And why you should care…

All Perfumes Aren’t Equal

Many of the most popular perfumes use synthetic fragrances to give them their signature scent. That ‘ode de cologne’ you love so much. The ‘floral bouquet’ aroma that seduces. That waft of ‘ocean breeze’ that takes you right to the beachside. These popular fragrances owe more to the petrochemical industry than to anything in the natural world. They are known as ‘synthetic fragrances’, or simply ‘fragrances’, and there is nothing pure or natural about them.

It is estimated that more than 95% of the components in fragrances are derived from chemicals, many of them highly toxic, that originated in the petrochemical industry. Even if your favourite perfume says it is natural, unless it lists every ingredient, you cannot be sure that they do not use ‘fragrances’. To protect their ‘secret recipes’, manufacturers are not required to list the...