Low-tox living & Natural Perfumes
Content:
Philosophy of Low-Tox Living
We live in a chemical world. Every breath, every meal, every cosmetic product, every household item — all involve chemicals.
“Chemical” does not automatically mean toxic, just as “natural” does not automatically mean safe. There are plenty of plants and natural substances that can be harmful to us.
At the same time, modern life has introduced us to an enormous and constantly expanding variety of synthetic substances that were not part of the environment in which humans evolved. For many of these newer substances, we have far less experience with long-term, repeated exposure than we do with natural compounds to which we were often exposed during our evolution.
So, when thinking about low-tox living, without unnecessary fear or the unrealistic expectation that we can control every exposure, there are several useful questions to ask: What are you exposed to? Is it a new chemical, or were we exposed to it regularly during our evolution? If it is an evolutionarily familiar substance, at what concentration and how were we exposed to it before and today? If it is a new chemical, how well is it understood by science? How strong is the evidence about its safety? How much are you exposed to, how often, and for how long?
Our evolutionary history can provide useful context. Humans have always been exposed to countless natural compounds from plants, fungi, animals, and soil. Evolutionary familiarity should be treated as context, not as proof of safety. A natural substance can still be toxic, irritating, or capable of causing allergic reactions. But when humans have been regularly exposed to certain naturally occurring substances over millions of years, there has been an evolutionary opportunity to adapt to them and develop mechanisms for processing and responding to them.
Human-made chemicals are a different story. Modern life has dramatically expanded both the number and diversity of substances we encounter. Some new molecules are highly beneficial — pharmaceutical drugs are a good example, although their use should be justified by a clear medical indication. Taking drugs without medical justification is clearly not a good idea. Each drug will work only in a narrow field of medical cases and will not be beneficial for other medical cases or for a healthy person, and all drugs carry a risk of side effects, ranging from mild to serious. Although more than 90% of drug candidates entering clinical trials fail to reach regulatory approval, safety concerns account for roughly 20–30%! Furthermore, these drug candidates are carefully selected for clinical development after preclinical research, including studies of biological activity, pharmacology, and potential toxicity....
Unlike new pharmaceuticals, which undergo extensive testing before approval, chemicals used in everyday products are generally not required to undergo the same type of safety testing. That's why these molecules are more likely to be more toxic than drugs. The most dangerous substances may only be recognized after serious adverse health effects or deaths have occurred, while mild to moderate effects are more likely to be lost in hurricane confounding factors. Of course, our bodies can tolerate a certain levels of exposure to potentially harmful substances, but the long-term effects of exposure to complex mixtures of new chemicals are poorly understood. We don't know what will happen after repeated exposure over 10, 20, or 30 years, as we can not even design such an experiment.
Human environments have changed dramatically since the Industrial Revolution, with growing production and use of synthetic chemicals expanding particularly rapidly over the past century. Simply statistically, many new substances from the modern world can not be neutral to us. Whether a substance is safe depends on its properties, the dose, and how we are exposed to it. Yet we have limited control over the growing variety of chemicals in our environment and the extent of our exposure to them. These rapid environmental changes raise legitimate concerns about potential health effects, particularly when long-term exposure data are limited and evolutionary adaptation may take many generations.
Consider, for example, this: humans began consuming animal milk 10,000 years ago, yet today only about one-third of the world's population retains the ability to digest lactose efficiently into adulthood.
Advances in medicine have helped us live longer, but they do not eliminate health risks associated with modern environmental exposures. Some researchers have warned that the growing burden of lifestyle-related diseases could reverse some of the gains in life expectancy, despite continued scientific progress. In many developed countries, gains in life expectancy have already slowed considerably, and that is the result of detachment from the life to which we were adapted over millions of years: new food, new amounts of physical activity, a new environment. What is supported by extensive scientific evidence? Eating fewer highly processed foods and more whole foods, closer to what humans were adapted to throughout evolution — better health. Being more physically active, as humans were throughout much of our evolutionary history — better health. I suspect that a better understanding of the long-term effects of modern environmental exposures would reveal additional health risks that we do not yet fully recognize.
This is where the idea of low-tox living comes in.
It is not about creating a chemical-free life. That would be impossible.
It is about becoming more selective and avoiding unnecessary exposure to new chemicals whenever reasonably possible. Why accept an unnecessary exposure when a simpler, well-understood alternative is readily available? This is especially relevant when products are used every day, come into direct contact with your skin, contain substances that may be ingested with food, or release substances that can be inhaled.
That is the philosophy behind my approach to low-tox living:
It's not about obsession — after all, we cannot fully control our environment. It is a reasonable step as part of a broader approach to supporting long-term health.
