The best smelling natural perfumes to boost daily performance

I’ve been wearing natural perfumes for eight years and I’m not looking back. I've researched, sought and worn at least 50 natural scents to bring you these best scents, that also enhance my life through aromatherapy. According to the Australian Natural Therapists Association, aromatherapy is the ancient practice using aromatic plant oils for psychological and physical well-being. Just like how your body breaks down and absorbs the building blocks of food, so too can it absorb the building blocks of plant extracts through your skin and carry them in your bloodstream to where they are needed in the body. (More on this later.) I used to wear fashion designer perfumes from London, Paris and New York. Now I wear boutique small-batch 'wellness' perfumes from Brisbane, Sydney and Auckland. I sheepishly admit that I was keeping my favourite scents a secret because I wanted to be the unique blossom that I am! Now, I believe these natural perfumes are too good so I am ready to share the best natural perfumes and colognes I have found in Australia and New Zealand.

Why should I wear a natural perfumes instead of a synthetic perfumes, aren't they the same, just one is replicated in a lab?

But I hear you ask, 'Why should I wear a natural perfumes instead of a synthetic perfumes, aren't they the same, just one is replicated in a lab?' A single fragrance such as a rose is made of hundreds of aromatic chemicals and today modern chemistry has not perfected it with 100% accuracy. There is still much that chemists don't know about our complex natural world. Therefore, you can not receive the same aromatherapy from man-made reconstructed scents, not yet. It is like drinking diet coke, the synthetic sweetener may trick some of your bio-system like your tongue and brain to feel rewarded, but the cells in your body end up missing out on benefits. They may even receive unhealthy side effects.

Modern chemistry is amazing but it can take decades to know which newly invented compounds are making people sick. The common toxic ingredients used for decades in secret formulas (and still being used today) are man-made musks, phthalates and various allergens. Allergens impede your daily performance more immediately. The others build up in your body tissue and disrupt your endocrine system, including hormonal balance, that has a continuous job to do, like how you respond to stress. Your nervous system can also be disrupted. When your nerves are compromised you show symptoms such as poor responsiveness, anxiety or overreaction, as well as the opposite; apathy or numbness to stimuli. Your nerves are how you constantly receive signals from the world around you, and respond. Without healthy nerves you can not move your body, nor use your brain optimally, neither can you act, nor communicate, at your best. Synthetic phthalates, one of the unhealthiest ingredients, are mainly used to make fragrances last longer. Natural scents fade faster, but the convenience of fewer reapplications is a high price to pay for your health.

Modern scent chemistry is in its infancy with the first known lab scent created 150 years ago. This is a blink in comparison to the anciently coded human body that has spent eons improving itself, generation after generation. Along the way of man-made novelty and innovation, there are bound to be many triumphs but also mistakes. You are a miraculously complex biological system achieving homeostasis constantly, yet today your’ve absorbing a chemical cocktail of hundreds of man-made substances never encountered before in human history.

Wellness perfumes are transparent in their ingredients and naturally made from plants

Your signature scent can not hide unhealthy ingredients if they are publicly available. Also, remembering, it could take ten years or longer to find out that certain new synthetics are harmful to people. History will repeat itself. So wear new and novel scents at your own risk. In the perfume industry that has always been mysterious, all of the brands below are proudly transparent. One brand below that I adore, I have put 'on watch' as they relaunched their formulas last year to make them smell stronger and and last longer. Another favourite brand of mine, sums up my concerns, " In many modern formulas, molecules are not present as part of a whole botanical extract. They are isolated or recreated in a laboratory, added back in precise amounts to control scent, longevity and consistency. Once separated from their original plant matrix, they no longer behave the same way."

Scents are meant to be fun. We shouldn't be scared to express ourselves through olfactory senses. Our fifth sense is vital to quality of life and at the core of what it means to be human. The best place to start is seeking fragrances made from the amazing plant world that are not overly-processed by chemists, nor re-made from fossil fuel feedstocks.

