The Best Natural + Organic Perfumes (30+ Products Ranked!)
Last Updated: August 12, 2023
Could your signature scent be silently sabotaging your health? For countless perfume and cologne wearers, spraying on a favorite fragrance is part of everyday beauty routines.
According to a 2021 report, 41% of us in the United States use perfume on a regular basis.
But there’s a troubling issue lurking beneath the perfume industry’s glamorous veneer—many beloved scents contain synthetic chemicals linked to potential health concerns.
Research has connected some chemicals commonly used in perfumes and colognes to allergies, hormone disruption, reproductive toxicity, and even cancer. Due to insufficient federal regulation, brands can conceal hazardous ingredients behind the generic listing of “fragrance” on labels.
The implications are concerning. By spritzing these chemical cocktails onto our pulse points every day, are we endangering our health? Should we think twice before uncritically spritzing on a spicy cologne or floral perfume?
In this guide, we’ll dig into the emerging science on perfume ingredient safety, decode unlisted chemicals and their health effects, and offer guidance on reducing your risk through safer, non-toxic scents.
Our Methodology
We researched the internet, online stores, and social media for the most popular clean perfume brands (along with some popular non-clean perfumes for context).
Each ingredient in every product was researched and analyzed for safety based on available public research. Where possible, sources for information are included.
Products are ranked from best to worst with an internal score based on the ingredient rankings.
A Note on Hidden Fragrance Ingredients
A large majority of the fragrances we looked at (20 out of 30) hide some of the ingredients in their fragrance formulas under the “fragrance/parfum” label. We reached out to these brands to ask them about the exact ingredient makeup of the fragrances.
Of the 20 brands we contacted, 10 of them declined our request to see their ingredient lists:
- Lush
- Good Chemistry
- Harvey Prince Organics
- Dedcool
- Sigil
- Boy Smells
- Pinrose
- Kai
- Nest Fragrances
- Strange Invisible
All of these brands refused citing confidentiality reasons.
10 of the brands did not respond to our request for ingredient lists whatsoever:
- Clean Beauty
- Ellis Brooklyn
- Lavanila
- Le Labo
- Pacifica
- Pour Le Monde
- Sana Jardin
- Non Gender Specific
- Floral Street
- Honoré des Prés
Products are ranked from best to worst with an internal score based on the ingredient rankings.
Brands are rated as follows:
This ranking is for the best of the best. Only exemplary brands will receive a ranking of best for any category.
This ranking is for brands that are typically quite good, but don’t go above and beyond like our best choices.
This ranking is for when we find something we find iffy. Not a good sign.
This ranking is reserved for the worst of the worst.
Fragrances Rated: Best
These fragrances were the best we reviewed based on ingredients. They’re all 100% natural, and fully disclose the full list of ingredients
Pacifica
We reached out to Pacifica regarding the ingredient makeup of their fragrance, but did not receive a response. However, since the fragrance consists of only an essential oil blend, we give their fragrance line a top rating.
Ingredients
Pour Le Monde
This fragrance is formulated with 100% natural essential oils, as are all of the fragrances made by Pour Le Monde.
Ingredients
The 7 Virtues
Made from an essential oil blend and with full ingredient transparency, we gladly give The 7 Virtues a top rating. The brand’s entire line of fragrances follows this philosophy, and any of them are a safe choice.
Ingredients
Fragrances Rated: Good
These fragrances have a good list of ingredients, but don’t go above and beyond like the scents rated “best”.
Skylar
Skylar is 100% transparent with the chemical makeup of their fragrance formulas, and you can find them all listed on their website.
While not a 100% natural scent, we give their products a rating of “Good”.
Ingredients
Abbott NYC
Abbott NYC is 100% transparent with the ingredients of their fragrances. They use a combination of natural and synthetic ingredients, none of which should be avoided.
Ingredients
by Rosie Jane
By Rosie Jane is 100% transparent about the ingredient makeup of their fragrances. With a clean list of ingredients, they get a good rating.
Ingredients
Potential irritants: 2*
Heretic
With a complete and transparent list of ingredients, it’s worth checking out the line of fragrances from Heretic. No ingredients stand out as being unsafe, and are a good choice for anyone looking for a clean perfume.
Ingredients
Potential irritants: 2*
Henry Rose
Henry Rose is 100% transparent about their fragrance ingredients. While they contain a large number of synthetics, none stand out as being ingredients to avoid.
