23 Natural Perfumes That Actually Smell Amazing
Graphic by Cristina Cianci
Fact checked by Anna HarrisReviewed by Rachel Nazarian, MD, FAAD
Natural perfumes have come a long way since their pungent patchouli predecessors. (There are even tons of patchouli fragrances that don't smell like an incense store.) What we mean to say is: When it comes to clean, natural perfumes we have options—really, really great ones that span the gamut from the expectedly woodsy to spicy warmth, clean florals, rich gourmands, and beyond. From the simplest oils to the most complex blends, the world is our oyster when it comes to non-toxic formulations free from less-than-lovely ingredients and the weight of unsustainable production methods. Because we believe smelling good should never mean sacrificing your health or your principals.
To prove it to you, we've rounded up 23 natural fragrances that we would (and do!) spritz all day long. Keep reading for the best natural perfumes that get the Byrdie stamp of approval.
Nette Coco Fleur
Nette Coco Fleur ($120)
Sun-kissed skin in a (very chic) bottle coming right up. Floral notes of orange flower, ylang-ylang, and bergamot are steeped in the warmth of coconut milk and grounded by earthy sandalwood. If that doesn't sound like sultry summer nights, we don't know what does.
The Maker Fire Eau de Parfum
The Maker Fire Eau de Parfum ($175)
Clean doesn't always mean light and effervescent. With heady notes of juniper berry, rum, Tahitian vanilla, and smoky tobacco accord, this cigar-smoke-and-leather-bound-books fragrance isn't for the faint of heart. If you love the sexy potency of the Tom Ford fragrance lineup, you'll be sure to enjoy this spicy unisex, albeit masculine-leaning, scent. Plus, the ultra aesthetic fluted glass bottle is made from post-consumer-recycled glass using C02-free production methods.
Commodity Milk- Personal
Commodity Milk- Personal ($145)
Gourmand scents are experiencing a resurgence and we felt especially triumphant to discover a clean iteration. The creamy fragrance encapsulates a feeling of warmth and coziness with notes of tonka bean and mahogany wood while spicy white cedar and Iso E Super elevate the composition from coming across as cloyingly sweet—as can often be the downfall of many blends in this genre.
Lake and Skye 11 11
Lake and Skye 11 11 Eau de Parfum ($98)
When it comes to fragrance, sometimes the simplest ingredients make for the sweetest scents. Take Lake and Skye's best-selling scent, "11 11," which is a bold, unisex number that expertly melds musky white ambers to create a straightforward yet ethereal and uplifting result.
PHLUR
PHLUR Hanami ($96)
When PHLUR first landed on the desk of our beauty editor, it was made abundantly clear that we'd never look at perfume the same way again. Not only are the scents luxurious and expensive-smelling (while being surprisingly affordable), the brand is reimagining the perfume industry by proving toxic and hidden ingredients have no place in fine fragrances. Created by world-class perfumers, the brand touts radical transparency and thoughtfully combines skin- and planet-friendly botanical and safe synthetic ingredients with sustainable packaging. The brand's best-seller you ask? A gorgeous concoction of fig, white florals, and sandalwood, called Hanami.
Heretic Dirty Patchouli
Heretic Dirty Patchouli ($165)
Heretic kicks it old-school and uses the processes of perfumers past—aka, before synthetics hit the scene—and they keep it natural with essential oils and absolutes blended in organic grape and sugarcane alcohols. As one of their best-sellers, Dirty Patchouli deserves the hype. Made with wild patchouli leaves blended with vanilla absolute and caramelized benzoin, this scent is as complex as it is sensual—a sexy '60s hippie, if you will.
DedCool Fragrance 03 "Blonde" Eau de Parfum
DedCool Fragrance 03 "Blonde" Eau de Parfum ($90)
We'll put it this way: DedCool isn't your run-of-the-mill perfume. Instead, it's unisex, vegan, cruelty-free, and nontoxic—and virtually every scent by the brand smells divine. We've been having a moment with its Number 03 iteration in particular; an intriguing concoction of saffron, violet, crystal rose, and blonde woods.
Ingredients
Saffron is a flower plant-derived spice that is used as a seasoning as well as an ingredient in beauty products and perfume.
Kai Perfume Oil
Kai Perfume Oil ($52)
A classic light floral aroma—minus the parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and phosphates. Founder Gaye Straza strived to capture childhood memories of Hawaiian vacations and did just that with a fresh blend of white gardenia and clean florals. The travel-sized vial can chill conveniently in your bag ready to provide an on-the-go refresher.
Skylar Isle Escape
Skylar Isle Escape ($90)
We've already sung this natural perfume's praises, but that will never stop us from continuing to shout our love from the rooftop. Developed by Cat Chen, a former executive at The Honest Company, Skylar gifts the fragrance-obsessed with clean, luxe-smelling perfumes without any funny business like harmful chemicals. Isle is a team favorite perfume and delivers a whiff of vacation (aka citrus, bergamot, cardamom, and sandalwood) with each and every spritz.
Ingredients
Bergamot is a citrus fruit that is used in many perfumes and oils, and gives off a warm, zesty aroma.
Abbott NYC Crescent Beach
Abbott NYC Crescent Beach Eau de Parfum ($88)
A unisex fragrance to be enjoyed by everyone, this scent recreates Long Island summers of flowers and ocean breeze. A masterful blend of peony, lily, amber, and oceanic notes will have the wearer smelling like wind on a beach—the kind of clean breeze that carries the scent of neighboring gardens and salt water with it.
