Spotting Synthetic Scents: What To Look For

Synthetic fragrances are composed of man-made molecules that are designed to mimic more unusual natural odours, such as fresh air, or the scent of plants that can't be extracted, like orchids and lilacs. Natural fragrances, on the other hand, are limited to botanicals, such as flowers, fruits, seeds, roots and woods. If you're unsure whether a fragrance contains synthetic ingredients, take a whiff – does it smell natural? If it smells more like an air freshener, potpourri or industrial product than something found in nature, it's likely to be synthetic. You can also contact the company directly to ask about their ingredients. However, bear in mind that nearly all contemporary fragrances contain synthetic chemicals, and that natural ingredients are unpredictable in terms of smell, availability and cost.

Smell: does it smell natural? Synthetic fragrances are often designed to mimic unusual natural odours

Smell is often the first indicator of whether a fragrance is synthetic or not. Natural fragrances are limited to botanicals, such as flowers, fruits, seeds, roots and woods. Synthetic fragrances, on the other hand, are composed of man-made molecules that are often designed to mimic more unusual natural odours (e.g. fresh air) and the scent of plants that can’t be extracted (e.g. orchids and lilacs). Synthetic fragrances may also smell more like air fresheners, potpourri or industrial products than something found in nature.

Some contemporary high-end synthetics are intentional, like the cetalox, mineral or “molecule” scents. Some people like them, but if you do, they are an acquired taste.

It's also worth noting that nearly all contemporary fragrances have synthetics and chemicals. However, some do have a small percentage of natural oils.

If you're unsure, you can always get in touch with the company via email or social media. Tell them you’re actively avoiding using products that contain any synthetics and would like to know if their fragrance fits the bill.

Ingredients: synthetic fragrances are composed of man-made molecules

Synthetic fragrances are composed of man-made molecules that are designed to mimic more unusual natural odours, such as fresh air, or the scent of plants that can't be extracted, like orchids and lilacs.

Natural fragrances are limited to botanicals, such as flowers, fruits, seeds, roots and woods. Synthetic fragrances, on the other hand, are made up of chemicals, such as ethyl vanillin, Iso E Super, ambroxan, hedione, limionene, cinnamates, and cetalox.

If you're unsure whether a fragrance contains synthetic ingredients, take a whiff. Does it smell natural? If it smells more like an air freshener, potpourri or industrial product than something found in nature, it's likely to be synthetic.

You can also contact the company directly and ask them about the ingredients in their products. They may not be able to give away their exact formulations, but they should be happy to let you know if something has been left off the label. If you don't receive a response, that could be an indicator that the product contains synthetic ingredients.

Company contact: if in doubt, get in touch with the company to ask about the ingredients

If you're unsure whether a product contains synthetic fragrances, the best thing to do is to get in touch with the company. Send them an email or a message on social media. Explain that you're actively avoiding products that contain synthetics and ask if their product does.

While companies won't be able to give away their exact formulations, they should be happy to answer your query and let you know if something has been left off the label. If you don't get a response, that could be a strong indicator that the product contains synthetics.

You can also use your nose. Does the product smell natural? Natural fragrances are limited to botanicals, such as flowers, fruits, seeds, roots and woods. Synthetic fragrances, on the other hand, are composed of man-made molecules that are often designed to mimic more unusual natural odours (e.g. fresh air) and the scent of plants that can't be extracted (e.g. orchids and lilacs). Synthetic fragrances may smell more like air fresheners, potpourri or industrial products than something found in nature.

Natural alternatives: look for brands that people call natural

Natural alternatives do exist, but they can be difficult to find. Natural fragrances are limited to botanicals, such as flowers, fruits, seeds, roots and woods. Synthetic fragrances, on the other hand, are composed of man-made molecules that are often designed to mimic more unusual natural odours (such as fresh air) and the scent of plants that can’t be extracted (like orchids and lilacs).

If you're unsure about a product, get in touch with the company via email or social media. Tell them you’re actively avoiding using products that contain any synthetics and would like to know if their fragrance fits the bill. While they won’t be able to give away their exact formulations, they should be happy to answer your query and let you know if something has been left off the label. No response? That’s a strong indicator that the bottle may be housing some not-so-nice ingredients.

If you're looking for natural fragrances, try brands that people call natural. Aesop is a brand that smells “herbal” to most people. Try Hwyl or Karst.

Subjectivity: whether a fragrance smells synthetic is subjective

Whether a fragrance smells synthetic is subjective. Some people may associate a synthetic fragrance with a pungent, sharp or artificial smell, but this is not always the case. Synthetic fragrances are composed of man-made molecules that are often designed to mimic more unusual natural odours, such as fresh air, or the scent of plants that can't be extracted, like orchids and lilacs.

Natural fragrances are limited to botanicals, such as flowers, fruits, seeds, roots and woods. However, natural ingredients are unpredictable in terms of smell, availability and cost, so most modern fragrances contain synthetic chemicals.

If you are unsure whether a fragrance contains synthetic ingredients, you can contact the company directly and ask about their formulations. They may not be able to give away their exact recipes, but they should be able to tell you if something has been left off the label. If they don't respond, this could be an indicator that the product contains synthetic ingredients.

Ultimately, the only way to know if you like a fragrance is to try it. Some people dislike synthetic scents, while others don't mind them, and artificial isn't necessarily a bad thing.

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