Welcome back! In this post I’m sharing the best perfume for pregnant women. Starting with whether perfume during pregnancy is safe, why to choose natural perfumes, and sharing some recommendations for pregnancy safe perfumes. I’m talking about natural fragrances that are non-toxic, clean, with natural ingredients that are less likely to overwhelm your heightened sense of smell.
Buckle up, because this is a deep dive into perfume for pregnant women. If you’d prefer, you can skip straight to the perfumes, or download the free PDF list.
When I fell pregnant with my first baby, one of the first pregnancy symptoms I noticed was how I perceived fragrance. No longer could I stand many of the fragrances in my collection. Synthetic fragrance had me gagging, it was awful!
Have you experienced this?
Many pregnant women experience this heightened sense of smell, thanks to hormonal changes. And if you previously loved fragrance and want some suggestions on how to use it safely during pregnancy, then read on.
Why Pregnancy Affects How Pregnant Women Perceive Fragrance
Pregnant women are more sensitive to fragrance thanks to our rising hormone levels. Most notably, it is extra estrogen that causes fragrance sensitivity. Increased blood flow can constrict nasal passages, making stuffiness and irritation more likely.
Many women in the first trimester and beyond experience the dreaded morning sickness, which is also a contributing factor to suddenly finding fragrance offputting.
Remarkably, as many as two-thirds of women experience “hyperosmia”, a heightened sense of smell during pregnancy. Think of it as your new super sense — from a biological standpoint it’s your body’s way of avoiding harmful substances and synthetic chemicals that may harm your baby.
Women’s bodies are so clever in protecting our little one in ways we don’t even fully know about!
Is It Safe To Wear Perfume During Pregnancy?
Generally, yes. There is no evidence to suggest that moderate fragrance wearing harms either mom or baby. But here’s my sage advice as a mum of four and avid cosmetics fan. Avoid fragrances during the first trimester unless you absolutely know exactly what’s in them.
It’s highly unlikely that your fragrance will harm your unborn child, but wearing fragrance will only bring you worry. I can say this about you, because you’re reading my post! And worrying about chemicals in personal care products during pregnancy is anxiety inducing, which is never good. Pregnancy is hard enough as it is.
The key is that pregnant women need to feel safe in their personal care choices.
Not all fragrances are created equally. That’s why I created this post — to showcase the fragrances created by brands who care about our health and wellbeing and who provide transparency with their labelling so that pregnant women can be sure about their choices when buying new perfumes.
It goes without saying, when choosing any fragrances for use during pregnancy, it’s best to check with your midwife or doctor before using them, although I’ve personally found midwives to be clueless in this respect — sorry midwives! So, checking with the brand to get their confirmation is extremely wise. I’ve done this for you with all the natural fragrances listed in this post.
What Makes A “Natural Fragrance”?
Natural is hard to define in any context. And perhaps we all have different ideas about what natural means. When I talk about natural fragrance, this is how I define it:
- Developed by a brand who cares about our health
- Focuses on natural ingredients with wellbeing benefits
- Cares about sustainability and animal welfare
- Transparent labelling
- May use safe synthetic ingredients if they’re better choice
- Certified organic, although this is tricky in perfumery
- The fragrance meets IFRA standards
- Works to ISO 9235:2021 (Natural Aromatic Raw Materials Vocabulary)
You will find that many brands avoid the use of the term natural, since it is hard to define and can confuse consumers.
Why Choose Natural Fragrances During Pregnancy?
First off, I am a firm believer in “natural”. Natural products and healthy living are the whole reason I started this blog. Yet, in cosmetics, it is so hard to define natural. It’s also really hard for a cosmetics product to be 100% natural and still be cost-effective, especially in the fragrance world!
Synthetic fragrance gets a bad rap, but it has some benefits. Many components of synthetic fragrances are well tested and safe, and aspects of production are more tightly controlled and tested under lab conditions.
You’ve probably heard the advice that natural doesn’t always mean safe. This definitely applies to the use of perfumes in pregnancy. Many natural fragrances contain allergens and can have implications for pregnant women. Synthetic ingredients can help preserve earth’s natural resources, and they’re often cheaper than natural materials to make perfume affordable by all.
I’m a firm believer in compromise — you can have fragrances with both natural and synthetic components, and they can be safe. You just need to do some homework, and mainstream perfumes are not very helpful when it comes to disclosing fragrance ingredients.
All-in-all, I believe natural fragrances make a better choice for pregnant women. Here’s why:
1. Natural Fragrances Can Improve Your Pregnancy Wellbeing
Have you heard of neuroscents, functional fragrances, or wellbeing fragrances? Unlike conventional fragrances which focus purely on the aesthetic of how something smells, neuroscents come with a range of wellbeing claims.
