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Why Natural Perfume?
Perfume and the world of perfumery is thousands of years old with its origin being rooted in the burning of incense. The first use of perfume can be traced back to Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and Cyprus where the first perfumes were blended with aromatics and rare raw materials such as resins, oils and fragrant herbs. Perfume usage and the art and craft of perfume-making has evolved over 5,000 years – with the decline of natural perfumes beginning in the 20th century as synthetics entered the market. Synthetics allowed both the perfumer and perfume-wearer increased accessibility to the world of perfume through the use of less expensive ingredients. As a result, since the early 1920s synthetics have dominated the perfume world with most mainstream perfumes being comprised of very few (if any) natural ingredients.
While certainly having a purpose and place in mainstream and indie perfumery, we believe that synthetics alone do not represent what scent and perfume should be – inimitable, luxurious and natural – an olfactory interpretation of an essence in its true form that elicits emotion, connects us to the natural world, and ties memories to the moments in our lives.
We believe perfume is an olfactive and experiential art for the senses, akin to music or visual arts. Different tastes point people toward an affinity for different genres and the same is true in perfumery. Our perfume genre is artisan natural perfumery with a perfumer’s palette comprised of all-natural botanical ingredients. Our approach is based on a commitment to creating thoughtfully handcrafted all-natural botanical perfumes and colognes in small batches that are beautifully opulent, multi-layered, unique, and never boring.
To learn more about natural perfume, check out our blog post: What is Natural Perfume?.
Our Small-Batch Artisanal Process
Perfume can't truly be experienced if treated as disposable, uninspired fast fashion. We believe perfume is an experiential art, both for the perfume wearer and the perfumer. Our approach is based on a commitment to creating authentic, handcrafted perfumes developed with 100% natural whole botanicals and naturally derived ingredients that are unique and never boring. At Wit & West there is no corporate structure or shareholders who tell us what our brand is or should be, no scent of the month gimmicks and no outsourcing of our perfume creation or fulfillment. All perfumes are designed, formulated, bottled and packaged in small batches completely in-house in our studio in Littleton, CO. Fragrance by Wit, Design by West.
Ingredients
Our perfumes are made with 100% natural botanicals and naturally derived ingredients (as defined by ISO9235 - Natural Aromatic Raw Materials Vocabulary). These ingredients include wildcrafted and organic essential oils, CO2 extracts, absolutes, natural isolates as well as custom handmade tinctures and enfleurage extraits carefully selected and sourced from raw materials including those from our very own garden. We do not use fragrance oils or any other ingredients that are not intended for safe use on skin / use in perfumery and we consult guidance and standards set for the safe use of fragrance ingredients as defined by the IFRA (International Fragrance Association). In addition to being 100% all-natural, our perfumes and colognes are vegan and cruelty-free, phthalate and paraben free. For additional information including frequently asked questions around ingredient related topics such as allergens please visit our FAQs page.
Sustainability
As a small-batch indie natural perfumery and as co-owners of Wit & West Perfumes, West and I are always looking at our business operations and practices including ways to improve upon them. We strive as much as possible to maintain that our small-batch process, ingredients, packaging and shipping processes have a focus on sustainability, minimalism and recyclable materials. In addition, we are committed to sustainability through partnerships and annual giving to nonprofit organizations that are dedicated to environmental causes and protecting our planet.