Luxurious, sweet & cruelty-free options for your wish list
For a number of years now I've been searching for my dream cruelty-free perfume. Unfortunately, many popular brands aren't cruelty-free as they sell in mainland China where animal testing still takes place. In my teens and early twenties, I wore non cruelty-free perfumes including Armani Diamonds, Marc Jacobs Dot, Diesel Fuel for Life and Dior's Miss Dior. As much as I loved these scents, I felt unease that I was contributing to the success of animal tested products. I understand completely that when buying these products, there is the tendency to block the realities of how they are tested from your mind. Perfume is one of many products that we buy to feel more glamorous and attractive and to boost our confidence. It can be tempting to choose these mood and confidence boosting feelings over the sad reality.
However, more and more cruelty-free perfume options are becoming available. These options allow you the excitement of choosing a new perfume, a variety of choice, the pretty packaging and the confidence boost, without any unease or guilt. Also, unlike viewing shelves in a physical department store, with the internet we have the ability to research and check how a product is created and tested. This knowledge and understanding is something to take advantage of.
Below, I've shared a variety of appealing cruelty-free perfumes. It's worth noting that all perfumes will respond differently depending on the wearer's skin. Therefore, you may have a very positive experience with a perfume that another person has described as not appealing /long lasting. With perfumes it's valuable to be open minded and to try a perfume on your own skin.
1. Glossier- You
You by Glossier is designed to be a skin-smell enhancer, and it is therefore a subtle and individual scent. It is made up mostly of base notes in order to be long lasting and to shape to your natural scent. It includes the base notes of ambrette, ambrox and musk and higher notes of earthy green iris and spicy pink pepper. Due to it's subtlety and freshness it makes for an ideal day scent. Another element of this perfume that really impresses me is the variety of application options. As well as in spray form, you can purchase it in rollerball and solid form. The solid form can even be bought as a refill in order to save on packaging and limit environmental impact. A non spray version is a kinder option for those who suffer from health issues such as breathing difficulties and headaches.
2. Stella McCartney- Pop
Stella McCartney as a brand is famous for it's experimental, open-minded design, high quality and ethical considerations. Pop is one of a number of perfumes released by Stella McCartney and all of them are unsurprisingly cruelty-free. Pop is a multifaceted scent with fruit and flower top notes and base notes of musk, sandalwood and cedar.
3. Penhaligons- The Coveted Duchess Rose
Penhaligons, a British perfume company, was founded in London in 1870. Their perfume's are pricey, but they are the result of many decades of experience and high quality. They offer a wide range of scents, including unisex, to suit different tastes and occasions. The Coveted Duchess Rose is a classic floral scent, and the musky wood element makes it suitable for evening wear. Penhaligons provide a simple scent profiling questionnaire (click the image link below) to determine which scents are suited to your taste and personality type. They also offer a range of discovery scents and scent libraries for if you want a collection of smaller samples.
4. Bon Parfumeur- 101
French company Bon Parfumeur produce a vast, varied selection of cruelty-free scents ranging from simple favourites like vanilla to more unusual, multi-layered creations. They also use their perfume scents in the production other body and home products such as candles, hand creams and soap bars. They really do have a scent for everyone and a number of their perfumes are unisex.
Let me know in the comments if you have a cruelty-free signature scent, if you opt for cruelty free products and why/why not, and which of the suggested perfumes you'd be interested to try. I'm hoping that with time all companies will be completely cruelty-free. Thank you for viewing, Gina.
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