Time to give your fragrance a spring clean

Once, if you wanted a ‘clean’ fragrance, you’d reach for an eau de cologne — the lightest, freshest-smelling type of scent.

But just as ‘clean beauty’ has become a buzzword, with sustainable products made of natural ingredients in big demand, now the fragrance world is obsessed with being clean.

This spring, Calvin Klein announced that its zesty new unisex fragrance, CK Everyone, is Cradle to Cradle Certified — ‘independently verified as clean and environmentally conscious’. But what are you actually getting when you buy a ‘clean’ fragrance?

In general, ‘clean’ products contain ‘natural’ or organic ingredients, usually with some claim to being sustainable or eco-friendly. They are calculated to appeal to a new generation of consumer, wary of using strong chemicals or buying anything that harms the planet.

Clean fragrances are enjoying something of a boom at the moment.

‘We’re receiving more and more briefs to create “clean” scents,’ says perfumer Sonia Constant, who has made fragrances for Jean-Paul Gaultier, Burberry and Kenzo.

‘People want transparency about ingredients. They want vegan perfumes, or fragrances that are sustainably produced.

‘We’re even involved in “upcycling” projects, where by-products that would normally go to waste are put to good use.’

For example, used apple pulp is processed to extract an oil which adds a fruity note in fragrances. The apple waste is then sent off to become animal feed.

Very few perfumes tick all those boxes, though, so it’s important to understand the jargon on the label before you buy.

Vegan fragrances are also seeing a surge in popularity. But although it’s now much more common for bottles to state this proudly, you shouldn’t shell out extra for it; many fragrances were already vegan, anyway.

‘Cosmetic regulations in the West mean we can’t use ingredients that come from an animal that would be harmed, so beeswax and honey are the only non-vegan ingredients used in scent,’ says perfumer Emmanuelle Moeglin.

Similarly, those branded cruelty-free may not have had to work too hard for that label. ‘Again, animal tests on ingredients are not permitted,’ adds Emmanuelle.

Another popular term is ‘natural’, but what does it mean? There’s no legal definition of the word when it comes to beauty products and fragrance, so unless perfume houses have jumped through hoops to have their creations certified natural or organic by an organisation such as the Soil Association, we have to take what they tell us on trust.

Anything that is certified organic, however, suggests its makers have worked hard to produce something ‘clean’.

‘It’s tough to create a long-lasting, original organic or natural perfume that projects well into the air from your skin [meaning you can actually smell it],’ says Emmanuelle. ‘Many of the ingredients that create brightness [such as citrus notes] or stability [so the fragrance doesn’t spoil] are synthetic.

‘The challenge with all-natural creations is that you can end up with something that simply smells like an aromatherapy oil.’

Brands such as Prosody are starting to meet this challenge, though (see box below).

Perfumers are also coming under pressure from consumers to reveal full lists of ingredients, but formulations are kept secret due to the billions at stake; make the Chanel No 5 formula public, and fakes would flood the market.

Nevertheless, a couple of smaller perfume houses are bravely publishing their formulas. J.U.S does so, it says, to prove how skilled its perfumers are. If you’re worried about the potential health impact of chemicals in a fragrance, buying a perfume that isn’t ‘clean’ won’t harm you.

Perfumes are subject to strict safety tests, regulated by the International Fragrance Association. For instance, if any of 26 known allergens are in the perfume they must be listed on the packaging.

And what about a perfume’s impact on the planet? Brands that show they care will gain sales. These might include perfumer Sana Jardin’s social enterprise that allows the Moroccan women who pick its orange blossom to use the ‘waste’ to create candles and orange flower water to sell.

There’s also a push towards eco-packaging — from the wooden caps on Clean Reserve’s bottles to Floral Street’s compostable boxes via Mugler’s refill stations.

Experimental Perfume Club, which dumped cellophane, won a UK Luxury Packaging Award last year.

Perfumer Emmanuelle Moeglin says: ‘This isn’t just a trend: it’s a movement.’ And the perfume houses tapping into it look set to clean up.

BOTTLES BRIMMING WITH THE FRUITS OF THE EARTH