Most big-name perfume companies use synthetic ingredients to create the unique and layered scents you’d recognize in any mall.

(One very noteworthy exception: Chanel No. 5, which retains the original formulation based on French-grown rose and jasmine. As the Independent put it, “This shrewd move makes Chanel look good, for sure, not only keeping the French tradition of flower cultivation for fragrance alive, but also ensuring that No 5, and Parfum No 5, the original and most exclusive concentration in particular, remains exactly the same.”)

The major problem with such a high reliance on synthetics is that it results in pollution and potential health effects over long-term use. Most synthetic fragrances contain tissue-irritating volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, like formaldehyde, ethanol, and d-limonene.

For a truly environmentally friendly fragrance, search out ones based on essential plant oils like those by Ecco Bella. We particularly like the company’s Lavender EDP, which combines French lavender with Moroccan rosemary and Egyptian geranium for a subtly spicy floral. Other scents in the line include Ambrosia, Lemon Verbena, and Bourbon, and none of them contain any preservatives or synthetic chemicals.

Lavender Eau de Parfum, $21.50 at EccoBella.com.