Finding your favorite beauty selections is a difficult task for anyone looking to improve their self care routine, but for those with allergies or sensitive skin, the task may prove itself impossible. The plus side is that makeup and skincare companies are working hard to formulate new products to accommodate those with even the most sensitive skin.
This kind of care means that great brands and cult favorites don’t need to be inaccessible to you just because you’ve got finicky skin! And even if you have a normal skin type, you’ll have nothing to lose and everything to gain by opting for a milder formula.
But don’t stop at picking out your new cosmetic holy grails! Did you know that there are a ton of perfume brands making the switch to hypoallergenic formulas?
You definitely don’t have to sacrifice the sanctity of your complexion for the sake of smelling great – and we’re here to celebrate that by breaking down our top picks for the best hypoallergenic perfumes.
So what are the best hypoallergenic perfumes? Of course, the most important thing is the formula. When it comes to sensitive skin, an array of people may have different aggressors – looking through the ingredients of your perfume to find the mildest formula possible may be important to keep in mind.
Finding a scent that you like is important regardless of your skin type, and thankfully, your choice in smell isn’t limited when looking for a hypoallergenic formula.
And while it’s likely that your new sensitive-skin-safe fragrance is clean and organic, if you’re looking for a true environmentally friendly formula, ensuring that your perfume is clearly labeled as organic is a must.
Phew! We know, it may seem like a lot to keep in mind when picking out a fragrance, but these are the type of things that draw the line between an “alright” hypoallergenic perfume, and the best hypoallergenic perfumes. Read on while we list our top picks, we swear you’ll have at least one in your Amazon cart by the end of the article!
How To Pick The Best Fragrance
Clean Formula
- Let’s keep it clean, folks! Whenever your skin (or your nose!) has a sensitivity to something, it’s probably because there’s a chemical, or mixture of chemicals, that’s causing some irritation. Keeping the ingredient list short reduces the chances of any unwanted reactions, and it also reduces your exposure to things like synthetic vapors or emissions that are no good for your lungs, or the environment.
A Scent You Love
- This may seem like a no-brainer, but there’s a lot more to keep in mind than simply picking your favorite scent. If you’re a perfume enthusiast, you may know how important the roles of your skin’s natural pH balance, temperature, and hormones are when it comes to how your perfume will personally wear on your skin.
- Have naturally warm skin? You may want to go for a lighter floral or citrus based perfume. A deeper, muskier scent may heat up too much with your body temperature and can end up smelling too overwhelming.
- On the flip side, those with normal or cooler tone skin temps can wear a richer smell that stays truer to how it smells from the bottle.
Certified Organic
- The USDA, EWG, and Leaping Bunny can certify perfume brands and products so you can know which one meets your environmental concerns and needs.
- The USDA can certify perfumes that contain no synthetic fragrances, dyes, chemicals, and are instead made from all natural, organic products- making them non-toxic and perfect for sensitive skin.
- EWG certification also lets you know that the product is free from synthetic ingredients, specifically those that are notes to cause unwanted side affects later in life. From infertility to even just allergies, constant exposure to certain chemicals can cause some problems you shouldn’t have to worry about.
- Leaping Bunny certification gives you the peace of mind that your product was never tested on animals, nor is it distributed in nations that require brands to undergo animal testing to sell in store.
The Best Hypoallergenic Perfumes
| Rank | Perfume | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Clean Classic | Layerable, all-natural, light |
| 2. | Vanilla Sky by Skylar | Sweet scented, vegan, recyclable bottle |
| 3. | Driftwood by Wild Spirit | Airy, cruelty-free, female-owned brand |
| 4. | Pacifica Beauty Tahitian Gardenia | Vegan, long-lasting, clean formula |
| 5. | PEARL by The Sage | Musky, vegan, sustainable |
| 6. | So Serene | Unisex, organic, recylable |
| 7. | Shamarwyn Perfume Oil | Essential oil based, rich scent, lasting |
| 8. | Ambraliquida by L'Erbolario | Unisex, heavy metal allergen safe, cruelty-free |
| 9. | Solid Jasmine Perfume | Solid bar, compact, natural |
| 10. | AMAALI Perfume Oil | Alcohol free, long lasting, sexy |
| 11. | Herban Cowboy | Vegan and cruelty free, citrusy, strong scent |
1. Clean Classic
Looking to give off a crisp, and cool aroma? The brand Clean has made 14 scents for those who long to smell, well, clean.
