Best Natural Perfumes: Phthalate and Toxin-Free

For some of us, the perfumes we spritz on our wrists and necks are a part of our daily beauty regime. But unfortunately, no matter what shape the bottle is in, or how many flowers are on the label, most conventional perfumes are filled with toxic chemicals, not crushed up flowers. Recently, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has been getting the word out about the possible harm our perfumes could cause with their Not So Sexy campaign. As we breathe in and douse our largest organ (our skin) with these concoctions, what are they doing to our long-term health?

According to Treehugger, "The FDA does not have the authority to require manufactures to test cosmetics for safety; the $50 billion cosmetics industry is free to manufacture, market, and sell scents, body sprays, and aftershaves, that may cause health problems." And since this is an unregulated industry, nobody really knows what health impacts our perfumes might be having on us. This is only exacerbated by the fact that cosmetics companies' are not required to list ingredients (since they would reveal so-called 'trade secrets').

"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. These include diethyl phthalate, a chemical found in 97 percent of Americans (Silva 2004) and linked to sperm damage in human epidemiological studies (Swan 2008), and musk ketone, a synthetic fragrance ingredient that concentrates in human fat tissue and breast milk (Hutter 2009; Reiner 2007)."

Over the last few years I have chosen to get rid of all of my conventional perfumes (I gave them away) and replaced them with all-natural and organic versions. I'm not taking a chance with my health just to smell nice, and the companies below make delicious aromas that are just as complex, interesting and dynamic as the commercial versions.

A Perfume Organic is made in New York City and the three scents take inspiration from their surroundings. "The signature perfume ‘GREEN’ bears notes of fruity rose (New York’s state flower), black truffle, two chamomiles, and sweet ylang ylang with a spicy wood finish." I'm a fan of the Urban organic You can order a sample pack of all four scents here (perfect for travelling!).