all-natural fragrance?

[mr.loverman]

i have fragrances by bvlgari, dolce & gabbana, chanel, and jean-paul gartier. all them are kinda irritate my sinuses after prolonged wear.

i'd like to find a cologne that is all-natural. free from synthetic chemicals and fragrances. could anyone reccommend a good brand?

thanks

 

[Sartorian]

1. Have you tried after-shave instead of cologne? The main difference is after-shave has far less alcohol, and it's the alcohol that makes the stuff volatile and sinus-irritating. I believe, however, that the more you use it, the more de-sensitized your nose will get. Personally, I don't really wear it much because I find it so irritating to my nose. Even when I do use it, I only spray once, in the middle of my chest, and that's all I can handle.

2. There is a trend towards mixing essential oils to make one's own scent. There are recipes all over the internet, though I think it can be time-consuming. Alcohol is an emulsifier in perfumes/colognes, and without it, you kind of have to make stuff in small batches, otherwise, it just glops up. You could also just buy some oils and wipe some drops on you. Essential oils are very strong.

3. I'm also curious about this. If you find out something good, PM me.

 

[mr.loverman]

its not so much the alcohol as it is the artificial fragrances and other chemicals that i'm worried about.

 

[rach2jlc]

You might want to check out some of our fragrance threads around here, but probably you will simply need to upgrade to better "niche" fragrances from houses that use natural ingredients. These days, even very $$$ fragrance houses like say everything they put in their goods are "all natural," even though in many cases they may not be.

In any case, I'd say fragrances from houses like Creed, The Different Company (founded by Jean-Claude Ellena, the current nose of Hermes), Editions de Parfum Frederic Malle, Montale, Annick Goutal, or Bond no. 9 will be more natural than mainstream designer brands, but even there you never exactly know what all they are using.

Of course, you are going to be paying 3-4 times what you've paid for D&G or Gaultier, from $100 for Goutal up to $200+ for some of the top-end Montale Ouds or Creeds.

If you don't want to spend that much (or can't find them on sale), you might try natural body oils instead of perfumes/colognes.