement to my natural makeup and our garden ceremony setting.
But of course, there are tons of different brands available that make natural fragrances, although I haven't smelled these on my own.
- Treehugger's 12 natural perfume brands
- One Part Sunshine's 12 nontoxic men's colognes
- Living Pretty Naturally's top 5 natural perfumes
Maybe perfumes and colognes aren't your thing. That's okay! While many natural perfumes use essential oils as a base, you can eliminate the middle man and simply use essential oils as your fragrance.
Just be sure that whichever oil you choose, it doesn't cause a reaction on your skin. Choose ones that don't have to be diluted with a carrier oil.
You can even transfer essential oils to handy rollerballs for easier application. They're super easy to carry in your bag for daily use.
You don't have to sacrifice an amazing fragrance when you commit to cutting out harmful ingredients. Instead, you'll find one that smells amazing and makes you feel good inside!
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