No Alcohol-Based Perfumes in Our Future?

The somewhat alarming title which brings to mind declarations much more ominous than "perfumery is dead" etc. due to reformulations or a reversion to ancient perfumery tactics which relied on oil-based elixirs isn't completely demagogue. In fact there is some development afoot which requires a bit of thinking and reconsidering and perhaps some action, if we're serious about what we say and do in public. (I'm reminding you of the ethos we champion)
It seems that when Ava Luxe stopped making alcohol-based eau de parfum versions of her popular fragrances she was on to something, even if she is based in sunny California. According to latest news, all alcohol based perfumes made in Colorado, USA, will be banned if HR 10-1248 CSPCPA is passed, as legisltors consider it a carcinogen! Even though alcohol is also found in several toners as an astringent & a preventative of fungal growth the CO Safe Personal Care Bill is acting up into banning its use. Which would entail perfume too, perhaps!

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics began as a self-regulatory body within the industry grouping colleagues in the small personal care products industry with the aim of a peer-reviewed scientifically verifiable position on products. "When the FDA introduced the FDA Globalization Act of 2008, it appeared as if CFSC was pressing for stringent, and perhaps unnecessary, regulations to be included in the act requiring product registration fees that would be prohibitive for many of the CFSC small business signers. At that time, it also began to become apparent that perhaps an overzealous rush headlong was overstating the immediate necessity for some of the requirements suggested to be included in the act and that perhaps established authorities were not being consulted to provide scientific documentation that would anchor CFSC’s position with actual facts and tempered scientific reasoning." [source] Reminds you of something? Thought so!

Colorado, USA has a proposed a bill, proposed for effect for September 2011, known as The Colorado Safe Personal Products Act, unfortinately so broad and vague that if it passes under its present guise the personal care shelves in stores would go bare! You can read the entire bill here. To follow the bill as it is updated click here and change the range to House Bills 1201-1250 and then scan down to 1248. [source Kayla Fioravanti] There is a hearing scheduled for March 1, 2010 (including sponsors and opposers) while the committee is meeting in room 0107.
Concern might be valid, but like someone questions, "Will these chemicals be ones that cause cancer when topically applied at normal usage percentges or will this information come from studies in which rats were injected with 100% concentration of said ingredients? There is a big difference between putting an diluated ingredient on the skin than injecting an ingredient into the body at full concentration."

It might be wise to be vigilant, because if this paranoia about possible toxics and carcinogens escalates the results would be akin to putting us in a plastic bubble. We're all for the informed choice of the consumer, but surely alcohol would have to be directly ingested and what's more in great quantities to effectuate such radical repurcussions such as tumour growths etc. Not to mention that alcoholics in poor situations are known to imbue clear alcohol to get their fix for years on end without necessarily cancers being the cause of their (eventual?) demise [of course no specific study has been conducted either, but let's just entertain the thought for the sake of our argument here a minute].
Food for thought at any rate! And possibly an incentive to write to your local Congressman/woman.



Here is a list of Colorado based small businesses who have raised their concerns and oppose the new Bill for further reading:
Oppose the Colorado Safe Personal Care Products Act Donna Maria Coles Johnson, IBN Colorado Safe Personal Care Products Act :: Take Action Immediately, Kayla Fioravanti, Essential Wholesale Colorado Safe Personal Care Products Act Kelly Bloom, Southern Soapers Tunnel Vision, Robert Tisserand, Aromatherapy Expert and Author Colorado Safe Cosmetics Bill, Cindy Jones PhD, Sagescript Institute The Colorado Safe Personal Care Act: How Will it Affect You, Lisa Rodgers, Cactus & Ivy You Can Die From Salt, Too, Anne Marie Faiola, Bramble Berry Oppose Colorado Safe Personal Care Products Act, Katherine Corkill, Sterling Minerals From the President – Colorado Safe Personal Care Products Act, Leigh O’Donnell, HSMG Colorado versus the cosmetics industry, Sarva Natural Artisan Soaps When Safety in Personal Care, Isn’t Safety At All, Jerell Klaver, Salus Natural Body Care The Colorado No Product Law, Marge Clark, Nature’s Gift Tilting at Windmills: The Colorado Safe Personal Care Products Act, Emily Topsham, GCD Spa Costly Confusion in Colorado: The Bubble Bill, Donna Maria Coles Johnson, IBN Related Articles: Colorado Proposes Ban on Cosmetics It Claims Cause Cancer, Cosmetic Design Bill Proposes the Colorado Safe Personal Care Products Act, Global Cosmetic Industry

Heeley Oranges and Lemons Say the Bells of St.Clement's: new fragrance

Oranges and Lemons, Say the bells of St. Clement’s: Yup, that's the full name of the latest Heeley fragrance which will be introduced in Excense 2010 in Italy. The brand by James Heeley had us all take notice with their Cardinal and Cuir Plein Fleur, to mention but two worthwhile specimens.

