Natural versus Synthetic Fragrance

Natural versus Synthetic Fragrance

Natural versus synthetic fragrance is pretty simple.  Natural elements are produced by the earth.  Plants, bark, roots, and grass are not man-made.  Synthetic is man-made.  A reproduction of what is natural.

Natural fragrance is an aroma created using only plant-based elements. Synthetic fragrance is an aroma that is man-made to simulate a natural aroma.

The natural versus synthetic concepts are simple enough to understand, but when it comes to packaging labels, it gets convoluted.  We are going to help unravel the difference between natural and synthetic fragrances on product labeling in this blog.

Fragrance

The word “fragrance” seems to have morphed into a “dirty” term in the last few years, and maybe for good reason. It’s become really confusing to understand what the meaning of fragrance is when shopping for products that add fragrance as an ingredient.

Because I use it on my packaging, I wanted to clarify what the term “fragrance” means on my packaging.

What is a fragrance?

Per the International Fragrance Association, the definition of what a fragrance is is explained as a chemical mixture that has a smell or odor encompassing cultural, historical, social, economic, and emotional value.

Simple, right?

I’m not getting into the fun part of the definition, which is the cultural and emotional value of fragrance, but the chemical mix part of the definition.  Read our post on ‘Summertime family memories inspired candle aromas‘ for a glimpse into the importance of the emotional value of fragrance.

The Chemistry of the Fragrance

So why has the term “fragrance” changed into a term that represents confusion and misgivings today?

It’s the chemical of the fragrance part.  Ahhh, chemistry .. who likes chemistry anyway, and who understands it? Apparently, not many of us understand chemistry, and very few understand the chemistry of fragrance, which is why companies have been able to take advantage of us (consumers) for decades.

Companies began to realize the importance of scents in relation to increasing product sales.  Once companies understood a customer would purchase based on an appealing scent, the fragrance industry changed. If their product smelled good, customers would buy it or more of it. Some products naturally have a bad odor during manufacturing (oven cleaners/wood polish/paint, etc) so to mask the bad odors, companies began to add fragrances.

To keep costs low, companies used cheaply manufactured synthetics that are made using harmful petrochemicals. As we have learned, these petrochemicals have been linked to all kinds of diseases, cancers, chronic headaches, etc.

Over the last few years, consumers began to pay more attention to labels and ingredients. And because thousands of companies used hazardously created fragrances, the term was associated with a negative ingredient. So when a label shows the word “fragrance,” the consumer automatically assumes it is a harmful ingredient.

Again, for good reason.  Most of the big commercial business consumable products use cheaply made petrochemical-based fragrances such as phthalates.  Consumer confusion regarding fragrance on product packaging is enhanced due to company greenwashing.

Greenwashing

Greenwashing is the process of conveying a false impression or misleading information about how a company’s products are environmentally sound.

It doesn’t help that companies are not required to include how they produced the fragrance.  An example of greenwashing is companies claiming to make products with essential oils. A company can use .001% of essential oils while also using harmful chemicals that poison our bodies and get away with marketing it as natural. And some companies outright lie about adding essential oils. Note the ingredients fail to include which essential oil is used.

Manufacturers can get away with greenwashing and false terms because we have lenient customer protection laws in this country. Fragrance took on an identity created by the lack of understanding of the chemistry of a fragrance.

What is the definition of a natural fragrance?

What is the definition of a natural fragrance? According to IFRA: the definition of a natural fragrance is a complex compound derived from natural aromatics that are extracted from the plant without altering the chemical structure.