Ingredients
Potential irritants: 4*
Maison Louis Marie
Maison Louis Marie is 100% transparent about the ingredients in their fragrances. The list of ingredients isn’t 100% natural, but none stand out as being ingredients that should be avoided.
Ingredients
Potential irritants: 11*
Abel Odor
Abel Odor is 100% transparent with the ingredient makeup of its fragrances. With a clean list of ingredients and none that stand out in a negative light, we give this product a good rating.
Ingredients
Potential irritants: 9*
DedCool
Dedcool declined our request to disclose their fragrance ingredients. The brand claims that they’re made from 100% organic and natural extracts, and because the rest of the ingredients are organic, this is most likely true. Although we would usually give an “iffy” rating to a fragrance that doesn’t disclose the ingredients, we give this brand a good rating.
Ingredients
Potential irritants: 3*
Fragrances Rated: Iffy
These fragrances are rated iffy because they hide their fragrance ingredients, or have ingredients that are questionable.
Phlur
This fragrance from Phlur unfortunately is non-transparent with their fragrance ingredients. It also includes two synthetic musks with limited safety research available. For these reasons, we give this product an iffy rating.
Ingredients
Potential irritants: 2*
Lavanila
We reached out to Lavanila regarding the ingredient makeup of their fragrance but did not receive a response. Although the brand claims that its fragrances are all naturally-derived, our standard is to not recommend brands without full transparency, so we must give the product an iffy rating.
Ingredients
Good Chemistry
While this brand claims to be natural—and has the name “Good Chemistry”—they choose to hide the ingredients of their fragrances. While it’s likely that the hidden ingredients are essential oils, and the brand claims that the fragrances are phthlate-free, they don’t claim to be 100% natural.
Good Chemistry declined our request to disclose their fragrance ingredients.
Ingredients
Strange Invisible
Strange Invisible declined our request to disclose their fragrance ingredients. The brand does, however, claim that its products are 100% natural and made from certified organic plants. Because the list of ingredients isn’t transparent, we cannot recommend it.
Ingredients
Potential irritants: 7*
Nest
This fragrance hides its ingredients, giving it an instant iffy rating. The brand doesn’t claim to be clean in any way, so that fact along with the hidden ingredients makes us unable to recommend it.
Ingredients
Honoré des Prés
We reached out to Honoré des Prés regarding the ingredient makeup of its fragrance but did not receive a response. This could be due to the fact that it’s a French brand, however.
The brand claims that the fragrances are 100% natural, but since they don’t disclose their full ingredients, we cannot give them a good rating.
Ingredients
Potential irritants: 7*
Harvey Prince
Harvey Prince declined our request to disclose their fragrance ingredients. However, the brand claims that their fragrances are free of phthalates, parabens, sulfates, and benzene and that they use eco-friendly and organic ingredients. Because they don’t disclose the ingredients, we cannot recommend the brand, however.
Ingredients
Potential irritants: 5*
Floral Street
We reached out to Floral Street regarding the ingredient makeup of their fragrance, but did not receive a response. The brand also makes no claims that the fragrances are clean or natural.
Ingredients
Potential irritants: 2*
Clean Beauty
Although this brand’s name is “Clean Beauty”, they are not transparent about their ingredients, opting to hide many of them under the “Fragrance/Parfum” black box.
It also contains Butylphenyl Methylpropional, which is categorized in the EU as being a known human allergen with limited evidence of toxicity.
We reached out to Clean Beauty regarding the ingredient makeup of their fragrance, but did not receive a response.
Ingredients
Potential irritants: 3*
Sana Jardin
We reached out to Sana Jardin regarding the ingredient makeup of their fragrance, but did not receive a response. The brand does claim that the fragrances are free from phthalates, artificial colors, parabens and formaldehyde.
However, because of the lack of transparency and because they do use unknown synthetic ingredients, we can’t recommend them.
Ingredients
Potential irritants: 6*
Sigil
Sigil declined our request to disclose their fragrance ingredients. The brand claims that its hidden fragrance ingredients are organic, but since they keep them hidden, we unfortunately cannot give the brand a rating higher than “iffy”.
Ingredients
Potential irritants: 5*
Lush
Lush opts to hide the ingredients of their fragrances under the “Fragrance/Parfum” label. While it’s likely that the hidden ingredients aren’t necessarily bad, the fact that they hide them requires us to give them an iffy rating by default.
