If there's a type of product that I've found difficult to purchase cruelty-free it has been a good bottle of perfume. With many celebrity perfumes being owned and Procter and Gamble or Unilever, it's not easy to find something too spray myself with the morning.
I have, however, over the three years found a few gems. Not many, but enough that I'm building up a small collection of perfumes that I thought I'd share with you today. Some of these were bought prior to going vegan and are simply just cruelty-free. But as perfume is something that lasts the distance I still have them years on (along with some non-cf perfumes purchase prior to 2012, that I've not included...).
Something for the day
First off we have my Pacifica Perfumes collection. While I don't sing praises about all their products, their perfumes are to die for and I've made it my (somewhat financially irresponsible) mission to purchase them all. I still have all the perfumes mentioned in this post, but now have the addition of the Tahitian Gardenia spray. All the Pacifica Perfumes, as the name suggests, very summery and something you'd pack for a holiday in the sun. However, the Tahitian Gardenia has a slightly more heady scent to it, perfect for people who prefer something a bit more musky.
Also from Pacifica is their Persian Rose reed diffuser. This is the first reed diffuser I've ever bought (can I officially adult now?) so I'm not sure how it measures up against other brands. I really like the scent - it's rich and exotic - but the only part of my room you can smell it is my dressing table. I remember a previous flatmate had a reed diffuser in her room which you could smell the moment you walked in...
On the cheaper end of the scale - and something I bought on a whim - is the Flutter Perfume second in from the left. This is actually a Superdrug perfume I fond in their gift section and it said vegan so I thought why the hell not? The scent is light, clean and fresh - which is just up my street! It, however, was cheap and is cheap for a reason. The scent stayed on my skin only for about an hour!
On the cheaper end of the scale - and something I bought on a whim - is the Flutter Perfume second in from the left. This is actually a Superdrug perfume I fond in their gift section and it said vegan so I thought why the hell not? The scent is light, clean and fresh - which is just up my street! It, however, was cheap and is cheap for a reason. The scent stayed on my skin only for about an hour!
Something for night time
Regardless of how much I like summery scents, there's times when I'm in the market for something a bit more sophisticated. I had been aware of Eden Perfumes for a while, a company that re-creates famous scents using natural and vegan formulas. For my first ever purchase I decided to purchase their versions of Nina by Nina Ricci and Daisy by Marc Jacobs. The bottles are 30ml and I know they'll do me for a long time, and will be the option for when I want a sophisticated perfume for night-time.
Just cruelty-free
Also in the picture are a few scents that are cruelty-free but not strictly vegan. Firstly I have two Soap and Glory body sprays that I've received in gift sets over the years. Out of the scents mentioned, I probably reach for these two the least. They're just a bit too...teenagery for my tastes. Sometimes get spritzed on when I'm heading out for some simple errands. But not very often.
Finally, I have the scent that I would consider my 'signature scent' for the last few years. It's, a bit embarrassingly, Ravishing by Ann Summers and is no longer available. I bought it years ago at an Ann Summers party during my student days, which is a testament to how long it lasts. It was £30 however the light but sexy scent lasts all day. Whether the pheromones work is something we can leave up to debate, I can't say I've ever done any official experiments! (Though I did have an ex who liked the scent, but whether it was the pheromones or just the smell is still debatable).
