What distinguishes natural perfumery from synthetic perfume?
The fragrance composition (the concentrate, in our jargon) of a conventional perfume represents around 15% of the final fragrance for eau de parfum. This concentrate is made up of 80% synthetic products, that is to say, petroleum derivatives!
In a natural eau de parfum , the concentrate consists of a minimum of 80 to 100% natural notes.
There are no endocrine disruptors like chemical filters, dyes, or phthalates. And the alcohol is certified organic.
It's interesting to note that the organic standard allows denaturants such as diethyl phthalate or Bitrex. For our part, we have banned synthetic denaturants.
It's a bit like market cuisine lovingly prepared with fresh, living produce versus an industrially produced cheeseburger…
One will bring you vital energy and lead you towards health, the other will clog you up…
Everyone has the right to their own opinion and desires, and if you opt for a conventional perfume, I therefore advise you not to apply it to your skin.
The creation of a natural and organic perfume
It should be noted that the perfumer who creates natural perfumes only has 400 notes at his disposal, whereas the palette of the conventional perfumer is much larger: around 4000 references.
But constraints are a source of creativity!
We also cannot use animal-derived ingredients, as our perfumes are certified vegan, nor can we use synthetic musks. Therefore, we must create our compositions differently, using combinations of essential oils.
The difficulties of 100% natural formulation
While the palette is limited, there is indeed another challenge: the longevity of the fragrances. Therefore, we will use hibiscus derivatives for sillage or wood essences such as cedar, sandalwood, and oud… which will help us replace synthetic musks and ensure the composition has a strong sillage and good longevity.
Finally, the last difficulty is the price of the concentrate used in the composition of natural perfumes. It's important to know that a natural concentrate is 10 to 15 times more expensive than a synthetic one.
Indeed, this stems from the price of the raw materials themselves. For example, organic bergamot essential oil costs €350/kg, while rose absolute ranges from €3,000 to €5,000/kg. Organic sandalwood is priced around €3,000/kg, and jasmine absolute is €5,000/kg. Vanilla extract, which we also use in oriental perfumes, costs around €1,000/kg.
Furthermore, as our perfumes are vegan, we do not use ambergris or beeswax.
What is the difference between a natural perfume and a certified perfume?
Natural perfume contains a minimum of 95% naturally derived ingredients, which is already very good.
To go further and be certified, you need to be 100% made with ingredients of natural origin.
Certified means that the brand is controlled by an independent body; this is an additional guarantee of safety and traceability.
There are two possible specifications for the perfume:
Cosmebio Cosmos Natural specifications: Essential oils and absolutes are permitted
Cosmebio Cosmos Bio specifications: only essential oils are allowed and must be organic, and absolutes are prohibited.
For us, it is still difficult to do without lovely notes such as benzoin resinoid or jasmine or tonka bean absolute, which is why we chose Cosmos Natural certification.
Taking care of the planet and our bodily ecosystem
I create organic and natural perfumes that smell good and make us feel good.
I assemble plants to convey my message: that of unconditional love for the Earth, water, and plants towards us.
My mission is to transmit their energy, their vibration, into a perfume.
To convey the beauty of a place, the message and the particular benefit of a flower to guide or heal us.
What is Aromaparfumerie®?
What is important to me is to create perfumes that make us feel good: aromaparfumerie ® is the combination of an active core of 21 organic essential oils and spring water.
Organic bergamot essential oil brings a smile to the lips, the rose note allows for perfect alignment between the first and last chakras via the heart, organic cedar anchors us to the earth….
As The Little Prince said: "What is essential is invisible to the eyes; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly."
I would like to be able to share these initial notes with you, to share the vibration of the organic rose or bergamot.
So I encourage you to go and smell Belle Rose and give me your opinion. Or do you feel its effects in your body?
Similarly, what note does Divine Emeraude evoke for you? In your opinion, where does this fragrance have the strongest effect?
Smell, the only sense that does not reach consciousness!
It is true that the sense of smell does not access our consciousness but through our unconscious: it passes through our limbic brain, the part of the brain which is the seat of our emotions (aggression, fear, pleasure…), it is also where our memory is formed (hence the memories that resurface just by smelling a perfume).
The sense of smell is the sense of the world of emotions and the unconscious.
Scent triggers not only a sensation but also neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, depending on the ingredients. For example, mint and lemon are stimulating, while lavender is calming due to its high linalool content.
How does a perfume reveal our nature?
Aromaparfumerie ® is based on the principles of olfactotherapy, which Gilles Fournil describes very well: using the smell and vibration of essential oils to contact our memories of the past and (sometimes suffering) and generate their transformation.
The persistence of suffering also stems from the desire to change oneself or others. By working with plants—essential oils—we connect with suffering, and healing comes through the end of the "desire to change," ceasing to struggle, and accepting oneself with one's shadow and light, without seeking to change.
Let's look at the plant world: the cedar tree doesn't imitate the hazel tree. The rose isn't unhappy to cause pain with its thorns, and its fragrance is love.
The vibration of essential oils conveys to us the message of the plant world: let us accept ourselves as we are.
To better accept ourselves and therefore to love ourselves more as we are. And if necessary, the change will happen gently over time.