Today’s episode dives into the fragrant but often foggy world of fragrance in cosmetics. Joining us is Ashlee Posner, co-founder of Lucent Labs, a fragrance and formulation partner helping brands navigate the space between creativity, compliance, and consumer trust.

Together, we explore the tension between artistry and regulation in scent:

Why fragrance is often called a “black box” on ingredient labels

What brands don’t have to tell you—and why

What’s really hiding under the word “fragrance”

Whether “cleanwashing” is the new greenwashing

Who’s actually responsible for fragrance safety—and what can fall through the cracks

And what Ashlee thinks of IFRA standards and how they shape the industry

Whether you’re a brand founder, product formulator, or just a curious consumer who wants more transparency, this episode will open your eyes—and your nose—to what’s really going on behind the scent.

Takeaways:

• Fragrance Ingredients Are Completely Hidden from Everyone: The word "fragrance" on any product label can represent 50-300 ingredients that remain undisclosed not just to consumers, but also to the brands using them and even chemists working on projects. This information never leaves the fragrance house, creating zero accountability in a system protected by trade secret laws that made sense 100 years ago but are completely outdated today.

• The Fragrance Industry Operates as a Controlled Monopoly: Only 4-6 very large businesses control the entire fragrance supply chain, owning both the formulations and the raw materials. This creates a system where these companies have minimal regulation, can lock in customers without transparency, and have no incentive to change because the current model benefits them financially while leaving brands and consumers in the dark.

• Natural Doesn't Equal Safe in Fragrance: Many consumers and brands assume natural fragrance ingredients are automatically safer than synthetic ones, but this isn't necessarily true. Natural essential oils can contain carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and allergens. The key is evaluating each ingredient based on scientific safety data rather than making assumptions based on whether it's natural or synthetic.

• Traditional Fragrance Development Is Inefficient and Wasteful: The lack of transparency creates massive inefficiencies where chemists spend months developing formulations only to discover compatibility issues when fragrance is added last. Without knowing what's in the fragrance, they're forced to solve "algebra problems" or use less fragrance, ultimately making inferior products rather than addressing the root compatibility issues.

• Transparency Enables Better Products and Faster Development: When fragrance partners share ingredient information upfront, brands can make informed decisions, avoid compatibility issues, get third-party certifications, and develop products faster. Partnership and early collaboration between fragrance developers and formulators leads to better outcomes than the traditional secretive approach.

Timestamps:

00:00 Start
00:31 Welcome to Demystifying Cosmetics
01:17 Meet Ashley Posner: Co-founder of Lucent Labs
02:01 Ashley's Background: From Chemical Engineering to Fragrance
03:26 The Shocking Discovery About Fragrance Supply Chains
04:56 Launching State of Change and the Response to Transparency
06:03 The Complete Lack of Fragrance Transparency
07:26 Why the Fragrance Industry Operates Differently
08:40 The Monopolistic Structure of Fragrance Houses
10:23 How Lucent Labs Approaches Safety and Transparency
12:46 Building with Intention Using Public Safety Data
14:24 The Partnership Approach to Fragrance Development
16:34 Natural vs Synthetic: Debunking the Safety Myth
19:42 The Allergen Education Problem
21:22 Leading with Facts and Science
23:18 [AD BREAK - Tagra's Cellucapse Line]
23:45 The Default to Fragrance-Free Products
25:19 IFRA Compliance vs Real Safety Standards
28:23 Evaluating Fragrance in Product Context
30:06 The Inefficiency of Traditional Fragrance Development
32:17 Partnership Approach vs Traditional Secrecy
34:37 Understanding Fragrance Allergens vs Fear-Based Marketing
37:46 The Self-Diagnosis of Sensitive Skin
40:04 Why Transparency Would Solve Allergen Issues
41:27 How Fragrance Expertise Changes Your Perception of Smell
43:19 The Need for More Industry Conversations
45:29 Conclusion: Demanding Better Standards

Guest Name: Coleen Kelley
Webpage: https://lucentlaboratories.com/
Likedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lucent-laboratories/