So if you want to understand the subject better, I have a couple more articles exploring how you can reduce unnecessary exposure not only to new chemicals, but also to familiar substances encountered in unfamiliar ways. After all, it's not just the molecule itself that matters — the dose, route of exposure, and surrounding conditions matter too:
Your Environment — A Practical Survival Guide (статья о разном влиянии: химикаты с едой, вдыхвние и через кожу)
The Main Principles of Healthy Eating — and Practical Solutions to Common Challenges, Including What to Do About Bread and Desserts (концентрация и эффект окружения - причина изюигать процесированных продуктов, вот почему концентрация даже эволюционно знакомых химикатов важна)
We live in a chemical world. Every breath, every meal, every cosmetic product, every household item — all involve chemicals.
“Chemical” does not automatically mean toxic, just as “natural” does not automatically mean safe. There are plenty of plants and natural substances that can be harmful to us.
At the same time, modern life has introduced us to an enormous and constantly expanding variety of synthetic substances that were not part of the environment in which humans evolved. For many of these newer substances, we have far less experience with long-term, repeated exposure than we do with natural compounds to which we were often exposed during our evolution.
So, when thinking about low-tox living, without unnecessary fear or the unrealistic expectation that we can control every exposure, there are several useful questions to ask: What are you exposed to? Is it a new chemical, or were we exposed to it regularly during our evolution? If it is an evolutionarily familiar substance, at what concentration and how were we exposed to it before and today? If it is a new chemical, how well is it understood by science? How strong is the evidence about its safety? How much are you exposed to, how often, and for how long?
Our evolutionary history can provide useful context. Humans have always been exposed to countless natural compounds from plants, fungi, animals, and soil. Evolutionary familiarity should be treated as context, not as proof of safety. A natural substance can still be toxic, irritating, or capable of causing allergic reactions. But when humans have been regularly exposed to certain naturally occurring substances over millions of years, there has been an evolutionary opportunity to adapt to them and develop mechanisms for processing and responding to them.
Human-made chemicals are a different story. Modern life has dramatically expanded both the number and diversity of substances we encounter. Some new molecules are highly beneficial — pharmaceutical drugs are a good example, although their use should be justified by a clear medical indication. Taking drugs without medical justification is clearly not a good idea. Each drug will work only in a narrow field of medical cases and will not be beneficial for other medical cases or for a healthy person, and all drugs carry a risk of side effects, ranging from mild to serious. Although more than 90% of drug candidates entering clinical trials fail to reach regulatory approval, safety concerns account for roughly 20–30%! Furthermore, these drug candidates are carefully selected for clinical development after preclinical research, including studies of biological activity, pharmacology, and potential toxicity....
Unlike new pharmaceuticals, which undergo extensive testing before approval, chemicals used in everyday products are generally not required to undergo the same type of safety testing. That's why these molecules are more likely to be more toxic than drugs. The most dangerous substances may only be recognized after serious adverse health effects or deaths have occurred, while mild to moderate effects are more likely to be lost in hurricane confounding factors. Of course, our bodies can tolerate a certain levels of exposure to potentially harmful substances, but the long-term effects of exposure to complex mixtures of new chemicals are poorly understood. We don't know what will happen after repeated exposure over 10, 20, or 30 years, as we can not even design such an experiment.
Human environments have changed dramatically since the Industrial Revolution, with growing production and use of synthetic chemicals expanding particularly rapidly over the past century. Simply statistically, many new substances from the modern world can not be neutral to us. Whether a substance is safe depends on its properties, the dose, and how we are exposed to it. Yet we have limited control over the growing variety of chemicals in our environment and the extent of our exposure to them. These rapid environmental changes raise legitimate concerns about potential health effects, particularly when long-term exposure data are limited and evolutionary adaptation may take many generations.
Consider, for example, this: humans began consuming animal milk 10,000 years ago, yet today only about one-third of the world's population retains the ability to digest lactose efficiently into adulthood.
Advances in medicine have helped us live longer, but they do not eliminate health risks associated with modern environmental exposures. Some researchers have warned that the growing burden of lifestyle-related diseases could reverse some of the gains in life expectancy, despite continued scientific progress. In many developed countries, gains in life expectancy have already slowed considerably, and that is the result of detachment from the life to which we were adapted over millions of years: new food, new amounts of physical activity, a new environment. What is supported by extensive scientific evidence? Eating fewer highly processed foods and more whole foods, closer to what humans were adapted to throughout evolution — better health. Being more physically active, as humans were throughout much of our evolutionary history — better health. I suspect that a better understanding of the long-term effects of modern environmental exposures would reveal additional health risks that we do not yet fully recognize.
This is where the idea of low-tox living comes in.
It is not about creating a chemical-free life. That would be impossible.
It is about becoming more selective and avoiding unnecessary exposure to new chemicals whenever reasonably possible. Why accept an unnecessary exposure when a simpler, well-understood alternative is readily available? This is especially relevant when products are used every day, come into direct contact with your skin, contain substances that may be ingested with food, or release substances that can be inhaled.
That is the philosophy behind my approach to low-tox living:
It's not about obsession — after all, we cannot fully control our environment. It is a reasonable step as part of a broader approach to supporting long-term health.
