The ingredients, the transparency...

Here are the answers to all your questions.
There are already so many perfume brands, why Bastille ?
Bastille has a mission in mind, to create perfumes that are original in their freedom. Our creation is liberated, we surprise by rethinking the Beautiful, developing new standards, deciding on new conventions.
Our perfumes are real, by the quality of the chosen raw materials, by their clarity, their transparency and luminosity.  

Bastille takes up the challenge of originality and quality. We give our perfumers complete creative freedom to imagine unique fragrances, using only the finest raw materials, formulated without any controversial ingredients, and revealing their complete list. 

At Bastille, our fragrances dance and play with balance: between sustainable and desirable, between tradition and the future, between synthetic and natural, between feminine and masculine, between body and ideal, between power and subtlety, between experience and memory.  

 

Can I find out what's in my perfume?

Yes, and that's a first! Fragrance is still considered by law to be a "trade secret": that's why brands don't reveal their ingredients. This opacity has encouraged some brands to use controversial ingredients, such as BHT, an additive used as an antioxidant and suspected of being an endocrine disruptor.

Bastille believes in transparency. We publish the ingredients of our fragrances in each of our product sheets, and we prefer to take the risk of being copied rather than let doubt hang over your skin and what you breathe.

Everybody calls themselves "natural" nowadays. How can you be sure that your fragrances are really natural? 

An excellent question, in these times of #fakenews and #greenwashing. Our fragrances comply with current regulations, which require a minimum of 95% natural ingredients for a product to be called natural. That's how we do it:

  • We use organic wheat alcohol, which is more environmentally friendly.
  • Our perfume concentrates are made up of a maximum of natural ingredients: at least two thirds, for a 15% concentrated perfume. This is a long-term challenge, as these materials are difficult to obtain: for example, it takes 6 years to produce iris absolute - 3 years for the plant to grow, and 3 years for it to mature after harvesting... Their structure, more complex than their synthetic counterparts, also makes them more difficult for perfumers to work with.

Why not create 100% natural fragrances? 

To be honest, that's where the Bastille adventure began: our perfumers initially set out to create 100% natural fragrances. Unfortunately, the result lacked finesse and staying power. So we reintegrated a few carefully selected 'clean' synthetic molecules to accompany our natural raw materials, and give life to exceptional accords.

And what's left in the synthetic 5%?

Only quality ingredients that respect your body. And they can be synthesized from natural raw materials. For example, we use ambroxan, a synthetic molecule that is very close to ambergris - a historic ingredient in perfumery made and released naturally by sperm whales, appreciated by perfumers for prolonging the sillage of fragrances. At Bastille, all our fragrances are vegan, so we use the synthetic version. Ambroxan is synthesized from a molecule naturally present in sage, which is then transformed by man. It is 100% safe to use, even on sensitive skin.

Finally, because we like to follow through on our ideas, our fragrances are formulated without endocrine disruptors or additives such as stabilizers, colorants or UV filters. 

 

 

Natural, does that mean it doesn't stick to the skin? 

There's nothing more frustrating than a perfume that doesn't keep its promises! We've tested and reformulated ours dozens of times to make sure they'll be with you all day long.

Where do your raw materials come from?

We pay particular attention to the selection of the natural raw materials used in the composition of our perfumes. They come from several continents: we wanted exceptional natural ingredients, shaped by their terroirs, and the result of a reasoned culture by the different producers. This is why we work with IFF-LMR, a pioneer in natural and ethical sourcing of fragrance ingredients around the world.

What about the planet?

We think about it every day when we use perfume. Our entire manufacturing process is designed to minimise our impact on the planet:

  • Our packaging is made of recycled cardboard and we ban plastic as much as possible, with one exception: our pump and a small insert needed to keep our bottle airtight.
  • We have chosen our partners for their environmental efficiency: a pioneer in natural raw materials, IFF-LMR promotes sustainable agriculture and allows us to integrate fair trade ingredients into our perfumes,
  • We continue to work with all our partners in a spirit of continuous improvement, to reduce our carbon footprint (for example, we are thinking about a refillable bottle or a lighter glass bottle), and to find alternatives that do not yet exist... 
  • As proof of our commitment, we are a member of the 1% for the Planet movement : for every fragrance purchased, Bastille donates 1% of sales to the NGO Surfrider Foundation, which has been working to protect the oceans for 30 years. This cause is very close to our hearts, and you can support it by supporting Bastille ! 

 

Where are your products made?

Our manufacturing is French (cocorico!). Our perfumes are created in Paris, assembled in Grasse, and bottled in the Parisregion. Some of our components come from European partners; notably our bottles which are produced in Italy. They are decorated by a craftsman from Val-de-Marne. We have entrusted the manufacture of our cardboard boxes to a Parisian workshop.
We always select partners who share the same values as us in terms of quality and environmental requirements. This is also freedom!

Still have questions? We're here for you: [email protected]