A lot like essential oils, neuroscents use natural components in fragrance to influence your emotions and mood via your olfactory and limbic systems. This can help with a range of pregnancy related complaints, such as sleeplessness; aid relaxation, reduce stress, and help with positive visualisations during HypnoBirthing and relaxation sessions.
The olfactory system is one of the fastest ways to bring about relaxation, making it perfect during pregnancy when emotions can run high and exhaustion can suddenly creep in. For instance, lavender is well known for its sedative and anxiety-reducing properties. I’ll give you suggestions for neuroscents further down the page.
2. Natural Fragrances Can Help Minimise Chemical Exposure During Pregnancy
Potentially harmful chemicals are thought to cross the blood placental barrier. It’s not known what the implications may be. Therefore, it’s best to minimise exposure to chemicals, whether from synthetic or natural sources, during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
With this being said, natural fragrances have been developed to minimise harmful chemical ingredients. It’s important to be aware that natural scents can contain ingredients harmful to pregnancy also. We’ll learn more about these ingredients further down the page.
Try this tip: If wearing fragrance on your skin concerns you, try spritzing it onto your hair, clothing, or a hanky to wear in your pocket close to your body.
3. Gentler Fragrances Can Help Avoid Exacerbating Pregnancy Symptoms
Pregnancy symptoms are exacerbated by heavy synthetic perfume, for instance headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Pregnant life is hard enough without adding to the complications! Many natural perfumes are milder, rely less on heavy synthetic musks and focus on lighter scents that can be found from fruit, bark, flowers, herbs, etc. Now is a great time to look into natural fragrances like citrus scents, ginger, lavender, and rose which are generally less triggering.
4. Transparent Labelling of Natural Fragrances Helps Dealing With Allergies
Allergies can worsen during pregnancy, too — with allergic reactions to fragrance becoming more common for some. During pregnancy, skin irritation is more likely along with negative effects, like sensitivity to alcohols used in fragrance whether synthetic or natural. Natural fragrance can trigger allergies too, but natural fragrance brands are more open about their ingredients.
Whether natural or not, allergens must be listed by EU law, and the recent Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA) in the US mandates fragrance allergen labeling on beauty products, however at the time of writing the FDA is yet to develop their regulations.
Minimising Risk From Fragrances in Pregnancy
Understand Fragrance Labelling
Fragrance or Parfum in the ingredients list is the name given to a blend of ingredients that give a fragrance its particular scent. Fragrance or parfum could contain synthetic fragrances, natural fragrances, essential oils, or other fragrant ingredients.
In the EU, 24 known allergens are listed in the ingredients, such as Citral, Eugenol, and Hydroxycitronellal. These must appear in the ingredient list (INCI) whether they’re from synthetic or natural sources.
You can also find ingredients such as water, alcohol, antioxidants, UV-absorbers, stabilisers, dyes, and preservatives in fragrance.
Reading the INCI or ingredients list label is the first step to understanding what’s in your fragrance.
The Problem With Fragrance
The problem is that perfume ingredients are a trade secret of the brand, so it’s hard to pin down exactly what’s in your perfume, since the ingredients don’t need to be revealed in detail.
All this is important for expectant mothers, since you can be sure we want to know what’s gone into our favorite perfume before we use it!
Some brands are leading the way with transparency in their labelling. Take Phlur Fragrances for example. They list each and every fragrance component on their labels. It’s a step forward!
The Potential Danger of Phthalates
I’m sure you’ve probably heard about the questionable safety of phthalates, but did you know that this class of ingredients can make their way into your fragrance, too? Yes — phthalates, like diethyl phthalate (DEP), can be found in some, but not all, fragrances.
Phthalates are a collection of harmful chemicals which are known to be endocrine disruptors, that is, they affect the function of the reproductive system.
In fragrance, phthalates are used as a fixative to ensure a long-lasting product. They can also get into fragrance bottles thanks to plastic packaging. The danger with exposure to phthalates is that they can unintentionally end up in perfumes as a by-product or by leaching from packaging. And these chemicals are in plastic products and personal products everywhere — there’s no escaping them. We can only minimise our exposure.
Should phthalates in fragrance concern pregnant women? The answer is, nobody really knows. More research is needed. Phthalates are mostly metabolised and excreted quickly by the body. However, in this study, researchers found an association between the presence of phthalates and increased levels of biomarkers of oxidative stress.
What does this mean for pregnancy? In other studies with the same cohort of women, the presence of these biomarkers indicated an increased risk of preterm birth and may be implicated in adverse fetal development and maternal health complications. Another study with male rodents showed that prenatal exposure to phthalates caused disruption in genital development, and the concern is that human baby boys may be affected in the same way. It doesn’t sound good, does it?
