Smelling Natural Never Smelled So Good

I used to bathe myself in body sprays. I loved the long lasting scents and the cheap price tag. But then I started to read about all the horrific (and often secretive) ingredients that go into them. Fragrances are notorious for vague labeling, because it is seen as their "trade secret" and reading the ingredient label is never good enough when trying to find out what's in them. You'll never know whether dangerous preservatives are lurking behind the words "fragrance", "perfume", or "parfum". And this theory applies to anything using these words, such as lotions, shampoos, conditioners, and even fabric softener.

I was at a lecture once held by a man who distills his own essential oils and hydrosols. He mentioned someone he knew who worked at a perfumery and the job was smelling chemical after chemical and mixing them together to make new scents that would one day be sold to the public. This person ended up with nasal cancer.

When I shop for perfumes now, the ingredients are still vague and secretive. Despite this, I trust Pacifica Beauty. They say no to Parabens and artificial colors, and yes to real essential oils and natural denatured alcohol. I know it's usually not enough to take someone's word for it, but stick your nose into any one of their delicious scents, and you can smell the difference. No bitter, repulsive, acidic undertones like other perfumes, but a scent so natural, clean, and fresh you'll get lost in it all day. My favorite by far is their Tuscan Blood Orange. I forever thought of myself as a vanilla girl but the day I came across this scent, I was hooked. I kept smelling my wrist all day that I went back to the store and bought a bottle of it.

When it comes to natural perfumes, they're not going to have that long lasting effect like common perfumes. It's mainly the chemicals, like Phthalates, that prolong the scent of those products anyway. Luckily, Pacifica makes it easy to freshen up throughout the day, offering different forms of your scent to take with you wherever you go. I keep their roll-on stick in my purse at all times, but they also offer lotions and solid versions of their scents as well.

Another thing that pops into my mind when it comes to perfume is the price. I've walked the aisles of department stores and beauty supply stores to know that the common price range is $40-$80 for 1oz of brand name chemicals in a pretty bottle. I find that so ridiculous when you could just swing by your local farmer's market and pick up Pacifica Beauty's 1oz spray for around $20. If this is still too pricey for you, there are always essential oils. If you do decide to go this route, it's important to dilute them since they're so concentrated that they can easily irritate the skin. The upside is that you can mix your own scent.

Even with the endless combinations you can personally create with essential oils, why bother when Pacifica Beauty got it just right?

Published 9/03/2014 by Victoria