FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions on natural perfumes

What is a natural perfume?

Natural perfumes are made from natural ingredients using only aromatic substances that are directly derived from flora and fauna without any synthetic materials. Natural perfumes contain a variety of extracts such as absolutes, essential oils, tinctures, concretes, infusions, and resins.

Natural perfumes can be 2 types – botanical or herbal and animal scents that are commonly marked as “non-vegan” perfumes. Typically, plant substances are used in botanical perfumes and animal pheromones are used in animal scents.

What are natural ingredients in perfume?

Natural ingredients are typically extracts of plant or animal resources. It can be essential oils, tinctures, absolutes, concretes, infusions, or resins. Natural ingredients in perfume don’t include any synthetic or chemical substances.

In botanical natural perfumes, plant raw materials like flowers, roots, stems, seeds, leaves, resins, and woods are used.

On the other hand, in non-vegan natural perfumes, several animal pheromones such as ambergris, castoreum, or civet are used to create traditional and historical perfumes.

Is it bad to wear perfume every day?

If you consider only natural perfumes that don’t have any adverse effects on your body and mind, you can wear them every day. Most of the natural perfumes also have wonderful healing properties that you might need to improve your physical or mental conditions.

But before you choose any perfume for daily use, you should obviously consider some factors –

• Perfumes that are natural and don’t show any negative reaction on your body and mind.
• Perfumes that don’t contain any chemical or harmful ingredients.
• You don’t have any allergic response to your selected perfumes.
• Exclude natural perfumes that might not be safe for everyone such as oakmoss, bergamot, etc.

Are perfumes toxic?

Synthetic perfumes might be toxic and poisonous in certain conditions. Higher levels of chemical substances such as ethanol, phthalates, styrene, galaxolide ketone, and other types of harmful materials can cause serious poisoning effects in the body.

Some mainstream fragrances that contain higher levels of chemicals may show serious reactions such as –

• High body temperature
• Hives and boils on the skin
• Nausea or vomiting
• Increased heart rate
• Migraine headache

To avoid perfume toxicity, always consider natural perfumes that are mild and soft to your body and mind. You can also read the related article given below to know more about perfume poisoning or toxicity.

Read this article to learn more – How to know if your perfume is poisoning you.

 

Are perfumes cancerous?

While natural perfumes are usually safe, many fragrance chemicals used in synthetic perfumes are linked to cancer. The expert panel of EWG (Environmental Working Group) confirms in 2014 that fragrance ingredients can cause cancer.

Read the complete report here – Expert panel confirms that fragrance ingredients can cause cancer.

Commercial perfumes contain several chemical ingredients that are listed as “known or suspected human carcinogens”. For instance, phthalates, synthetic musk, styrene, etc. are highly suspected as cancerous agents.

Do perfumes contain harmful chemicals?

Unfortunately, a large number of harmful chemicals are widely used in synthetic commercial perfumery. These chemical substances may cause serious health issues in your body. For example, acetyl aldehyde, phthalates, styrene, pulegone, and synthetic musk to name a few are found harmful not only in the human body but also in the environment and animals.

How do you know if perfume is safe?

It’s a hard task, but not necessarily impossible. Initially, you can thoroughly check out the ingredient label of the perfume. Most fragrance manufacturers that use harmful chemicals don’t clearly list all the ingredients instead only use the term “fragrance”. I highly recommend avoiding these types of perfumes.

You can also check the company’s manufacturing and ethical policies to see if they’re aware of safety measures. It’s a great idea to choose only natural perfumes from trusted natural perfumers that clearly disclose their manufacturing ingredients to the public.

Why natural perfumes are more expensive?

Natural perfumes are more expensive because of their purity and naturality. Natural ingredients such as natural extracts, absolutes, or essential oils are obviously among the most expensive materials in the world. For instance, agarwood essential oils are more expensive than gold.

