Looking for a phthalate free perfume that is non-toxic and pregnancy safe? I’ve got your back! In this post I’ll talk about why most perfume is toxic and not safe while trying to conceive or pregnant, and I’ll be sharing my favorite non-toxic and pregnancy-safe perfumes!
Table of Contents
Why I Stopped Using Perfume When Trying to Conceive
When I was trying to conceive and have a healthy pregnancy, I started realizing the incredible amount of endocrine disruptors that were in my personal products. I was shocked by how the phthalates in synthetic fragrance were affecting my body! One of the first switches I made was to non toxic perfume.
For my full overview of fertility-harming toxins click here!
Phthalates in Perfume
Phthalates are synthetic chemicals that lurk in plastics and many cosmetics, including perfume, cologne, and anything with synthetic fragrance. They are endocrine disruptors- this means that they wreak havoc on your hormones. Not what you want when trying to conceive! Phthalates are linked to decreased fertility in men and women, miscarriage, and pregnancy complications. Phthalates are also linked to an increased risk for breast cancer, and to interruptions in the normal development of the fetus and of small children. They can disrupt the genitalia development in baby boys and are linked to ADHD and other behavior and learning issues in children.
Are you convinced to switch to a phthalate free perfume? I hope so! This is important for EVERYONE, but especially for those who are trying to conceive or pregnant.
So, here’s the problem. Of the many places that phthalates lurk, synthetic fragrances are some of the worst. They are in every product that says “fragrance” or “parfum” and doesn’t specifically designate itself as natural fragrance or phthalate free.
How to Switch to Non-Toxic Perfume
Start right now- go through all of your products and throw away anything with fragrance or parfum listed as an ingredient. And definitely throw away any perfumes! Make sure your husband throws away any cologne as well. Don’t forget to check your deodorants, and switch to a non-toxic deodorant.
While you are at it, be sure to check your household cleaners, your laundry detergent, your hand soap, your shampoo, your hair products, your your moisturizer, your body wash, ALL YOUR TOILETRIES, etc. Throw away anything that has “Fragrance” or “Parfum” as an ingredient and from now on only buy things without phthalates!
How to Find a Non-Toxic Perfume
When looking for a non-toxic, phthalate free perfume, you want to look at the ingredients! make sure that “parfum” or “fragrance” is NOT one of the listed ingredients. Many non-toxic perfumes are going to have very simple ingredients, like alcohol, water, and a few essential oils. If you’re interested in something a bit more complicated, keep reading.
If you’re nervous about reading ingredients, here’s one way to find non-toxic cosmetics like perfume:
Go to the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database. This is a terrific resource that ranks most cosmetics by level of toxicity. I try to buy EWG Verified products. If those don’t exist, then I chose a product with no higher than a level 1 or 2. Many times these products are just as non-toxic as the EWG verified products, they just haven’t gone through the individual rigorous screening process.
On Skin Deep, use the drop-down menus to go to the category you want, say “Fragrance for Men,” or “Fragrance for Women.” Then, start shopping!
Greenwashing in Perfume
There are many perfume brands out there claiming to be “sustainable” or “natural,” but then failing to fully disclose their ingredient list. When a brand doesn’t list their full ingredients, it isn’t to protect some special secret. It’s because they don’t want us to see what is in their ingredients. EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. They are treating us like children who wouldn’t understand if we saw the full list.
We are adults. Don’t sugarcoat your product by saying its “clean” or “sustainable” and then not back it up with the proof.
Best Non-Toxic Perfumes
Many of these perfumes are simple, essential oil based perfumes. They are non-toxic and phthalate free. I do NOT recommend any perfumes that do not list the full ingredients- for me transparency is key. So if there is a “non-toxic” or “phthalate-free” perfume but they just say something like, “proprietary scent blend” that doesn’t cut it for me. Treat us like grown-ups and list your ingredients so we know you’re safe. Please and thank you.
Perfume brands claiming to be clean, and that might be okay, but that don’t make my cut-off because they aren’t fully disclosing ingredients: Henry Rose, DIME, Rosie Jane, Sana-Jardin, An-Other, andThe Nue.
Please double check that all essential oils are safe for trying to conceive or pregnant, by using my guide below.
