Only a few celebrity perfumes are truly clean. From Michelle Pfeiffer’s EWG-verified Henry Rose to Bella Hadid’s phthalate-free Ôrəbella, what separates fragrance transparency from fragrance fantasy?
Michelle Pfeiffer wasn’t the first celebrity to launch a fragrance, but she was the first to challenge the rules. When she debuted Henry Rose in 2019, it was a direct response to what the fragrance industry had avoided telling consumers for decades.
“We’re not going to make the most ‘natural’ fragrance that we can. We’re going to make the safest fragrance that we can,” she told Allure at the time. That distinction between natural and safe remains one of the most misunderstood elements of clean fragrance. And it’s what makes Henry Rose the benchmark against which every other celebrity perfume is now quietly measured.
Despite growing consumer interest in ingredient transparency, the fragrance industry remains one of the last personal care categories largely exempt from disclosure laws. Under FDA guidelines, a brand can list dozens of compounds under the term “fragrance,” including phthalates — chemicals used to make scent last longer on skin, but linked to hormone disruption, reproductive toxicity, and allergic reactions. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) reports that the average fragrance product contains about 14 undisclosed ingredients. For many celebrity fragrance brands, those details are hidden behind marketing gloss.
Henry Rose took a different approach: every ingredient is named, vetted, and listed. It was the first fine fragrance line to be EWG Verified and Cradle to Cradle certified. It bans more than 2,000 ingredients and remains the only celebrity perfume line to publicly meet those criteria.
The emotional turn in celebrity fragrance
Celebrity fragrance has shifted in tone. Labels now talk about nostalgia, self-expression, and skin scent over seduction. But the safety piece? Still rare.
Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty Eau de Parfum, which launched over the summer, is rich and gourmand, with notes of caramel, pink pepper, ginger, pistachio, cocoa bean, and musk. Gomez said she wanted something “nostalgic, familiar, and comforting.” Jérôme Epinette, who collaborated with Gomez on the fragrance, says it’s a scent that feels personal, “but could work for anyone, anytime.” The bottle was developed with certified hand therapists for easier grip and use, reflecting Rare Beauty’s inclusive design principles. But the fragrance does not disclose ingredients or claim to be phthalate-free, and no third-party safety certifications are listed.
Billie Eilish’s Your Turn and Your Turn II continue her aesthetic of sculptural bottles and moody blends. With notes of cardamom, peach skin, sandalwood, and tonka bean, the fragrances received praise from TikTok reviewers as “grown and sexy” and “surprisingly sophisticated.” The label is vegan and cruelty-free, but it also avoids ingredient transparency and is not certified phthalate-free.
Sabrina Carpenter has also built a fragrance following through her Sweet Tooth line with Scent Beauty, which launched in 2022. She has since released Caramel Dream (2023), Cherry Baby (2024), and Me Espresso (late 2024), and most recently, Lemon Bar. The scents feature playful blends like chocolate marshmallow, espresso bean, jasmine, and vanilla. They are fun, affordable, and popular on social media, but do not disclose ingredients, claim phthalate-free status, or hold any third-party safety certifications.
Ariana Grande’s fragrance line remains a top seller, with Cloud widely praised for its blend of lavender, coconut, and vanilla and frequent comparison to Baccarat Rouge 540. God Is a Woman is vegan, cruelty-free, and packaged in eco-conscious materials, but ingredient lists are not disclosed and there are no phthalate-free or safety certifications.
Rihanna’s Fenty Eau de Parfum is a prestige scent featuring magnolia, musk, tangerine, and Bulgarian rose. Developed with Jacques Cavallier and LVMH’s Kendo Brands, it retails for $140 and often sells out. But like Grande’s, it offers no ingredient transparency or clean beauty claims.
Clean innovation and the new fragrance guard
Bella Hadid’s fragrance line, Ôrəbella, comes closest to Henry Rose in formulation standards. Developed with Celebrands, it launched in 2024 and uses an alcohol-free, oil-based formula enriched with snow mushroom extract and plant oils like camellia and jojoba. Hadid banned more than 1,300 ingredients from her formulations, including phthalates.
The line is dermatologist-tested, hydrating, and designed to be gentle on sensitive skin — a decision shaped in part by Hadid’s experiences managing chronic illness. While it does not yet carry EWG verification, Ôrəbella meets many of the same clean benchmarks and has become one of the most discussed fragrance launches on TikTok and in retail search trends.
Sabrina Carpenter and Bella Hadid aside, there have been few notable celebrity fragrance launches in the past 12–24 months that prioritize ingredient integrity. Most male celebrity entries have been endorsements, not self-launched lines. Usher recently fronted Ralph Lauren’s Ralph’s Club New York scent, and Yankees captain Aaron Judge starred in a campaign for Polo 67. Both are promotional partnerships rather than personally formulated lines.
Swedish musician and actor Omar Rudberg launched a unisex fragrance label, OMR Beauty, featuring oil-based scents like Brunch and Nightcap in late 2023. The line is expressive and minimal, but does not publish full ingredients or claim phthalate-free status.
Legacy lines like Britney Spears’ Fantasy, Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds, Jennifer Lopez’s Glow, and Ed Hardy’s tattoo-inspired scents remain in circulation. They continue to sell thanks to nostalgia and affordability, but do not meet clean criteria and have not been reformulated for safety.
Phthalate-free celebrity fragrances: the verified shortlist
The following celebrity fragrance lines are confirmed phthalate-free or meet equivalent clean formulation standards based on publicly available safety data, ingredient transparency, or third-party certification:
- Henry Rose by Michelle Pfeiffer – Full ingredient transparency, EWG Verified, Cradle to Cradle certified, phthalate-free.
- Ôrəbella by Bella Hadid – Alcohol-free, phthalate-free, bans over 1,300 ingredients, dermatologist-tested.
The following brands claim cruelty-free, vegan, or eco-conscious positioning but do not confirm phthalate-free status:
- Rare Beauty Eau de Parfum by Selena Gomez – No ingredient list or phthalate-free claims.
- Your Turn by Billie Eilish – Vegan and cruelty-free, no full transparency or phthalate disclosure.
- God Is a Woman by Ariana Grande – Vegan and eco-packaged, but does not disclose ingredients or verify phthalate status.
- Fenty Eau de Parfum by Rihanna – No disclosed ingredient list or clean safety certifications.
- Sweet Tooth line by Sabrina Carpenter – Affordable and popular, but no published ingredients or clean label claims.
- Legacy celebrity perfumes (Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Taylor, Ed Hardy) – No ingredient transparency, no clean certification, not phthalate-free.
To date, only Henry Rose offers full transparency, EWG and Cradle to Cradle certification, and phthalate-free assurance. Ôrəbella is the most promising newcomer, with ingredient exclusion lists and skin-friendly formulation. Rare Beauty and Eilish Fragrances offer emotional branding and thoughtful design, but fall short on full safety disclosure. Ariana Grande, Rihanna, Sabrina Carpenter, and the rest of the mainstream names still dominate in reach but continue to lag in transparency.
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