If you haven’t explored the many wonders of solid perfumes, let us convince you of why they are so great. First the packaging is frequently eco-friendly and recyclable. It also doesn’t require tiny plastic spray pumps that most liquid perfumes require –meaning less plastic waste. Additionally, solid perfumes are great on-the-go: you won’t have to worry about glass breaking or bottles leaking. They are also usually less expensive than your regular perfume, and are not as drying as alcohol-based fragrance. Since they are blended with moisturizing ingredients like beeswax and oils, your skin will be smooth and glowing on top of smelling great. To avoid the risk of sounding too much like an infomercial, let’s just say that we are obsessed with solid perfumes! Below are some of our favorites divided into scent categories: floral, gourmand, fresh spicy and earthy.
Scent Categories
Floral Solid Perfumes
Florals are a classic, especially for spring and summer when fragrant blooms are all around us. Floral scents can be both feminine and sophisticated, and can range from simple, single-notes, like Natural Wisdom Spa’s Organic Solid Jasmine Perfume, or include more complex blends, like Illuminated Perfume Vespertina, which consists of orange blossom, rose petals, jasmine, and frankincense. Both options are organic, all-natural, and made by hand in small batches.
Gourmand Solid Perfumes
Who doesn’t want to smell like a pastry fresh out of the oven? Though gourmand fragrances can be difficult to navigate (as some over-the-top levels of sweet can come across as overpowering), these two shops have mastered that fine line. Antheia By Jasmin Vanilla pipe tobacco is a shea butter based solid that includes notes of vanilla with a sharp edge of tobacco. This makes for a grown-up version of that vanilla cupcake body spray we all had in middle school.
Cookie + Dos describe their Strawberry Champagne Solid Perfume as “candy-like scent of strawberries soaked in champagne backed by a subtle whiff of warm, dark sandalwood,” making for a delicious yet sensual combination.
Fresh
Another classic for summer, bright, fresh scents are fantastic for when you want that fresh-out-of-the-shower aroma to linger all day. Earth Sparked Dreamer Ginger citrus combines bright ginger with notes of citrus and thyme. These are blended together in a biodegradable, recyclable push-up tube for quick application.
With a nourishing base of almond oil, Karmic Garden Beach Wood is a blend of vetiver, salt air and driftwood— like a windy day at the beach.
Spicy Solid Perfumes
If heavier, more sensual scents are more your thing, opt for a spicy blend. Small-batch solid perfumes are a great alternative to the more complex, sophisticated, designer perfumes. Turquoise Hen Co has a line of literature-based solid perfumes, including Don Quixote, a unisex fragrance described as “a delightful fragrance of Cinnamon, Clove, and Frankincense that allows the reader to travel back to days of knights and feudalism.”
Pearls Cosmetics Noire Belle is a super sensual blend that includes mandarin and white florals; with a warm heart of spicy pepper, frankincense and tobacco.
Earthy
While we are on the topic of being Earth-friendly, why not smell like the lush green forests? Earth’s Cauldron French Oakmoss comes in a vintage style tin and combines notes of “dewy moss and forest nectar”. This makes for a refreshing yet sweet reminder of the quieter places on Earth. Earth’s Cauldron has plenty more Earth-inspired sustainable beauty products are are definitely worth checking out.
Literally made out of floral waxes, Twinkle Apothecary Tuberose Vert takes a unique, romantic take on their earthy fragrance. “A fresh-yet-luscious green floral fragrance in a solid format, with a base of rose and tuberose floral waxes.” All Twinkle Apothecary products are PETA certified vegan and cruelty free, so you know you are putting the best ingredients on your skin.
Solid perfumes are everywhere in the clean-beauty market. Therefore you are bound to find any specific fragrance or possible designer dupes in solid form. And going plastic free? That can be considered a bonus to your fabulous new scent!
–Delilah Eby
