Going Beyond Natural vs. Synthetic: Tell No Lies…
Not to put a damper on my previous ingredient worship, but let’s be honest, the larger discussion surrounding fragrance materials has gotten slightly out of hand. A few brands and publications have been severely guilty of disseminating some pretty disturbing misinformation about raw materials, sometimes scrubbing important aspects of fragrance history and safety in their pursuit of glorifying the material. This confusion, coupled with the general lack of transparency practiced within the industry regarding production and sourcing methods, is having devastating results on the craft I love. It’s time to say enough is enough.
At Charenton Macerations, we take issues of fragrance education and sustainability very seriously. We believe that as an industry, we can and must do better on these important subjects. This includes the very real environmental concerns concerning our materials. The current state of our planet is alarming and needs to be addressed in the here and now. However, doing so requires pragmatic thinking from all of us, makers and wearers alike. Rational minds need to prevail so true progress might be achieved. Snap judgments and knee-jerk reactions to proposed material regulations are helping no one, especially our beloved Mother Earth. We need a more united, well reasoned approach to this topic if we ever hope to move forward. Time is unfortunately running out.
We Are All Responsible
Recognize that, whether “all natural” or not, fragrance manufacturers are equally responsible for pulling and putting things out of the environment. We cut down trees, we rip up flowers… hell, we even scoop up whale spew. All of our work, supported by synthetics or not, is having a clear impact on our planet. The more creations we make, the more perfumes we produce, the higher that impact becomes. That is precisely why preaching “all natural” is not really a valid solution to the problem. Going “all natural” does not address consumption levels or the means of production that are effecting global ecosystems. It is a distraction from the root problem it claims to address. This by no means should be read as me trying to downplay real safety concerns regarding certain ingredients, natural or not. There is work to be done there as well. My intent here is simply to try and untangle one thorny issue from the other in order to expose our lack of progress in addressing either effectively. There is no easy answer to this problem.
Sophistry is killing us. What is currently being pitched as “environmentally friendly” and “safe fragrance” is tragically leading to some severely irresponsible and unsafe fragrance habits. Certain brands are either turning a blind eye, or simply do not understand the consequences of preaching mythology as fact. I cannot express enough how much this upsets me. Personally, I refuse to be complicit in spreading such reckless misinformation. When I hear “All natural is better… better for you… better for the environment…” I cannot help but cringe. Based on what twisted research is all-natural empirically better? Since when does origin automatically equal safe and environmentally friendly?
Preying on ignorance (in this case scientific ignorance) just to drive sales, regardless of the long-term, real world consequences, is shameful. This Gordon Gekko-esque, we create the disease just to sell the cure, sales tactic can no longer be tolerated in our industry. I’m all for fragrance myth building, but I draw the line at inciting panic and hysteria while watching Rome burn. The consequences – namely the loss of trust with consumers and the actual effects of allowing overproduction and negligence to go unchecked – are potentially irreparable. Again, it is time for us to say that enough is enough. This requires more honesty in fragrance discourse by all of us.
Look. Eugenics has never been a good philosophy to practice, and you have to admit, “nothing but naturals” basically boils down to yet another iteration of eugenics (purer=better). I don’t want to paint “all natural perfumery” with a broad brush, but certain all-natural rhetoric needs to be better policed, especially when it encourages rampant miseducation.We creators need to be thinking smarter, not just purer, if we have any hope of addressing issues of sustainability in perfumery effectively.
Getting Real On Safety
Natural does not now, nor never will, automatically equal better or safer. That line of copy does not absolve all sin. It is time to stop terrifying people with these unsupported ingredient horror stories while making no real changes in production and waste management. Enough of this synthetic scaremongering just to drive up short-term bottom lines. This deception helps no one. Vanillin will always be just as harmless extracted from a plant as it is when made in a laboratory. How it got to be vanillin in isolation… the means of production… now that is where the focus really needs to be when addressing environmental concerns.
Breeding unsubstantiated distrust in our materials is only preventing us from having a more meaningful and much-needed conversation about the real impact perfume production is having on the world we live in. Sourcing, processing, variations… these things all matter. They all have sustainability concerns we need to investigate. If we cannot acknowledge this simple fact… if we continue to challenge fact with myth… how do we ever hope to find actionable solutions? To have a sustainable future, we must let go of our overly-romanticized fascination with the past, and accept that science is here to help not harm. Let perfumery, not purity (or moral superiority), be your guiding light forward. Remember, we are all in this together.
More Decoding Fragrance Posts You Might Like
De-Classifying Fragrance Ingredients | Part One
De-Classifying Fragrance Families
The Rules of Olfaction
5 Faces of Fragrance
What’s a Fragrance Brief?
Fragrance From The Top