Once your baby is born, you should know that phthalates do make it into breast milk, although the risk from this is considered low and their presence is definitely not a reason to quit breastfeeding.
How to Avoid Phthalates in Fragrance
Here are some tips on avoiding phthalates in perfumes:
- Read ingredients lists: look for Diethyl phthalate (DEP), Dimethyl phthalate (DMP), Dibutyl phthalate (DBP), Diisononyl phthalate (DINP), Di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP), or Benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP).
- Look for “phthalate-free” fragrances.
- Contact the fragrance manufacturer to check.
- Switch to fragrance-free personal care products.
- Use an app or website like the Environmental Working Group (EWG), INCI Decoder, Think Dirty, or similar to check the ingredients of your perfume. Bear in mind that your results may be inconclusive, since many will flag fragrance and parfum as hazardous when it may not be.
Remember, the key is to reduce exposure from all sources. We’re more likely to ingest phthalates in our food than from fragrance, so take some steps to minimise your exposure from plastic packaging used for food, too. All of your household care products count too, for instance laundry detergent and fabric softener. Fragrances are often contained in hair products, so look for fragrance-free versions if you can.
To put your mind at ease, remember that cosmetics including fragrances are regulated in the EU and US to ensure their safety for everybody. If you’re still worried, reducing the number of exposures to chemicals during your pregnancy is a wise step.
Other Chemicals To Watch For
Other ingredients include hormone disrupting octinoxate (aka ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate), potentially cancerous BHT and benzophenone. Also be watchful for dyes like “RED 4”, etc, which have a controversial safety profile. These ingredients are considered safe when used at the recommended levels in fragrances, however some people prefer to avoid such ingredients when pregnant.
Patch Testing
Carrying out a patch test before committing to any perfume is a good idea. You can pick up samples from online sample stores or buy a discovery kit from the brand.
How Are Natural Fragrances Created?
Natural fragrances are typically natural essential oils, absolutes, resins, CO2 extracts, or fragrance molecules blended with alcohol, or blended with carrier oils. Antioxidants such as vitamin E help to ensure the longevity of the fragrance.
Natural fragrances are more likely to hold certifications such as NaTrue and COSMOS. Gaining such certifications means the fragrance is developed to exacting standards for safety and purity.
Modern fragrance houses like Maison Sybarite have developed a water-based fragrance with no need for alcohol in the blend. These can be less irritating to pregnant women. Although bear in mind that these fragrances are more likely to contain a preservative added at a safe concentration.
What about essential oils? Some sources recommend avoiding essential oils in your first trimester. If you have no health issues or adverse medical history, there’s no reason not to use them sensibly in your second and third trimester. It’s a wise idea to read up on your essential oil of choice before using it. Some essential oils such as clary sage can cause uterine contractions and should be avoided until the very end of pregnancy. You need the correct concentration of carrier oil to essential oil to make your blend safe. Check out my recipe for a labour massage oil that I used with my last baby.
You can also check the ingredients yourself. There’s a lot of conflicting advice out there about which essential oils are safe in pregnancy, and which are not – here’s a brief list.
Also read this article for a common sense approach to safety of essential oils.
How to Make Natural Fragrances Last Longer and Get Better Sillage?
A common complaint with natural perfumes is that they’re not as long lasting and don’t offer good sillage. Sillage refers to the wake or trail of a scent, its projection and longevity. Scents you only smell when you get close to the person are known as skin scents.
A perfume is meant to be discovered, not announced
- Start by applying your natural fragrance right after a shower — hydrated skin helps perfumes last longer. Applying them over an unscented body lotion amplifies this.
- Always apply your natural fragrances to your pulse points (wrists, inside elbows, behind ears.
- Spritz on your hair and clothes, as well as your body, although bear in mind that fragrances are designed to interact with skin and may stain clothing.
- Avoiding rubbing the fragrance in, as this can reduce its longevity.
- Store your natural fragrance correctly, in a cool and dark place and especially out of direct sunlight.
Pregnancy-Safe Perfumes To Try
So here we are. The list!
I’ve read through all the FAQs, and if I haven’t been able to determine whether or not the brand declares their fragrances suitable during pregnancy, then I have contacted the brand to check. Their response is noted by:
✔ Confirmed safe for pregnancy
The brand confirms that their fragrances are suitable during pregnancy.
✔ Check with doctor if in doubt
The brand recognizes that some of their ingredients may cause sensitivities and that all pregnancies are unique. Therefore it is best to check with your doctor if you’re in any doubt.
✔ Not confirmed safe for pregnancy — did not reply yet
The brand is yet to reply to my request for information. Check with your doctor before using.
