Is Your Perfume Sustainable?

Perfumery may seem benign, but ingredients derived from plants and animals can come with serious environmental and ethical toll

Perfumery might seem like a fairly benign business. It’s about personal scent more than anything else. But as one of the largest global luxury industries, perfume-making can have a significant impact on certain plants and animals valued for their rare scent profiles. Most perfume formulations are hidden behind one word on perfume labels, usually ‘Parfum’ or ‘Aroma,’ which makes it difficult for a consumer to know if a product is made using ethically sourced ingredients. Sustainability of raw materials used in perfumery has not always been a primary concern for consumers, but environmental consciousness regarding the issues seems to be growing.

Read the original article written by me for Earth Island Journal here.