Like most, we enjoy a good smelling home but are concerned about the potentially harmful ingredients in many of the popular air freshener brands. The Grow Fragrance brand promises to be completely safe and non-toxic. We decided to try out the Grow Fragrance Air + fabric freshener and wanted to share our thoughts.
Up until recently, companies making air fresheners were excluded from listing all the ingredients on the package label, leaving consumers completely in the dark. However, all this changed on January 1, 2020 when the Cleaning Product Right to Know Act went into effect. Under this law, if a manufacturer sells in California, they are required to list all ingredients (with some small exceptions). Not only that, California has compiled 22 lists of hazardous ingredients from various agencies (EPA, European Union, etc.) and manufacturers are required to link to these lists if their air freshener contains ingredients found on these lists.
With air freshener manufacturers now required to disclose all ingredients, it is evident that most air fresheners are toxic and hazardous to our health (even some popular brands that claim to be “natural”!). Do you really want to be exposing yourself and your family to chemicals classified by the European Union as carcinogens, mutagens or reproductive toxins?
Luckily, not all air fresheners are hazardous to our health. Grow Fragrance is a company that makes non-toxic air fresheners that we feel comfortable using in our home (Thank you to Grow Fragrance for providing us free product to try out).
Grow Fragrance is a small company making 100% plant-based air fresheners. Their sprays can also be used on fabric – similar to Febreze but without all the bad stuff!
Grow Fragrance has been disclosing 100% of their ingredients before it was required by law. They don’t use synthetic, petroleum based chemicals like most other air fresheners. And you won’t find any of their ingredients classified as a carcinogen.
The idea behind Grow Fragrance was dreamed up by a mom and dad duo in Durham, North Carolina. With mom in the health industry and dad in the fragrance industry, they knew all too well the issues with traditional, chemical-based air fresheners.
We love that Grow Fragrance is committed to being manufactured in America, paying fair wages and donating 1% of sales to the non-profit 1% for the Planet. We also love that Grow Fragrance doesn’t test on animals and is leaping bunny certified.
We tried the following 3 scents:
We’ll discuss the packaging, the scents, how we used them and how they performed.
We tried the full-sized product, which comes in a 5 oz plastic bottle. It comes with a pump-style spray, which is exactly what we would expect from a non-toxic air freshener (aerosol sprays contain toxic ingredients and are also very bad for the environment!). The spray bottle itself is made from high-density polyethylene (think milk jug plastic) so it can be recycled once the product is all used up. High-density polyethylene is known to be one of safest plastics used for packaging. We also loved the recyclable paper materials that the air fresheners came packaged in.
We absolutely loved the scents of Grow Fragrance products that we tried. All of the scents smelled absolutely clean and fresh like no other air freshener we have ever experienced!
Bamboo is our favorite and it smells like fresh-cut flowers. Black Currant Rose and Lavender Blossom are also very pleasant and smell like they sound!
We tested out both the air freshener and fabric freshener aspects of the spray.
As An Air Freshener: The recommended usage is 2-3 sprays for a bathroom, 5-6 sprays for a bedroom or office, and spray generously throughout large and open spaces. We used 5 sprays in our large living room which filled the room with the refreshing scent. The smell is prominent, but not too overbearing. The fragrance lingered nicely and seemed to dissipate completely about an hour later.
As A Fabric Freshener: On the bottle it states that the fragrance lasts longer on fabrics and to test on delicates. We used 3-4 sprays on a throw blanket and the scent lasted several days! We also used the Lavender Blossom spray on our bed sheets at night to help us relax. 10/10 would recommend!
We were slightly worried testing these, as traditional fragrances often give us headaches but we’re happy to report that wasn’t the case with Grow Fragrance.
Overall, we are very happy with how the scents lasted. We agree with the statement on the bottle stating the scent lasts longer when sprayed on fabric compared to the air. The scents may not last as long compared to the chemical-laden air and fabric fresheners. However, this is a small price to pay to breathe cleaner and safer air.
The Grow Fragrance Air + Fabric Fresheners are currently only sold on their website and on Amazon. They sell 4 scents year-round (Lavender Blossom, Black Currant Rose, Bamboo and Citrus Cedar), They also release limited-edition scents throughout the year.
Tip: You’ll get the best price if you buy directly from their website and will save money if you buy multiples.
The 5 oz. bottles sell for $12 (or 2/$20).
There’s also smaller, travel size bottles that contain 2 ounces. The 2 oz. bottles sell for $7 (or 2/$12). We realize that scent is such a personal preference, so this is a great way to try the different scents!
Many people are familiar with the Environmental Working Group and the rating they give various products based on known concerns with ingredients. EWG gives products ratings from 1-10, with 1 being the best in terms of ingredients and 10 being the worst. The EWG has also rated several air fresheners and given them an A, B, C, D or F rating.
We use the EWG as one (of multiple) resources before buying products. We’re always mindful of the products we buy and bring into our home. It’s important to do your research even if a product is marketed as “natural”, “plant-based” or non-toxic” as these terms aren’t regulated and may be misleading.
Unfortunately, the EWG has not reviewed and rated Grow Fragrance. However, we pulled the ingredients for the scent Lavender Blossom and looked up each ingredient individually on the EWG website. As you can see, the ingredients are all well-rated (i.e. non-toxic):
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil (Lavender): 1
Lavandula Hybrida Oil (Lavandin): 1
Rosa Damascena Flower Oil (Rose): 1
Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil (Geranium): 4
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil (Orange): 1-2
Coriandrum Sativum Fruit Oil (Coriander): 1
Juniperus Communis Fruit Oil (Juniper): 1
Mentha Citrata Herb Oil (Bergamot Mint): 1
Abies Sibirica Needle Oil (Siberian Fir): not listed but seemingly not toxic
Artemisia Pallens Flower Oil (Davana): 1
Boswellia Carterii Oil (Frankincense): 1
Pogostemon Cablin Oil (Patchouli): 1
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil (Rosemary): 1
Schinus Molle Oil (Pink Pepper): 1
Mixed Ionones (Naturally occurring in blackberries and plum): 1
Ethyl Acetoacetate (Naturally occurring in coffee): 1
Isoamyl Butyrate (Naturally occurring in apricot): 1
Phenethyl Acetate (Naturally occurring in cloves): not listed but is used in many food products
Maltol (Naturally occurring in the bark of a larch tree): not listed
Raspberry Ketone (Naturally occurring in raspberries): 1
Polyglyceryl-10 Caprylate / Caprate (Made from sustainably harvested palm, soy or coconut oil): 1
Triethyl Citrate (Naturally occurring in oranges): not listed but tested low toxicity from other sources
Sodium Citrate (Natural salt of Citric acid): 1
Glycerin (Made from sustainably harvested palm, soy or coconut oil): 1-2
Alcohol (Naturally fermented from grains): not listed
Water: not listed
We highly recommend Grow Fragrance if you’re looking for a non-toxic air freshener or fabric freshener. Yes, it’s more expensive than chemical-based air fresheners, but with those you’re literally spraying known carcinogens in the air. To us, it’s worth the extra money to buy a safe air freshener. Not only are they safe, Grow Fragrance air fresheners are mindfully made. This is a product you can feel good about buying and using. They also make great gifts!!
We loved all the scents we tried, but Bamboo was the overall favorite!
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