We’ve linked their Classic scent, but you’ll be able to find their other scents like “Fresh Linen” and “Rain” on the same page.
While these scents may sound dainty, Clean reassures you that the scent will list from first spray to the end of the day.
This brand formulates its scents to be free of parabens, sulfates, artificial dyes, and other common allergens.
Each formula is cruelty-free and vegan, as well as derived from naturally found ingredients, making it a great pick for those who are eco-conscious and trying to reduce their carbon footprint!
Their classic scent has top notes of green apple, middle notes of cotton, and base notes of peach skin, leaving you smelling light, fresh, and downright delectable.
2. Vanilla Sky by Skyler
Don’t feel like your limited to light, floral scents just because you’re limited to hypoallergenic perfumes.
The Vanilla Sky scent is just one of 11 fragrances offered by the brand Skyler – a company that tests all of its perfumes in 3rd party labs to ensure the safety of customers with allergies and sensitive skin.
Their scents are nature based, but invoke different moods depending on the ambiance of your occasion.
Looking to cozy up at dinner? Or maybe you’re getting ready for a date at the library? Achieve that warm, sultry, feel with Vanilla Sky and its top notes of cappuccino, middle notes of vanilla and cinnamon, and base notes of sandalwood.
This perfume is cruelty-free and vegan, earning it a leaping bunny certification. It’s free of the 36 top allergens found in fragrance, and artificial chemicals and other ingredients.
3. Driftwood by Wild Spirit
If you’re looking to support an independent company that’s founded on incredible standards, you may want to turn your attention to Wild Spirit, a brand with a mission: make high quality fragrances accessible to anyone.
Wild Spirit has made a line of perfumes that are held to their (very high) standard of “clean.”
This brand believes that what you put on your body is of equal importance to what you put in it, so their perfumes are all made with non-toxic, clean ingredients.
It also means that they’re free of parabens, sulfates, dyes, and synthetic oils, as well as cruelty-free and vegan.
Because their perfumes are formulated from naturally derived essential oils, the lasting power of their scents is insane in the best way possible. They have a range of choices when it comes to fragrances, making it a great pick for someone who’s just starting out on their perfume journey, and wanting to safely try out different scent profiles until they find their perfect fit.
4. Pacifica Beauty Tahitian Gardenia
When it comes to sustainability, no one does it quite like Pacifica Beauty. You’ve probably heard of this brand before, but if you haven’t yet tried out a product, you won’t be disappointed if you choose their perfumes as your first!
Pacifica is a brand built on being good – for the planet, for the animals, and of course, for you!
Their ingredients are non-toxic, naturally derived, and 100% vegan and cruelty free. Because they’re held to such a clean standard, Pacifica claims their products to be skin beneficial.
Since the products are founded from clean ingredients, this may not be a great pick for those looking for a very rich and deep scent. Even their vanilla scented perfumes are notable for their “fresh” undertones – rather than a deeply sweet smell.
As for the formula, you won’t be able to find an ingredient you can’t pronounce. This perfume is made of alcohol denat (a best grain alcohol, making it easier on your skin), fragrance (typically naturally derived essential oils), and water.
5. PEARL by The Sage
Looking for something a little more elegant? Look no further than PEARL. This perfume, while delicate, has tantalizing notes that make it great for someone looking to smell in charge.
With basenotes of sandalwood and musk, accented with a light vanilla and slight mossy undertones, The Sage says this is representative of the innocence and spirituality of pearls.
This perfume is handcrafted by the highest quality essential oils, as well as as many raw natural products the company can find.
With that much love being put into the formula, it’s no surprise that this perfume in particular took more than a decade to be perfected – The Sage says they were waiting for the perfect ingredients, and for the perfect moment to showcase their masterpiece to the world.
6. So Serene
A perfume that’ll have both men and women turning their heads? Yes please! So Serene by Scent Organix is light, fresh, and entirely derived from natural ingredients.
