There are lots of things in the world of beauty that are simply wrong. Products that are full of fillers and cheap ingredients being considered “high end” merely because of branding is one pet peeve. People assuming that a product is of high quality simply because it bears the label of a prestige brand is another. Greenwashing and pinkwashing also rank high on my list.
Most Chidi Beauty readers have heard of greenwashing, which is the practice of making products that are not natural or organic appear as if they were. However, pinkwashing is a lesser known offense. Pinkwashing essentially occurs when a product is marketed as supporting breast cancer relief of some sort, but the product itself, or other products from the same company, contain carcinogens. This is called “pinkwashing” because, especially during the month of October, which is breast cancer awareness month, companies paint many products pink, or decorate them with a pink ribbon to show their support for various breast cancer charities. They wash their products in pink regardless whether they contain cancer-causing ingredients or materials. Pinkwashing takes advantage of the good intentions of many people, while achieving the exact opposite of the professed goals of eradicating breast cancer and supporting those fighting the disease. Pinkwashing counteracts the good work performed by breast cancer charities.
The great thing about truly natural and organic brands is that there is little to no opportunity for pinkwashing to occur. A brand that takes care to avoid using toxic ingredients in its products, and that goes so far as to use organic ingredients, should necessarily be free of carcinogens. If that company then wants to support the fight against breast cancer, we can have peace of mind in knowing that its products have little chance of contributing to the disease it is claiming to fight. Such is the case with Pour le Monde Parfums.
Pour le Monde: The Brand
I initially discovered Pour le Monde Parfums and met its trailblazing founder, Wendi Berger, at the New York Indie Beauty Expo this past August. Wendi’s personal story is incredibly powerful and inspirational, please take a moment to read it here. Knowing that little bit about her, it should be no surprise that the self-diagnosed fragrance junkie created a perfume that is of a quality that other brands should aspire to. Whether you are a pregnant woman or simply trying to green your beauty routine, Pour le Monde is among the best of the best as far as natural perfumes are concerned. Its sole product is a vegan, natural perfume, not perfume oil, that comes in 3 unique scents: Empower, Envision and Together. These perfumes carry an impressive list of certifications, including one from the Natural Products Association.
Translated from French, “Pour le Monde” means “For the World,” but sounds way less sexy and sophisticated. However, more evident in the English translation is the fact that there is an intentional, inherent charitable aspect to this brand. At least 5% (the bottle says 5%, but their website says 10%) of the net sales from Pour le Monde’s website are donated to charity, with each fragrance supporting a different non-profit organization. I smelled all 3 of the fragrances at iBE and completely fell for Together.
Pour le Monde: The Fragrance (Together)
Nature-lovers and those who like delicate, powdery scents will love Together. Together has an earthy, soft, nuanced fragrance unlike any other perfume I’ve come across. Initially, it smells like grass. I kid you not. It is not a bad scent. In fact it is quite good. The grassiness quickly dissipates, leaving behind a soft, powdery fragrance with earthy undertones. The fragrance that remains is not one that could be mistaken for baby powder. Rather, the powdery notes are a more adult, sophisticated scent reminiscent of baby powder. Together, which also has a touch of vanilla and bergamot, is really quite a feminine and innocent fragrance that can rival any traditional perfume on the market. As is typical for natural perfumes, the fragrance lasts for about 2 – 3 hours.
Together supports the non-profit organization Cancer Support Community. Cancer Support Community’s mission is “to ensure that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action, and sustained by community.” That is easily a mission that I feel good supporting. While this may be particularly noteworthy during breast cancer awareness month, Pour le Monde honors it’s charitable commitment no matter what time of year you make your purchase. And they do this with a completely toxin-free product that doesn’t have the slightest bit of pink anywhere on the packaging or bottle. Pour le Monde c’est une marque definitivement pour moi.
What are your favourite natural perfumes? I have a few more that I plan to share with you, but am always interested to know what you are loving. Let me know in the comments section below!