Our fragrance selection chart
Fragrance at Oh My Cream?
Fragrance has never really been an obvious choice. But with customer demand growing steadily, and the emergence of niche fragrance brands consistent with our selection, it was time for us to take the plunge. We couldn't be completely present in your bathroom without offering you this selection of fragrances. But not just any perfume: modern, desirable fragrances, with designer packaging and noble formulations, capable of boosting our mood in just two or three spritzes.
How are our fragrances selected?
With the same rigour we apply to all our other skincare products. As perfume is a cosmetic product, we naturally apply the same selection criteria as our clean beauty offering.
The ultimate condition for joining our shelves? Oh My Cream's little “twist”: we needed innovative, creative brands that would dust off the world of perfume, demystify its jargon, and put emotions and the joy of smelling good back at the heart of the experience.
It took us no less than a year to find the 2.0 fragrance brands that formulate differently. Where “clean” is becoming the norm in cosmetics, it's not quite the case in perfumery.
Ingredients, eco-responsibility and quality
Because not all fragrances are created equal, here are our main criteria for offering you the crème de la crème of fragrances:
- A safe formula: Just like with the skincare products we carry, we meticulously scrutinize the ingredient lists of the perfumes in our selection.
In a perfume, you’ll find:
- Denatured alcohol: It acts as a base for the fragrance, allowing all ingredients to be diluted. Its presence enables aromatic notes to blend without altering their scent. Its use poses no safety concerns. A few perfumes are formulated with an alternative water base, but they tend to have less staying power on the skin and often have a slightly milky texture that may foam. This is one reason why we’ve sourced Versatile Paris, a brand offering oil-based roll-on perfumes suitable for even the most sensitive skin.
- Fragrance: This makes up between 3% (in colognes) and 40% (in perfume extracts). Fragrance molecules are highly regulated, and fortunately, many of those that raised concerns were banned between 2021 and 2023. These raw materials are regulated by IFRA, the International Fragrance Association, the official global body representing the fragrance industry. Its main goal is to ensure the safety of fragrance raw materials for health and the environment through a dedicated scientific program.
On June 30, 2023, the 51st Amendment to the IFRA standards was published. This change requires all cosmetic and perfume companies to review and potentially modify their cosmetic dossiers and formulas accordingly. This new edition affected over 50 concentrates used by perfumers. Since IFRA is more responsive and faster than European Cosmetic Regulations, we ask our partner brands to already comply with this amendment (even though they have a longer deadline) and to have the IFRA51 certification.
- UV Filters: These are sometimes necessary to protect the fragrance from UV rays, ensuring good stability. Here too, we apply our clean beauty selection standards, excluding ingredients such as homosalate and benzophenone.
- Preservatives: These are quite rare due to the alcohol base of perfumes, but they can occasionally be found. Once again, you can rest easy knowing that we challenge brands on the preservative system used and its percentage. Just like with our skincare, we blacklist parabens, BHA, BHT, MIT…
- Colorants: We'd prefer to avoid them, as we love formulas without "extras." So far, we’ve succeeded—brands like Racyne, Fascent and Versatile Paris don’t contain any. However, we don't blacklist them entirely because a fragrance’s natural color sometimes needs a little "twist."
Lastly, as with our skincare formulas, we haven't opted for an all-natural approach for our perfumes. The simple reason is that this would have greatly limited our selection without necessarily guaranteeing better safety or tolerance.
The formulas we’ve chosen are a skillful blend of synthetic ingredients and natural extracts, ensuring the most beautiful, refined, and nuanced olfactory signatures.
It has a much more subtle fragrance than perfume, but its scent doesn’t last as long on the skin. It tends to evaporate quickly and often has a lighter staying power.
It remains subtle and can last between 3 to 5 hours on the skin. It's often appreciated by those who want to wear a light fragrance, for example, just for an evening out.
It lasts on average up to 6 hours and is a great compromise for those looking for a fragrance that is less concentrated than perfume but long-lasting.
Much like a musical composition, they make up the olfactory signature of a fragrance. They are categorized as:
These are the scents you smell immediately upon spraying and give the first impression of a perfume. They are the most volatile and are often composed of citrus or aromatic herbs.
These are more voluptuous and reflect the true personality of a perfume. They appear after several minutes and are often floral, fruity, or even spicy.
These are the scents that linger on your clothes or skin and are the last to be smelled. They give longevity to the perfume and are often woody, animalic, or gourmand.
It should be sprayed with subtlety and can last several hours on the skin without fading, with a strong and assertive scent.
This refers to the structure of the perfume, made up of top, heart, and base notes. Indeed, not all fragrance ingredients carry the same weight or persistence, depending on the tone intended for the perfume.
