© What is Parfum de Lin?

Parfum de Lin is a garment scent which can also be used on skin (after a patch test which is always recommended for sensitive skin with any beauty and perfume product including natural ones). I use exactly the same natural, organic and plant based ingredients for all the types of perfumes on the website. Why I am obliged to label some perfumes as ‘parfum de lin’ is explained below.

Parfum de Lin uses a full palette of natural botanical aromatic materials unlike body fragrances which are somewhat limited in their formulas due to various IFRA and EU cosmetic and fragrance regulations which restrict the use of certain materials (due to their ability to cause skin irritation), most of of which are considered extremely vital in traditional botanical perfumery, such as rose and jasmine oils and absolutes.

Parfum de Lin literally means ‘linen perfume’ and although linen is not as widely used as before, the short and simple name in fact implies its versatility. It is not only about wearing scent on clothes, think of bedlinen, lingerie, decor objects, anything that is close to or around you and can help you enjoy the scent. Your imagination is your limit.

The concept of the perfume is to use ANY botanical aromatic materials without thinking of any IFRA or EU cosmetic restrictions (both funded by big perfume corporations to encourage the use of aroma chemicals, thus to reduce the total cost of the product) which limit the use of plant aromatics for skin products. Although it may be true that some oils may cause irritation and allergies, it concerns only a small percentage of people, as Mandy Aftel nicely put it in her article, peanut butter in fact has the same chance of being restricted or even banned since so many people suffer from allergy and it can be lethal to many, but still it can be easily found on the shelves of supermarkets. What about natural perfumery? By simply stating what is in the perfume on the label or at the point of sale, independent perfumers might benefit to use their artistry at their fullest and warn the consumers that the perfume can be used at their own risk. But reality is different and lobbyists control the current cosmetic regulations in Europe.

Parfum de Lin is another way of enjoying a full palette of botanicals both traditional and exotic ones. But botanical fragrances must interact with skin to evolve, you may say. This is true. However, your clothes are so close to your skin that the contact may be in most cases inevitable. By using the perfume both on the outside and inside of clothes, you can create the desirable effect.

You may notice that Parfum de Lin has an important sentence in its description: Please always conduct a standard patch test before using any botanical scent on skin. This is not to discourage you from using it at all but simply to state that this perfume is not made for skin thus does not have a safety report (all skin products in the EU need to be certified by a chemist to make sure the ingredients are safe for skin). BUT it is made using exactly the same method as all the other body perfumes in my line. The only difference is that aromatic materials are used freely in them without taking into account any restrictions. This is why, they are only safe after a patch test which you may conduct yourself if your skin is prone to irritations, otherwise, it is absolutely safe for most people.

In conclusion, Parfum de Lin is made using exactly the same methods and ingredients as natural body perfumes, it is all about the amounts of the most essential oils and absolutes which are freely used, otherwise restricted (without any logical reason) in the EU.

RedBird, Parfum d’Esthetique, Therapie de Fleur and Huile de Parfum (Perfume Oils) are all part of the Parfum de Lin line. Please note, I do not mark allergens in those perfumes’ INCI (ingredient list) since per se they are not body scents, so they must be tested individually if you have sensitive skin. Allergens and their percentage can only be accurately calculated by a professional chemist which has been done for most of our classic alcohol based body scents.