Read on for my favourite natural fragrances I’m using during pregnancy. I really hope you enjoy these non-toxic perfume brands!
Nurture by Abel
✔ Confirmed safe for pregnancy
Nurture blew me away, it could well be the perfect perfume for pregnant women. It’s 100% natural, like all Abel Odor fragrances, and designed to celebrate and support mamas during motherhood. Its sweet but soft fragrance always reminds me of the birth of my third baby.
To me, it’s one of the most perfect citrus scents with its top notes of fleur l’orange, Bulgarian rose, and lentisque, a heart of jasmine and ginger, and base notes of East Indian sandalwood – it’s definitely worth getting a sample if you’re looking for safe fragrances. If you’re in the UK, try getting an Abel sample from Ecocentric.
Nurture by Abel
Maison Sybarite Fragrances
✔ Confirmed safe for pregnancy
Maison Sybarite makes some of the best natural perfumes. Famous for creating the first water-based fine fragrances, the perfumes are reassuringly free from parabens, phthalates, and chemical solvents.
Declared as suitable during pregnancy, Maison Sybarite perfumes are alcohol-free, a joy to apply, and gentle on the skin. Simply spritz onto your pulse points or anywhere else on your body for irritation-free fragrancing. Read my full review of the glorious Bed of Roses. You can pick up samples from £5 at Bloom Perfume.
Maison Sybarite Fragrances
The Nue Co.
✔ Confirmed safe for pregnancy
A pioneer of functional fragrances, I love The Nue Co. for bringing us endocrine-safe, non-toxic, paraben free fragrances.
My picks for pregnancy include:
- Functional Fragrance: Anti-stress fragrance with calming green cardamom, smoky palo santo, and bright bergamot. Functional Fragrance aims to positively impact the mind and body, for a feeling of comfort and being at ease.
- Forest Lungs: A green woody and warm fragrance to support stress resilience and the immune system, like taking a walk in a forest. Scientific studies show that inhaling the Phytoncides contained can improve overall wellness.
- Water Therapy: Uses patented fragrance technology to replicate the soothing effects of water, to guide your parasympathetic nervous system to deeper relaxation with refreshing marine scent notes.
The Nue Co.
Ffern Fragrances
✔ Confirmed safe for pregnancy
Truly natural and organic fragrances. Reassuringly, Ffern fragrances are guaranteed phthalate-free and developed to be safe for everybody, including pregnant women.
In fact, 95% or more of the ingredients are natural and their exclusive fragrances are developed in line with IFRA standards.
Ffern are a little bit different as they don’t have a catalogue of fragrances to choose from. Instead, they release a new seasonal natural fragrance twice a year delivered on the winter and summer solstices. Once you’re on the waiting list and a space becomes available you’ll receive the fragrance plus a tester vial, and you can send the fragrance back if you don’t like it.
Ffern Fragrances
Phlur Fragrances
✔ Confirmed safe for pregnancy
Phlur helped to pioneer clean fragrance, however they prefer not to use the term now to avoid confusion amongst customers. Expect modern fragrances, mindfully formulated using both natural and synthetic components.
What I love about Phlur is how transparent they are about their ingredients. You’ll find all fragrance components listed.
Many Phlur scents are skin scents, so if you’re avoiding strong scents, they may go easier on your senses. Some of their lighter and more subtle fragrances like Tangerine Boy, Missing Person, Soft Spot, Lost Cause, and Rose Whip are good choices during pregnancy.
Phlur Fragrances
Henry Rose
✔ Confirmed safe for pregnancy
Founded by Michelle Pfieffer, Henry Rose fragrances are EWG verified, phthalate and paraben free and contain no endocrine disruptors. Combining natural with synthetic components, they make the perfect choice for pregnant women. They also boast some pretty serious green creds, holding Cradle to Cradle C2C Certified Silver™ for rigorous product sustainability.
Henry Rose fragrances are developed to minimise the number of chemical ingredients in fragrance. This reduced palette narrows down the creative options in a positive way, according to its VP Perfumer. It also means a safer and more comfortable fragrance for pregnant women.
The fragrances are subtle, wearable, and lack the harshness that can come with other fragrances. Take a look at Smyth, a sparkling green apple scent surrounded with watery notes and sheer white woods, Windows Down, a light and honeyed floral with bright grapefruit and soft Earl Grey Tea.
Henry Rose
Versatile Paris
✔ Confirmed safe for pregnancy
Versatile creates some really lovely alcohol-free fragrances. All of the ingredients are revealed as part of the brand’s commitment to information for all.
Natural and synthetic fragrance molecules are contained in a 100% natural vegetable oil or water base. Apply these fragrances to your pulse points to make them last longer.
