Have you ever stopped to truly consider what is in your perfume or cologne you put on the most absorbent parts of your skin every day? The fragrance industry unfortunately has quite the reputation for its emphasis on smell with very little consideration of the types of chemicals it took to achieve this. The chemical industry has led the beauty market for too long on its back. They seek to replicate natural scents for a fraction of the cost with synthetics that may smell like a botanical plant but are in all reality the farthest thing from a plant. In doing this, they have put people’s health at risk, and have veered away from the actual ingredients that their perfume or cologne boasts of in scent. In other words, it may smell like vanilla, but it has no vanilla ingredients in it whatsoever.
For centuries, civilizations have been using natural botanicals to anoint themselves. Perfumery was an artisan form. Unfortunately, today this artisanship has been replaced by chemical makeups that have been linked to petroleum, cancer, birth defects, hormone disruption, and central nervous system disorders. Phthalates which are often found in perfumes and colognes have been linked to reduced sperm count in males and early puberty in females. Even the U.S. Clean Water Act listed phthalates as a toxic pollutant to wildlife and the environment. If this is the case, why in the world are we putting them on the most absorbent patches of skin such as our wrists and necks? Furthermore, many perfumes are not vegan or cruelty-free. Many are made up of animal by-products in which the animal must endure suffering such as the scraping of their musk while they are kept in cages. Animal by-products such as musk, civet, castoreum, and ambergris have all been identified in mainstream perfumes. Even synthetic musks have been identified as contaminates to people’s bloodstream. Why in the world have we allowed this to become the norm?
Vegan Fragrances are important in revolutionalizing the fragrance industry. Vegan Fragrances are made of clean ingredients, and by switching to sweet perfumes that demand transparency you are doing your part in prioritizing natural ingredients that are better for your health, animals, and the environment. Vegan Fragrances are cruelty-free and formulated with industry clean standards. They are made without parabens, preservatives, phthalates, or synthetic dyes inside.
How to Recognize Clean Ingredients
Their ingredients list should contain natural botanicals or even Latin ingredient titles of these ingredients which indicate the class of botanicals they come from. It should usually be followed by its English name in brackets after it. For example, it should look like Pelargonium graveolens (geranium) if it’s ingredients you don’t recognize. If the ingredients list sounds like your chemistry homework, it is more than likely made of synthetics.
Things to Look Out For When Reading the Ingredient Label
Knowing where toxic ingredients are hidden in plain sight through general or broad terms on an ingredient list is important. For example, many perfume or cologne ingredient lists may list the word “fragrance” or “parfum” as an ingredient. This can be a loophole to hiding toxic synthetics in perfumes and not having to say them by name. Similarly, perfumer’s alcohol is another tool that the industry uses to hide toxic chemicals. Alcohol is used as a carrier in most fragrance oils for blending. The problem is when this alcohol has been denatured, a process that takes away or alters the natural quality of the substance. Denatured alcohol can contain chemicals that have been tested on animals. Additionally, learn to avoid words such as parabens, preservatives, phthalates, or synthetic dyes.
Benefits of Vegan Fragrances
It is important to remember that our skin is our largest organ. Skin in its own way drinks and eats too. If the ingredients that we are putting on our skin are not safe for human consumption then they run the risk of being too toxic for us and even more dangerous for pets who are even more vulnerable and sensitive to synthetic chemicals. By choosing a Vegan fragrance, you eliminate the worry and you eliminate a laundry list of potentially hazardous side effects that have come out in recent years through hundreds of studies. By choosing a Vegan fragrance, you are setting your health up for success, and you are supporting brands and labels that have better ethics towards animals and the environment as well. Choosing ethical alternatives is easier than ever as the industry has undergone serious changes as the demand for vegan options has increased. Fragrance brands are listening and are finding affordable ways to put high-end quality products into your hands.