Born in Yorkshire, England, James Heeley studied Philosophy and Aesthetics at King’s College, London University. He lives and works in Paris. Product design, packaging, graphic design, interior design and perfume: the scope of his work is large, yet always approached with the same rigour and attention to detail. The apparent simplicity and elegance of his designs are the result of a continual thought process in which he marries form, function, and a coherent use of materials. Characterised by a certain degree of formalism, his idea of luxury is that it should abound with life and intelligence.

Now Heeley is after a playful new twist for their hesperidic fragrance in what has to do with its baptism at least. The name derives from an old British song:

Oranges and lemons, Say the bells of St. Clement’s
You owe me five farthings, Say the bells of St. Martin’s
When will you pay me? Say the bells of Old Bailey.
When I grow rich, Say the bells of Shoreditch.
When will that be? Say the bells of Stepney
I do not know, Says the great bell of Bow
Here comes a candle to light you to bed.
And here comes a chopper to chop off your head!

The fragrance? It contains notes of orange, lemon, bergamot, mandarin, neroli, petit-grain, Earl Grey tea, ylang ylang, vetiver, and musk.

info via Extrait.it

Amouage to open 2 stand-alone boutiques

"The luxury perfumer was founded 25 years ago at the request of Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Oman's head of state, as a way to both preserve the sultanate's biblical perfume-making traditions and provide gifts for visiting world leaders. Now, it's looking to infiltrate the European -- and eventually the U.S. -- markets with its own named stores selling an unique, expensive brand of perfume, and other luxury goods, for the body and the home.
Two new stores are planned for 2010 -- one in Dubai and one in London. The Dubai store, scheduled to open at the end of March, will be the first outside Oman. The London store, scheduled to open in May, will be the first outside the Gulf."

We love Amouage on Perfume Shrine and encourage you to read the whole article from cnn.com on this link.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Amouage news & reviews

It's in the Air...

One of the most classic fragrances, selling one bottle every minute someplace in the world, is L'Air du Temps by Nina Ricci. Even if it's characteristic, immediately recognisable piquancy of spicy floral has been somewhat dimmed over the decades since its introduction in 1948 due to reformulations, the romantic ideal on which it was introduced to the world ~its doves bringing peace and serenity~ has not. Here are some of my favourite commercials and advertisements which have graced its fragrant trail over the years: From the masterful clip that recalls Hieronymus Bosch's "The Garden of Earthly Delight" to more nostalgic ones ("c'est une vie enchantée", it's an enchanted life). And from the 1993 graphic arrow-shot bottles by Enrique Badulescu from 1993 through to the Jean Baptiste Mondino ones at the subway from the late 1990s. The bottom line is what the lovely soft-focus ads from the 70s by David Hamilton proclaim: "'Un parfum doit être source de rêve." A perfume should work as a source of dreams...








Which one is your favourite?

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Fragrant Advertising articles

Traditional Handmade Soap Making: An Old Craft

"Soap making in Lebanon is an old craft established more than a thousand years ago. Handmade Lebanese soaps have been sold through the ages to the Arabian countries and Europe. The Badr Hassoun family has been involved in soap making for 800 years. The family’s houses and shops can still be seen in the Khan Al-Saboun or Soap Khan.[...]In the old days, the “attar”, perfumer and “ashab”, herbalist worked together to prepare medicated soaps infused with herbal remedies. Essential oils were mixed with medicinal herbs to make special soaps which treated dandruff, acne, eczema and hair loss. Badr Hassoun believes that these mild soaps have an advantage over modern remedies, because they are less likely to cause allergies or side effects".


A most interesting article appeared on Arabnews.com concerning the tradition of handmade aromatic soaps in Lebanon. You can read the whole article here.

pic via 360dewan.com