Sustainable Perfumes: A Wearer’s Guide

I’m back! After a short hiatus while off with covid, I’m back to writing. Before you worry: no, I didn’t get very ill, and I certainly didn’t lose my sense of taste and smell! It’s what leads me to today’s post, all about sustainable perfumes. Because when has there ever been a better time to celebrate personal scent?

During the pandemic, I first asked whether sustainability was important, and then went on to find ways to make my home more of a home. Home scents became a big focus in my life; I invested in candles, house plants, and even an air filter. But now, as we begin to live in a world without face masks once more, personal scent has become all the more important. A recent post on Menswear Style inspired me to share six of my favourites, each with eco credentials…

Best Classic Perfume: Chloé Eau de Parfum

Chloe Eau De Parfum reviewed

In my early twenties, the Chloé Eau de Parfum* was all that I wore. It’s a feminine, floral scent, reminiscent of peonies, rose, and cedar.

With Chloé quickly becoming the go-to socially-conscious luxury fashion house, I was excited to recently receive a 30ml edition of their eponymous scent (gifted). That same classic feminine scent instantly brought me back to my days working in Paris. Only now, it feels updated to meet my values too; under the reign of Gabriella Hearst, the label has recently achieved B-Corp Certification, and is prioritising people and planet within its collections.

If you’re to choose a classic fragrance, the Chloé Eau de Parfum* is my recommendation.

Best Everyday Perfume: The Body Shop White Musk

When it comes to an everyday fragrance, The Body Shop*’s White Musk Eau de Parfum* is the one for me. This light, musky yet fresh scent is something I’ll happily wear to meetings, brunch, and even the dentist. It’s pleasant, clean, and not too complex for an everyday signature scent.

Out of all these sustainable perfumes, this is also a steal at just £24 per bottle, and recently went totally vegan (which makes a brilliant change, as a lot of musks use an insect-derived ingredient).

The Body Shop White Musk perfume reviewed

Best Evening Perfume: Sana Jardin Tiger By Her Side

Sana Jardin sustainable perfume reviewed

Then, go from day to night with a spritz of one of Sana Jardin* perfumes. These complex, confidently feminine scents echo their backstory, being made by female harvesters from the rural flower-growing region in Morocco, who benefit from Sana Jardin’s employment and circular principles in equal measure.

It’s worth adding that the Sana Jardin Discovery Sets* are my favourite gift to send to friends and family. Each scent is beautiful, and has led to many buying full-size bottles due to a newfound obsession with one particular fragrance. For me, that’s Tiger By Her Side* (gifted). It’s a fierce, spicy, yet subtly sweet scent that makes me feel confident. For my friend E, it’s Berber Blonde*, a scent that brings her back to past trips to Marrakesh.

What will your scent be?

Best New Sustainable Perfume: Obvious Fleur d’Oranger

If you like Le Labo, but not so much their prices, Obvious Parfums is a wonderful alternative. The French perfumery has recently washed ashore here in Britain, and with it, an approach that reconciles beauty with nature.

I was recently gifted Obvious Parfums Une Fleur d’Oranger, which if I’m honest, is one of my least favourite scents in general, but here, is a beautiful, complex scent that has me dreaming of sun-drenched afternoons in the rural Mediterranean. With a flat orange scent, layered with bergamot and neroli, it’s become a scent I reach for more often than not.

Next, I’d love to try the Obvious Un Poivre perfume, and see how closely it smells like Le Labo Poivre 23, because that is a true masterpiece in spicy, gender-neutral perfumery.

Obvious Une Fleur d'Oranger perfume

Best Perfume With Traceable Ingredients: LUSH Shade

Lush Shade perfume reviewed

Last year I discovered LUSH had launched a new perfume, and this particular scent has a pertinent backstory in sustainable ingredient sourcing. Shade is a warm, woody, unisex scent with a rich blend of sandalwood and olibanum (also known as frankincense).

It’s these two tree-derived ingredients that are important here: so often, they are extracted unsustainably. LUSH went the extra mile for these two ingredients, working with harvesters in West Timor to extract sandalwood from protected and sustainable trees, and harvesters in Dayaxa region in Somaliland, both of which are fully traceable.

Best Sustainable Perfume Brand: Floral Street

Within my cosmetics drawer lie four perfumes by the clever, clever people at Floral Street. First was Ylang Ylang Espresso*, a bold yet sweet scent I had the pleasure of discovering a few years ago. Next, London Poppy*, a citrusy, zingy scent balanced apricot blossom, neroli, and cedarwood.

Then, Wild Vanilla Orchid*, a perfume I wore for a solid year without fail. If you like vanilla, but wish to wear something more complex, this is for you. A vanilla base is accented with citrus, sandalwood, and pepper.

And the pièce de résistance: Arizona Bloom*. This scent is layered and smells just like a perfectly formed dessert: sharp, sweet, and beautiful in equal measure. It takes Balinese Coconut, and layers it with Madagascan Black Pepper, and subtler scents like fig. Have you noticed how much I love a peppery scent?

Floral Street is so good when it comes to creating signature scents at a more affordable price point. They focus on sourcing sustainable ingredients, and also provide wholly recyclable packaging, which I love.

Floral Street sustainable perfumes reviewed

Sustainable Perfumes: A Few Honourable Mentions

Before signing off this post, I have to note some of my previous perfume favourites, as well as ones to watch, and some individual reviews too!

Bastille: Having discovered Bastille in early 2024, I’m excited by their natural and sustainable approach.

Dolma Fragrances: An all-female, small perfumerie with vegan, cruelty-free perfumes and aftershaves.

Earth Mother Soul Sister: A now-defunct perfume brand that created holistic scents from nature. Read my full review →

Sinne Firenze: Another defunct perfume brand. I used to carry a rollerball wherever I went! Read my full review →

What’s your favourite perfume – and do you know its sustainability credentials?

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