Besides, the manufacturing process of natural perfumery mostly includes labor-intensive jobs. According to experts, to produce only 180 ml rose essential oil, you’ll need 400 to 500-kilogram fresh rose petals, which are typically picked by hand before sunrise.

However, if you consider the purity and wonderful healing properties of natural perfumes, it’s not too expensive.

What are the side effects of perfumes?

Although natural perfumes that don’t contain any chemical substances are free from side effects. But, exposure to perfume chemicals can cause several side effects. These include –

• Migraine, headaches
• Nausea or vomiting
• Loss of co-ordination
• Dizziness
• Difficulty in breathing
• Skin rashes and hives
• Nose, eye, and throat irritation
• Asthmatic attacks
• Sinus problems
• And many more.

You can also read – Fragrance chemicals, the problems.

Can perfume damage your skin?

Anything that contains chemicals can harm your body in the long term.

Most commercial perfumes contain harmful chemicals that may damage your skin. But it may not show you any immediate effects, but it slowly affects your skin over time. In general, synthetic perfumes reduce skin’s own ability to protect UV damages, therefore, your skin may become more vulnerable to aging pigmentation and sun damage.

Is natural fragrance safe for sensitive skin?

Natural fragrances are mostly made from natural essential oils. Most natural fragrances are safe for normal skin, but you might experience some kinds of irritations to certain natural ingredients if you have sensitive skin. But the reported conditions are very rare.

It purely depends on your skin type and sensitivity to which natural ingredients would be irritating for you. The reactions widely vary from person to person.

Some rare irritating natural oils for sensitive skin may include –

• Bergamot
• Tree moss
• Citronella
• Balsam of Peru
• Pine

What causes fragrance sensitivity?

Sensitivity is a generic term and is typically caused by an irritant. When a fragrance contains ingredients that are irritating to your body, you may experience fragrance sensitivity. If you develop a fragrance sensitivity, you’ll experience allergy-like symptoms such as sneezing every time you expose to that fragrance.

In most cases, synthetic chemicals and very few natural ingredients used in the fragrances can cause fragrance sensitivities. Different fragrance sensitivities are found in different people according to their body types and immune responses.

Learn more about fragrance sensitivity – Fragrance sensitivity: when scents cause symptoms.

How can I overcome fragrance sensitivity?

Fragrance sensitivity is typically an individual issue and widely varies among individuals. The easiest and most effective way to overcome fragrance sensitivity is prevention. If you find any fragrance that’s irritating you, keep this fragrance off yourself and out of your surroundings.

Do fragrances affect hormones?

Phthalates, a widely used chemical group in commercial perfumery, is recognized as an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC). Several recent studies found a clear link between phthalates and reproductive and genital defects.

As per Harvard-led studies in 2008, phthalates may damage the DNA of sperms and cause infertility among men. In women, phthalates may cause birth defects and miscarriages.

Phthalates have been found associated with thyroid disorders, premature sexual developments in fetuses and infants.

Read this article to know more about the effects of fragrance – Fragrance: a growing health and environmental hazard.

Is it bad to breathe in perfume?

For synthetic perfumes, it’s highly not recommended to directly inhale the perfume. Natural perfumes are usually safe excluding a very few categories such as tree moss, bergamot, etc.

But if you want to use natural perfume as a healing agent, your aromatherapist might suggest you to breathe in certain recommended natural perfumes. It’s highly recommended to seek direct supervision of a qualified or licensed aromatherapist before you directly breathe in a perfume.

Are air fresheners bad for the lungs?

From a health consideration, air fresheners have been associated with many adverse effects including asthma attacks and breathing difficulty that are directly involved with lungs health.

Ingredients of air fresheners are mostly undisclosed and unknown. Even so-called organic and green air fresheners transmit dangerous air pollutants that are harmful to your lungs.

You can also read a research report here – Ten questions concerning air fresheners and indoor built environments.

What is anosmia?

Anosmia is a loss of sense of smell. It can be partial or complete. This loss of smell can be either temporary or permanent.

