How to Tell If a Perfume Is Natural

By Kershen Teo, founder and perfumer of Prosody London

Knowing how to tell if a perfume is natural is harder than it should be. The word “natural” on a perfume bottle means almost nothing — there is no legal definition in the UK or EU, and any brand can use the term regardless of what is actually in the bottle. I know this not just as a perfumer, but personally. I am genuinely allergic to synthetic fragrance chemicals — they give me headaches. It was partly this sensitivity that drove me to master natural perfumery in the first place, and why I founded Prosody London as a house that excludes synthetics entirely.

My approach to ingredient safety goes beyond regulatory compliance. I personally evaluate every ingredient I work with — testing each one on my own skin at both high and low doses before incorporating it into a formula, using the IFRA recommendations as a baseline rather than a ceiling. Skin sensitisation is something I take seriously as both a perfumer and as someone with genuine chemical sensitivity.

On sourcing, I follow Soil Association standards throughout — working only with natural, non-GMO ingredients that are EU-approved natural, wild-crafted or sustainably farmed. Where possible I use CO2 extraction rather than conventional solvent extraction, specifically to avoid hexane residues in the absolutes I work with. Hexane is a petrochemical solvent used widely in the production of conventional absolutes — a jasmine absolute extracted with hexane carries a detectable petroleum undertone that a CO2-extracted jasmine simply does not have. The CO2 version smells fresher, cleaner, and truer to the living flower. These are the kinds of distinctions that matter in genuinely natural perfumery, and that most brands never discuss.

There is something else that drew me to natural perfumery that I rarely hear other perfumers articulate. Synthetic fragrance ingredients hit you immediately in the head — a direct, sharp projection that is all surface. Natural botanical ingredients engage differently. They interact with the whole body — there is a physicality to wearing a well-made natural fragrance that synthetic perfumery simply does not produce. This is partly why I find working with botanical materials so compelling, and partly why I believe people with genuine sensitivity to synthetic chemicals respond so differently to natural perfume. It is not just about what is absent — it is about what is present.

After years of composing 100% botanical fragrances with this level of care, here is my practical guide to how to tell if a perfume is natural — and what to look for when brands are less than transparent.

1. Check what “Parfum” is hiding

The single most important thing on a perfume label is how the fragrance ingredient is listed. In the EU and UK, fragrance ingredients can be legally concealed behind the single word Parfum — or Fragrance. This is a loophole that allows brands to hide hundreds of synthetic ingredients, including phthalates, synthetic musks, and petrochemical derivatives, behind one word.

A genuinely natural perfume will list Parfum on the label, as required by law, but should also declare individual allergen ingredients above certain thresholds. At Prosody London, every fragrance declares all allergens above legal thresholds, sourced from our safety assessor’s allergen declarations for each formula.

If you see Parfum and nothing else — no individual botanical allergen declarations, no transparency about what the fragrance contains — ask questions. This is the first test of how to tell if a perfume is natural.

Santal Foy von Prosody London – natürliches Parfum für Männer, Mann in einem Weizenfeld

2. Look at the alcohol base

Most conventional perfumes use Alcohol Denat — ethanol treated with denaturing additives to make it undrinkable. The denaturing agents are not required to be disclosed on the label.

At Prosody London, we use certified organic wheat grain alcohol — ethanol derived from fermented grain, certified to organic standards. On the label it appears as Alcohol Denat, as required by law, but the source is certified organic grain rather than petrochemical-derived ethanol. This distinction matters for people with sensitive skin — organic grain alcohol is significantly gentler than conventional denatured ethanol and does not require water dilution, meaning no preservatives are needed in the formula.

If a brand cannot tell you what their alcohol base is derived from, that is worth noting.

3. Understand synthetic musks

Synthetic musks are among the most commonly used — and least disclosed — ingredients in conventional perfumery. They function as fixatives, extending longevity and amplifying other ingredients. The most common types are:

Polycyclic musks — including Galaxolide and Tonalide, widely used in mainstream perfumery. Research has associated these with endocrine disruption and they are persistent in the environment, accumulating in aquatic ecosystems and human tissue.

Nitro musks — largely phased out due to toxicity concerns, but still present in some older formulations.

Macrocyclic musks — considered safer than polycyclic musks, and used in some natural-leaning mainstream brands.

A genuinely natural perfume uses none of these. Longevity in a natural formula comes from botanical resins and balsams — labdanum, benzoin, myrrh, frankincense — the same materials that have fixed fragrance for centuries. At Prosody London, we exclude synthetic musks and synthetic harmonising molecules entirely — where even some well-regarded natural houses allow up to 5%.

4. Ask about phthalates

Phthalates are plasticisers used in conventional perfumery to help fragrance adhere to skin and last longer. Diethyl phthalate (DEP) is the most common in fragrances. Research has linked phthalate exposure to endocrine disruption and they are banned in cosmetics in the EU — but not in all markets globally.