So if you want to understand the subject better, I have a couple more articles exploring how you can reduce unnecessary exposure not only to new chemicals, but also to familiar substances encountered in unfamiliar ways. After all, it's not just the molecule itself that matters — the dose, route of exposure, and surrounding conditions matter too:
Your Environment — A Practical Survival Guide (статья о разном влиянии: химикаты с едой, вдыхвние и через кожу)
The Main Principles of Healthy Eating — and Practical Solutions to Common Challenges, Including What to Do About Bread and Desserts (концентрация и эффект окружения - причина изюигать процесированных продуктов, вот почему концентрация даже эволюционно знакомых химикатов важна)
And now let's talk about alluring. Perfumes.
Your perfume stays with you throughout the day. This makes it different from many other cosmetic products. You spray it onto your skin. You smell and inhale it for hours.
Some inhaled molecules can travel into the respiratory tract and reach the lungs. Depending on their chemical properties, some may cross the alveolar membrane and enter the bloodstream. Once absorbed, these compounds may be metabolized or interact with cells and tissues in the body. Many perfume ingredients can also enter the body through the skin after application.
Volatile perfume ingredients evaporate into the air around you, so other people will inhale them too...
You may use it every day — year after year.
For a product used this frequently, it is reasonable to ask:
What exactly are we exposed to every day?
The fragrance world we know today is very different from the aromatic environment humans experienced for most of their history.
Your perfume stays with you throughout the day. This makes it different from many other cosmetic products. You spray it onto your skin. You smell and inhale it for hours.
Some inhaled molecules can travel into the respiratory tract and reach the lungs. Depending on their chemical properties, some may cross the alveolar membrane and enter the bloodstream. Once absorbed, these compounds may be metabolized or interact with cells and tissues in the body. Many perfume ingredients can also enter the body through the skin after application.
Volatile perfume ingredients evaporate into the air around you, so other people will inhale them too...
You may use it every day — year after year.
For a product used this frequently, it is reasonable to ask:
What exactly are we exposed to every day?
The fragrance world we know today is very different from the aromatic environment humans experienced for most of their history.
Perfume: Then and Now.
For most of human history, our aromatic environment came from plant-derived aromatic compounds found in flowers, herbs, trees, fruits, and resins.
When breathing in the scent of a forest after the rain, walking through a freshly cut meadow, standing among orange trees in blossom, or encountering the intoxicating fragrance of tropical flowers, we experience the same aromatic molecules that plants have produced for thousands of years. It is our natural environment.
Early perfumes also used these plant-derived aromatic compounds.
But modern perfumery is fundamentally different.
Today, most commercial perfumes contain synthetic fragrance molecules. These molecules have made modern perfumery more stable, consistent, long-lasting, and cheaper — which opened the door to a more commercially attractive business models and thousands of fragrances that are difficult or impossible to obtain from plants alone.
But there is another side to this development.
Some synthetic fragrance molecules have been associated with adverse health effects, while many others have not been studied sufficiently to understand the consequences of long-term, repeated exposure — particularly as part of complex fragrance mixtures.
For certain classes of fragrance-related chemicals, including some phthalates and synthetic musks, research has also raised concerns about endocrine activity, reproductive effects and other biological effects. Human biomonitoring studies have detected synthetic musk compounds and their metabolites in biological tissues, while epidemiological research has linked exposure to certain phthalates from various sources with changes in reproductive hormone levels and reproductive health outcomes. (read here)
Other research has also reported associations between exposure to fragrance-related chemicals and other potential health effects, including respiratory, neurological and reproductive effects. (read here)
So there are two different issues: some risks are already established for particular fragrance ingredients, while for other chemicals the evidence remains incomplete — especially regarding long-term, repeated exposure and exposure to complex mixtures.
For most of human history, our aromatic environment came from plant-derived aromatic compounds found in flowers, herbs, trees, fruits, and resins.
We have been surrounded by these compounds throughout human evolution.
When breathing in the scent of a forest after the rain, walking through a freshly cut meadow, standing among orange trees in blossom, or encountering the intoxicating fragrance of tropical flowers, we experience the same aromatic molecules that plants have produced for thousands of years. It is our natural environment.
Early perfumes also used these plant-derived aromatic compounds.
But modern perfumery is fundamentally different.
Today, most commercial perfumes contain synthetic fragrance molecules. These molecules have made modern perfumery more stable, consistent, long-lasting, and cheaper — which opened the door to a more commercially attractive business models and thousands of fragrances that are difficult or impossible to obtain from plants alone.
But there is another side to this development.
Some synthetic fragrance molecules have been associated with adverse health effects, while many others have not been studied sufficiently to understand the consequences of long-term, repeated exposure — particularly as part of complex fragrance mixtures.