Changing seasons and moods can inspire your personal scents

Personal scent is so unique, but I believe the natural perfumes I have chosen below as the best will have wide appeal, especially if you love to ‘mood match’ your daily scent as I do. What I love to smell, you may loathe, which is why you will find four dazzling natural perfumes below to consider for yourself. I match my scent to my mood, so I wear a different perfume any day, or any week and have many at hand in a cool, dark drawer (to keep them in top condition as they are based on mainly natural plant extracts).

I’m also drawn to different scent profiles in different seasons. Summer’s cloying humidity in my part of the world (Brisbane, East Coast Australia) has me wearing light, invigorating natural scents to lift me out of my sweaty daze. Winter, with its drier, crisper air, can really show off bigger scents and deeper notes, which in Summer overwhelm my senses and can even feel claustrophobic or ‘cloying’. I must admit I am not a ‘classic floral’ kind of girl, I’m more of a spicy oriental gal in winter. I love aromas that lean towards gourmand; sweet fruits, earthy chocolate, vanilla and spices. In Summer, I also love fresh, bright scents that would easily pass as dry unisex perfumes, and those are fun to layer with a touch of something sweet.

My go-tos are four lush natural perfumes from Downunder

Some of the natural perfume brands I tried in 2017, when I started wearing cleaner fragrances, are no longer around. Other brands that I feature here have stood the test of time, remained successful in an ever-fickler beauty consumer market, and retained devoted fans like me. Of the four fragrance houses that I found are the best, their popular scents remain, and new products are launched regularly, much to my delight.

My hot list are four natural perfumes that I regularly wear and adore. I have focused on three of these natural beauty companies with staying power (and a fourth honourable mention). Three are Australian and one is a New Zealander so this ‘best of list’ is a savvy collection of South Pacific creative beauty companies that can be shipped globally.

Here are the best smelling natural perfumes as road-tested by me:

Green Goddess by Perfect Potion

Perfect Potion was founded in Brisbane, Australia in 1991 by a master aromatherapist, Salvatore Battaglia, and specialises in aromatherapy and therapeutic essential oil blends, toiletries and teas. There are ten aromatherapy perfumes as well as single ingredient perfumes of jasmine, rose and neroli (orange) blossoms that were used traditionally in ancient cultures. Even today in the saturation of so many new man-made scents, these traditional flowers remain just as captivating.

Green Goddess is Perfect Potion’s number one seller, for good reason. I have been a devotee to this brand for over 20 years, before Green Goddess was launched, and I remember at the time thinking this is their most complex aroma-therapeutic perfume formula yet. This complexity makes it so well-rounded that no single essence dominates, making it intriguing and hard to pin down to something familiar. This mystery keeps you wanting to smell more.

“A divine blend of 23 essential oils, composed for our company’s 20th anniversary (in 2011).” - Perfect Potion website

The Green Goddess perfume is the freshest garden you will smell, teeming with roses, geraniums, lavender, citrus fruit, and superior garden herbs like roman chamomile and lemon balm. And not in an old-fashioned way. This natural scent is buoyant. Base notes include traditional perfumes like frankincense and sandalwood. Additionally, Green Goddess includes modern Australian essential oils: lemon scented ironbark and fragonia (native to Western Australia and commercially available for only the past two decades). The bonus of wearing Green Goddess natural perfume is one in five ingredients are sourced from organic farming practices, free of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers, making this a cleaner beauty product.

Green Goddess is sweet, whimsical and uplifting.

I use Green Goddess as a body spray under my clothes daily because it has medicinal aromatherapeutic benefits, such as balancing my hormones and emotions. Then if I’m socialising I wear another on my wrists for my mood or season, from the below ‘Best of’. Green goddess is my perennial perfume choice and it doesn’t linger all day like synthetic perfumes because that is how natural aromas are meant to function; any living thing’s vitality will fade too.

You can also buy Green Goddess in a natural deodorant, body wash, body lotion, and in a concentrated essential oil blend for your vaporiser ($25-$55AUD). In this way, Perfect Potion is a very transparent company, which is part of its charm. Perfect Potion is also committed to sustainable business practices. The packaging can be recycled. A small batch manufacturer. Ingredients are sustainably sourced and made in Australia, 100% vegan and cruelty-free certified. Drop into one of their Australian or Japanese stores to try Green Goddess natural perfume ($69.95AUD) or order online.