They do not need to be declared on fragrance labels, as they can be concealed within Parfum. If a brand cannot confirm whether their fragrance contains phthalates, assume it might.

Every Prosody London fragrance is completely free from phthalates — this is verifiable from our formulas and confirmed by our safety assessor.

5. Distinguish “contains natural ingredients” from “free from synthetics”

There is an important distinction between a perfume that contains some natural ingredients and one that is free from synthetics entirely. Many mainstream brands add a percentage of real botanicals — a touch of rose absolute, some bergamot essential oil — while building the fragrance on a synthetic base. This allows them to market the fragrance as containing natural ingredients while the formula is primarily synthetic.

A perfume that is truly free from synthetics — like every Prosody London fragrance — contains no synthetic aromatic molecules whatsoever. The entire formula, from the fixatives to the top notes, is derived from botanical sources.

Terms like “natural-inspired,” “nature-identical,” and “clean” do not mean natural. Nature-identical molecules are synthesised in a laboratory to replicate natural compounds — they are synthetic. Clean is a marketing term with no regulatory definition. When you are trying to work out how to tell if a perfume is natural, these terms are the first thing to look past.

6. The 5% loophole in natural perfumery

Even within the natural perfume industry, not all brands apply the same standards. A common practice among otherwise reputable natural houses is to permit a small percentage — typically up to 5% — of synthetic neutralising molecules in an otherwise botanical formula. These are synthetic compounds used to smooth, stabilise or extend the fragrance without significantly altering its character.

The rationale is understandable. Natural materials can be unpredictable — batch variation, seasonal differences in raw materials, and the inherent instability of some botanical absolutes make consistency a genuine challenge. A small percentage of synthetic neutralisers addresses this without, proponents argue, meaningfully compromising the natural character of the fragrance.

At Prosody London, I take a stricter position. We exclude synthetic neutralising molecules entirely — the formula is 100% botanical from first ingredient to last. Achieving consistency and longevity without synthetic shortcuts requires more work in the formulation process, and more careful sourcing of stable, high-quality botanical materials. But the result is a formula that is genuinely, verifiably free from synthetics — not 95% natural by a technicality.

When evaluating a natural perfume brand, it is worth asking directly: does your formula contain any synthetic neutralising or harmonising molecules? A brand committed to full transparency will answer clearly.

man and woman with hormone safe high art rose perfume by prosody london

7. Look for verifiable standards — not just marketing claims

The most reliable signal of a genuinely natural perfume is not what a brand says about itself, but what it can demonstrate. Any brand can claim to be natural. Far fewer can show you how they source their ingredients, what extraction methods they use, and what their formula does and does not contain.

At Prosody London, I formulate to Soil Association organic and IFRA standards throughout. In practice this means working only with non-GMO, EU-approved natural ingredients — wild-crafted or sustainably farmed where possible, and CO2 extracted wherever a hexane-free alternative exists. These are not marketing positions. They are sourcing decisions that affect the quality and purity of every formula I make.

The questions worth asking any natural perfume brand are straightforward: what standards do you formulate to, how do you source your ingredients, and what does your formula not contain? A brand committed to genuine transparency will answer all three clearly and specifically. Vague claims about being “inspired by nature” or “free from harsh chemicals” are not answers — they are the absence of one.

8. Test it on your skin — and pay attention to how it behaves

The most reliable way to tell if a perfume is natural is ultimately on your own skin. Genuinely natural fragrances behave differently from synthetic ones in ways that are perceptible to anyone who knows what to look for.

Evolution — a natural fragrance develops through distinct stages. The opening smells different from the heart, which smells different from the dry-down hours later. This is the olfactory pyramid working as it should, with botanical materials evaporating at their natural rates. A synthetic fragrance tends to project a more fixed, linear scent that remains consistent from application to dry-down.

Skin reactivity — botanical ingredients interact with your body temperature and skin chemistry, meaning a natural fragrance smells subtly different on every person who wears it. This is not a limitation — it is what makes it personal.

Complexity — real botanical materials contain hundreds of odorous compounds. A single rose absolute contains over 300 identifiable aromatic molecules. This complexity gives natural fragrance a depth and nuance that is genuinely difficult to replicate with synthetic molecules, however sophisticated.

How it makes you feel — this is perhaps the most subjective but also the most honest test. Synthetic fragrance ingredients tend to hit immediately in the head — a sharp, direct projection that is all surface. Natural botanical ingredients engage differently, interacting with the whole body rather than projecting at the nose alone. If a fragrance gives you a headache, that is a signal worth taking seriously. Many people who believe they are sensitive to perfume in general find they respond entirely differently to a well-made natural formula.

If a fragrance smells identical in the bottle, on your skin immediately after application, and six hours later — it is almost certainly built primarily on synthetic ingredients.