Non-Toxic Fragrance, Candles and Body Care: What to Look For

More people search for “non-toxic” candles, reed diffusers, plug-ins, perfume and lotion every year. It makes sense: you breathe home fragrance all day and put body care on your skin every morning. You should know what’s in it.

The catch is that “non-toxic” doesn’t have a legal definition for fragrance, candles or cosmetics in the US, and there’s no single certification behind the word. Two brands can both print it on a label and mean completely different things. So instead of looking for the word, it’s more useful to know what to check. This guide covers that, then lists exactly what goes into our home fragrance, perfume and scented body care, so you can judge for yourself.

Why “non-toxic” is hard to pin down

Almost anything can be harmful in the wrong amount or the wrong place. A fragrance oil that’s fine in a diffuser isn’t something to drink. A candle that burns cleanly still has an open flame. That’s why the Federal Trade Commission expects any brand that claims “non-toxic” to have solid evidence for it, for people and for the environment, and why we don’t use the word as a claim ourselves. We think you’re better served by the facts: the ingredients, how the product works, and what it’s made without.

What to check on any label

1. Phthalates

Phthalates are sometimes used in fragrance to help a scent last longer. Many people prefer to avoid them. Look for “phthalate-free” on the label or the product page, and if it isn’t there, ask the brand. Every Urthy fragrance oil is phthalate-free.

2. A real ingredient list

Body care sold in the US has to list ingredients. Home fragrance doesn’t, which is exactly why it’s worth asking. A brand that knows what’s in its products should be able to tell you. We publish full ingredient lists on our body care pages.

3. Wax and wick (candles)

Paraffin wax comes from petroleum. Coconut, soy and other vegetable waxes come from plants. Wicks are usually cotton or wood. Our candles use a coconut and vegetable wax blend from renewable sources and wood wicks made from FSC-certified wood.

4. Flame, heat or neither

Candles have an open flame. Some plug-in air fresheners heat the oil to spread it. Reed diffusers, waterless misting plug-ins and cold-air diffusers do neither: no flame, no heat, no smoke. If that matters to you, those formats are worth a look.

5. Parabens and sulfates (body care)

Parabens are preservatives and sulfates are strong foaming cleansers. Plenty of people choose body care made without them. Check the ingredient list, not just the front of the bottle.

6. A fragrance-free option

If your skin is reactive, the most useful thing a brand can offer is the same formula without fragrance. Most of our body care comes in a Fragrance Free version.

7. Who actually makes it

Many brands buy finished products and put their label on them. Ask who formulates and makes the product. We develop and make our scents and formulas ourselves.

Home fragrance: what’s in ours

Candles

Our candles are hand-poured with a coconut and vegetable wax blend and a crackling wood wick made from FSC-certified wood, scented with phthalate-free, paraben-free fragrance oil. The 14 oz Signature Candle burns up to 70 hours, and the Ribbed Glass Candle about 40. As with any candle: trim the wick, keep it in sight, and never leave it burning in an empty room.

Reed diffusers

Reed diffusers need no flame and no electricity. The reeds draw up the oil and release the scent slowly, for up to 12 weeks in a small room. Our oil is plant-based, phthalate-free and paraben-free, vegan-friendly and cruelty-free, in a refillable frosted glass bottle.

Plug-ins and diffusers

The Urthy Mist plug-in turns our phthalate-free fragrance oil into a fine, dry mist in short bursts: no water, no heat, no flame, up to 430 sq ft from one outlet. The Scent Tower spreads phthalate-free fragrance oil in a VOC-compliant base with cold air, for spaces up to about 1,000 sq ft. The smaller EHREE plug-in uses a plant-based, phthalate-free oil with no DPG and no alcohol.

Room spray and car

Habitat Mist is a water-based room and linen spray with antioxidants, odor-absorbing enzymes and phthalate-free fragrance, gentle enough for most fabrics. Our car vent diffuser holds phthalate-free, paraben-free, DPG-free, alcohol-free oil on a cotton wick in a sapele wood clip. You control the strength with the vent.

Perfume: what’s in ours

Every Urthy fragrance is gender-neutral. Our eau de parfum is made with plant-based fragrance oils blended into organic cane sugar alcohol, and it’s phthalate-free. Our perfume oil rollers skip alcohol entirely: the base is caprylic/capric glycerides and vitamin E, with phthalate-free fragrance oil, no parabens and no synthetic dyes. The Hair & Body Mist is a lighter spray of organic cane sugar alcohol, plant-based phthalate-free fragrance and panthenol, made without silicones or sulfates. Not sure about a scent? Every one comes as a mini first.

Scented body care: what’s in ours

We scent our body care with the same fragrance oils we use across Urthy, and most of it also comes in a Fragrance Free version. Full ingredient lists are on each product page. Here’s the short version.

• Tetra Oleum Cleansing Oil: a sulfate-free oil body wash that turns to a light milk with water. Grape seed oil, MCT, apricot kernel oil and squalane, with a mild sulfate-free cleanser (sodium lauroyl lactylate).
• Exfolis Papaya Enzyme Body Scrub: sugar crystals and a papaya enzyme ferment in a shea butter, sunflower and jojoba balm, so skin is moisturized when you rinse.
• Aloura Skin Milk: a lightweight body milk with urea, bakuchiol, saccharide isomerate and sodium hyaluronate.
• Hydra Body Lotion: an aloe-based lotion with shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil, panthenol and saccharide isomerate.
• Everlume Body Butter: shea and cocoa butter with cholesterol and phytosphingosine, two lipids found in skin’s own barrier.
• Everlume Whole Body Balm: ceramides, pomegranate sterols, oat kernel oil and squalane, with orange peel wax as a plant-based alternative to lanolin.
• Ekoa Longevity Oil: a face and body oil with squalane, meadowfoam, oat kernel oil and pomegranate sterols.
• Solid Body Oil Bar: a waterless bar of mango butter, cocoa butter and almond oil that melts on contact.
• Body Oil Candle: a candle that melts into a warm body oil you can use on your skin. Test the temperature on your wrist first.

Using fragrance well

• Keep fragrance oils, diffusers and refills away from kids and pets, and never swallow them.
• Never leave a lit candle unattended, and keep it away from drafts and anything that can catch.
• Give a room fresh air now and then. Scent works better in a room that isn’t closed up.
• Trying a new body product? Test it on a small patch of skin first, or start with the Fragrance Free version.

Questions we get a lot

Is Urthy non-toxic?

“Non-toxic” isn’t a regulated or certified term, so we don’t use it as a claim. What we can tell you is exactly what’s in each product: phthalate-free fragrance oils, coconut and vegetable wax, wood wicks, and full ingredient lists on our body care.

What’s the cleanest way to scent a room?

If you want no flame and no heat, use a reed diffuser for small rooms, a waterless plug-in like the Urthy Mist for a single room, or a cold-air diffuser like the Scent Tower for large spaces.

Do you make your products yourselves?

Yes. We develop and make our scents and formulas ourselves.