If you've started to take an interest in your hormonal health, there's one phrase you've almost certainly heard before any other: “Eliminate perfumes.” It doesn't matter if you're talking to a friend, reading a social media post, or starting to research endocrine disruptors. Perfumes always appear in the same place: on the black list, as one of the first ingredients to avoid.
And then something very logical happens. You start looking at labels with a magnifying glass. You read the INCI of your cosmetics and, when the word Parfum appears, all the alarms go off. Because nobody has explained the nuances to you, only a clear instruction: perfume = bad.
At that point, doubt is inevitable. And if you've made it this far, it's probably yours too: Why does Banbu, being a brand without endocrine disruptors, have products that contain “Parfum”? It's not an awkward question. It's an intelligent question. And if you haven't asked it yourself, someone else has asked you.
The usual practice in the industry is to respond with vague phrases, but here we believe that when we talk about health—and especially hormonal health—there is no room for half-truths. That's why we've decided to tell you everything.
2. What is perfume in cosmetics, really?
Perfume is not a single substance
Here appears the first major misunderstanding:
when we read Parfum in the INCI, we are not dealing with a single ingredient.
In reality, that term can encompass:
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Dozens (or even hundreds) of aromatic molecules
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Natural, synthetic, or combined substances
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Volatile and non-volatile components
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Molecules with an olfactory function and others with a technical function
All of that is reduced to a single word.
What is perfume used for in a cosmetic product?
Perfume fulfills several simultaneous functions, not just one:
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Sensory function
Smell directly influences the user experience. A product can be technically excellent, but if it smells bad or causes olfactory rejection, it simply won't be used consistently. -
Masking function
Many cosmetic ingredients—especially the most effective or natural ones—have intense or unpleasant odors. Perfume allows them to be neutralized without altering the product's effectiveness.
3. The INCI nomenclature and the great information gap about perfume
When a consumer reads the ingredient list of a cosmetic product, they usually assume that this information is complete. That if something appears there, it is explained. And if it doesn't appear, it's because it doesn't exist. With perfume, this perception does not correspond to reality.
The reason is the INCI nomenclature.
What is INCI nomenclature?
INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) is the official system that regulates how cosmetic ingredients must be declared on labels.
Why are all perfumes called “Parfum”?
In the case of perfume, the INCI groups the entire aromatic mixture under a single term: Parfum (or Fragrance).
This happens regardless of whether the perfume is: 100% natural, 100% synthetic, a combination of both, simple or extremely complex... The main reason is that perfume is considered a protected mixture.
The information gap and its consequences
This system generates three clear effects:
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Confusion: all perfumes seem the same
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Fear: “Parfum” is associated with risk without nuances
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Helplessness: the consumer cannot compare or choose wisely
The INCI fulfills its regulatory function, but leaves a huge gap in terms of real understanding of the perfume ingredient.
4. Natural perfumes: where they come from and what they really are
Natural perfumes are obtained from aromatic raw materials of plant origin. Historically, there were also raw materials of animal origin, but today they are practically discarded in cosmetics for ethical and regulatory reasons.
The main plant sources are:
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Flowers: rose, jasmine, neroli, ylang-ylang
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Leaves and aerial parts: lavender, mint, geranium
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Fruit peels: lemon, orange, bergamot
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Woods and roots: sandalwood, cedar, vetiver
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Resins and balsams: benzoin, frankincense, myrrh
Each of these raw materials provides a distinct aromatic profile and its own chemical composition.
Methods for obtaining natural perfumes
The way the aroma is extracted is key, because it directly conditions the final chemical composition of the perfume.
- Steam distillation (produces essential oils)
- Cold expression
- Supercritical CO₂ extraction
What is the chemical composition of a natural perfume?
Here is one of the most important—and least explained—points.
A natural perfume is a complex mixture of dozens or hundreds of molecules naturally present in the plant. Among them: Terpenes (limonene, pinene), Terpenic alcohols (linalool, geraniol), Esters, Natural aldehydes, Phenols
This complexity implies several technical consequences:
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Variability between batches
The composition changes depending on climate, soil, harvest, and extraction method. -
Lower stability
They are more sensitive to oxidation, light, and heat. -
Higher allergenic potential
Precisely because of their molecular richness, not because they are “artificial.”.
Understanding this is fundamental to addressing the next challenge of natural perfume: its fixation and duration, one of the main reasons why many brands resort to synthetic solutions.
5. Fixation in natural perfumery: the great technical challenge
One of the most common reproaches against natural perfumes is always the same: “they don't last at all”. And although it sounds like criticism, it actually describes a real physico-chemical limitation, not a formulation flaw or a lack of knowledge on the brand's part.
Why do natural perfumes last less?
Most natural aromatic components are very volatile molecules. This means that: They evaporate quickly, They are perceived intensely at the beginning, They disappear more quickly on the skin or hair
Are there natural fixatives?
Yes, they exist. But with clear limitations that are important to know.
The most commonly used natural fixatives in cosmetics are: Natural resins, Base note essential oils, Dense absolutes, Fatty vehicles...
Although they work, they don't perform miracles. Compared to synthetic fixatives, that's why when a brand promises 100% natural, ultra-long-lasting, and completely skin-neutral perfumes, something doesn't add up from a technical point of view.
6. Synthetic perfumes: where they come from and why they are used
Synthetic perfumes are obtained through controlled chemical synthesis processes, often from petrochemical derivatives or by creating molecules identical to those found in nature. Their use in cosmetics responds to very specific technical needs: they offer greater stability, reproducibility, and duration than many natural perfumes, as well as allowing for olfactory creativity impossible to achieve with plant-based raw materials alone.
That a molecule is synthetic does not mean that it is dangerous or an endocrine disruptor by definition; safety depends on the type of molecule, its concentration, and the scientific evaluations it has passed.
However, these synthetic perfumes often go hand in hand with synthetic fixatives. They are used in perfumery to reduce the volatility of the aroma and prolong its duration, but some of those used have raised concerns about their activity as endocrine disruptors. These include phthalates, such as diethyl phthalate (DEP), and some old synthetic musks, especially nitromusks and certain polycyclic musks, due to their persistence and bioaccumulation capacity. Currently, many of these substances are restricted, but they are still present under the word "Parfum". The risk does not lie in the presence of perfume itself (although some synthetic perfumes can also be hormonal disruptors per se), but in the type of fixative used.
For years, perfume has become one of the most demonized ingredients in cosmetics. Not because it is always problematic, but because it is a Pandora's Box where practically anything can be hidden.
Perfume is neither good nor bad by definition. What makes the difference is how it is formulated, with what substances, in what concentrations, and under what safety criteria. And that information, unfortunately, does not fit on an INCI label.
Therefore, at Banbu, we do not believe in simplified blacklists or discourses that eliminate ingredients without explaining why. We believe in the responsibility of formulating without endocrine disruptors, in complying with—and exceeding—current regulations, and above all, in telling you what is behind each decision.
The fact that a product contains Parfum does not mean it is compromising your hormonal health. It means there is an aromatic system formulated with good judgment, scientifically evaluated, and designed to ensure the product is safe, pleasant, and consistent with its intended use.
Because only with complete information can you choose freely.
And for us, that is also a form of care.