Temporary anosmia can be caused by health conditions that irritate the lining of the nose such as cold, flu, and allergy. On the other hand, conditions that can affect the brain nerves such as head injury, brain tumor, or aging can lead to permanent anosmia. Decreased sense of smell is called hyposmia.

What is the most common cause of anosmia?

Anosmia can be caused majorly by 3 reasons – irritation of the mucus membranes in the nose, blockage in the nasal passage, and damage of the brain or nerve.

Here’re some most common causes of anosmia –

Irritation of the mucus membranes of the nose lining

This condition can be caused by –

• Common flu and influenza
• Infection of the sinus
• Common colds
• Smoking
• Allergic rhinitis
• Non-allergic nasal congestions

Blockage in the nasal passage

Anosmia can occur if something physically blocks the air passage inside the nose. Nasal blockages usually occur due to –

• Nasal polyps
• Tumors
• Bone deformities inside the nose

Damage of the brain of nerve

Loss of smell can be caused by an issue with the system that sends signals through nerves to the brain. Diverse types of conditions can cause damage within this pathway, including –

• Aging
• Tumors in the brain
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Huntington’s disease
• Hormonal impairments
• Thyroid malfunctioning
• Perkinson’s disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Epilepsy
• Schizophrenia
• Diabetes
• Certain medications such as antibiotics and hypotensive medications
• Exposure to certain chemicals that can burn inside the nose
• Severe brain or head injury
• Surgical procedures in the brain
• Vitamin deficiencies and malnutrition
• Brain stroke
• Long-term alcoholism
• Radiation therapy

In rare cases, some people are born without the ability to smell due to some genetic issues. These conditions are clinically known as congenital anosmia.

What is a natural spray perfume?

In natural spray perfumes, any accelerator or pressurization isn’t used inside the bottle while only a pump is used to naturally transmit the fragrance out of the bottle.

Don’t confuse a natural spray with a Vaporisateur. The natural spray is sometimes marked as Vaporisateur. Natural spray or Vaporisateur is the same thing.

How can I naturally smell good?

You can smell good whole day naturally by simply following 3 steps carefully –

• Maintaining your personal hygiene.
• Tackling your body odors.
• Freshening up whenever required.

Let’s have a look at some breakdown steps.

Maintaining your personal hygiene

• Take bathe regularly
• Scrub your body properly while bathing
• Wash up hairs thoroughly with suitable substances
• Brush your teeth properly at least twice after having lunch and dinner
• Apply antiperspirant

Tackling your body odor

• Put on neat and clean clothes
• Wash your clothes on each use
• Clean shoes before wearing
• Avoid eating garlic, onion, or any pungent spices
• Drink adequate water regularly
• Use natural moisturizers
• Wear only natural perfumes that don’t contain any chemical substances

Freshening up whenever required

• Keep a kit of necessary items including wet wipes, natural perfumes, and mouthwash
• Change your shocks or shirt while required
• Use breath-freshening items like mints, gums, and mouthwash
• Clean your armpits when needed
• Reapply your natural fragrance if required

Where can I learn how to make natural perfumes?

Please go to https://perfume.courses/

Why can’t I smell my own perfume after several minutes?

The nose quickly gets used to the notes of your perfume. You may not be able to smell it at all after half an hour, although people around you may still be able to.

Do you offer free samples?

We include free sample vials of our fragrances whenever we can to our customers’ parcels. The number of samples offered depends on the amount of the order.

We choose ourselves the free samples to add to the parcels (the non-binding rule is one sample for every € 50 of ordered products), but if you wish to receive a specific sample you can write its name in the “Order Notes” box in the checkout page. If it is available we will be happy to add it.

We have a sampling program for all “the Scents of the Soul”  in the form of 5.5 ml. minis on this page. The minimum order is 5 minis.

Sometimes we have discounted fragrances. You can find them at Discounted products.