Truly Non-Toxic Perfume Brands
As always, please double check ingredients before you order, as some brands change their ingredients frequently. These are all safe as of October 2023.
- Beautycounter’s Clean Eau De Parfum Duo are two very complex, EWG Verified non-toxic, and pregnancy safe perfumes.
- Qet Botanicals Nectar is EWG verified. It comes in Jasmine, Lavender, or Rosewood.
- Ecco Bella has fragrances in Bourbon Vanilla, Ambrosia, Lavender, and Lemon Verbena. Eco Bella also has lovely non-toxic make-up and skincare.
- Sarabecca Perfumes come in Vanilla Spice, Amber Blossom, Floral Citrus, Rose, Neroli and Patchouli (for you hippies :-).
- Rosy & Earnest
- Just the Goods
- Abel Perfumes – although they aren’t using conventional naming on their ingredients
- Heretic Parfum– Except you really have to work hard to find the ingredient list on their website!
Always double check all ingredients to be sure they are safe for trying to conceive and pregnancy!
Good luck, and may you be synthetic fragrance free and low in phthalates!
Best Pregnancy Safe Perfume
Looking for a more complicated scent that is phthalate free and pregnancy safe? I have GREAT news for you! Beautycounter has just launched their first non-toxic perfumes, that are EWG Verified and safe for pregnancy! Beautycounter specifically formulates all of their products to be pregnancy-safe, so you don’t have to worry about phthalates, toxic ingredients, or essential oils that are contraindicated in pregnancy.
These pregnancy-safe perfumes are NOT simple essential oil blends. These are mature, complicated scents, and I LOVE them. As of Fall 2023 they have launched two scents: Sun Spill, and Miles Away. In Spring 2024 they plan to launch an entire line and I am SO here for it! My favorite out of these two is Sun Spill.
The product is called Clean Eau De Parfum Duo and it contains both scents.
Both pregnancy-safe perfumes are:
- EWG verified.
- Safe for sensitive skin.
- Full ingredient transparency.
- Layer this fragrance as the last step to complement your clean beauty routine.
- Every ingredient reviewed extensively against 23 safety endpoints to meet Beautycounter’s rigorous safety standards.
- Crafted in partnership with a fine fragrance house to deliver a unique and complex fragrance profile.
- Complex scent profile and layering inclusive of top, middle, and base notes.
- Complex blend of notes that diffuses into your skin for your signature scent.
Their first two scents are:
Miles Away – A woodsy and restorative herbal green scent
- Top Notes: Lemon, Bergamot
- Middle Notes: Chamomile, Jasmine, Juniper Berry
- Base Notes: Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Vetiver
Sun Spill– An uplifting, citrus floral scent
- Top Notes: Grapefruit, Neroli
- Middle Notes: Rose Petals, Jasmine, Coriander
- Base Notes: Vetiver, Cedarwood
Are Essential Oils in Perfume Pregnancy-Safe?
Now, there are non-toxic fragrance alternatives, most of which include essential oils. Please be very, very responsible when selecting a non-toxic fragrance. Essential oils are strong medicine, and you don’t want them interfering with your natural hormones and cycle.
There are only a few essential oils I feel comfortable with using while trying to conceive or pregnant (listed below). If you want to make your own perfume, just order some dark glass roll-on applicators from amazon, a safe carrier oil like sweet almond, and your essential oil.
*This post contains affiliate links which at no cost to you provide me with some small change to help keep this blog running! If you decide to buy something I recommend, please consider clicking through one of my links to help support this blog and my family! Thank you!
How to Chose A Non-Toxic Essential Oil
Now, some people get crazy about essential oils- saying their brand is the only “pure” one. Don’t believe the hype. What is MUCH more important is finding CERTIFIED ORGANIC essential oils. All the unlabeled and random labeling of “pure” doesn’t cover you for pesticides in your essential oils. Buy organic!
Here are some brands that do a great jobs with organic essential oils.
Certified Organic Essential Oils
- Mountain Rose Herbs
- Plant Therapy
- Garden of Life
- Rocky Mountain Oils
- NOW Essential Oils
All you really need to do is make sure the label says organic, and not blended or diluted with an oil like jojoba or almond. Now– some essential oils, like rose or jasmine, are so expensive, that the only way to buy them affordably is if they are diluted in jojoba or almond- that is okay!!