Because of its light formula, this scent is easily buildable, making it perfect for anybody – regardless of gender, skin temperature, pH balance, or hormone fluctuation.
For those worried about alcohol in their perfumes, you’ll be pleased to hear that the alcohol in this formula is actually derived from sugarcane, making it gentler on sensitive skin.
Their perfumes are free of sulfates, parabens, synthetic dyes and scents, and are vegan and cruelty free as well. Another plus? The company encourages you to reuse the glass bottles after you’re all done with the scents, making them entirely recyclable.
The top notes of this scent citrus, mandarins, and violet, the middle notes of wild freesia, and the base notes of green tea and lime. Smell serene and tranquil all day long, leaving everyone in your trail feeling a little more peaceful when you walk past!
7. Shamarwyn
Maybe you’re in the mood for something a little more rich. If that’s the case, finding an oil based perfume will satisfy that craving! The proof is in the history books- some of the first noted cases of people using “perfumes” was the rubbing of plant oils on the skin.
This essential oil blend of rose and other florals by Shamarwyn is a great, gentle way, to smell bouquet-fresh all day long.
This oil based perfume comes in a rollerball, because a little goes a long way, and is formulated with all plant based ingredients. It’s vegan, paraben and phthalate free, and you’d be hard pressed to find mineral oils in this formula too.
The brand knows how powerful this perfume is, and suggests that users only use a minute amount on the pulse points of the skin. Another great plus about this choice is that their formula does adjust based on the heat of your skin and pH levels, accentuating your natural pheromones- that means this perfume won’t smell the same on any two people!
8. Ambraliquida by L’Erbolario
All allergies and sensitivities are hard, but those with allergies to metal know how limited the beauty world may feel.
Not only do you have to worried about the jewelry you pick out, but you also have to be concerned about your choice in perfume- as so many formulas these days contain metal (yikes).
Thankfully, you may be able to kiss those days of concern goodbye if you give Ambraliquida by L’Erbolario a place on your bathroom counter.
This formula uses extremely limited amounts of the 7 most common metal allergens found in perfume (nickel, lead, chromium, mercury, etc.), effectively minimizing the chances of any potential allergy attacks.
This is a unisex fragrance, with warm amber scents being the constant note from spray to dry-down.
9. Solid Jasmine Perfume
You’ve heard of shampoo bars and lotion bars, but what about perfume bars? We know, it sounds a little offbeat, but that doesn’t mean that the Solid Jasmine Perfume Bar by Flowerland is any less effective than a conventional spray!
This bar is all natural and vegan, formulated with vegetable oil, organic waxes, and the delicious scent of jasmine. This bar is also cruelty-free, and made in Holland.
Because of its waxy state, the company suggests rubbing your finger over the product to emulsify it before you rub it onto the pulse points on your body.
Because the main ingredient of this bar is wax, we think it would be a great pick for those with super dry skin- as the fragrance isn’t sitting in a drying, stripping, liquid like alcohol.
10. AMAALI Perfume Oil
We would buy this perfume for the bottle alone, but what would keep us buying it again and again is the incredible care put into the formula!
This is an oil based perfume, and while the bottle may have you thinking it’s for women, the company says this scent is to be marketed as unisex!
This perfume oil will smell different on everybody, because it enhances your natural pheromones- making you smell your sexiest with just a spritz! As for the notes, you’ll be able to find sandalwood, jasmine, as well as a woody base note, making this scent perfect for day or night.
The brand also says this scent smells great when warmed up, so it may be the perfect fit for those with naturally warmer skin, or for those living in hotter climates!
11. Herban Cowboy
Looking for something eco-friendly and cruelty-free on a budget? This perfume has been showcased in a ton of magazines for it’s incredible formula and smell, and instead of raising the prices with demand, this perfume is still under $30.
It comes in two scents: Blossom (which is linked) and Love.
Both formulas are professionally formulated to be gentle on skin, as well as scented by naturally derived plant-based essential oils.
Herban Cowboy doesn’t play around, and believes that there’s no reason why sustainability and good fragrances need to be independent from one another.
Their scent Blossom has notes of grapefruit and orange, while Love has notes of bergamot and cedarwood.
Up Next: Best Shampoos For Long Hair