Lush declined our request to disclose their fragrance ingredients.
Ingredients
Potential irritants: 10*
Non Gender Specific
We reached out to Non Gender Specific regarding the ingredient makeup of their fragrance but did not receive a response. Oddly, the brand claims “ingredient transparency” on the website—a direct contradiction to the lack of transparency in their fragrance blends.
Although the brand seems to be focused on natural and clean products, we cannot recommend them due to their lack of transparency.
Ingredients
Potential irritants: 7*
Ellis Brooklyn
We reached out to Ellis Brooklyn regarding the ingredient makeup of their fragrance, but did not receive a response. The brand does seem dedicated to creating clean fragrances, but because we don’t know which synthetic ingredients are in the perfume, we can’t recommend it.
Ingredients
Potential irritants: 14*
Le Labo
We reached out to Le Labo regarding the ingredient makeup of their fragrance, but did not receive a response. Le Labo makes no claims about their fragrances being clean or natural, so along with the lack of transparency, we cannot recommend this brand.
Ingredients
Potential irritants: 10*
Pinrose
Pinrose declined our request to disclose their fragrance ingredients.
Ingredients
Potential irritants: 11*
Fragrances Rated: Bad
These fragrances are rated bad because they have ingredients we recommend avoiding.
Boy Smells
With hidden fragrance ingredients and two must-avoid chemicals, we recommend avoiding this product.
Boy Smells declined our request to disclose their fragrance ingredients.
Ingredients
Potential irritants: 9*
Kai
Kai declined our request to disclose their fragrance ingredients. Along with other ingredients we would recommend avoiding, we cannot recommend this product.
Ingredients
Potential irritants: 9*
Fragrances Are Protected As “Trade Secrets”
In the USA, the chemical makeup of fragrances is protected as a “trade secret” as part of two federal acts: the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA) and the Trade Secrets Act. These laws give manufacturers the legal right not to disclose a list of ingredients considered a “trade secret”.
The FPLA requires cosmetics to have an ingredient declaration, but according to the law, this list cannot be used to make a company disclose trade secrets.
There can be a legitimate reason for perfumers to hide the makeup of their fragrances, but it shouldn’t come at the cost of human health.
There’s hope for fragrance lovers, though. Because we have become more aware of the potential risks of traditional fragrances, in recent years, many brands have stepped up to offer wonderful-smelling scents that are made from natural ingredients, making them better for us, the planet, and our animals.
Ingredient Transparency
As explained above, the ingredient makeup of fragrances is not required to be listed. Because of this, very few traditional perfume houses list the ingredients used in their fragrances.
Newer brands who lean into the non-toxic and conscious market are making the formulations of their scents public, giving us confidence in buying from them without worrying about the potential iffy ingredients lurking in many traditional fragrances.
The Issue of Phthalates
Phthalates (pronounced tha-late) are a concern in fragrances you may have heard of before. Phthalates are themselves a perfuming agent; rather, it’s added to fragrances to give them staying power.
The European Union takes these chemicals seriously: European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have identified certain phthalates as substances of very high concern due to their classification as endocrine disruptors.
“Several ortho-phthalates, for example DEHP, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP) and benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) may damage fertility or the unborn baby and interfere with our hormonal system. In particular, they affect the sexual development of boys which can lead to infertility in adults.”
Several studies online back up the idea that phthalates can be harmful to human health, particularly infants and children as well as those with other underlying health conditions. Possible impacts include:
Reproductive damage
A recent review published in Healthcare showed several studies that identified significant links between phthalate exposure and adverse reproductive outcomes in both women and men. Additionally, there is substantial evidence of adverse impacts on child development including disruptions to reproductive hormones, thyroid function, social impairment, and more.
Obesity and increased risk of type II diabetes
In addition to reproductive issues, there is some evidence that phthalate exposure may contribute to an increased risk of type II diabetes and insulin resistance, as detailed in this study.
Research also points to a correlation between phthalate exposure and an increased risk of overweight and obesity, particularly in children. Furthermore, phthalate exposure has been associated with heightened risk of childhood asthma, as revealed by a study published in Environment International .
In light of these findings, more research is still needed to fully understand the impact of phthalate exposure on human health and devise effective strategies for reducing exposure.
You won’t find phthalates on an ingredient label because of the “trade secret” law. Phthalates will always hide under the “perfume,” “fragrance,” or “parfum” label.
