Vegan Colognes: Are they Eczema Friendly? | Product Review – Derive Colognes

“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” ~ Wilma Rudolph

**I received samples courtesy of Derive Colognes to review. Even though these samples were given for my boyfriend David and I to review, all opinions are our own.**

As some of you may know I suffer from eczema. I first noticed I had eczema as a child and was able to keep it pretty much under control. Within the past 2-3 years it has begun to rear it’s ugly head again. With all of the smog, the sweating, the heat, the stress, the fragrances and a number of other factors – it has ignited my eczema to where it is hard to use a lot of my favorite things. One of which is perfume. I love smelling good plus it helps to lift my mood. I usually prefer to spray it on my wrist and behind my ears but had to stop doing that. I then resulted to misting it on my clothes but that still would irritate my skin. At this point where I was becoming extremely frustrated. 

I recently met Lauren (virtually) with Derive Cologne – a cologne brand that creates high end fragrances without the harmful chemicals. Lauren told me briefly about her story –  deciding to change her life from the inside out. She was once so sick that it compelled her to cut all toxic ingredients from her life. She started changing her choices for her diet, personal care products and more. After struggling to find a perfume that not only spoke to her but didn’t contain harmful ingredients, she decided to create one! Once I heard about this brand, I definitely wanted to learn more! As someone who suffers from eczema, I definitely have to be aware of the chemicals that I am putting on my body as well as in my body.

Instead of using fragrant oils like most, Derive uses pure essential oils. They are also a vegan and cruelty free brand. I was fortunate enough to sample *5 perfume fragrances* courtesy of Derive to share my thoughts on them! I tried these fragrances while doing a number of things from working out to going out dancing to offer a thorough review. 

The colognes are the ones that are currently available on the site but my boyfriend David did try out these samples that are located in the box. The cologne sampler with all 3 is available on the site as well. His favorite is Demure, with middle notes of cinnamon and cardemom. That was what drew him to this one the most and it is very prevalent in the fragrance. Top notes include orange and lemon for a refreshing feel. I personally enjoy this cologne as well. If David wore this all the time, I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off of him! (Lolz) 

His second favorite was Sable. He likes the bold distinct smell. Great fragrance for a professional who works hard and plays harder. Perfect for a boss man who is in a league of his own. 

Lastly is Odyssey that has the least distinct fragrance in his opinion. He feels that it doesn’t really resonate that well and just not a personal favorite. 

I sampled 5 perfume samples and my top 2 favorites were Evolve and Petals. Evolve is a sweet and very soft fragrance. It is a fragrance that is great for the lady who believes in pink and wearing skirts. It is perfect with a beautiful lace dress and heels to brunch with your closest girlfriends. Petals almost makes me think of the sweettart candy. It is a fun fragrance and I love how bold the fragrance was! It literally lasted all day as I went to an event and ran a few errands. I could still smell it on me at the end of the day. It wasn’t as distinct as when I first put it on but it served the purpose. I applied it to my wrist and behind my ears – it was literally like walking in your own aroma bubble. The essential oils didn’t irritate my skin and the perfume is so fragrant! I would try the full size bottles of either of these. 

My third favorite is Dreamsickle. It makes me think of the orange sherbet pops you get in the summertime. This fragrance is super sweet and super playful with the citrus and sweet tones. It will definitely make you crave an orange creamsickle. 

My fourth favorite is Little Tart. This particular fragrance gave me the vibe of sophisticated woman with a refined unique taste. She moves to beat of her own drum. This is a great daytime fragrance for you.

My least favorite was Dream. The fragrance fell kind of flat for me. It was hard to distinguish once I had it on. 

As I said before, I did wear these doing a number of different things. I tried wearing one to go workout. I usually sweat a lot when I work out so the fragrance wore away but was still present. However I would’ve had to shower and apply more, it didn’t irritate my skin working out. Also I got caught in the rain once without an umbrella so of course it washed away. I was only applying to my skin and since it got wet, it washed away. However it will last pretty much a full day if I am not sweating much. Plus it does not irritate the skin at the application site so I am ecstatic. Overall, I give Derive 8.5 out of 10 for their products. They are definitely worth looking into if you are interested in natural, vegan and cruelty free cologne options! Or if you suffer from eczema like myself, I highly recommend that you look into it! A huge thank you to Derive as well. 🙂