Harvest by Vanessa Megan

Vanessa Megan Skincare was founded in 2001 and makes natural perfumes and organic skincare called ‘naturaceuticals’ (natural nutraceuticals) by partnering with Sydney Dermal Institute. Vanessa Megan today has six divine natural perfumes that come in spritzers or creams which is a fantastic idea because perfume lingers longer on moisturised skin and so Vanessa Megan were clever to mix a moisturiser with their natural scents that you can also purchase ($40AUD for 50ml). The range is organic (swoon!), handmade in Australia, and alcohol free and vegan. The perfume packaging recently launched a new look.

“Our natural fragrances use essential oils to elevate the mood and balance emotions with only natural essential oils. From light, airy balancing fragrances to grounding restorative resinous scents, there is a perfume for every occasion.” - Vanessa Megan website

Harvest is my favourite of the Vanessa Megan natural perfume range with ‘mood-led scent design’. It is a deep perfume that demands attention and reminds me of comfort food and tea time in Autumn. I especially wear Harvest in winter on cold days as the scent profile feels so warming. Like how cinnamon scrolls and wood fires are much loved in the cold Nordic countries for their warming properties. The aromas are gourmand and heady.

Harvest smells like sweet Christmas spices in warm, baked treats but more elusive and sophisticated.

I first wrote about Harvest scent after experiencing their candle range. The spicy woods (sandal and balsam) and sweet muskiness of leafy patchouli make this a sophisticated and grown-up scent. “A breath of solstice, of ripe fruit and warm wind. The oils in Harvest have properties known to balance the nervous system, create intimate joy and build inner confidence and peace, naturally.” – Vanessa Megan website.

You can order scent samples online ($80-$100AUD for 6) or find Vanessa Megan natural perfumes ($110AUD toilette, $229AUD parfum-strength 50ml) at participating beauty salons around Australia.

Abel Fragrance

Abel was founded in Amsterdam in 2013 by New Zealander and former winemaker, Frances Shoemack, with a goal to create the world’s best natural perfume after she couldn't find any boutique perfumes in the natural category. Since 2020, Abel and Frances’ family have set up in Wellington, New Zealand, another world-class creative city with co-founders in Amsterdam and New York. Their packaging has evolved over the years as much as the scent range, and last year launched their most sustainable look yet. They are pioneers in doing fragrance better at every level.

Since their beginning, Abel proudly list ingredients under each natural scent, not just the allergens required by law. When I first discovered them I was amazed that natural fragrances could smell so sophisticated and compare easily with perfumes and colognes in the designer market for their complexity.

In a Forbes article late last year, when Abel relaunched and made their perfumes 37% stronger than before, "[Consumers demand all-day longevity.] Shoemack [the founder] believed advances in biotech, upcycled molecules, and natural isolates made all-day wear achievable." I would rather ABEL re-train consumers that long lasting perfumes in the past were making you sick so just re-apply natural perfumes twice as often. The perfumes of the future like ABEL are still creating high concentrations of 'lab-made natural isolates' not found in nature on their own. Abel didn't change their perfume called Nurture, designed for expecting mothers and mothers. Abel are using words like upcycled passionfruit or biotech musk. They are pioneering and for this reason I support them but also feel some risk. Abel and I have differing views of what a synthetic fragrance is. They say it is only when made from fossil fuels. I would say their lab-made ingredients isolated and/or fermented from plants sugars (probably beets) are still highly synthesised. In the past, it is in the isolation and also huge doses of fragrance chemicals compared to what is available in nature, that some turned out to cause health concerns. However, I want to trust Abel's mission to make better perfumes,

“Merging the artistry of master perfumers and the science of cutting-edge biotechnology… Each scent is truly unique and impossible to replicate. Our bold vision to formulate distinctive, contemporary scents using only 100% natural ingredients is a blueprint for the future of fragrance. Always intentional. Always transparent. Always evolving.”

Here are two of Abel’s natural perfumes you need to try and my ‘go-to’s for many occasions.

