It's a pretty new concept - perfume that not only does no harm, but actually benefits your health.
Is it even possible?
And, if it is, what exactly does it take to call a perfume a wellness fragrance?
WHAT IS NATURAL FRAGRANCE?
Let's start by clarifying the term "natural fragrance".
A natural fragrance is simply one that uses ingredients entirely from nature, with no synthetics whatsoever. A perfume could include natural ingredients as well as synthetics, but then it should not be classified as a natural perfume.
GOING ONE STEP FURTHER: WELLNESS FRAGRANCE
Wellness fragrance describes a perfume that is not only entirely natural and does no harm to the body or the environment, but also provides benefits to your health.
A wellness fragrance contains ingredients that have a functional purpose - those chosen for their specific positive benefit on your body.
In creating a wellness fragrance, the perfumer would consider both how the chosen ingredients would work together to create a beautiful, harmonious scent, as well as what sort of impact those ingredients might have on mood, heart rate, sleep, hormone balance, stress response and more.
WHAT A WELLNESS FRAGRANCE SHOULD BE
A wellness fragrance should be:
- 100% natural, and free from any synthetic or "nature identical" ingredients
- Made entirely from plant sources
- Fully transparent - listing all ingredients that go into the formula
- Deliberately formulated with wellness benefits in mind
- Fully informed, understanding the impact of the selected ingredients and how they interact with the human body
ONE SEED & WELLNESS FRAGRANCE
Since our launch in 2009, we have always created fragrances that are 100% natural and botanical with nothing synthetic ever. Our perfumer, Liz Cook, created ONE SEED from a background in functional nutrition and aromatherapy research, understanding the way plants and their concentrated extracts interact with our biochemistry to create positive change.
"The function of a fragrance is always front of mind for me. This first thing I do when I start to consider an emerging scent idea is to give it a name - like Seeker - and then think about what that means in terms of human emotion and experience. Then I select ingredients that will enhance that experience, creating a fragrance that connects to emotions, and works with neurotransmitters and hormones to enhance that particular experience."
- Liz Cook, ONE SEED founder & perfumer
Liz gives the example of vanilla (a main component of Seeker - it could be chosen in this case simply for it's representation of youthfulness (which was also an objective), but it's impact on our state of being is also clear: research on vanilla has demonstrated its ability to relieve symptoms of depression and elevate mood. So when you choose Seeker (for example), you are choosing a fragrance that smells like a beautiful tropical vacation, but it also helps connect you to the experience of being free and light and happy, even if that state of mind is a current challenge.
THE TAKEAWAY
If you've already made the switch to natural and your body is thanking you for it, you would already understand the benefits to your body and mind. If that's you, try elevating your scent experience to the next level by selecting a new scent based on it's wellness benefits as well as its aroma.
If you haven't made the switch, you're probably thinking it's time you gave it a go. There is so much to be gained when moving from synthetic to natural - some of the health benefits you won't even know until you try. Who knows - you might find that your persistent headache, occasional anxiety and hormone fluctuations settle down. And, if nothing else, you will definitely find yourself with a little more spring in your step ☺︎
