The Best Clean Fragrances—So You Can Smell Amazing *Without* the Toxic Chemicals

It might seem a little counterintuitive, but the one ingredient you won’t see in any of my favorite fragrances? Fragrance.

Pick up any beauty product—whether it’s your shampoo, soap, lotion, or perfume—and look at the label. In addition to the dozens of specific ingredients that are very clearly listed, you’ll likely see one oddly ambiguous component: “fragrance” or “aroma” or “parfum,” which are catch-all terms that could refer to pretty much anything.

Fun (actually, very alarming) fact: The FDA doesn’t require brands to disclose which materials make up a proprietary fragrance, so this generalized term is very often used to mask a mix of ingredients the brands choose not to list individually. (That means there could be a combination of over 3 thousand potentially toxic chemicals lurking in a product whenever you see that seemingly simple word. One recent study confirms that a third of all fragrance chemicals currently in use have been flagged as toxic or potentially toxic by scientists.)

Some states are making strides to fix this loophole. California, for example, is currently exploring a bill that would require cosmetic manufacturers to publicly report any hazardous ingredients. But until there’s more regulation in the beauty industry? I’ll personally be passing on any products if I can’t be confident about what’s actually inside them.

But I still plan on smelling good, of course. That’s why I’m so excited about the new movement toward cleaner, more transparent, and more sustainable fragrance options that don’t sacrifice safety for scent. In fact, these buzzy new brands are delivering dreamy perfumes—sans the toxins—wrapped in pretty, minimalist packaging. Ahead, three nontoxic perfume picks for the woman who cares equally about ingredients, aroma, and aesthetics.

Henry Rose

When Michelle Pfeiffer—yes, the actress and OG style icon—became a mom, she gave up wearing fragrance. “I started looking at labels on the products I used. I couldn’t imagine exposing my children to anything potentially toxic on my skin,” she says. “But I really missed it and eventually realized that if I wanted a safer, beautiful quality perfume, I would need to create it myself.”

But Michelle didn’t spend three years creating just any nontoxic perfume. She created Henry Rose, the first fine fragrance collection that’s both EWG Verified and Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold (both of which are extremely high honors that verify rigorous ingredient vetting and strict safety standards).  The collection’s five fragrances—evocatively named Last Light, Torn, Dark Is Night, Fog, and Jake’s House—are completely free of parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, known or suspected carcinogens and endocrine disruptors, and all ingredients mentioned on the EWG’s Unacceptable List.

And because shopping for fragrance through a website isn’t exactly conducive to selecting a scent, there’s an option to purchase a $20 sampler set—which includes a $20 credit toward your purchase of a full-size perfume. (Meaning that if you end up purchasing a bottle, it’s free.)

Pssst: Michelle recently spilled the tea re: perfume while chatting about the brand with Hillary Kerr on the Second Life podcast. It’s definitely worth a listen if you’re into insider details about the beauty industry or inspiring career advice.

Clean Reserve by Clean Beauty Collective

Long before it was cool to be clean (since 2003, to be specific), Clean Beauty Collective has been setting the standard for more transparent formulas, eco-conscious production, and cruelty-free practices in the industry.

CBC certainly checks all the boxes when it comes to feeling good about a brand: Their partnerships help improve the lives of the farmers who responsibly cultivate and harvest their sustainable ingredients. The formulas are free of phthalates and gluten, plus dozens of other toxins found on the brand’s “no-to” list. And those beautiful bottles? Recyclable and sustainable, naturally.

The prolific perfumery boasts three collections—Clean Classic, Clean Reserve, and Avant Garden—which all work exceptionally well either alone or layered. The Clean Reserve collection is my personal fave. There, you’ll find scents like Solar Bloom, Blonde Rose, and Terra Woods made with “farm-to-fragrance” ingredients in chic bottles that juxtapose clean, modern glass against rustic wooden accents.

And if you’re shopping the scents at Sephora? Note the Clean by Sephora seal—another sign you can be sure about exactly what you’re spritzing.

Skylar

“Scent is the sense that is most closely tied to memory. It’s also closely tied to the part of our brain that feels emotion,” says Skylar founder Cat Chen. “It has the ability to change your mood, to make a moment even more memorable, or to bring yourself that little bit of joy throughout the day.”

Cat, a major perfume person who believes in building a scent wardrobe, was devastated to learn that her daughter was allergic to fragrance. Not only would she have to stop wearing her own favorite scents, but her daughter would be deprived of the olfactory experiences that Cat treasured so much.

But as a very business-savvy scent connoisseur (she was one of Honest Company’s first employees and served as VP of operations at the popular Jessica Alba-founded brand), Cat wasn’t giving up on perfume so easily. Instead, she set out to create a nontoxic perfume brand with elevated scents that really speaks to women. The result? Six fresh fragrances free of parabens, allergens, SLS and SLES, phthalates, animal derivatives, and synthetic dyes.

And because the brand encourages its community to really sample the scents by wearing them around for a few days, layering, and experimenting, Skylar also offers a $20 kit and credit so you can try before you buy.

What’s your favorite clean, nontoxic perfume? Tell us in the comments–and shop our Beauty and Wellness selection!

Kelsey Haywood Lucas is a beauty and wellness editor, author and content producer. Follow her on Instagram for beauty unboxings, skincare reviews, puppy pics, and lifestyle hacks.