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Ditch Synthetic Fragrance: A Nontoxic Plant Therapy Gift Guide + Holiday Picks
Plant based nontoxic holiday gift picks
10/9/20267 min read
If you've ever stood in the soap aisle flipping bottles over to read "fragrance" on every single label, hi, same. Plant Therapy caught my eye because they scent with essential oils instead.
They gifted me their PT Kids Sweet Lavender 3-in-1 body wash and the Top 6 Everyday essential oils, and I love what's in them.
The 3-in-1 is a shampoo, body wash, and bubble bath in one, scented with real lavender oil and made without parabens, phthalates, or SLS.
The Top 6 covers the everyday basics (lavender, peppermint, tea tree, eucalyptus, lemon, and sweet orange), and every batch is third-party tested for purity. Here's why the brand made my list, what I love about these two, a few more picks I've got my eye on, and a fall + holiday section at the end.
This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Plant Therapy gifted me some of these products; all opinions are mine.
Why Plant Therapy caught my eye
Plant Therapy is an Idaho-based essential oil company that sells direct, which is why their prices sit way below the MLM oil brands. You can shop the whole brand here.
What I look for, and what they check off:
No synthetic fragrance. Their oils are made without fillers, phthalates, or synthetic fragrance. Some products (like the kids' bath and the candles) list "natural fragrance" alongside real lavender oil, so read labels if you avoid fragrance completely.
Nontoxic formulas. The kids' bath I got is made without parabens, phthalates, or SLS. Short ingredient lists I can actually read.
Cruelty-free, mostly plant-based. No animal testing. Most products are plant-based, but a few (like the lip balms) use beeswax, so check the label if you're strictly vegan.
Tested every batch. Every batch of oil gets third-party GC/MS testing to check that it's the right plant and it's pure.
KidSafe line. Oils and blends formulated to be safe around kids, reviewed by certified aromatherapists. Huge for us crunchy mamas who diffuse daily.
Free aromatherapist support. You can email their certified aromatherapists with questions about dilution, kids, or pets. No upsell, just answers.
What I was gifted (and what I'm excited about)
This one pulls triple duty: shampoo, body wash, and bubble bath in one bottle. Fewer bottles on the tub ledge is already a win. It's part of their PT Kids line, with lavender and lavandin oils plus cucumber, green tea, mango, and avocado extracts, and no parabens, phthalates, or SLS. I'm planning to make it part of our bedtime wind-down routine, and I'll update this post once we've tried it.
If you're new to oils, start here. It's the six most popular everyday oils: lavender, peppermint, tea tree, eucalyptus, lemon, and sweet orange. Four of the six are labeled KidSafe: lavender, lemon, sweet orange, and tea tree.
How I'm planning to use them:
Lavender: in the diffuser at bedtime
Lemon + sweet orange: a bright kitchen diffuser blend, or a few drops in homemade all-purpose spray
Tea tree: DIY cleaning spray and a drop in the laundry
Peppermint + eucalyptus: the "I need to focus" or stuffy-day combo
Mama tip: Plant Therapy lists peppermint and eucalyptus as not KidSafe, so I'll only diffuse those when the littles aren't in the room. For kids, their KidSafe blends are the way to go.
More Plant Therapy picks on my wishlist
Once you've got the basics, these are the swaps I'd make next to clean up the bathroom cabinet.
Aluminum-free, scented with pink grapefruit and cardamom essential oils, with shea butter and coconut oil. Heads up: it has baking soda, which some sensitive pits don't love.
Literally two ingredients: sunflower seed oil and sweet orange oil. Made without synthetic fragrance, phthalates, parabens, or alcohol.
Vanilla Woods Body Wash, Vanilla Body Lotion, and Velvet Glow Body Oil No. 1. A cozy shower-to-lotion routine in one box.
Three roll-ons: Daily Balance, PMS, and Organic Frankincense & Castor. A little self-care kit for you, or a gift.
Cleanser, rose & witch hazel toner, vitamin C serum, and hydrating cream. Made without synthetic fragrance or parabens.
Rosehip & arnica facial oil, Anti-Age Body Oil, and a frankincense & argan face roll-on. Made without synthetic fragrance, parabens, phthalates, or sulfates.
Rosemary & rice water spray for day, rosemary & castor hair oil for night. Made without sulfates, parabens, phthalates, or synthetic fragrance. Postpartum hair, this one's for you.
Cozy fall flavor with shea butter and vitamin E. Heads up: it's made with beeswax, so it's not vegan.
Their most popular set: 7 singles (the Top 6 plus Cinnamon Cassia) and 7 blends like Relax, Tranquil, and Immune Aid. Grab this instead of the Top 6 if you want to go all in.
Fall + holiday picks (and easy nontoxic gifts)
Cozy season is when the synthetic candles and plug-ins come out in full force. These are the cleaner swaps I'm eyeing for making the house smell like the holidays.
For fall
Juicy orange and warm spice in soy and coconut wax. Paraffin-free and made without phthalates, dyes, or artificial fragrance.
Pairs with the Maple Glaze one for a tart, festive fall flavor. Also made with beeswax, so not vegan.
For the holidays
Christmas Tree, Sugar Plum Fairy, and Vanilla Spice blends for your diffuser all season. Also a perfect gift.
Fresh fir and evergreen in the same paraffin-free soy and coconut wax. For the mantel when the tree goes up.
A refillable glass foaming bottle plus Holiday Season soap, scented with orange, lemon, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg oils.
Gift idea: the nontoxic starter kit
Pair the RetroFlame Diffuser with the Christmas Cheer set or the Top 6 Everyday Oils Bundle. It looks like a little retro speaker with a flame-style glow, plays music over Bluetooth, and runs cordless for about 2 hours on a charge. Add the PT Kids Sweet Lavender 3-in-1 for a mom friend with little ones.
The bottom line
Pin this post for your holiday shopping list!
If you want the essential oil life without MLM prices or synthetic fragrance, Plant Therapy is where I'd start.
Grab the Top 6 Everyday Oils for yourself and the PT Kids Sweet Lavender 3-in-1 for the littles, then add a cozy candle for the season.