Transparency, Not Taxonomy

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Below is a master index of every raw material used in one of Chronotope’s perfume formulas—a list the brand offers not as a means of decoding those formulas, but simply for the sake of transparency.

Nor does Chronotope offer this information in order to differentiate between which materials are “natural” and which are “synthetic.” As hundreds, if not thousands, of scientists, historians, theorists, and philosophers across the globe have noted for decades, making such a distinction is not only philosophically unstable—it’s scientifically incoherent. As Ann-Sophie Barwich, the cognitive neuroscientist, assistant professor of the history of science, and author of the 2020 book Smellosophy: What the Nose Tells the Mind, claims:

“I have to disagree with […] remarks about the ethical implications of using synthetic vs. natural smells, as this distinction plays into misconceptions about the nature of odor. The difference between natural and artificial smells is largely a historical one that separates pre- from post-synthetic chemistry.”

—Ann-Sophie Barwich

All matter, and especially all the fragrant matter that finds its way into perfume bottles—from North Indian vetiver to the finest Provençal lavender to Ambroxan—exists somewhere along a spectrum of cosmic, “natural” transformation and so-called “synthetic” human influence.

Mother Nature may grow and breed roses on her own—but she never does so in parallel rows as far as the eye can see. Likewise, she never plucks their petals for the sole purpose of boiling them to extract their fragrant oil. Even if the roses in question were organically farmed, surely much of their life process is entirely synthetic.

Catwoman (1992) is an iconic character. Viola from the Shakespeare comedy movie (1998) is not—but her actress is. And both these actresses, along with hoards of others out to sell you something that smells, would love to never inform you of these realities becasue fear—a by-product of misinformation—sells, and they’ve got perfume and candles (some of which smell like their own…kitty) for you to buy. It’s better for their bottom line if they leave you scared in the dark.

<< A field of Bulgarian roses—perhaps even those used in Spite EdT

Chronotope would rather just tell the truth.

A fragrant material is added to a perfume for a reason: because of how it smells. As such, its degree of perceived natural-ness matters far less than the qualities of its sensory effects: how it smells, what feelings it evokes, what it can (and more commonly, cannot) contribute to compositions, and what wearing experience it provides once it’s applied to skin, hair and clothing as part of a finished perfume formula.

A partial organ of select materials, in various states of dilution, laid out during the development stage of a new Chronotope perfume formula >>

To reflect this, we’ve organized the raw materials that are represented in Chronotope’s fragrances by what actually matters about them in regard to perfume, which is not their natural-ness or synthetic-ness. Nor is it whether they are safe or not—because when dosed appropriately in a formula, they are all safe.

(Remember that even water is lethal if too much of it enters your lungs. Risk assessment requires consideration of context and quantity.)

Instead, the materials in the index are organized, very simply, by their scents—because their scent is what they have to offer Chronotope’s perfumes.

Everything else is marketing.

Index Updated on 26 October 2025