Although several studies have shown links to numerous health and reproductive issues, the US’s Food & Drug Administration (FDA) still allows them.
The fragrances listed in our guide are free of phthalates, and you should assume that any fragrance that doesn’t list its ingredients or state that it’s “phthalate-free” almost certainly contains the ingredient.
Allergens
Most perfumes and fragrances contain many chemicals that can cause allergic reactions in some individuals. Fragrance sensitivity affects around 1-4% of the general population and 8-15% of people with contact dermatitis according to the National Eczema Association.
A study conducted in the United States found that 30.5% of the general population reported irritation from scented products on others, 19% reported adverse health effects from air fresheners, and 10.9% reported irritation from scented laundry products vented outside.
The European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety identified 54 individual fragrance substances and 28 natural extracts (essential oils) as ‘established contact allergens in humans’, many of which are used in popular perfumes.
Many of these ingredients are synthetics you won’t find in conscious and natural brands, but don’t think natural ingredients are given a pass here, either. In fact, several essential oil ingredients used in fragrances are recognized as consumer allergens.
In our product audit, we list all ingredients with potential allergic effects with an asterisk (*).
Other Concerning Ingredients
There’s a laundry list of ingredients to know about in fragrances, and this guide won’t cover all of them, but some of the standout examples include:
- Aceladehyde
- Benzophone
- Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)
- Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)
- Benzyl Salicylate
- Benzyl Benzoate
- Butoxyethanol
- Butylphenyl methylpropional
- Chloromethane (methyl chloride)
- Dichloromethane (methylene chloride):
- Diethyl phthalate (DEP):
- Eugenyl methyl ether (Methyleugenol)
- Formaldehyde
- MEA, DEA, TEA – ethanolamines
- Methanol
- Oxybenzone (BP-3)
- Propyl paraben (Propyl p-hydroxybenzoate)
- Resorcinol:
- Styrene
- Synthetic Musks (Tonalide , Galaxolide, Musk Ketone, Musk Xylene)
- Titanium dioxide (TiO2)
- 1,4-Dioxane
- Ethylbenzene
- Vinyl acetate
The Fragrance Industry is Self-Policing
We have a deep dive into the International Fragrance Association (IFRA), the self-appointed governing body of the fragrance industry.
The IFRA is trusted by the world to “independently” test and analyze ingredients used in perfumes to verify their safety. The IFRA partners with the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials (RIFM) to conduct safety analysis on all ingredients used in fragrances.
There’s a big problem with this, though: the IFRA is funded by eight of the biggest fragrance companies in the world. This is a clear conflict of interest, and to make matters worse, the results of their research are not made available to the public.
Because of the conflict of interest, there’s no way of knowing if the results of their studies have been tampered with to serve the interests of the massive companies that fund the IFRA.
It’s in the realm of possibility that numbers have been fudged in studies to deem certain ingredients “safe” when they’re actually not. We believe that this makes it even more concerning to use fragrances without a transparent list of ingredients.
It Gets Worse
There are over 3,619+ chemicals allowed in fragrances according to the International Fragrance Association’s (IFRA) Transparency List. Shockingly, many of these chemicals are linked to various adverse health effects..
Authoritative public health agencies worldwide have identified hundreds of these fragrance chemicals as dangerous, including:
- California’s Proposition 65 list of reproductive toxins and carcinogens
- The National Toxicology Program’s Report on known cancer-causing chemicals
- The International Agency for Research on Cancer’s list of confirmed and probable carcinogens
- The EU’s list of banned chemicals in cosmetics (Annex II)
- Canada’s list of prohibited and restricted chemicals in cosmetics
- The EU’s registry of Chemicals of Very High Concern
- The ChemSec SIN List of substances that should be immediately replaced
Yet the industry has failed to prioritize review and restriction of these hazardous ingredients. The IFRA and RIFM safety program appears slow to examine chemicals classified as dangerous by governments across the globe.
It is unacceptable that known chemicals with potential health effects are still used in products promoted as safe. The fragrance industry must take swifter action to remove harmful chemicals and protect consumer health. Full ingredient transparency and independent safety testing of all chemicals are urgently needed.
Sarah
LOVEwhat you guys do and you have made it easier for me to narrow down a signature scent without all the toxic worry.
It’s a shame Le Labo won’t disclose because now they’ve lost a very dedicated customer. I use to enjoy their santal 33 and their bergamot.
Health is wealth and I live by that religiously.
Thank you for sharing