The fragrances are vegan, cruelty free, and are developed without BHT/ BHA, colorants, UV filters, additives, or CMR (Carcinogenic Mutagenic Reprotoxic). The brand thankfully avoids plastic as much as possible.
The fragrances are based on moods and moments in life. They have a strong foodie inspiration. In La Foncedalle extrait de parfum you’ll find some quite unusual notes like beer, weed, chicken, and sage (yes, really!) — probably not going to be your first choice of fragrance during pregnancy!
In which case, you might like to try the lighter eau de parfum collection based on fruits — presser le citron (lemon, marshmallow, creamy, sparkling), bonne poire (pear, amber, calvados, green), and cerise sur le gâteau (soft, juicy cherry, gourmand).
Versatile Paris
Balm Balm Perfumes
✔ Confirmed safe for pregnancy
Balm Balm is a lovely clean brand and their perfumes are 100% natural and organic. The perfumes are simply grain alcohol with essential oils.
All the essential oils used in their single note fragrances are suitable for use during pregnancy. If you’re looking for a simpler fragrance that’s not overpowering, this may be what you’re looking for.
You can even wear the perfumes together for a multitude of options. Let’s have a look at them:
- Lavender: A classic, clean fragrance that blends so well with other fragrances.
- Rose Geranium: With its cheerful and nostalgic scent, I’ve found this one to be quite long lasting.
- Ylang Ylang: I absolutely love ylang ylang so this is one of my favourites – exotic and sensual.
- Mandarin: Who can resist cheerful and youthful mandarin?
- Bergamot: Light, refreshing and citrusy.
Balm Balm Natural Perfumes
Pacifica Perfumes
✔ Confirmed safe for pregnancy
Pacifica Fragrances are considered safe and non-toxic during pregnancy and they’re formulated without phthalates, parabens, propylene glycol, polycyclic musks, and nitromusks.
Pacifica uses their “aromapower” technology which uses clinically studied ingredients to bring about a positive effect. Try Dream Moon with its harmonising and grounding sandalwood, patchouli, and vibrating pink rose in natural grain alcohol to ignite feelings of love and gratitude during pregnancy.
Pacifica Perfumes
Acorelle Perfumes
✔ Confirmed safe for pregnancy
Acorelle are no newcomer to safer fragrances — they’ve been making organic scents for 15 years. These soft and light fragrances won’t overpower your senses — they’re very delicate.
Acorelle natural fragrances are COSMOS Certified, which means they meet stringent safety regulations — no phthalates, parabens, phenoxyethanol, or synthetic perfumes or colorants. Try their Velvet Rose Organic Eau de Parfum, which has good reviews.
Acorelle Natural Fragrances
Wellness Collection by 100Bon
✔ Confirmed safe for pregnancy
This French perfume company has a commitment to natural and sustainable fragrances. The 100Bon approach to formulating reduces exposure to chemical substances, which is perfect during pregnancy.
Expect no parabens, phthalates, colorants, and petrochemicals. Their Wellness collection focuses on improving wellbeing. Sweet Dreams is perfect for expectant women, who often have trouble sleeping. This blend creates a bubble of wellbeing conducive to sleep with petitgrain, neroli, and sandalwood.
100Bon
Buy Now – Wellness Collection at 100Bon
Living Libations
✔ Confirmed safe for pregnancy
You can always depend on Living Libations for carefully formulated natural products, and their fragrances are no exception.
All their fragrances are formulated with natural essential oils without any synthetic ingredients. They carry roll-on perfume created with jojoba oil, and natural perfume and cologne created with organic biodynamic alcohol.
Try The Flower of Now Resilient Petal Perfume, to bring resilience with its timelessly floral scent of rose, ylang ylang, and yuzu, and grounding sandalwood for depth.
Living Libations
Providence Perfume Co.
✔ Confirmed safe for pregnancy
Providence Perfume Co. offers hand-blended perfumes and perfume oils that are 100% natural and free from synthetic aromas.
These truly artisan fragrances are formulated with total ingredient transparency. On the downside, they are expensive, as you would expect given the natural formulations and artisan ingredients. While Providence do confirm that their fragrances are suitable for pregnancy, they do suggest consulting your doctor before use if you have any concerns.
Try their lighter options such as Love-In-A-Mist perfume, named after the same wildflower, and reminiscent of a walk through a summer meadow, or Ivy Tower perfume oil, a mood-lifting and sheer fragrance with a raindrops-in-spring feel.
Providence Perfume Co.
Buy Now – Providence Perfume Co.