For certain classes of fragrance-related chemicals, including some phthalates and synthetic musks, research has also raised concerns about endocrine activity, reproductive effects and other biological effects. Human biomonitoring studies have detected synthetic musk compounds and their metabolites in biological tissues, while epidemiological research has linked exposure to certain phthalates from various sources with changes in reproductive hormone levels and reproductive health outcomes. (read here)
Other research has also reported associations between exposure to fragrance-related chemicals and other potential health effects, including respiratory, neurological and reproductive effects. (read here)
So there are two different issues: some risks are already established for particular fragrance ingredients, while for other chemicals the evidence remains incomplete — especially regarding long-term, repeated exposure and exposure to complex mixtures.
That is why I invite you to explore natural perfumes and the traditional palette of materials: essential oils, absolutes, resins, tinctures, and other botanical extracts.
Natural Perfumes on the Market Worth Knowing (not sponsored)
Abel— New Zealand natural perfume house that provides full ingredient lists and sells internationally. A 50 ml Eau de Parfum is priced at about €180.
Hiram Green — a small independent perfume house based in the Netherlands, founded by Canadian perfumer Hiram Green. The perfumes are handcrafted in small batches; a 50 ml bottle is currently around €220.
Aftelier — Mandy Aftel’s small-batch perfume house in Berkeley, California. Aftelier uses natural essences and states that its products are free from synthetics, parabens, glycols and petrochemicals. The perfumes are made and bottled by hand in the studio. A 30 ml Eau de Parfum costs about $220
Botanic Enve — an Australian independent botanical perfume house creating small-batch botanical fragrances. Its fragrances are available in 30 ml for approximately A$90.
Vanessa Megan — an Australian natural beauty and fragrance brand that markets its perfumes as 100% natural. Its current 50 ml fragrances cost around A$229
Studio TANAÏS — an independent New York perfume studio founded by author and perfumer Tanaïs. Its current 50 ml fragrances cost around $200
Rose & Co. Botanicals — Australian-made botanical perfumes using plant-based ingredients and botanicals, with a farm-to-face approach to sourcing and production. Its current 30 ml fragrances are around A$245
Parfumeurs du Monde — a French niche perfume house. A 50 ml bottle costs approximately €145.
Pure Signature — a French natural perfumery based in Grasse. Its 50 ml natural fragrances currently cost €126.
Unfortunately, natural perfumes are expensive.
Rare absolutes, high-quality essential oils, small-batch production, and limited scalability all increase the cost of the finished fragrance.
One More Important Detail: “Natural” Does Not Always Mean 100% Natural
The word “natural” can be surprisingly confusing in perfumery.
Some brands may also use a mixture of natural and synthetic ingredients while emphasizing their “natural” positioning.
Le Jardin Retrouvé — a Paris perfume house founded in 1975. It is worth mentioning as an example of a predominantly natural rather than fully natural perfume house: the brand states that its fragrances contain 90–99% ingredients of natural origin and some synthetic ingredients.
So if you want a truly natural perfume, don’t rely on the word “natural” alone. Check the actual ingredient philosophy and what the brand means by “natural.”
Or There Is Another Option:
Make your own perfume.
Once you have built your collection of ingredients, a 50 ml natural perfume with 20% concentrate can cost as little as €20–30 to make, depending on the formula.
With a store-bought Eau de Parfum, you may not know exactly how much fragrance concentrate is in the bottle. The concentration can vary considerably between products — and can influence intensity and longevity.
DIY natural perfumery is a really exciting hobby because you have control over the ingredients, the composition, and the cost. And it will allow you to create personalized fragrances for yourself, your friends, and your family.
Abel— New Zealand natural perfume house that provides full ingredient lists and sells internationally. A 50 ml Eau de Parfum is priced at about €180.
Hiram Green — a small independent perfume house based in the Netherlands, founded by Canadian perfumer Hiram Green. The perfumes are handcrafted in small batches; a 50 ml bottle is currently around €220.
Aftelier — Mandy Aftel’s small-batch perfume house in Berkeley, California. Aftelier uses natural essences and states that its products are free from synthetics, parabens, glycols and petrochemicals. The perfumes are made and bottled by hand in the studio. A 30 ml Eau de Parfum costs about $220
Botanic Enve — an Australian independent botanical perfume house creating small-batch botanical fragrances. Its fragrances are available in 30 ml for approximately A$90.
Vanessa Megan — an Australian natural beauty and fragrance brand that markets its perfumes as 100% natural. Its current 50 ml fragrances cost around A$229
Studio TANAÏS — an independent New York perfume studio founded by author and perfumer Tanaïs. Its current 50 ml fragrances cost around $200
Rose & Co. Botanicals — Australian-made botanical perfumes using plant-based ingredients and botanicals, with a farm-to-face approach to sourcing and production. Its current 30 ml fragrances are around A$245
Parfumeurs du Monde — a French niche perfume house. A 50 ml bottle costs approximately €145.
Pure Signature — a French natural perfumery based in Grasse. Its 50 ml natural fragrances currently cost €126.
Unfortunately, natural perfumes are expensive.
Rare absolutes, high-quality essential oils, small-batch production, and limited scalability all increase the cost of the finished fragrance.
One More Important Detail: “Natural” Does Not Always Mean 100% Natural
The word “natural” can be surprisingly confusing in perfumery.