Strange Invisible Perfumes Aquarian Rose
Strange Invisible Perfumes Aquarian Rose ($70)
Ever wanted to smell exactly like your favorite flower? Thanks to Strange Invisible Perfumes' hydro-distilling method, you totally can. Instead of trying to recreate botanical scents with synthetics, these perfumers extract the true aroma from real flowers. The certified organic fragrances are made with custom-distilled, pesticide-free Napa Valley grape alcohol and all-natural botanical extracts. This particular number is fresh with bright rose and warm marjoram, sandalwood, and orange.
Scent-Organix I Am Bright
Scent-Organix I Am Bright ($39)
This tropical scent will evoke visions of island life with notes of pineapple, coconut, and tiare flower. Scent-Organix is committed to sustainable scents that are skin-safe, vegan, biodegradable, and made without phthalates, sulfates, or parabens. Bonus—the alcohol used in their formulas is 100% derived from sugar cane.
Good Chemistry Queen Bee Eau de Parfum
Good Chemistry Queen Bee Eau de Parfum ($28)
We know how pricey perfume can be, so if you're looking for a budget-friendly option, this scent is your answer. Not only is this perfume just under $30, but it has the intoxicatingly divine notes of black currant, peony, and amber.
By Rosie Jane James
By Rosie Jane James ($75)
This perfume is a floral obsessive's dream: It contains the light notes of gardenia, plus hints of fig and amber to give this scent a more mature profile. Plus, it's one of Sephora's top-rated perfumes with a Clean at Sephora seal of approval.
Fresh Sugar Lychee
Fresh Sugar Lychee ($95)
Such a refreshing citrus sweetness can only come from a masterful mix of grapefruit, lemon, mango, and lychee. This tropical concoction is energizing and playful without being overbearing. If a childhood lemonade stand could be bottled, it would be Sugar Lychee.
Lavanila Pure Vanilla
Lavanila Pure Vanilla ($48)
Lavanila labels itself as "the healthy fragrance" and for good reason. Not only is this perfume free of skin-scary ingredients, but it's actually full of nourishing antioxidants meant to soothe and calm the skin while delivering a delicious aroma of Pure Madagascar Vanilla. Each scent is made from pure essential oils.
Ellis Brooklyn SALT Eau de Parfum
Ellis Brooklyn SALT Eau de Parfum ($108)
Another Clean at Sephora select, this is a must-have scent for lovers of clean, creamy fragrances. Inspired by a memory of a day spent by the sea, SALT was created to embody the essence of salty skin under the sun with warm notes of tropical florals. The Ellis Brooklyn perfume is not only clean by Sephora's standards, but it's also vegan and certified cruelty-free by PETA, according to the brand.
Maison Louis Marie No.04 Bois de Balincourt Perfume Oil
Maison Louis Marie No.04 Bois de Balincourt ($65)
Maison Louis Marie No.04 Bois de Balincourt is the woodsy musk of fresh forest rain in a bottle. A best-seller at Credo, this vegan perfume oil is warm and earthy with a delectable blend of sandalwood, cedarwood, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vetiver.
Henry Rose Fog
Henry Rose Fog ($120)
Unsurprisingly fresh, Fog balances vetiver wood and musk with light citrus top notes for a clean, everyday scent—just as the name might imply. Created by actress Michelle Pfeiffer, Henry Rose provides a full ingredient list for every product in the name of 100% transparency.
Non Gender Specific Flooid Fragrance
Non Gender Specific Flooid Fragrance ($125)
Flooid is as seductive as it is sustainable. The gender-neutral fragrance is sweet and earthy and comes in a glass jar with plantable, biodegradable, tree-less paper packaging that's infused with non-invasive wildflower seeds. Bright top notes of citrus; mids of amber and patchouli; and cedarwood, pine bark, and moss base notes make for a seriously delicious and soothing signature scent that lasts all day.
The 7 Virtues Vanilla Woods Eau de Parfum
The 7 Virtues Vanilla Woods Eau de Parfum ($88)
If making a difference—and smelling amazing while you're at it—is a high priority, you're going to fall fast in love with The 7 Virtues. Each of their hypoallergenic perfumes' natural ingredients is sourced from different countries like Afghanistan, Haiti, Rwanda, Madagascar, India, and Egypt to help farmers rebuild after war or conflict. Warm and spicy Vanilla Woods is rich with Madagascar vanilla, pear, rose, and amber, and is meant to last all day thanks to a higher concentration of fragrance oils.
Abel Nuture
Abel Nuture ($245)
Formulated with non-allergenic ingredients that are safe pre- and post-partum—as well as anti-nausea ginger—Nuture is an ode to motherhood. Keeping in mind that pregnant women are sensitive to smell, the brand's perfumes are soft but far from boring. With hints of calming rose, energizing orange blossom, and grounding sandalwood, Nuture is well-rounded and au naturel.
Eauso Vert Joga
Eauso Vert Joga ($185)
Sensualness and sustainability meet in Joga, a citrus floral scent by female and Latinx-founded brand Eauso Vert. Black currant top notes give way to jasmine and end with vetiver.
Up Next: How to Make Your Own Signature Perfume With Essential Oils
Read the original article on Byrdie.
