The scent we choose to wear telecasts something to the world about the way we would like to be perceived. Perhaps the prejudice persists that cruelty-free, natural and organic fragrances are inferior to their mainstream counterparts, but that simply isn’t the case anymore. Animal testing is unnecessary and the clean fragrance market—and choice—continues to grow, so settling on a scent can prove daunting. Before you start your search, we have a list of brands to guide you in selecting a clean, vegan and cruelty-free fragrance. These are brands we have worn and the ones we will be purchasing next.
Elevate your senses.
Aesop
Dennis Paphitis is the founder of Aesop. An ex-hairdresser, Paphitis, first began adding essential oils to commercial hair colours to tone down the smell of ammonia. His clients responded well to these less aggressive aromas, which led Paphitis to work with a chemist to produce a small range of hair care products. The year was 1987. This extended to hand and body products and, finally, skincare. The first fragrance, Marrakech Eau de Toilette—sample 64.1, launched in 2005, followed by Byzantium-inspired Mystra the following year. It was not until 2012 that Paphitis was introduced to master perfumer Barnabé Fillion (also behind Le Labo's Geranium 30). Marrakech Intense was their first collaboration, re-releasing Aesop's first perfume in 2012, and it's almost all woods and smoke. Fillion has since created Hwyl, Rōzu and then a trio of fragrances, collectively titled Othertopias—Miraceti, Karst and Erémia, made available last year. Tacit, created by Céline Barel, was launched in 2015. All Aesop products are vegan, and they do not test formulations or ingredients on animals. Aesop is Leaping Bunny approved and a Certified B Corporation.
Abel Odor
Founder, Francis Shoemack came to the world of perfumery from winemaking. Without preconceived notions about how the creative process 'should' look and then recognising, you cannot make great wine from poor quality grapes. Intuitively, Shoemack suspected that the same should be said for perfume, especially when you are working with naturals. Abel Odor pours their energies into sourcing each "hero" ingredient for each fragrance. With minimal intervention, scents are balanced, modern and long-lasting. What I love is that you can trial scents as tester kits. Favourites so far—Pink Iris and Green Cedar.
Curionoir
Tiffany Jeans of Curionoir creates story-soaked perfumes and candles, her storefront, located on Ponsonby Road, Auckland is how you’d imagine such a place — with heavy velvet drapes, maple wood and brass lined walls. And dark. For the full experience, I recommend stopping in, whenever that is possible next. The 4mI I like to leave around and apply sporadically throughout the day, I have a few and rotate as part of my daily maintenance schedule. The other day a client asked which Curionoir fragrance I was wearing, and what I have come to realise is that it really smells so different on everyone. It mixes with your natural oils and turns into something else. That's your own smell.
D.S. & Durga
Brooklyn perfume pioneers David (D.S.) and Kavi Moltz (Durga) have forged a cult following for their uniquely refined, fantastical fragrances that D.S. refers to as armchair travel. Born out of Brooklyn and created in small batches in Brooklyn—all D.S. & Durga formulas are 100 per cent vegan. The boxes, engineered to be foam-free, are made from recyclable paper, and their shipping materials are biodegradable. I have purchased candles from Mecca and can confirm the auto scents are one of the best things $20 can buy. Yet to commit to a full-size fragrance but fragrance wise I’m very pro patchouli, so leaning towards Amber Kiso.
Grandiflora
Owned by Saskia Havekes, Grandiflora began as a florist in Sydney's Potts Point and remains. Queen of the Night was launched in 2016 under a rare pink moon in the historic Roudnitska family garden, in Cabris, France. That's the vibe—a darker nuanced aroma. Created by Grandiflora and Bertrand Duchaufour, Queen of the Night or Selenicereus Grandiflorus takes inspiration from the rare cactus that blooms for one night a year and dies in the dawn. At first, a vibrant floral that settles into a humid evening of must and wood. And I usually like a bit of musk and patchouli in whatever I'm wearing. I fell hard for Grandiflora's Queen of the Night wearing it almost exclusively for months. Grandiflora confirmed via an Instagram D.M. that the brand is 100 per cent vegan.
Le Labo
Founded in 2006 by Fabrice Penot and Eddie Roschi, they opened their first store in New York—a fragrance lab open to the public. The numbers in the titles refer to the number of ingredients, drawing attention to what’s in the bottle. The perfume, the scents, it’s your whole identity, and learning about all the ingredients for a formula is sort of like speed dating. And Santal 33, people will literally stop you on the street to ask what you’re wearing. I like the way it made me feel complicated and expensive. Le Labo scents are vegan, PETA accredited and cruelty-free, and have always been so since first created in 2006, due to the founders’ own values.
MALIN + GOETZ
Malin + Goetz does not subscribe to the idea of being a natural brand, and like Aesop, their products involve natural ingredients, chemistry and biochemistry. I purchased Cannabis for my boyfriend. It does not smell like cannabis. It is bold, intoxicating with a lingering smokiness and our bedroom smells of it because I spray it everywhere. That’s actually something I’ve learned about myself—I don’t like notes that are super floral. I like leather and sandalwood. So I am also a huge fan of Malin+Goetz Leather Perfume Oil and wear it almost every day. Malin + Goetz are certified cruelty-free. Founders, Matthew and Andrew are avid advocates for the humane treatment of all animals.
OLO Fragrance
Founded in 2009 by self-taught perfumer Heather Sielaff, each fragrance continues to be hand-blended and bottled in-house at the OLO Fragrance studio located at 234 NE 28th St, Portland, Oregon. The scents are oil-based. I find the monthly task of seeking out beautiful, functional things useful, as I will refer to previous versions of our Substack when I run out of a product and want to buy/support another brand. Note to self, inspired by the ritual of lighting incense—Maisoru, which is a collaboration between OLO and Monocle, is on my wish list.
Stora Skuggan
Part perfume, part object, Stora Skuggan fragrances were made in collaboration with perfumers Olle Hemmendorff, Tomas Hempel and Anna Barkne. They are all equally intriguing. Mistpouffer will be my next fragrance purchase. A Mistpouffer is an unexplained natural sound recorded all over the world throughout history and is the source of many legends. Distinctive and inexplainable, Mistpouffer is a mystical water thunder, the scent as elusive as the sound itself, “Foggy but not aquatic, smoky but not heavy. Natural, but in equal parts supernatural."
Vilhelm Parfumerie
Based in New York. Founded in 2015 by Jan Vilhelm Ahlgren, a former model-turned-handbag designer, Ahlgren enlisted perfumer Jerome Epinette, who helped Byredo gain cult status to help him develop his own. Each Vilhelm Parfumerie scent has a founding story—an ode to the past, expressed in contemporary olfactory language and artistic approach. The line is named after Jan’s grandfather, and Morning Chess is a tribute to the family patriarch. But the real kicker is Dear Polly, formulated as tribute to Jan's wife. For several months I wore Mango Skin, it’s heavy on exactly what you think it's heavy on—jasmine. It's powerful and refreshingly singular, with a little depth added in thanks to black pepper, wild orris, black lotus, and some patchouli or levity. But only proceed with it if you like mango. As confirmed via email and noted by Mecca, Vilhelm Parfumerie fragrances are vegan and cruelty-free.
