No synthetic ingredients, just essential oils compositions, balms, natural resins and absolutes, natural perfumes are increasingly popular. But how are they different?
Natural perfume is a scent that is outside of chemical compounds of synthetic origin (phthalates, chemical fixatives, artificial musk...). It is therefore made with natural raw materials; a certain percentage may be of biological origin. It contains alcohol extracted from plants (such as organic wheat alcohol), floral waters, perfume compositions, or a mixture of natural fragrances such as essential oils (solid or semi-solid obtained by distilling natural fragrance materials with volatile solvents) and natural absolutes (concentrated extract of flowers or resins).
In comparison, a traditional, over the counter fragrance is developed with denatured diethyl phthalate (DEHP) perfumery alcohol (phthalates are now strongly believed to be among the worst endocrine disruptors), demineralized water and a perfume composition, made of synthetic ingredients and possibly some natural ingredients.
Knowing that the biggest perfume houses primarily use synthetic materials, when you describe a perfume "with accents of rose, coffee or citrus" ... there's actually not a drop of natural scent in it; so, yes, the big brands fragrances are not natural!
By choosing an organic scent (or natural) it is avoided skin's absorption of potentially toxic substances to health such as phthalates and synthetic musk. Organic perfume is without synthetic chemistry, without additions. This is the result of a thoughtful process that occurs at certain time in someone's life, often when expecting a baby, or when transitioning to a more conscious life style.
Creating a natural perfume is complex. Some of them, whether natural or organic, are only a mixture of several essential oils, resulting "simple" scents, sometimes disappointing ... Where others are real creations. In perfumery, keeping the scents longer on the skin depends primarily on fragrance concentration. Perfume waters are more concentrated in odor molecules that the toilet waters, fresh waters or colognes.
The essential oils in the perfume base have indeed virtues to regulate emotions and studies have shown that the use for four weeks of natural scents can stimulate, balance or soothe depending on the chosen scent.
It makes you think before buying a perfume supposedly "luxurious”...