Does 'natural' mean safe when it comes to fragrance?

We create our 100% plant-based fragrances using a combination of essential oils and plant extracts and one question we get asked often is ‘Just because something is natural, including essential oils, it doesn't mean it's safe. How do you ensure they are toxin free?’ 

Dosage has a lot to do with this. Cinnamon and basil are two great examples of oils to be careful with. 

We have strict guidelines around what essential oils and plant extracts can be used for our 100% plant based fragrances as well as the dosage for each oil to ensure safety. 

What’s the Difference Between Essential Oils and Plant Extracts?

The difference between traditional essential oils and some of the other "plant-based" materials we are using is the level of processing. Where an essential oil is made by distillation from a plant, we'll often do a secondary distillation to obtain a part of the essential oil (these are the materials that don't have common names and thus seem unfamiliar/unpronounceable). 

While this is a bit more "processed" than an essential oil, it is still made from plants, which is absolutely not the case with traditional fragrances. 

Furthermore, some of our additional processing actually allows us to make things even safer than essential oils alone. Some essential oils have some base components that are safe, and others that are not (basil oil, or cinnamon oil for instance). 

With traditional EOs, you either have to use the whole oil and be exposed to the risk, or avoid it and miss out. We can use the part that is safe and avoid the part that isn't. And while we totally support the idea of eating whole, unprocessed foods for optimal health (due to how they are processed in the body), there are no similar health dynamics or issues associated with smell.

Rigorous Testing to Ensure They're Toxin-Free

We use the World Health Organization's GHS framework to ensure our scents are toxin free. Their guidelines ensure our scents are free from carcinogens, mutagens and reproductive toxins.

Additionally, we ensure they are free of parabens, phthalates and synthetic petrochemicals. 

We use a bio-based test developed by the US Department of Agriculture to ensure our products are 100% plant-based. This test ensures there is no synthetic contamination, including pesticides. 

Also, to be considered a fabric freshener, our scents must be skin safe. We do not market them to be used directly on the skin, but they are absolutely safe if there is incidental skin contact when using on linens, etc. 

Full Ingredient Transparency is Important 

We share the full ingredient list for all of our products on our website. This is helpful if someone has an allergy to a natural plant material though this has never been an issue because the dosage of each individual ingredient is very small and the fragrance is diluted in a water and alcohol base. 

All of this rigor that we apply to our scent development does put some restrictions on the palette we have available to use. Sometimes we will get requests for certain scents that are outside of our toxicology guidelines.

This gives us an opportunity to educate our customers on how we create new scents and that all of our products must meet these toxin free standards. 

Try Our 100% Plant-Based Fragrances 

We started Grow Fragrance to make products we all wanted but couldn’t find- luxurious, real scents for the spaces we love.

With a unique farm-to-table approach to fragrance, we combine perfumery expertise with an unrivaled commitment to using only the purest, plant-based ingredients, to offer you home fragrance that’s safer and more natural, without compromising on beautiful scent.

Our sampler pack is a great place to start if you'd like to try 100% plant based scents.