Ayala Moriel All-Natural Perfumes

We may see a decrease in perfumes that use natural ingredients, as perfume houses are favoring synthetic ingredients more and more. This is due to reports of allergic reactions to natural perfumery ingredients, which contain many essential oils from herbs and flowers. While some regulations are agreeable, such as the now-illegal status of ambergris in perfumes (an ingredient derived from sperm whales' digestive systems), one must wonder how this will affect perfume houses that practice ethical, non-cruelty methods of obtaining their ingredients.

Ayala Moriel Parfums is such a perfume house. They strive to use organic and wildcrafted ingredients, and they often collaborate with local artists on perfume projects. They avoid using endangered species (plant-species) as much as possible, and never use ingredients that would involve the killing or torturing of animals. They only use plant and non-cruelty animal products (such as bee products) and they do not perform any animal testing. The difference between an all-natural perfume and the many synthetic perfumes on the market is undeniable. Natural scents are not as strong, but they remain vibrant without ever being cloying. In my experience, the range of fragrance notes are much more subtle and expressive in natural perfumes. They often do not last as long, which many people see as a drawback. To me, the relative brevity of these perfumes is preferable to exposing myself to the toxic ingredients in synthetic perfumes.

It is a common practice in the fragrance world to offer samples to customers so that they may try out perfumes at a reasonable price before shelling out $200 or often more. Ayala Moriel offers sample kits of several sizes. I bought one such kit, and overall I was very impressed with the quality and uniqueness of these perfumes. Megumi is one of my favorites. It is described as a chypre, which is a scent family that includes heavy, spicy notes such as vetiver. Due to the agarwood and oakmoss, there is also a woody quality to this fragrance that begins to lighten to a fruity citrus in the heart notes. Very suitable to the outdoorsy, yet feminine type. Schizm has a strong, heady quality that is rare in natural perfumes. The use of black and white pepper gives it a totally unique "dryness" that may be too strong for some, but I grew to love it in time. As the day progresses, this fragrance becomes much more subtle, lightening to reveal notes of jasmine and citrus. My absolute favorite out of my particular sampling is Kinmokusei, an osmanthus soliflore. Osmanthus is a flower from Asia which seems to be used very rarely in perfumery, and I think that's a shame! This fragrance is sweet and floral, but it is balanced out by green notes such as coriander and linden blossom. It is a very womanly fragrance that has an undescribable undertone of strength throughout its duration, but most specifically during the base notes.

I highly recommend Ayala Moriel Parfums to any fragrance enthusiast. Natural perfumery is a very old art that will link your olfactory memory to centuries long since past. You will find nothing conventional or commonplace about the fragrances from Ayala Moriel, and I highly suggest sampling from other natural perfume houses as well.