Some brands may also use a mixture of natural and synthetic ingredients while emphasizing their “natural” positioning.
Le Jardin Retrouvé — a Paris perfume house founded in 1975. It is worth mentioning as an example of a predominantly natural rather than fully natural perfume house: the brand states that its fragrances contain 90–99% ingredients of natural origin and some synthetic ingredients.
So if you want a truly natural perfume, don’t rely on the word “natural” alone. Check the actual ingredient philosophy and what the brand means by “natural.”
Or There Is Another Option:
Make your own perfume.
Once you have built your collection of ingredients, a 50 ml natural perfume with 20% concentrate can cost as little as €20–30 to make, depending on the formula.
With a store-bought Eau de Parfum, you may not know exactly how much fragrance concentrate is in the bottle. The concentration can vary considerably between products — and can influence intensity and longevity.
DIY natural perfumery is a really exciting hobby because you have control over the ingredients, the composition, and the cost. And it will allow you to create personalized fragrances for yourself, your friends, and your family.
Aromatherapy
Natural perfume can offer more than an olfactory experience. Because it contains aromatic botanical materials such as essential oils, wearing it also involves inhaling some of the same volatile compounds used in aromatherapy.
Clinical research suggests that inhalation of certain essential oils may have modest short-term effects on psychological well-being, particularly by reducing situational anxiety or perceived stress and promoting relaxation.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37031643
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37325306
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/anxiety-and-complementary-health-approaches
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/aromatherapy
For example, a review discussed by NCCIH included 16 studies involving 1,346 participants and reported improvements in sleep quality associated with aromatherapy. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/sleep-disorders-and-complementary-health-approaches
This does not mean that natural perfumes should be considered a first-line treatment for anxiety, depression, insomnia, or other medical conditions. These are complex conditions that may require a comprehensive approach to treatment. But natural perfumes can be considered a sensory experience that may contribute to well-being: botanical aromas may create feelings of relaxation, comfort, alertness, or a positive mood.
Natural Perfume Materials
Once you decide to make your own natural perfume, you have a surprisingly rich palette to work with.
Essential oils are the simplest place to start. They are obtained mainly by steam or hydro-distillation, or by mechanical expression in the case of some citrus oils.
They are highly aromatic, easy to use and available in a huge variety of scents — from citrus and flowers to herbs, woods and resins.
Absolutes
Some flowers and delicate botanical materials are difficult or impossible to obtain as essential oils. This is where absolutes become particularly valuable.
Rose, jasmine, tuberose and other delicate flowers are classic examples.
Absolutes are highly concentrated aromatic extracts typically obtained through solvent extraction followed by removal of the solvent. They can provide a much richer and more realistic floral character than many essential oils.
Resins, balsams and resinoids bring depth, warmth and persistence to a natural perfume. Frankincense, myrrh, benzoin, labdanum and other resinous materials can work particularly well as base materials and can help balance more volatile notes.
You can also work with tinctures and other botanical extracts — for example, by extracting aromatic plant material yourself in alcohol.
Homemade exctacts of dried flowers and herbs are generally much less concentrated than essential oils or absolutes, but they can enhance existing notes in your composition and create a soft atmospheric effect.
The Most Important Part: Quality
Whatever material you choose, the quality of the raw material matters.
A high-quality, safe perfume cannot be made from poorly identified, adulterated, oxidized, or unsuitable ingredients. Not every essential oil sold online is equally suitable for perfumery. Adulteration and substitution with cheaper synthetic materials are well documented!
When choosing perfumery material, look for:
Once you decide to make your own natural perfume, you have a surprisingly rich palette to work with.
Essential oils are the simplest place to start. They are obtained mainly by steam or hydro-distillation, or by mechanical expression in the case of some citrus oils.
They are highly aromatic, easy to use and available in a huge variety of scents — from citrus and flowers to herbs, woods and resins.
Absolutes
Some flowers and delicate botanical materials are difficult or impossible to obtain as essential oils. This is where absolutes become particularly valuable.
Rose, jasmine, tuberose and other delicate flowers are classic examples.
Absolutes are highly concentrated aromatic extracts typically obtained through solvent extraction followed by removal of the solvent. They can provide a much richer and more realistic floral character than many essential oils.
Resins, balsams and resinoids bring depth, warmth and persistence to a natural perfume. Frankincense, myrrh, benzoin, labdanum and other resinous materials can work particularly well as base materials and can help balance more volatile notes.
You can also work with tinctures and other botanical extracts — for example, by extracting aromatic plant material yourself in alcohol.
Homemade exctacts of dried flowers and herbs are generally much less concentrated than essential oils or absolutes, but they can enhance existing notes in your composition and create a soft atmospheric effect.
The Most Important Part: Quality
Whatever material you choose, the quality of the raw material matters.
A high-quality, safe perfume cannot be made from poorly identified, adulterated, oxidized, or unsuitable ingredients. Not every essential oil sold online is equally suitable for perfumery. Adulteration and substitution with cheaper synthetic materials are well documented!