By Rosie Jane
✔ Check with doctor if in doubt
You have to try the eau de parfum and perfume oils from this highly conscientious brand. You’ll find no parabens, sulfates, phthalates, silicones, formaldehyde, oxybenzone, octinoxate, hydroquinone, triclosan, coal tar, or methylisothiazolinone. The fragrances exceed the highest standards of ingredients usage in the US, EU, and Australia. What’s wonderful about By Rosie Jane is the complete transparency in ingredient listing, with all components of their fragrances shown.
By Rosie Jane’s founder, Rosie Johnston, started the line after feeling nauseous in pregnancy, so this brand is definitely coming from the heart. Try their perfume oil if you prefer a roll-on alcohol-free scenting experience, it’s simply blended with coconut oil. Don’t miss Rosie, a barely there skin scent with white musk and rose.
By Rosie Jane
Sana Jardin
✔ Check with doctor if in doubt
Sana Jardin recognises the transformative effects of flower fragrances and essential oils — read more about their flower healing at their blog. The range aims to support individuals to good health and consciousness. This is reflected in their fragrances — all of their scents are as natural as possible and developed free of phthalates, artificial colorants, parabens, formaldehydes, BHT, and polycyclic musks. They do contain a high concentration of essential oils at 15-20% and synthetic ingredients when it is more environmentally responsible to do so.
Some of my favourites for pregnancy include Berber Blonde, designed to calm and uplift, with neroli, orange blossom, and musk, and Air of Aquarius, an uplifting, calming, fragrance that inspires deep meditation with lemon, rosemary, and lavender.
Sana Jardin
Buy Now – Sana Jardin Fragrances
Skylar Fragrances
✔ Check with doctor if in doubt
If this isn’t a reason to found your own fragrance brand, I don’t know what is: Cat Chen founded Skylar in 2017 because her baby suffered an allergic reaction to her traditional fragrance. Touted as being suitable for all, with Skylar you’ll find high quality clean beauty fragrances with a strong focus on hypoallergenic. The fragrances combine a mixture of natural fragrance ingredients and safe synthetics. I love that all fragrance ingredients are listed — this is really helpful if you have any particular sensitivities. The self-described fresh and dreamy scents are perfect during pregnancy as they’re never overpowering.
Try Salt Air to tap into the healing powers of the sea with grounding driftwood, minerals of sea salt, warm sand, and white light floral notes. Or Vanilla Sky, with cappuccino and caramelised cedar for a scent that is both comforting and captivating.
Skylar Fragrances
Clean Reserve
✔ Check with doctor if in doubt
Clean Reserve is a collection of clean and long-lasting perfumes from Clean Beauty Collective. These farm-to-fragrance collections make the most of sustainable ingredients with a good safety profile. Reassuringly, all fragrances in the Clean Reserve collection disclose all of their ingredients. In fact, they’re actually listed separately for complete honesty. The brand carries a large “no list” that should reassure any mama to be, including phthalates, BHT, parabens, and synthetic color.
You should also check out the brand’s microemulsion fragrances under the Clean Reserve H2EAU banner, which offer even greater support for sensitive noses and skin during pregnancy.
Try the bestseller — Skin, a soft and sensual vanilla musk, and Brilliant Peony, from the H2EAU collection, a Fragrance Foundation Awards 2024 Finalist.
Clean Reserve
The Saltworks Company
✔ Check with doctor if in doubt
The Saltworks Company makes 100% toxin-free fragrances with no phthalates. I find most of the Saltworks fragrances quite powerful and long lasting.
My favourite is Tabac Soleil — despite being described as an opulent tobacco-vanilla scent, it is actually very light and wearable during pregnancy. During pregnancy, you might also enjoy The Saltworks lighter fragrances such as Figaro, for a clean everyday scent, and Dive, a fresh-water scent evoking air‑dried laundry.
The Saltworks Company
Wit & West
✔ Check with doctor if in doubt
I love these 100% natural fragrances that are phthalate and paraben free and developed in line with IFRA. If you’re looking for something unique, this might just be the place to find it! You’ll discover fragrances created with not only wildcrafted and organic essential oils, but CO2 extracts, absolutes, naturally derived isolates, and custom handmade tinctures and enfleurage extraits. All of these ingredients are sustainably sourced, and some grown directly in Wit & West’s own garden. They’re all listed on the ingredients label, too.
My recommendations for pregnant women include Yuzu Pop, a breezy and light-hearted citrus-floral cologne with yuzu, jasmine, orange blossom, and light sandalwood, and Fleur du Riad, a classic citrus-floral cologne with white flowers and green mandarin.
Wit & West
Leahlani
✔ Check with doctor if in doubt
Leahlani offers a couple of oil-based rollerball fragrances that contain natural essential oils only, and they’re mostly organic. Try their iconic Pamplemousse Essence with pink grapefruit, vanilla bean, creamy plumeria, and juicy guava.
