A woman’s perfume tells more about her than her handwriting.
-Christian Dior

 

What does yours say about you?

 

*Note: this post prompted by my road testing of natural perfumes sent to me for review purposes.*

 

Because fragrances are considered a trade secret, companies aren’t required to let consumers know what ingredients they contain— and that can mean dozens or more unregulated, synthetic chemical compounds.

 

Why should we care?

Because fragrance “safety” testing doesn’t account for respiratory, neurological, or systemic effects.

Because much of what is absorbed through your skin can directly enter your bloodstream or be stored in your body fat and interact with every other chemical we come into contact with, and we don’t fully understand how this toxic soup can affect us.

Because low-dose exposure to chemicals can contribute to your “body burden” and have long-term health effects.

Because conventional perfumes can contain diethyl phthalates- an environmental toxin and suspected hormone disrupter- and synthetic musk, another potential hormone disrupter which has known neurotoxic properties.

Because newborns have been found to carry synthetic musks in their umbilical cord blood.

Because America has the number one cancer rate in the world.

Because workers in the perfume industry are among those at highest risk for occupational asthma.

The best we can do is to avoid adding to our chemical body burden when we can, and in particular with products we regularly use and apply to our skin.

That said… I really like perfume. I am totally ok with non-scented soaps and lotions and foregoing the makeup or deodorant (much to the chagrin of my family), but perfume is one of those little luxuries that make you feel like a lady and a grown-up.

 

A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.
― Coco Chanel

 

 

My internet friend Tania Reuben aka the Pure Natural Diva has, amazingly, developed her own line of all natural perfumes, offering women a non-toxic way to make a statement and smell pretty. Since she is all-around awesome she sent me samples of her signature scents to try.

Pure Natural Diva Botanicals are based 100% on pure botanical ingredients, free of all synthetic ingredients and phthalates. These natural perfumes are currently available in four scents:

• Pure: lemongrass and lavender, with notes of cassie, chamomile, lemon, lime and an Egyptian neroli.
• Natural: rose and citrus grove; a hint of clary sage, pink grapefruit, Moroccan rose, and ylang ylang.
• Diva: natural musk derived from Ambrette, New Caledonian Sandalwood, blended with a robust vanilla.
• Elixir: vanilla, a hint of oakmoss, osmanthus, with pink grapefruit and red mandarin.

I thought I would like the Pure or Natural best, based on the descriptions, but I favor the Diva and particularly the Elixir. I’ve complained before about how sensitive I am about scents, and found these to be yummy and understated when applied to the skin. (Not so much when you stick your nose in the bottle, a duh moment if I’ve ever had one.)

 

 

The line is brand new and Tania is running a really cool deal right now for Mother’s Day. Since perfume is an intensely personal decision, you can order a gift sample set much like the one I was sent to review— only yours will be gift-wrapped and paired with a gift certificate for a full size (50ml) bottle of their favorite Pure Natural Diva Botanical Perfume.

That’s a great idea, yeah? I thought it brilliant.

Or, you could opt for just the sample set if you’re the tentative sort or into the idea of playing perfumery mad-scientist.

 

In any case, this is a wonderful opportunity to vote with your dollar for non-toxic products and small biz, surprise the mom in your life with a practical yet luxurious gift, and support Tania’s dedication to all-natural beauty.

This is Tania. Ain’t she pretty? >>>>

Ever experienced a reaction to a too-strong fragrance?

What notes would you combine in your ideal all-natural signature scent?

 

 

 

Full-On Disclosure: I’ve been aware of Tania’s excruciating attention to detail developing these fragrances, designing the logo, choosing the bottles and more over the past year+, and I just want to point out what an incredible achievement this launch is.

I did receive a free sample set to test, and if you do click through and buy any of her products through the links above I receive a small affiliate kickback. However, my support and opinions here are genuinely my own.