Also, for some essential oils, again like rose or jasmine, you simply aren’t going to be able to find an organic option. That’s ok- just keep the rest you are using organic and you will be okay!
Fertility-Safe Essential Oils
- Geranium– Some sources claim this essential oil balances hormones and can help regulate a cycle. It is also known to be calming and potentially helpful with endometriosis. It also smells good. It is safe for pregnancy, so no worries using it during the two week wait.
- Clary Sage– Some sources say that this oil can help regulate hormones, boost the libido, and help with male infertility as well. While some sources say this is safe for pregnancy, I have seen one source that suggest avoiding it due to its ability to bring on contractions. To stay safe, I’d only use it during the first two weeks of your cycle.
- Rose otto: I love this scent! It may help relax your womb, regulate your cycle, improve cervical mucous and improve your libido. It is not safe in pregnancy, however, and so not recommended after ovulation. This one is so expensive that you’re either going to have to buy it in a very small container, or buy it slightly diluted with jojoba or almond oil to have it be affordable.
- Any citrus oil- Lemon, Grapefruit, Sweet Orange, etc. Citrus scents are lovely in a perfume and can help make you happier. Get more happy, get more fertile, that’s what I say! Some sources say they can help support a healthy liver and lymph system as well. These are safe during pregnancy, and so can be used all cycle. You can also use these oils for all sorts of DIY non-toxic cleaning! They are also affordable, so buy a big one!
Now, if you are super excited about the idea of essential oils and fertility, check out this cool website on essential oil cycling where the author has devised a follicular phase oil for supporting estrogen (includes clary sage, fennel, coriander, geranium, frankincense, and ylang ylang), and a luteal phase oil with thyme, marjoram, geranium, frankincense, and ylang ylang). I’ve never used it before, but I love the idea! I’m a little concerned about the use of fennel and thyme oils, but that could be me being overly cautious. If you try it out, let me know how it goes!
If you want to experiment further, here is a list of essential oils that are generally considered safe when trying to conceive. Only the ones that I have used are above. Some of these may be good for a personal scent/perfume, some may not. I wouldn’t walk around with Eucalyptus on, personally. Research each before using them and always get the guidance of a doctor if you have any concerns.
Pregnancy-Safe Essential Oils
- Bergamot
- Chamomile
- Cypress
- Eucalyptus
- Frankincense
- Geranium
- Grapefruit
- Lavender
- Lemon
- Mandarin
- Neroili
- Patchouli
- Petigrain
- Rosewood
- Sandalwood
- Tangerine
- Tea Tree
- Ylang Ylang
Please double check the safety of essential oils before using in pregnancy, and research may have changed since I published this post!
Simple DIY Recipe for a Non-Toxic perfume
- 1 Tbsp Carrier Oil like Sweet Almond or Jojoba
- 15-25 drops of essential oil of your choice
Instructions: Put them in the roll-on bottle, and boom! You are done. You can play with the ratios to find what suits you, but only go lighter on the oils, not heavier.
Anna Rapp is a fertility journalist and non-toxic living expert. When Anna Rapp was struggling with infertility and recurrent early miscarriage, she was diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve, High FSH, low AMH, low follicle count, endometriosis, and an MTHFR mutation. Despite being told donor eggs were her only solution, Anna used her graduate training in research methods and analysis to read everything she could find on fertility and egg health. Ultimately, she lowered her FSH and got pregnant naturally (twice). She blogs about how she did it and encourages her readers to take charge of their fertility journey and get happy, healthy, and pregnant!
From phthalates to pregnancy complications, all things you mentioned are correct. A single fragrance has more than 1,000 toxic-chemicals in them, which are not revealed by the companies. Great Article btw. People really need to know all this important stuff which is affecting their health drastically.
great article! came right on time for me> I was wondering what could I do to have a nice smell since I stop using my perfume, and sometimes for special occasions I really like to smell good. super exited to try my own blend.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the article!! Enjoy making your own blend, its so fun and special!