Clean, ethical fragrances that know no bounds nor gender constraints.
There’s never been a better time to love fragrance. The clean perfume industry is making cruelty-free and sustainable scents as accessible as ever — no harsh ingredients, and no gender stereotypes. Whether for yourself or loved ones, it’s time to break the old fragrance addictions and embrace the new normal. Once you put your nose to cleaner fragrances that are free from harmful chemicals, you’ll never go back to the harsh ingredients.
Clean gender-inclusive fragrances
The clean fragrance industry is helping to pioneer a long-overdue norm: gender inclusivity. What does “smell like a woman” or “smell like a man” even mean? Smell like a human, or a flower, or a bark with a little help from nature in these perfect gender-inclusive clean fragrances that are a fit for anyone who loves cruelty-free and clean perfumes.
1. Le Labo – All Scents
The very definition of fragrance, Le Labo is a beloved clean fragrance brand that’s always been gender-inclusive since launching in 2006. Its scents are all vegan and cruelty-free as well as free from parabens and phthalates. Everything is Prop 65 compliant, meaning all of its fragrances are free from chemicals known to cause cancer.
We love Oud 27— it’s like warm summer nights in a bottle. Agarwood, cedar atlas, incense, patchouli, black pepper, safran, and gaïac comingle in perfect fragrant harmony to deliver a scent you’ll never want to wash off.
2. Aesop, Marrakech Intense Eau de Parfum
It can be tough to break our scent habits; the olfactory system is so tightly linked to memory and emotion, that we can feel strange in a new fragrance. Aesop’s Marrakech Intense Eau de Parfum may just do away with that issue, though. Spicy, warm, and earthy, this transportive scent delivers a raw, unorthodox fragrance that’s floral, spiced, and woody. Top notes of bergamot, neroli, and jasmine settle into middle notes of rose, cardamom, and patchouli, and leave you fully sated in bottom notes of sandalwood, cedarwood, and clove.
As a certified B Corp, Aesop takes sustainability seriously from sourcing to packaging. All of its products, including the parfum, are vegan and never tested on animals.
3. Ralph Lauren, Polo Earth Eau de Toilette
With its first gender-inclusive clean fragrance, Ralph Lauren continues its sustainability and inclusivity efforts. The botanical top notes include bergamot, Italian green mandarin, and lavender, middle notes of Turkish rose and sage heart; and base notes of Haitian vetiver and bourbon geranium from Madagascar.
The Earth Day-inspired Polo Earth fragrance comes in a refillable bottle made from 20 percent post-consumer recycled glass, weighing 30 percent less than Ralph Lauren’s other fragrances. The cartons are made from 55 percent recycled materials and contain no outer cellophane wrapping to reduce plastic waste.
4. Phlur, Somebody Wood
Phlur takes every stereotype about fragrance and blends them into one with Somebody Wood. It’s woody and spicy with a burst of top notes of bergamot and saffron and bottom notes of sandalwood and amber. It’s a warm and comforting scent perfect for the cooler months.
Phlur uses organic sugarcane as its alcohol base and responsibly sources its ingredients, especially the sandalwood in this scent, which it sources lab-grown to be most ethical. “Prized for its distinctive scent, natural Indian Sandalwood has sadly been overharvested to the point of near extinction,” the company says. “For this reason, we use lab-developed scent molecules that are indistinguishable from natural sandalwood, and are safe for skin and the environment.”
5. Heretic, Bergamusk
Boost your mood with the uplifting scent of citrusy bergamot and a grounding base note of sandalwood. Bergamot is sourced from Calabrian gardens and blended with white musk, cedar, and jasmine.
Like all of Heretic’s fragrances, Bergamusk is vegan and cruelty-free and made with natural, non-toxic ingredients. It’s free from parabens, formaldehyde, and synthetic dyes. The brand says its handcrafted and natural perfumes all surpass industry standards of “clean” fragrance.
6. Henry Rose – All Fragrances
Michelle Pfeiffer launched Henry Rose out of a desire to create a truly clean fragrance range. It’s the first to earn the stamp of approval from the Environmental Working Group for eschewing toxic ingredients. And another thing the label shies away from: gender stereotypes.
Ethically sourced high-quality ingredients make up every bottle. Designed for layering, you can mix and match to create your own scent or let these excellent fragrances stand out on their own. Sheep’s Clothing, Jake’s House, and Windows Down standout but you can’t go wrong with any.
7. Clean Beauty Collective, Rain Eau de Parfum
Let this clean scent reminiscent of a fresh spring rain reset your concepts of fragrance and gender as it bathes you in a mix of luxe dewy melon, water lily, and musk for a soft, calm olfactory experience.
Everything the Clean Beauty Collective makes is rooted in its commitment to clean ingredients without sacrificing quality. It vets all of its ingredients, whether natural or synthetic, and all packaging is sustainably sourced and produced. The collective says you can rest assured knowing that Clean Beauty Collective “makes the simple, trusted, and conscious choice every step of the way.”
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