Cyan Nori by Abel

My top scent is Cyan Nori, an uplifting and fresh fragrance for my sub-tropical coastal lifestyle. With a base of salty, umami seaweed, a musk heart note and topped off with tangerine citrus and white peach fruit. I love to wear it for evening socials.

Cyan Nori is edgy, bold and feminine like a ‘rock chick’.

Laundry Day by Abel

The most recently released, Laundry Day is my newest favourite. Fresh and modern enough that I find it hard to describe in words. Not like classic laundry scents of musk nor linen. Neither that classic freshly showered ‘white linen’ scent. With an earthy vetiver base, citrus skin heart and orange blossom and cut grass top. Perhaps, the lineation with the name is how the sunniest of days are the best laundry days.

Laundry day is like a summer’s day, full of optimism, floaty and zingy.

You can find Cyan Nori and Laundry Day and 8 more high-tech 100% natural (phthalate-free) perfumes at ABEL as well as their stockists ($330AUD). These two recommendations come in a mini ‘fresh’ gift set with a third scent, Green Cedar, of 6ml each ($150 AUD for 18ml) and you can redeem $50-$55AUD on a larger 50ml bottle. You can also mix and match any of the 10+ selection into a ‘discovery trio’ also $150AUD and part-redeemable. The premium cost of this range also includes their cutting edge sustainable packaging that was launched in late 2025. I am impressed by Abel's commitment to best production practice in this luxury market category.

HONOURABLE MENTION: One Seed

One Seed closed its store mid-2025 and now offers limited release twice a year of a pared back selection. One Seed has been making natural perfumes since 2009. They had seven perfumes at that time. They also design a signature scent. You could find One Seed perfumes at over 100 stockists in Australia and 11 stockists in New Zealand. Then in August 2025, the founder sent a heartfelt open letter and closed within weeks. I still want to honour the company here. I have my own final bottles left, like an archive to use sparingly, until all are empty. Don’t feel bad; twice a year, you can access their limited releases of four of their top-selling perfumes. Next release is October 2026.

One Seed prides itself on, “nothing hiding behind the label. No chemicals or nasties. Just beautiful nurturing products made with 100% pure botanical ingredients… To help you create a more conscious way of life without compromising your health in the name of beauty. Using all-natural ingredients with at least 80% organic content, our perfumes are gentle on both the skin and the environment.”

Here are four One Seed natural perfumes I love in different seasons:

Dreamer by One Seed

The standout favourite that I connected with and wear regularly, especially in warmer months, is Dreamer. It has beautiful stone fruit aromas (but not like artificial peach candy) as well as a medley of cheerful citrus peels. Dreamer is a sweet and light gourmand scent, perfect to wear in my sub-tropical home and not feel weighed down in the humidity. Wearing Dreamer will always lift your spirit.

Tides by One Seed

I also adore Tides, a newer unisex release by One Seed. A modern take on oceanic, freshness like the original CK One perfume, which in the mid-1990s was revolutionary in resetting gender expectations. One Seed’s Tides scent is fantastic for hotter weather in Summer and Spring. I layer other scents to add sweetness to this crisp scent.

Solitude by One Seed

For my winter scent palette, I choose Solitude, One Seed’s other unisex perfume, reminiscent of a smoky fireplace with sweet overtures. Solitude is no longer available.

Hope by One Seed

My second winter choice is Hope: a big floral, super-feminine and uniquely modern. Many of One Seed’s perfumes are classically sweet that for me are too big for the humid weather but that I enjoy in the other season: Australia’s dry and cold season. Hope is no longer available.

The Dry Down

As a passionate natural perfume advocate, the lesson I take from One Seed’s closure after 15+ years and raving fans is don’t take your darlings for granted, support the companies that align with your beauty needs, have sustainable practices, and make exquisite cleaner perfumes made by empowered creators whose unique creations are both fit-for-purpose and for pleasure.

You can also read my recommendations on the best smelling naturally-scented candles (which are rare to find amongst the scores of conventional candle brands) so I made the hunt to smell better a little easier with Six of the best therapeutic candles to boost performance at work, in bed and at play.

(This is an independent product review without sponsorship. The title image is provided by the website host. All other images are from brands websites.)