Although beauty industry is usually portrayed as glamorous and fun, fact is that it is also one of the biggest culprits in contributing waste to landfills, which to add up often involve making animals suffer. However plenty of perfume houses and brands chose to go against the grain and ensure their impact on the world is positive. To support the nature friendly mindset and to inform about the ways you can contribute to making the world a better place, we are covering some interesting facts about eco-friendly and cruelty-free fragrances.
"What makes a perfume nature friendly is really a wholesome deal: ethically and eco-sourced ingredients, eco-conscious packaging, and creating a social impact are all part of it."
Saving the environment (Photo: Unsplash)
What makes a perfume »nature-friendly«?
There's no legal definition of what really makes a perfume »nature fiendly«, so try thinking about your perfume as a whole, instead of just the finished product. Ethically and eco-sourced ingredients, eco-conscious packaging, and creating a social impact are all factors that contribute to a fragrance's sustainability and »nature friendly« credentials.
"Look for companies who can trace the provenance of their materials and use naturals from an ethical sustainable source especially for things like Vanilla, Patchouli, Sandalwood and Bois de Rose."
Ethically and eco-sourced ingredients, packgaging and social impact (Photo: Pexels)
How do I know ingredients are sustainably-sourced?
"Check for the origin of engredients used and accept that sometimes lab made is more environmentally friendly than naturally derived, so be prepared to compromise for the sake of the environment."
Look for companies who can trace the provenance of their materials and use naturals from an ethical sustainable source especially for things like Vanilla, Patchouli, Sandalwood and Bois de Rose. It is important to accept that sometimes lab made is more environmentally friendly than naturally derived, so be prepared to compromise for the sake of the environment.
Sustainably-sourced ingredients (Photo: Pexels)
How do I know ingredients are ethically-sourced?
"Sadly, you can't. At least there's no legal definitions and these phrases are unrestricted. A good way of knowing could be for you to look for some third-party certifications."
The FDA states that some companies promote their products with claims of being “cruelty-free” or “not tested on animals,” but the use of these phrases is unrestricted. There are no legal definitions for these terms, so it's possible for some companies to apply such claims solely to their finished product, however there really is no way to truly know. A good way of knowing could be for you to look for some third-party certifications.
Cruelty free? (Photo: Unsplash)
»What should I look for in »nature friendly« packaging?
"Look for biodegradable, reusable and/or recyclable packaging."
You should be looking for biodegradable, reusable and/or recyclable packaging. Glass perfume bottles and cardboard box packaging are often recyclable but plastic cellophane and pumps aren’t.
Plastic waste (Photo: Unsplash)
Should I be looking for all natural fragrances?
"Not necessarily.. they might be endangered, grown in politically sensitive and war torn areas full of ethical concerns and availability problems which isn't sustainable. Last but not least, they can even be packed full of allergens or impurities."
There is a tendency to believe that natural is safer than synthetic, however that is not entirely true. Eventhough natural perfume materials are sustainable and thought to be »nature-friendly, they might be endangered and not sustainable. Perfumery materials grown in politically sensitive and war torn areas can lead to fluctuations in price and availability as well as ethical concerns. Moreover, they can be highly concentrated and packed full of allergens.
»Natural ingredients« (Photo: Pexels)