When choosing perfumery material, look for:
- the exact botanical name;
- the plant part used;
- extraction method;
- country or region of origin;
- batch or lot information;
- clear information about whether the material is diluted and, if so, which diluent is used;
- relevant documentation, such as batch-specific GC/MS reports or certificates of analysis (COAs), as well as safety data sheets (SDSs).
Where to Buy High-Quality Natural Perfume Materials (not sponsored)
Eden Botanicals — a California-based specialist supplier of natural perfumery materials. Its range includes essential oils, absolutes, CO₂ extracts, organic extracts and other botanical materials, with small sample sizes available. The company states that its essential oils are tested by independent laboratories and that it provides batch-specific GC/MS reports for its oils.
Landema — a French professional supplier and producer of botanical raw materials, offering essential oils, absolutes and other natural extracts. The company places strong emphasis on traceability, sourcing and analytical quality control.
Hermitage Oils — an Italian specialist natural perfumery supplier with an unusually broad selection of essential oils, absolutes, CO₂ extracts, resins, resinoids, balsams and other natural materials. It is particularly interesting for anyone who wants to build a sophisticated botanical perfume palette.
Florihana — a French producer specializing in organic essential oils, botanical extracts and other plant-derived materials. A good option when the main focus is high-quality essential oils with documented botanical origin and organic certification where applicable.
Eden Botanicals — a California-based specialist supplier of natural perfumery materials. Its range includes essential oils, absolutes, CO₂ extracts, organic extracts and other botanical materials, with small sample sizes available. The company states that its essential oils are tested by independent laboratories and that it provides batch-specific GC/MS reports for its oils.
Landema — a French professional supplier and producer of botanical raw materials, offering essential oils, absolutes and other natural extracts. The company places strong emphasis on traceability, sourcing and analytical quality control.
Hermitage Oils — an Italian specialist natural perfumery supplier with an unusually broad selection of essential oils, absolutes, CO₂ extracts, resins, resinoids, balsams and other natural materials. It is particularly interesting for anyone who wants to build a sophisticated botanical perfume palette.
Florihana — a French producer specializing in organic essential oils, botanical extracts and other plant-derived materials. A good option when the main focus is high-quality essential oils with documented botanical origin and organic certification where applicable.
For DIY natural perfumery, the quality of the raw materials is just as important as the recipe itself.
How to Get Started with Natural Perfumery
The best way to begin your journey into natural perfumery is to build a small collection of aromatic materials — your first perfumer’s palette. Start with 10–15 essential oils representing different fragrance families. Essential oils are particularly convenient for beginners because most can be used directly in drop-based experiments without preparing separate dilutions.
Begin by exploring each material individually. Smell it on a fragrance blotter, describe its aroma in your own words, and observe how it changes over time.
Learn which materials typically function as top, heart, and base notes.
Once you become familiar with individual materials, start experimenting with simple accords — combinations of two or three ingredients that create a harmonious scent impression. Explore classic pairings such as rose and sandalwood, bergamot and lavender, or citrus and cedarwood. Experiment with different proportions to understand how even small adjustments can change the character of a composition.
Always begin with small test batches to avoid wasting valuable materials on combinations you may not enjoy.
If you want to download my free guide to natural perfumery, including a printable Natural Perfumery Ingredient Wheel and educational materials covering fragrance families, olfactory profiles, classic accords, safety, and more, click here.
The best way to begin your journey into natural perfumery is to build a small collection of aromatic materials — your first perfumer’s palette. Start with 10–15 essential oils representing different fragrance families. Essential oils are particularly convenient for beginners because most can be used directly in drop-based experiments without preparing separate dilutions.
Begin by exploring each material individually. Smell it on a fragrance blotter, describe its aroma in your own words, and observe how it changes over time.
Learn which materials typically function as top, heart, and base notes.
Once you become familiar with individual materials, start experimenting with simple accords — combinations of two or three ingredients that create a harmonious scent impression. Explore classic pairings such as rose and sandalwood, bergamot and lavender, or citrus and cedarwood. Experiment with different proportions to understand how even small adjustments can change the character of a composition.
Always begin with small test batches to avoid wasting valuable materials on combinations you may not enjoy.
If you want to download my free guide to natural perfumery, including a printable Natural Perfumery Ingredient Wheel and educational materials covering fragrance families, olfactory profiles, classic accords, safety, and more, click here.
If you wish to recreate your favorite perfume, looking at its note pyramid can be a useful starting point. However, two perfumes can share the same listed notes yet smell completely different, because the choice of materials and their proportions play a major role in perfumery, just as ingredients and their proportions do in cooking. The exact formulas of perfumes from well-known perfume houses are usually closely guarded trade secrets.
One of the most effective ways to learn is by working with existing perfume formulas. Instead of starting every composition from scratch, first recreate a given blend and then modify it. Make it sweeter, spicier, fresher, or more floral. For example, you can increase the amount of jasmine if you want this note to dominate, or reduce the amount of cedarwood if you find your perfume is too woody. By changing one ingredient or proportion at a time, you can observe how each material influences the overall composition and gradually develop your own creative instincts.
