What does parfum actually mean?
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The short version: "parfum" is a single legal word that can stand in for an entire undisclosed fragrance blend — dozens or even hundreds of components, natural or synthetic, none of them named. Here's what it really means, and how to read any label with confidence.
Turn over almost any bottle of skincare, deodorant or shampoo, scroll to the end of the ingredients, and you'll usually find a single word doing an enormous amount of work: parfum (sometimes written fragrance). It looks like one ingredient among many. It isn't.
What can it legally contain?
More than most people expect. Because it's a catch-all, the same four letters can sit in front of very different realities.
A fragrance blend can be built from tens or hundreds of separate aroma chemicals, all folded into one word.
"Parfum" can be pure essential oils, lab-made aroma chemicals, or any mix — and the label won't tell you which.
Carriers and stabilisers that make a scent last are tucked in too, none of them declared by name.
A blend can be reformulated or its supplier swapped, and the word "parfum" on the pack never changes.
It's allowed because fragrance houses treat their recipes as trade secrets, and the law lets them keep the formula behind that one word. Convenient for the industry — considerably less so for the person actually wearing it.
The difference, on the label
How to read any label
- Find the fragrance word. Scan to the end for "parfum" or "fragrance" — that's where scent hides on most products.
- Look for named oils instead. Ingredients like Lavandula Angustifolia Oil tell you exactly which plant you're smelling.
- Check for the *allergens. Known fragrance allergens (linalool, limonene and others) must be declared once above a threshold — often marked with an asterisk. Honest labels list them; "parfum" glosses over them.
What it means for you
We never use the word "parfum" — because we've nothing to put behind it. Every scent in our range is pure essential oils, each one named on the label, so what you smell is the plant and you can read exactly what it is. It matters more, not less, the more delicate the skin: younger and reactive skin is more permeable, so being able to see the full picture is the whole point. There's more on our approach in Why we name every oil.
Frequently asked
Is "parfum" bad for you?
Not inherently — it's a labelling term, not a single ingredient, and it's used safely across the industry. The issue isn't danger, it's transparency: "parfum" tells you very little about what's creating the scent. We prefer to give you the full picture so you can decide for yourself.
Are essential oils better than synthetic fragrance?
They're more transparent, which is what we care about most. Essential oils are the natural scent of plant ingredients already at work on the skin, and because we name each one, you always know exactly what's on your skin — including any naturally-occurring allergens.
How do I know if I'm sensitive to something in the scent?
Because every oil and its declared allergens are named on the label, you can check before you buy — and we'd always suggest a small patch test with any new product if your skin is easily upset.