Natural Perfume NZ
Did you know that most commercial perfumes contain ingredients that are considered unhealthy? Fortunately, there are some innovative Kiwi perfumers dedicated to creating natural perfumes that smell great and won’t harm your skin or the planet.
When choosing a natural perfume, we look for:
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Transparency: is the company clear about the ingredients?
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Safe ingredients: is it free of phthalates, fossil fuels, artificial colours etc.?
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Conscious manufacturing: is production environmentally friendly?
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Sustainability: are the ingredients produced sustainably?
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Longevity: how long does it stay on your skin?
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Deliciousness: does the natural perfume make you smell good?!
NATURAL PERFUME NZ REVIEWS
Abel Odor
Eco-conscious Perfume
Founded in Amsterdam by Kiwi Frances Shoemack, Abel has one goal: “to create the world's best natural perfume”.
Their fragrances are vegan and cruelty free, with ethically sourced ingredients. The range includes alcohol-based spray perfumes made with 100% natural, plant-derived ingredients. We tested their perfume, Cyan Nori; which is a sweet musk with top notes of tangerine and a dry down of salty seaweed. It’s light, warm, beautiful and lingers throughout the day.
Circe
NZ inspired natural perfume
Smells from around the world inspired perfumer Amber Lenihan to “make perfumes honest again”. Circe fragrances are cruelty-free, sustainably sourced, and free from synthetics. They have ten alcohol-based spray perfumes with eco-friendly packaging and a beautiful bottle.
We like that they use native New Zealand botanicals in their perfume, giving them a truly authentic NZ scent. Our favourite is their natural perfume, Spice Souk.
Sunday Best Perfume
Classy, natural perfume NZ
Sunday Best perfumer Amanda Workman released her first natural perfume last year inspired by Dr. Ashley Bloomfield: “Ash bloom”.
Our favourite in the Sunday Best range is “Whiskey Rose” which is sexy and musky with rose and apple. Sunday Best natural perfumes are “designed to encourage, inspire & empower the modern human to experience joy, appreciate nature’s gifts, and promote self-care”. We love how intentional this brand is from ingredients to the recycled packaging.
Wild Earth Apothecary
Perfume Oils NZ
Wild Earth scents have been designed with nature and health at their core. They have a range of perfume oils, spray perfumes, home fragrances, and skin care products. Perfumer Nelly Kappely believes “humans should have full disclosure with what we put in and on our bodies."
We haven’t tried their perfumes yet. We will report back once we do!
Facts & Tips for natural perfume & perfume oils
Why we spray perfume on the neck and wrist
The ritualistic spray on your wrist and neck are not simply derived from habit. These spots are our pulse points where our blood vessels are closer to the skin. More heat radiates from these points, diffusing our perfume from skin to air.
Dab… don’t rub
After applying your perfume or perfume oil, be careful not to rub your wrists together as this may dull down the top notes and cause them to evaporate. Instead, dab your wrists together very gently and then let the perfume air dry.
This will help your perfume last longer. Another tip to making perfume last longer is to apply a fragrance-free moisturiser to your pulse points then apply your perfume. Or apply the perfume to your hair and clothes.
How perfume and perfume oil smells, depends on you!
The composition of perfume is complex with various top, heart, and base notes, and how it interacts with our skin can change!
Different environmental factors, our skins oils, sweat, friction, etc. all affect the overall scent and duration of perfume on the skin.
Mass-produced perfumes
To increase the longevity, accessibility, and subtleties of certain scents, mass-produced perfumes contain very few natural ingredients.
Most mass-produce perfumes utilise a combination of synthetic and natural ingredients to create the desired effect. This also helps keep the cost of production low and provides stability to the perfume; meaning it will likely smell the same in every bottle.
Natural perfumes are quite different. Their scent can change according to the season, the location, the extraction process, the maturation period & the age of the ingredients used.
There is a real art to produce a natural perfume that is well rounded, has depth, great silage (long lasting) & evokes an emotion.