Leahlani
Heretic Parfum
✔ Check with doctor if in doubt
Wildly provocative fragrances are probably not your first consideration when looking for perfume during pregnancy, but bear with me on this one. Heretic Parfum creates perfumes from plant-based ingredients blended into sugarcane alcohol. Fragrances are broken down into their function, for instance calming and relaxing, and grounding and centering. Thanks to their high concentration of natural ingredients, Heretic fragrances have a therapeutic aromatherapy effect.
Try Dirty Hinoki, evoking a Japanese “forest bath” with its earthy yet ethereal blend of woods and crushed herbs, and Bergamusk with bergamot and musk, for its uplifting and energising properties enveloped in a clean and alluring scent.
Heretic Parfum
The 7 Virtues
✔ Check with doctor if in doubt
A clean and certified B-Corp perfume brand that uses sustainable oils in their formulations. Third party testing confirms that the fragrances last a full 24 hours, thanks to their 22% concentration of fragrance oils.
The fragrances are listed as hypoallergenic, vegan, cruelty-free, and gluten-free. Made without phthalates, parabens, sulfates, formaldehyde, or UV inhibitors, and infused with sugarcane alcohol.
During pregnancy, try the lighter and more subtle Lotus Pear, a low-key fruity-floral fragrance. Or Amber Vanilla, a skin scent that’s everyday wearable.
The 7 Virtues
Bohemian Rêves
✔ Check with doctor if in doubt
Bohemian Rêves fragrances are free from all carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive toxins, and phthalates. The brand offers fragrances both in botanical perfume mist format made with organic sugar cane alcohol, and oil format, made with jojoba oil.
A wise choice for pregnant ladies is their Meadow botanical perfume, a soft floral gourmand which doesn’t overpower. This perfume was developed with a nod to slow rituals and moments of softness and beauty, with notes of bergamot, plumeria, orchid, vanilla, and soft musk.
Bohemian Rêves
Sacred Mist By Cosmoss
✔ Check with doctor if in doubt
For balance, restoration, and love, this Sacred Mist fragrance by the beautiful Kate Moss. The fragrance is said to boost the mood and help lift the spirits, so it could be just what you’re looking for during pregnancy. The FAQs of the website state the brand’s commitment to safety, but to check with your doctor or midwife if in doubt about the suitability of the fragrance.
Sacred Mist
L’eau de Belle Enfant by Belle Enfant
✔ Check with doctor if in doubt
L’eau de Belle Enfant is intended as a child’s fragrance (3+), but it’s so delicate. It’s paraben, phenoxyethanol, and colorant-free. I fell in love with this fragrance, it’s so evocative. Some parents spritz it around their baby’s nursery items to fragrance their baby’s arrival into the world. While the brand hasn’t confirmed its absolute safety during pregnancy, you can be reassured by its adherence with strict regulations set out by IFRA, which defines the safe use of fragrance ingredients in products, including those for use by children.
L’eau de Belle Enfant by Belle Enfant
Not A Perfume by Juliette Has A Gun
✔ Check with doctor if in doubt
Not a Perfume is a pared-back fragrance formulated with a synthetic fragrance component that has a good safety profile. It’s worth considering due to its clean and minimal composition. It’s completely allergen free, too.
Not A Perfume by Juliette Has A Gun
Nette
✔ Not confirmed safe for pregnancy — did not reply yet
With an extensive “no list”, Nette Eau de Parfum is carefully formulated to lift the mood, increase mindfulness, and aid relaxation. Try Coco Fleur to evoke a magical evening after a day by the sea – orange flower, ylang ylang, and creamy coconut milk sit inside a base of sandalwood with top notes of bergamot and pink pepper.
Nette
Anatomē Wellbeing Parfum
✔ Not confirmed safe for pregnancy — did not reply yet
Understanding the transformative power of scent, aromachologists Brendan Murdock and parfumer Anastasia present a collection of 6 wellbeing fragrances. Whether it is energy, support, or balance that you crave, you will find it within these natural botanical essences.
Try Support Wellbeing Parfum to increase your sense of security, which can be so hard to maintain during pregnancy. This fragrance contains watermint, peppermint, parsley, sage, rosemary, and vetiver for a green and grounding experience. Or go for Balance Eau de Parfum, a calming and anchoring scent with rose, bergamot and saffron. The fragrances are designed to be safe, and environmentally friendly.
Anatomē Wellbeing Parfum
Willow Organic
✔ Not confirmed safe for pregnancy — did not reply yet
Perfumes with intention is the description for Willow’s collection of mood enhancing fragrances designed to help us manifest our desired emotional and health states. The fragrances are non-toxic and made from pure aromatherapy essences.