This is exactly the approach behind my natural perfume recipe guides. They offer carefully structured formulas that give you a practical starting point for exploring different fragrance styles without having to develop every blend through trial and error.
My guides also explain essential practical techniques, including how to dilute absolutes, resins, and other concentrated materials. This makes the guides useful not only as collections of recipes, but also as hands-on tools for developing your understanding of natural perfumery.
If natural perfumery becomes a real passion, your the next step may be more structured education. Specialized courses and professional perfumery programs can help you deepen your understanding of raw materials, fragrance architecture, formulation techniques, olfactory training, and safety assessment.
Four Online Natural Perfumery School Worth Considering:
Whether you pursue formal training or continue learning independently, regular practice and thoughtful experimentation will remain at the heart of your development as a perfumer.
One of the most effective ways to learn is by working with existing perfume formulas. Instead of starting every composition from scratch, first recreate a given blend and then modify it. Make it sweeter, spicier, fresher, or more floral. For example, you can increase the amount of jasmine if you want this note to dominate, or reduce the amount of cedarwood if you find your perfume is too woody. By changing one ingredient or proportion at a time, you can observe how each material influences the overall composition and gradually develop your own creative instincts.
This is exactly the approach behind my natural perfume recipe guides. They offer carefully structured formulas that give you a practical starting point for exploring different fragrance styles without having to develop every blend through trial and error.
My guides also explain essential practical techniques, including how to dilute absolutes, resins, and other concentrated materials. This makes the guides useful not only as collections of recipes, but also as hands-on tools for developing your understanding of natural perfumery.
If natural perfumery becomes a real passion, your the next step may be more structured education. Specialized courses and professional perfumery programs can help you deepen your understanding of raw materials, fragrance architecture, formulation techniques, olfactory training, and safety assessment.
Four Online Natural Perfumery School Worth Considering:
- Natural Perfume Academy — Ireland (9 months)
- School of Creative Perfumery — United Kingdom (12 months)
- Natural Perfumery Institute — USA (offers three sequential levels: Basic, Intermediate, and Graduate)
- IPF Natural Perfumery Teacher's Academy — Programs are available not only in English, but also French, Italian, and other languages.
Whether you pursue formal training or continue learning independently, regular practice and thoughtful experimentation will remain at the heart of your development as a perfumer.
My DIY Perfume Guides with Natural Blends
I created these guides for people who want to make beautiful botanical perfumes without spending weeks researching materials, buying dozens of ingredients, or learning everything through trial and error. You will learn how to make alcohol- and oil-based perfumes. It is designed to keep things simple; all recipes will be given by drops.
GUIDE 1
30 Natural Perfume Blends for Any Occasion — With Minimum Investment
Natural perfumery can quickly become an expensive hobby. One beautiful formula calls for one set of materials, the next calls for ten more — and before you know it, you have invested in dozens of bottles just to create a handful of perfumes.
This guide was designed to do the opposite.
It gives you 30 different natural perfume formulas built around a carefully selected core palette of just 23 materials. My goal was simple: maximum fragrance variety for you with minimum investment. Each parfume need from 5 to 8 materials so you even don't have to buy a full palette at once.
I also have chosen materials that are relatively easy to find and not excessively expensive. However, you may still need to order your palette from a couple of different suppliers.
Just with this one product a lot of ways to express yourself from sparkling citrus and fresh green herbs to luminous florals, creamy woods, dry spices, earthy vetiver, and deep incense resins. Light or sensual. Minimalist or dramatic. There is a natural fragrance for every mood, moment, and personality.
59 pages that will help you to start to enjoy natural perfumery.
Here you can familiarize yourself with the collection:
I created these guides for people who want to make beautiful botanical perfumes without spending weeks researching materials, buying dozens of ingredients, or learning everything through trial and error. You will learn how to make alcohol- and oil-based perfumes. It is designed to keep things simple; all recipes will be given by drops.
GUIDE 1
30 Natural Perfume Blends for Any Occasion — With Minimum Investment
Natural perfumery can quickly become an expensive hobby. One beautiful formula calls for one set of materials, the next calls for ten more — and before you know it, you have invested in dozens of bottles just to create a handful of perfumes.
This guide was designed to do the opposite.
It gives you 30 different natural perfume formulas built around a carefully selected core palette of just 23 materials. My goal was simple: maximum fragrance variety for you with minimum investment. Each parfume need from 5 to 8 materials so you even don't have to buy a full palette at once.
I also have chosen materials that are relatively easy to find and not excessively expensive. However, you may still need to order your palette from a couple of different suppliers.
Just with this one product a lot of ways to express yourself from sparkling citrus and fresh green herbs to luminous florals, creamy woods, dry spices, earthy vetiver, and deep incense resins. Light or sensual. Minimalist or dramatic. There is a natural fragrance for every mood, moment, and personality.
