Natural Perfume For The Health Conscious

Oh hey there Clean Queen! We see you actively seeking out skincare alternatives that are free from harmful chemicals - Go, You! We know the first thing you look at when shopping for your lotions and potions is the ingredients list - so it was no surprise to us when after swapping out your cosmetics and skin and hair care for cleaner options, you started looking to make a clean swap on your perfume collection. Perfume can contain some of the most potentially harmful ingredients in the beauty industry, and because we know what's inside the bottle is important to you, we are extremely selective with the products we choose to sell. In fact, we'd like to think we have our country's strictest clean beauty buying guidelines (learn more here). So when the time came for us to start poking around for natural perfumes that smelled like a dream, lasted all day, were sustainably harvested, and crafted without ingredients with known health threats, we knew we had our work cut out for us. Fortunately, the aroma gods delivered, and we found a diverse range of scents that checked all our boxes ... and then some. Read on to learn about our clean fragrance lineup and why we're all going gaga for it.

Synthetic v. Natural Perfume

Clean fragrance is a term The Green Kiss uses to describe natural perfume that only contains good-for-you ingredients - and is void of certain synthetic chemicals, phthalates, silicones, PEG, artificial colourants, mineral oils, and general headache-inducing nasties that can cause irritation, allergies, and other adverse reactions. There are perfumes out there marketed as "clean" because they are "free of parabens". This is super-duper sneaky - as it is unlikely that a fragrance would be formulated with parabens because they don't need a preservative system in them at all, and parabens are a preservative. (It's like a gluten-free label on a bag of apples...slippery slope!) A growing trend in the beauty industry, clean fragrances are safe for the skin and the environment and less likely to cause a reaction on those with sensitive, reactive skin. (BTW, if you don't know your skin type, we can help!). Clean fragrances contain natural ingredients like essential oils, plant extracts, and other organic compounds.

If you're an ingredient-label-reading enthusiast like us, you know the term "fragrance" is the dirtiest word in cosmetics. It's a catch-all term, that and "parfum," in which beauty companies can put pretty much any ingredient they want without disclosing its specifics on the label (uhhh ... 🤯). Among the most common (and risky) hidden ingredients are phthalates. These known endocrine disruptors are used as solvents and fixatives to add stickiness to fragrances to help scents last longer. They are linked to allergic reactions, worsening preexisting skin ailments, accumulation in human tissue, and a host of other health issues. Many chemicals that sneak under the "fragrance" umbrella have never been assessed for safety in personal-care products (no shocker there). But it's not all bad. "Fragrance" (and "parfum") are also terms perfumeries use to protect their formulas for competitive advantage. You'll see the word pop up occasionally on our product ingredient lists. For example, My Daughter Fragrances lists parfum in their ingredients - it's a proprietary blend of essential oils, absolutes, and resins. Rest assured, we don't carry a single product with artificial fragrance. Nada. Zip! Only good-for-you ingredients are to be had here. 

What's Your Signature Scent?

As your leader in the clean beauty industry, we have curated an eclectic selection of natural perfumes formulated with essential oils, absolutes, and resins, and without any hidden chemicals. As a result, our fragrances yield a rich wash of experience. They can conjure images of dust grains dancing amid columns of vernal light or the final bottomless breath of your long-awaited savasana. They can invoke the scent profile of a sun-warmed apple or a barefoot walk through a meadow of wildflowers. They can be airy and fresh or warm and sophisticated. What's your signature scent?

My Daughter Fragrances delivers on the GK commitment to quality through their eco-luxe, sustainable, vegan scents. Free of phthalates, parabens, and artificial colours, My Daughter Fragrances strives to provide a healthier solution to the beautiful memories fragrances can evoke. These fragrances are created in France and housed in Alberta, Canada, to inspire life, love, adventure, and curiosity. Looking for a travel-friendly fragrance? (We know first-hand the repercussions of a full-sized perfume bottle shattering in your luggage.) We carry My Daughter in 50ml or a 12ml travel-spritzer ✈️.

Josh Rosebrook's Enfleuria Botanical Fragrance is not your drugstore perfume. This luxurious fragrance is hand-crafted through enfleurage, an 18th-century technique that extracts aromatic compounds from flowers using plant oils. Its delicate gardenia base creates a soft suppleness while sweet hints of jasmine, bergamot and citrus blossom provide a warm amber finish. Made with certified organic fragrance oil from wildcrafted essential oils, this bright and uplifting scent is a real charmer here at GK. 

Not a perfume-wearer? These natural body oils double as perfume. They're natural, organic, and vegan, and they deeply nourish the skin with lightweight moisture. Lock in hydration to smooth and soften dry, flakey, cracked skin, and add a whisper of fragrance.

How to Wear Your Natural Perfume

It's really user-choice when it comes to the correct way to apply your fragrance. We have clients that prefer to spritz a scarf or the inside of a jacket for a subtler impression. Generally, a couple of spritzes on the neck and wrists are all you need to get the most out of your scent. Here are some of our favourite tidbits:
▫️ Choose the right fragrance for the occasion: Some perfumes are better suited for daytime wear, while others are more appropriate for evening events. Consider the occasion and your outfit when selecting a fragrance.
▫️ Apply perfume to clean, moisturized skin: Perfume will last longer on clean, hydrated skin. Apply a moisturizer or unscented lotion to your skin before applying perfume.
▫️ Spray perfume on pulse points: The heat from your body will help activate the scent, so apply perfume to your pulse points, such as your wrists, neck, behind the ears, and the inside of your elbows.
▫️ Don't rub your perfume: Rubbing your perfume can actually break down the scent and cause it to fade more quickly. Instead, let it dry on your skin naturally.
▫️ Apply perfume from a distance: Hold the perfume bottle about 6 inches away from your skin and spray it in a fine mist to avoid overpowering the scent.
▫️ Don't apply too much perfume: Just don't. We know it smells amazing, but it's important not to overdo it with perfume, as this will overwhelm others and make your scent less enjoyable. Start with a light application and add more if needed. 

Spritz, Spritz, Horray! Our Takeaway

Yes, the Government of Canada (specifically our Canadian Cosmetic Regulations and Food and Drugs Act) needs to seriously crack down on harmful ingredients commonly found in the cosmetic industry (let's be more like Europe, mmmk?) ... but we're not going to sit back and wait for that to happen. Perfume is the ultimate tool for making a positive first impression, and clean beauty has cracked the code (yet again!). With our natural fragrances, you don't have to worry about increasing your chemical body burden, and can just focus on ... smelling gorgeous. Our beautifully blended clean perfumes help enhance and uplift your mood and speak to the senses on multiple levels. They win over their synthetic perfume counterparts with their ample shelf-life, vast scent range, elevated packaging, and, most importantly - their all-day wear on the skin. Join us here to discover your perfect signature scent.