My top picks for pregnancy include Reverie: Manifest Relaxation, with ho wood, lavender, chamomile, vetiver, and soft patchouli, and Peace: Manifest Calm & Grounding, which contains jasmine, cedarwood, bergamot, and sandalwood to comfort and aid tranquillity.
Willow Organic
Maison Louis Marie
✔ Not confirmed safe for pregnancy — did not reply yet
Inspired by the rich botanical history of her family, Marie creates fragrances that focus on illustrious scents imbued with unique floral fragrances. Expect clean beauty and non-toxic fragrances in both eau de parfum and perfume oil formats using both natural and synthetic ingredients, from this elegant brand. The fragrances contain no parabens or phthalates.
My pick for pregnancy fragrance is the delightful No.12 Bousval, with Italian bergamot, Valencia orange, and white ginger flower, inspired by enchanted warm summer evenings in Marie’s mother’s hometown. If you fancy a grounding scent, why not try No.02 Le Long Fond, which is said to bring about a meditative and soothing walk-in-the-forest effect.
Maison Louis Marie
Racyne
✔ Not confirmed safe for pregnancy — did not reply yet
Racyne fragrances encourage us to take a sensory pause to reconnect with ourselves and truly feel what is essential. With this in mind, the >95% natural fragrances that are formulated with health at the forefront.
Furthermore, the scents are free of harmful preservatives such as BHA, BHT, and parabens. They are phthalate-free and contain no chemical UV filters, colorants, and more. Organic wheat alcohol comprises the fragrance carrier. Racyne aims to go further than the European and IFRA stipulations by excluding certain ingredients and disclosing their formulas for greater transparency.
My picks include Garden Song, a spring infusion with glossy berries, melting geranium, and musk, and Verdeur, a soothing botanical perfume with angelica root, neroli, iris, violet leaves, and vetiver.
Racyne
CRA-YON
✔ Not confirmed safe for pregnancy — did not reply yet
Marketed as non-toxic perfumes, Swedish-French fragrance house CRA-YON makes fragrances that could be a good choice during pregnancy. There are fragrances for every occasion and mood, and if you’re looking for a mood booster in pregnancy you could try their soft citrusy Ami Amie, with sultry fruit and base notes of chocolate.
CRA-YON
Strange Invisible
✔ Not confirmed safe for pregnancy — did not reply yet
Completely natural, botanical fragrances created from biodynamic, wild-crafted, and certified organic plants with certified organic grape alcohol at the base of the fragrances. The unique selling point with Strange Invisible is their hydro-distillation of essential oils, which allows capture of the more delicate aroma molecules impossible to capture with steam distillation.
My recommendations for pregnancy are L’Invisible, a fragrance that reveres the scent of skin with citrus, rose, vanilla, and oakmoss, Aquarian Rose, a truly modern rose for all with airy green sillage, and Peloponnesian, capturing sea air with Hellenic citrus groves.
Strange Invisible
Vyrao
✔ Not confirmed safe for pregnancy — did not reply yet
Championing the neuroscents category is the sublime Vyrao. This brand helps us to shift our emotions with its natural fragrances. Almost all of the ingredients are natural and selected for their individual therapeutic benefits.
Try Mamajuju for deep-rootedness and emotional equilibrium in pregnancy, and I am Verdant for elevating your mood.
Vyrao
Final Thoughts on Natural Fragrances in Pregnancy
Did this post help you find some beautiful non-toxic perfume products to try? Let me know in the comments!
Did my love of synthetic fragrances return? Nope! After four babies, I’m afraid to say my sense of smell just isn’t what it was before I had children. It’s more mature, more refined, and less brashy. Which is exactly how I’ve become during the experience of motherhood too.
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Happy fragrancing and wishing you all the best for your pregnancy and new baby!
9 Comments
I love this idea for my pregnant friend! She loves lavender so this will be a perfect gift for her!
These sound so great! I love the Define Me perfumes, made with coconut oil! XO ~Anna http://www.pepperedinstyle.com
Thank you, Anna! I’ll check those out!
Wow, there are so many to choose from! I love ylang ylang also!
There are! It’s so nice isn’t it? So complex.
I’m expecting and was just wondering about perfumes a few days ago when I put a “traditional” perfume on for an event. Thanks for providing info about so many options! I’m excited to check them out.
Oh that’s fab news, congratulations! I’m glad you find my post helpful.
I’m not pregnant, but I’m definitely going to check these out! I don’t wear much perfume because I hate that most have so many questionable ingredients! Thanks for sharing these brands!
Thank you, Amber! I feel the same, I hate not knowing what’s in them!