4 Unusual Perfume Alternatives

Reader Contribution by Steve Jubbs
Published on May 6, 2015
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Perfumes, fragrances, eau de toilettes, whatever you want to call them, they are a staple of modern day life. Packed with aromas that mimic and magnify natural scents, they exist to make us smell like wildflowers and feel like movie stars. However, these things all come at a cost.

Sometimes the price of the fragrance can be a barrier; many perfumes are priced well out of the region of many salaries. Some people may have allergies or sensitivities. The small particulates in perfumes can be major irritants for sensitive noses and, as a result, the owners are sometimes left fragrance-less. However, for anyone who can’t afford or can’t go near, perfumes, here are a couple of examples of odd, but effective, natural perfume alternatives.

Vanilla Extract

Who doesn’t love the smell of freshly baked cookies? You know the one I mean, that soft vanilla aroma which hangs in the air. Vanilla extract, the commonly used baking ingredient, can double as a body fragrance to give the same irresistible smell as a freshly baked batch of cookies. Just splash it on a paper towel and dab it onto your skin. As with all these suggestions though, we recommend you try only a small amount first to ensure your skin doesn’t react to them.

Orange Flower Water

You’ll normally find orange flower water is used to flavor Mediterranean and North African cuisine. For those of you that have some sitting in the pantry, a splash or two can offer up a natural, zesty fragrance that is powerful enough to match any traditional perfume product. However, for those of you without, never fear. Many shops sell this enchanting water, but it may take a couple of searches to find it. On the plus side, once you find it, not only can you make yourself smell like a Mediterranean kitchen, you can turn your kitchen into one too.

Baby Oil

This is a trick many of you with children might have already learned, but for the rest of you I’ll go into a little more detail. Baby oil can be found in all sorts of scents, such as lavender and jasmine, but isn’t simply limited to the little ones. A generous dab here and there will give you a gentle, often floral, aroma. This tip is perfect for those with youngsters as you likely have a number of bottles lying around the house. However, given its inexpensive nature, even those of you without children should consider giving it a go. As long as you don’t tell anyone its baby oil, who’s going to know?

Citrus Peels

Citrus scents are always popular. They appear in perfumes, oils, air fresheners and more. However, if you don’t have any on hand, you can get the fragrance straight from the source. It might sound bizarre—although not surprising—but, by softly rubbing the peel of citrus fruits on areas of your body, such as behind your ears, neck and wrists, you can smell delightful without having to spend a penny.

No matter how intriguing they are, sometimes these perfume alternatives just aren’t a substitute for the real thing. With perfume costing a small fortune these days, perhaps it’s better to look for alternatives to brand name products rather than simply giving up on perfumes altogether. With that in mind, you might want to consider visiting World Class Fragrances. Like big name brands, they offer high-quality products, but unlike those brands, they don’t waste money on elaborate marketing ploys and unnecessary glass bottling.

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