Fragrances are such a complex thing to write about. There is no swatching, no scratch-and-sniff, and the experiences are highly personal rather than universal. When clean beauty took off, fragrances became sort of an under-represented category. Without doubt, it’s not that demand wasn’t there for clean fragrance. The heady, irritating fumes at Sephora are the stuff of notoriety. The clean fragrance category is mired by a lack of clarity, with vague ingredients lists and unclear terminology. Enter, Phlur.
Phlur is a clean fragrance line made from ingredients that won’t harm the skin nor planet. To the latter end, Phlur’s environmental efforts are impressive:
- Certified B-Corp. This means they pass rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.
- Do not use any materials on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of threatened plants.
- Don’t use animal products and are certified by Leaping Bunny for being cruelty-free.
- Recognized by One Percent for the Planet for donating more than 1% of annual net revenues to environmental organizations worldwide.
- Their packaging uses a custom designed an opaque bottle, made with an industry-leading 20% recycled glass, to protect the scents. They also used vegetable-based paint, for full recycling compliance. They use FSC-certified boxes made with 100% post-consumer cardboard.
Further, expert perfumers are tapped to create each fragrance in the line.
Phlur Olmsted & Vaux Eau de Parfum
Phlur’s Olmsted & Vaux was our entry point product.
Olmsted & Vaux is bright, crisp and ultimately clean, inspired by a rejuvenating morning walk through Central Park—and named for the Park’s architects. It’s a citrusy burst, known to inspire confidence and composure (always helpful). As for notes, we pick up shiso leaf, white ginger, orange flower and maté.
Moreover, the ingredients are hypoallergenic, cruelty-free, vegan, sustainably sourced. Further, they’re free of parabens, phthalates, BHT, phenoxyethanol and nitro or polycyclic musks.
The perfumer, Natalie BENAREAU imagined it as a new energy with modern elements on bright, crisp, citrus with a structural feel.
Olmsted & Vaux is bottled in a unique cube constructed from high-quality, dense opaque glass. It feels distinct, understated, minimalist, and sophisticated. Moreover, the cap is magnetic which delivers this unexpectedly satisfying touch when opening and closing.
Olmsted & Vaux – The Experience
The fragrance goes on like a summer soda, bright, burstful, crisp, with nice distinct notes of citrus, ginger, and shiso. However, these top notes fade quickly, and never quite project. This is a shame because they’re quite beautiful. When the scent settles in, it feels flat and decidedly plain, smelling like what one imagines an ordinary nameless fragrance would smell like. The mid and base notes blend together, and they have good staying power, sillage, and projection. They’re just utterly indistinctive. Olmsted & Vaux doesn’t have that quality that would make someone take notice, nor is it distinctive enough to be a signature.
In the end, Phlur earns points for making a clean fragrance that can wear and perform like the standard-place fragrances it seeks to replace. Customers won’t need to make a sacrifice to embrace their clean fragrances. We just wish this particular fragrance could have been unique as the brand is. Our recommendation: this is an interesting and worthwhile brand to explore. However, we’d opt for Phlur’s Hanami, their top-seller which has consistently stellar ratings. They also offer a discover set of 3 samples. We’d recommend Hanami, Hepcat, and Olmsted & Vaux. Phlur’s Annica Candle is also a good choice. Phlur’s candles are housed in a GORGEOUS reusable ceramic vessel and Annica is based on the Hanami fragrance of fig, white florals, hazelnut, and sandalwood. Do give Phlur a serious try, they’re doing very interesting things in the fragrance space.