So you’re in the know about phthalates (pronounced “THAL-ates”) and now want to banish them from your life. Totally understandable. After all, these funky-sounding chemicals come with a disturbing range of health and developmental risks that are enough to turn you off even your favorite perfume.
Or cologne. ‘Cause as research shows – high phthalate levels have been linked to causing everything from sluggish sperm and reduced sperm counts to low testosterone levels in adult males.
But it’s not just men who’re affected – you especially want to steer clear of phthalates if you’re pregnant or have children around. Studies have linked phthalate exposure during development to blocked male hormones and interference with normal genitalia development, even resulting in deformed male sex organs in baby boys.
Add to all that the evidence that shows phthalates disrupt hormones and interfere with normal brain function – and well, it just doesn’t matter that these chemicals help the scent of perfume linger longer. It’s just not worth it.
But while it’s clear that going phthalate-free is the answer – it’s also a bit tough to stomach the price tag on many all natural perfumes. So the question really is: How do you stay smelling delicious and phthalate-free without going broke?
We got you covered. Here’s a roundup of the most deliciously-scented phthalate free perfume brands that’ll keep you toxin-free and your wallet (mostly) full.
5 Natural, Phthalate Free Perfume Brands Under $50
Pacifica Perfumes
Pacifica’s perfume line gives you the choice between a roll-on perfume and a spray. Both have the same excellent range of scents available; in total, there’s 14 different scents in this line, from Persian Rose to Blood Orange.
Because these natural perfumes are made up of different natural oils and grain alcohol, they’re actually a lot closer to the real scent rather than the bizarre, concocted monstrosity you’d usually get with synthetic perfumes (if that’s really what your apples smell like, you should probably call someone about your local grocery store. They seem awfully shady.)
This line is perfect for those of you who quite like smelling like a rose garden (or Tahitian vanilla, fragrant teas, delish fruits, or honey-jasmine) though if you’re opting for the spray perfume you’re going to have to deal with tiny bottles without a lid. Because who needs lids, right? Of course, if you’re vegan or have a gluten intolerance, you might be willing to brave the lidless terrors to get a perfume that’s perfectly safe for you. The choice is yours, dear reader!
Price: $12 for each roller-ball, $22 for each spray perfume
Details: Made from natural denatured grain alcohol and Pacifica’s own fragrance blend with natural and essential oils including fresh coconut, delicate creamy vanilla. No parabens, phthalates, synthetic dyes and mineral oils. All Pacifica products are gluten-free, 100% vegan, and cruelty-free.
Garden Botanika
This is another line that has the option of a roll-on stick as well as a spray, although the sprays are a little pricier this time so watch out for that one. It has quite a strong, almost citrusy smell to it that might be a bit of an acquired taste among those of you who don’t live and breathe flowers.
The stick is absolutely perfect for people who are constantly on the move and need to stay at the top of their game whilst doing so. Whilst the scent can be a little overpowering at times, it’s a natural, fruity kind of overpowering instead of a chemical overload. The stick can be a little greasy at times, so apply modestly and don’t get it anywhere near your hair. This one’s completely gluten and paraben free, as well as free of those pesky phthlates.
Price: $12 for each perfume stick $28 for each spray perfume
Details: Free of parabens, gluten and phthalates.
The Naked Bee
The Naked Bee’s perfume line is remarkably lightweight – alcohol derived from corn, purified water and ‘fragrance’ (seeing ‘fragrance’ on a label should always be a little suspicious since producers can basically shove anything they like in there without telling anyone as long as it fits under ‘fragrance’, but this line is completely clear of any toxins or parabens so we might have to give them the benefit of the doubt just this once).
There’s only two scents to speak of here – orange blossom and pomegranate and honey. This does limit their potential customer pool quite a bit, but it makes things a lot easier since you can just skip this one if you aren’t interested in either of those scents.
If you’re still around, you should probably know that these perfumes are very sweet. They’re not exactly strong but they are highly fragranced, so make sure you like the idea of smelling like candy. There’s also something to be said about the staying power, but it’s a little hard to expect fantastic staying power from a perfume when they inherently come off easy. Besides, you rock that quick spritz and you know it.
Price: $20 per bottle
Details: Made of 3 simple ingredients: corn-derived alcohol, purified water, and fragrance (phthalate-free).
Infusion Organique
Let’s be real here; the one, huge downside of natural, organic perfumes is their price tag ($200+ for a bottle. Really?!) – but occasionally, you come across one that’s a really good deal. Like the natural, phthalate free perfume from Infusion Organique.
Even just smelling it, you can tell that a lot of work went into mixing the scent. Every so often you’ll get a subtle whiff of citrus or musk that goes completely unnoticed, but somehow manages to blend in perfectly with the other ingredients even when you’re not smelling it. Because it’s not just one basic scent attacking your nostrils, it’s not overpowering or strong. In fact, we’d go as far as to say that it actually smells fairly natural and classically subtle – perfect if you’re looking for an understated natural scent that won’t cost you an arm and a leg.
Price: $15 for each roller-ball, $35 for each spray perfume
Details: Made of blended organic alcohol made from certified organic sugarcane and infused with organic oils, extracts, and botanicals.
Sow Good Natural Perfume
This is the priciest one on the list, but to be honest that pun alone is worth at least ten bucks to the marketing team (and it’s not even part of the product name). Both the roll-on and the spray ranges are made from naturally occurring oils and alcohol. There’s four scents in total in this range and they all have very non-descript, hippie-dippie names like Happiness and Faith.
This just made us really curious to find out what happiness smells like, and apparently the answer is flowery with a subtle hint of citrus (Clinique reached pretty much the same consensus, ‘though their idea of ‘Happy” is quite a bit more toxic). Each of these scents have a life of their own, though, so to really get a grasp of the smell you’d need to try them all out for yourself. This line is completely vegan and cruelty free. It’s also biodegradable, which is a good thing for when our old, still-not-degraded perfume bottles become sentient and take over the world.
Price: $16.50 for each roller-ball, $35 for each spray perfume
Details: Free of phthalates, parabens, propylene glycol, artificial color, gluten and petrochemicals. Vegan, cruelty-free and biodegradable.
Finding Your Own Phthalate Free Perfume
Considering a perfume but unsure if it’s phthalate-free? The thing is – phthalates go by many names – such as DBP (di-n-butyl phthalate) or DEP (diethyl phthalate) – but you’re just as likely to not see any of them listed on a label.
Luckily, you’ll find clues. Avoid anything with the words “fragrance” or “parfum” -Environmental Working Group (EWG) researchers found more than 75% of products bearing the mysteriously-labeled ingredient “fragrance” contained phthalates.
Not all, ‘though – look for perfumes that specifically state things like “no synthetic fragrance,” “scented with only essential oils” or most specifically – “phthalate-free.”
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