Perfumes have long enchanted us with their captivating scents. Yet today, more of us are asking what lies beneath the allure. The call for vegan and sustainable perfumes is rising, driven by consumers wanting to tread lightly on the Earth. In an industry often marked by opacity, these perfumes offer a fragrant breath of fresh air — literally and ethically.
Keep perfumes in a dark cool place (stop use if irritation occurs and avoid citrus oils for photo-sensitivity). Avoid perfumes when pregnant/breastfeeding and never spray near babies or pets (citrus for instance is toxic – nor use cocoa solid perfumes in case they lick your skin). Don’t wear perfume, if pets sleep on your beds.
Ink and Ocean Botanical’s Jardin de Papillons solid perfume is sold in a glass jar. Ideal for people who prefer solid to spray perfumes, it infuses real essential oils in a base of jojoba wax and organic jojoba oil. Like ‘walking into a summer garden’, it features top notes of lavender and bergamot, middle notes of magnolia and ylang ylang, and end notes of earthy sandalwood and vetiver.
Also in a wildflower scent, with notes of fresh mint, lavender and chamomile, middle notes of rose and ylang ylang and base notes of cedarwood and patchouli.
What Are Vegan Sustainable Perfumes?
Vegan sustainable perfumes represent a conscientious choice in the beauty sector. These fragrances are crafted without animal-derived ingredients and are produced with mindfulness towards the planet. But what truly defines them?
The UK fragrance market is worth £7 billion. Although a ban on animal testing came into force a few years ago for cosmetics, some brands test elsewhere and clock allergens and hormone disruptors under the term ‘fragrance’ (a third of people are allergic to perfume).
Natural perfumes don’t last as long but are nicer, more affordable (not paying for packaging or celebrity adverts).
Choose vegan perfumes, as some brands use:
- Ambergris (whale poop)
- Mush (a tiny Siberian deer)
- Civet (Asian wild cat)
- Castoreum (beavers, also found in ‘fake vanilla’)
- Hyraceum (an African guinea pig)
Also choose sustainable oils (esp. sandalwood, frankincense, eucalyptus) and avoid rosewood oil (endangered tree).
How to Dispose of Old Perfume & Cologne
A bit like paint, the best thing to do with perfumes and colognes is to use them up, as they are classed as flammable hazardous waste. Empty bottles can be recycled.
Top Brands for Vegan Sustainable Perfumes
Jones & Modha No.1 (Somerset) is made with a breezy scent of citrus trees, cut leaves, woody greens and spice. Contains notes of bergamot, lemon myrtle, grapefruit and red mandarin. Middle notes of rose geranium, linden, ginger, rose, coriander and spearmint. And base notes of cedarwood.
Haoma Perfumes are made with organic ingredients, sold in beautiful frosted bottles. Free from synthetic fragrance molecules, the range includes lavender, myrrh & frankincense, ylang ylang, orange and No.1 (geranium patchouli, frankincense, cedarwood, palmarosa, sweet orange and thyme).
Neal’s Yard Remedies offers a nice organic perfume made with real ingredients. It has top notes of lime, neroli, bergamot and pink pepper, middle notes of frankincense, lavender and Spanish marjoram and base notes of patchouli, vetiver and myrrh.
Scence makes handmade stick scents near Falmouth in Cornwall, handmade by two friends who generate energy from the solar panel on their roof. Sold in a cardboard tube, just glide onto the skin using the push-up tube, then you can recycle or compost the tube at end of use. Don’t worry if the oils darken the tube, this won’t affect performance.
Free from palm oil, this perfume will soften at 30 degrees, but firm up again once cooled. Use within 24 months of purchase. Contains organic coconut oil plus organic oils and natural fragrance oils of vanilla and rose.
Handmade Certified Organic Perfumes from Ireland
Waters and Wild is one of the world’s few perfume companies that is certified organic. Handcrafted in Ireland, you can buy a set of mini perfume vials, to see which scent you prefer. Choose from:
- Sweet Basil and Bergamot – fresh peppery herbs with anise undertones, combined with spicy citrus bergamot, warm cedarwood and wild rose).
- Tuberose and Frankincense – an exotic blend that is classic and timeless.
- Rose and Oud – dawn-harvested rose petals combine with woody oud for mysterious depth.
- Cedarwood and Cognac – Smooth and sweet, with earthy vetiver.
Many of the ingredients are sourced from the local wild Atlantic coast in beautiful West Cork (gorse, rosemary, seaweed, lavender) along with raw organic ingredients from around the world.
