We Know All About Clean Beauty, But Here’s the 101 on Clean Fragrance.
Clean is about transparency, but the fragrance industry is notorious for its historically secretive ingredient lists. This is because while companies that manufacture personal care products are required by law to list the ingredients they use, fragrances and trade-secret formulas are exempt.
While not all fragrances contain ingredients that might be potentially harmful to our health, one group of ingredients that has been commonly used in perfumery to make scents last longer is phthalates. Classified as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), phthalates have also been linked to asthma. Worn close to skin and often inhaled, fragrances can also trigger allergies and skin sensitivities. That is why when it comes to fragrance, clean is non-negotiable for us at Onda.
Clean fragrances should be free of phthalates, along with parabens and artificial fragrances; they should also use natural formulas crafted with ingredients such as essential oils and plant-based alcohol bases. Some might use synthetic ingredients, but only because they are more safe and sustainable than naturally derived ingredients. What they all have to offer is 100% ingredient transparency.
Fortunately, there’s an ever-growing number of brands that fit this bill, redefining clean scents with natural, safe perfume ingredients that are better for your body and the planet, elevated scent profiles, and elegant eco-friendly packaging.
Here are some of our favorites:
LIIS
Hailing from California, Liis is made using exceptionally high quality, conscious ingredients from around the world and natural grain alcohol farmed in the USA. Formulated without preservatives, dyes, phthalates, and sulfates, Liis is cruelty-free, vegan, and allergy tested. Founders Alissa Sullivan and Leslie Hendin both grew up in Marin Country–Alissa attended the prestigious perfume school, ISIPCA in France, while Leslie studied design at Central Saint Martins. All of their ingredients are sustainably sourced and the packaging is FSC certified.
HENRY ROSE
Launched in 2019 by Michelle Pfeiffer, Henry Rose made headlines by becoming the first EWG Verified and Cradle to Cradle Gold Certified fragrance line, with an overall material health score of Platinum. Sustainably packaged, cruelty-free, formaldehyde-free, paraben-free, carcinogen-free and endocrine disruptor-free, Henry Rose also partners with Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP) to give back a portion of all proceeds to research and advocacy around toxic chemicals in personal care.
