5 things to expect when making the move to natural fragrance
We’ve had the unique opportunity of watching thousands of you take your very first inhale of your favourite scent notes in their all-natural botanical form, and we’ve made more than a few observations along the way. Here are our top five things to expect on your journey from synthetic fragrance to natural.
You may need time to readjust to natural
Since birth, we’ve been trained to accept artificial scent as the real thing. A simple case of ‘not knowing any different’. So on experiencing a natural scent note, your first inhale might scream things like ‘potency’ or ‘contrast’! As in, ‘this is stronger and not what I expected!’. Our advice, if you’re drawn to a specific scent note, stick with it and allow your senses time to adapt. It can often take the body time to acclimatise. Also, an all-natural fragrance will evolve throughout the day as your body’s heat activates the different oils and fragrance notes. A beautiful dance between your body and nature.
Artificial fragrances will hit different
As your body readjusts to natural fragrance, it will also begin forming a new relationship with artificial fragrance. In short, fake will start to smell, well – fake. And you’ll know it. This is an exciting part of the journey. Fine-tuning our senses to recognise natural versus fake is certainly a win in our books.
Don’t expect like-for-like
We all have a favourite go-to fragrance. But most commercial fragrances are created using chemically-derived ingredients, which means you’d be hard-pressed to find a like-for-like match for your favourite perfume or cologne using only natural botanicals. But if you’re open to gaining a new appreciation for the same scent notes or exploring new ones, navigating an all-natural path is a rewarding ride.
Longevity
Some essential oils last longer than others. In general, heavier, woodier, grounding-like fragrances often last longer. Still, there’s no getting around the fact that natural fragrances will not last as long as artificial ones on the skin. But don’t let this put you off. The beauty of natural perfume or cologne is in the reapplication of your scent reminding you to be present more times a day. They also come without phthalates, petrochemicals, or parabens. So while the longevity of natural fragrance might be lesser on the skin, its wellbeing benefits are certainly higher. And, guess what, you can layer with a solid perfume to get the longevity you need.
Mood and motivation
With ingredients derived from Mother Nature in the form of flowers, leaves, resin and bark, natural fragrance is a living, breathing entity fuelled with aromatherapeutic wellbeing benefits. The scent notes interact with us through our limbic system, positively benefiting mood and motivation. Whether it’s a moment of calm, a boost of energy or a source of inspiration you’re after, you can select natural scent notes to help you get there. Like all good traits; honesty, vulnerability and wearing your heart on your sleeve – experiencing a scent note in its most natural form is the basis from which only good things can grow.
When we asked our Auckland-based fragrance host, Astrid, for her thoughts on the journey toward natural fragrance, she summed things up as poetically and perfectly as she always does, “wearing natural fragrance is like walking in quality shoes – it’s hard to go back once you realise what you were missing”.
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