Fragrance is more than just a pleasant scent—it can evoke memories and emotions, making it a powerful tool for self-expression. Whether it’s perfumes, colognes or essential oils, the ingredients used in frgrance can also make a difference to your health.
Glance at the label of any scented personal care or cleaning product, and chances are you’ll see a list of chemicals called “fragrance.” In fact, manufacturers don’t even have to disclose what’s in fragrance, which can contain more than 3,500 different chemicals that can trigger allergies, skin sensitivities and other health issues.
Almost all perfumes and colognes combine synthetic scent molecules with traditional essential oil extracts from flowers, roots, fruits, trees and mosses. But the recent shift toward natural ingredients in everything from packaged foods to household cleaners is now shaking up the industry. It’s a boon for smaller, boutique fragrance houses, who can decide to use all-natural or synthetic formulas depending on their audiences’ preferences. And for the major suppliers of fragrance chemicals—firms such as Givaudan, Firmenich and International Flavors & Fragrances—the shift is a big sales opportunity.
Fragrance is made of a combination of top, middle and base notes. Top notes are the first to appear, disappearing after 5-30 minutes and are usually citrus (lemon, orange) or light fruity scents (berries or herbs). Middle notes—also known as heart notes—are what gives a perfume its body and character, typically appearing just prior to the departure of the top notes. Finally, base notes provide longevity and a lasting impression of the scent. These are typically musks, sandalwood or jasmine.