59 pages that will help you to start to enjoy natural perfumery.
Here you can familiarize yourself with the collection:
GUIDE 2
30 Natural Perfume Interpretations Inspired by Iconic Luxury & Niche Perfumes.
This collection takes a completely different approach. Premium and niche perfumes can be expensive — especially if you love variety. With my DIY formulas, it is definitely more affordable, and most importantly, you can continue using your favorite fragrance even when you decide to support a low-toxic living philosophy.
Explore 30 natural perfume formulas inspired by the character, mood, and olfactory style of recognizable luxury and niche fragrances.
These are not perfumes selected simply because an extravagant bottle happens to cost a fortune due to diamonds, limited editions or collector value.
The focus is on well-known premium fragrances people actually wear, recognize and seek out — fragrances from respected luxury and niche perfume houses with distinctive olfactory identities.
In this collection you will find: Naxos, Black Orchid, Oud Satin Mood, Santal 33, Tobacco Vanille, Grand Soir, Angels’ Share, Guidance, Interlude Man, Portrait of a Lady .......
Important to note: these are natural interpretations, not chemical replicas of the originals. Natural materials can not fully mimic synthetic molecules.
Modern luxury perfumery often relies on synthetic aroma molecules to create particular effects: extraordinary diffusion, transparent musks, mineral or aquatic impressions, unusual longevity, and other characteristics that cannot always be reproduced exactly with a purely natural palette. Instead, each formula explores the recognizable character, structure, and atmosphere of its inspiration through natural perfumery materials.
Be also prepared for a broader palette — and a little ingredient hunting.
EXCLUSIVE BONUS GUIDE
If you purchase 2 guides at once, you receive a third one for free!
This guide cannot be bought separately; it is available exclusively as a gift.
This is a mini-collection of fragrances: 8 blends that serve as a vibrant, logical complement to the others — for a complete natural fragrance wardrobe. After building the first two collections, there were a couple of areas of the fragrance wardrobe that still deserved more attention. I also wanted to give you more options to use your palette, so good news: no additional materials needed. Every ingredient used in the Fruity Collection already appears in the palettes of the first two guides.
Experience a complete natural perfume wardrobe — made by you.
30 Natural Perfume Interpretations Inspired by Iconic Luxury & Niche Perfumes.
This collection takes a completely different approach. Premium and niche perfumes can be expensive — especially if you love variety. With my DIY formulas, it is definitely more affordable, and most importantly, you can continue using your favorite fragrance even when you decide to support a low-toxic living philosophy.
Explore 30 natural perfume formulas inspired by the character, mood, and olfactory style of recognizable luxury and niche fragrances.
These are not perfumes selected simply because an extravagant bottle happens to cost a fortune due to diamonds, limited editions or collector value.
The focus is on well-known premium fragrances people actually wear, recognize and seek out — fragrances from respected luxury and niche perfume houses with distinctive olfactory identities.
In this collection you will find: Naxos, Black Orchid, Oud Satin Mood, Santal 33, Tobacco Vanille, Grand Soir, Angels’ Share, Guidance, Interlude Man, Portrait of a Lady .......
Important to note: these are natural interpretations, not chemical replicas of the originals. Natural materials can not fully mimic synthetic molecules.
Modern luxury perfumery often relies on synthetic aroma molecules to create particular effects: extraordinary diffusion, transparent musks, mineral or aquatic impressions, unusual longevity, and other characteristics that cannot always be reproduced exactly with a purely natural palette. Instead, each formula explores the recognizable character, structure, and atmosphere of its inspiration through natural perfumery materials.
Be also prepared for a broader palette — and a little ingredient hunting.
But there is no reason to buy everything at once. You can start with your favorite; that will need 7-13 materials depending on the fragrance. Many materials appear across multiple perfumes, so every new addition to your collection can unlock more possibilities. Over time, you will build a sophisticated natural perfumer’s palette. By the way, 21 materials from the first guide are also used in the second guide.
EXCLUSIVE BONUS GUIDE
If you purchase 2 guides at once, you receive a third one for free!
This guide cannot be bought separately; it is available exclusively as a gift.
This is a mini-collection of fragrances: 8 blends that serve as a vibrant, logical complement to the others — for a complete natural fragrance wardrobe. After building the first two collections, there were a couple of areas of the fragrance wardrobe that still deserved more attention. I also wanted to give you more options to use your palette, so good news: no additional materials needed. Every ingredient used in the Fruity Collection already appears in the palettes of the first two guides.
Experience a complete natural perfume wardrobe — made by you.
Don’t miss your chance to purchase these guides at this price—it’s only available until the first 10 reviews are in! It will not take long!
Current reviews: you can check here!
Current reviews: you can check here!
Would you like to see more recipes for perfumes? What kind — aquatic, vintage, ultra-luxury?
Vote for the guide you’d like me to create next, and tell me what you’d love to see included in it.
Vote for the guide you’d like me to create next, and tell me what you’d love to see included in it.